The Secret to Becoming a Better Home Cook — FOCUS ON THE BASICS!!

It is easy to quickly become overwhelmed with even the idea of cooking — there are so many recipes, ingredients, techniques, equipment, gadgets, etc.  The truth is, cooking is actually VERY simple and requires much less time, energy, equipment and stress than we think.  The key is to get back to BASICS.  When you break cooking down into its individual components and master them one by one, everything begins to just fall into place.

We tend to avoid this basic learning as it requires patience, repetition and practice, practice, practice.  We would rather turn our attention to the next big shiny object or task in our path!  Taking the time to REALLY learn and master a skill, concept or technique from the ground up will pay off far greater dividends, but it will not be instantaneous.

In a few short weeks, I will be marking my 7th year anniversary providing culinary instruction for the home cook.  Many students I see several times a month, others a few times a year and still others only one time.  Those who seek out the basic classes and practice what they learn in class at home, blossom and grow as home cooks and in most cases, develop a real love and passion for healthy, delicious cooking.  They even find they are saving money and feeling better by not eating out so often.

Practicing cooking basics kills frustration, eliminates excuses!  Others find such topics and classes “boring” and gravitate toward more “sexy” and “trendy” topics only to become frustrated because they do not have a solid foundation on which to build.  Some eventually realize the importance of gaining these basic skills, others never do and blame the system (that is a bad recipe, those knives are terrible, my oven has too many hot spots).

At Mrs. Dornberg’s we want you to become a better home cook which is why we focus on the basics.  Here are some suggestions to get started.  We offer these classes throughout the year.  So, check out the current schedule and join us today!

• Cooking 101 is a 4-week, small group, hands-on series that puts you in the kitchen!  You will learn basic cooking techniques, become familiar with ingredients and kitchen tools, explore different flavors and share the cooking experience with others
• Soup 101 covers vegetable and chicken stocks which are the starting point for more than just a great chicken noodle soup.
• Souper Saturday and Soup’s On put you IN THE KITCHEN making your own soup and stock!
• The Mediterranean Diet discusses what exactly is this way of cooking and eating, and how can you incorporate the concepts into your everyday cooking.
• The Healthy Food, Healthy You Program tackles healthy eating and cooking at the source – our mindset!  What we focus on we do, and sometimes our mind and thoughts are our own worst enemies when it comes to being healthy!
• Veggie Power IS THE CLASS to take if you struggle with getting enough vegetables in your diet and never know what to do with them!
• And, the most important class of all Basic Knife Skills!!  In just a few short hours you will become more confident and proficient in your chopping skills and you may even start to ENJOY prep!!

Check out the schedule, pick a class or two and get started!  There is no perfect place to start, you just need to START, the rest will come naturally!