Saturday, May 05, 2012

First Lessons

On the Splendid Table, this morning, a caller asked Lynn what she should do to teach a group of college bound high school seniors to cook.

This immediately got my interest, because I've been tapped to teach the child of one of the SMLF to cook, one day.

I think I'd start the day with baking chocolate chip cookies.  This would teach about reading a recipe, recipe shorthand, and proper measuring technique.  Also, it would teach about using a mixer, folding, and using the oven.

Next, I'd move on to making Jambalaya.  This teaches to prep all your ingredients in advance, that you don't always need a recipe exactly, and how to saute.  After getting the jambalaya going, I'd continue the saute lesson to demonstrate how to saute a chicken breast and making a pan sauce.  The saute skill also covers cooking veggies and making quick pasta sauces.

Lastly, I'd talk about boiling and braising.  Boiling for noodles and rice and braising for meats.

I think those three skills could easily translate into 4 years of survival, don't you?

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