Kitchen on Fire! cooking class

I started a 12-week cooking class at Kitchen on Fire in Berkeley.

The space is light-filled, and there are about 25 students in the class.  The teacher MikeC is hilarious!  At one point, he talked about how if you don't do the mis en place (preparation) properly, you will end up making a big mess in the kitchen. Then you will look around and say, "Who the hell did this?"

He paused significantly, and then said solemnly, "It was you!"

I laughed so much.

In our first class, I learned how to hold the knife properly, and how to chop vegetables into consistent thickness.  After the class, I went home and cut two potatoes for stir fry.  It actually went much faster.  I remember asking my friend to slice two potatoes during college, and it took 30 minutes.

We chopped all of these vegetables.  My next class will be Searing, Frying, and Confit.  Excited!!

If you feel inspired, the school regularly runs 12-week cooking classes. If you are my friend and also enjoy cooking, let's cook together sometime!

I'm deciding whether to also get the Kitchen on Fire book. I usually get all my recipes online, but this book also has a lot of step-by-step photos.

I'm looking forward to learning to make stews, quick breads, and roasting.  I already do these things, but not very expertly.