One of the problems that comes from living in a small town in the middle of no-where is then when you have a passion for learning something, you pretty much have to... do it on your own. (There are many, many wonderful things about small town life that out-weigh this, however!) I've dreamed of finding a cooking school workshop in one of the cities nearest me (an hour away) where I could go an stay for a week and learn as much as I could in a short time. In the past year I've done quite a lot of learning on my own, using books on technique* and the 'why' of food.
Today I was catching up on one of my favorite food blogs, and discovered that Kitchen Simplicity is now affiliated with this online cooking School, Rouxbe (clever, wot?). If you go to Rouxbe through KS's link, the cooking school will give you a free 14 day trial, opposed to their normal 7 day trial.
I watched their introductory video and one of the lessons they let you preview and I have to say... it looks like a very effective tool. A lot of basics are covered, but you can chose which lessons you want to do when. Home-made pasta, choosing cuts of meat, sharpening knives... things that for me at least are easier learned from watching than book descriptions.
So what are you waiting for? 14 days to soak up high quality cooking instruction at no risk. I'm getting ready to go on vacation so I won't start my 14 days yet, but I will as soon as I get back.
* Books that I have used and learned a significant amount from...
Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Vol 1 & 2
From Julia Child's Kitchen
Mastering Knife Skills
King Arthur Flour Baker's Companion
KAF Whole Grain Baking
I'm Just Here For the Food
I'm Just Here for More Food
