Week 6: Preparing day for 1st Event

Today, we are preparing for the coming event, we first used the corn flour and butter to make cookies. Because we think cookies are the best combination. And then our main job is to get the soup ready.

We are making the sauce for the soup, this may let the soup
more thick.

We mixed everything for the sauce.

after that, we cooked celery and bacon for the soup.

Week 5: Stocks, Soups and Sauces

This week we learned to observe changes of starch and flour in the heating process. The teacher asked us to put the flour and oil heating. Then in a dish painted in different time mark, every 30 seconds after heating, we will use a spoon to get out of a point on the plate, and finally to observe in different heating time, the change of flour. This is really interesting, but also very practical, because it let us know how long time can achieve what kind of effect.

To begin our vegetable soup we cut celery, carrots and onions. Put them in a pot, and we are waiting to translucent onion, carrots and celery to get a little brown. When the vegetable stock is finished the carrots, onions and celery made its way to the top of the pot and into a clear liquid because once cooked vegetables tan.

When each group complete their soup, we tasted each flavor, which can help us to better understand how to make better soup.

The best thing for this week is we learned how to use the knife. It is difficult during cooking at home because of the cutting thing, the meat or potatoes are always to thick.

Week 4: Dairy and Egg Purchasing & Dry Goods Identification

Week 4: Egg Purchasing and Identification

This week, we have to do different varieties of dairy taste test. It is really hard, trying to figure out which is which dairy products. In each of us to what we think everyone in the class final, it is interesting to see the correct answers and what type of matching people to their taste buds.

This is the only five, we get 15 different dairy blind taste tests. Dairy products ranging from cheese to yogurt. There are many different types of milk, such as goat's.

In this class, I learned a lot about cooking a variety of spices used and the main dairy products. Different tastes and temperature opened my eyes which products in different dishes. I also learned that it is very important to plan the cooking event, because there are a lot of needs, must take into account the impact of smallest details.

Week 4: Dry Goods Identification

Chef made risotto for us, pilaf we did, and we made grits, everything is fine to eat. 
Risotto starts with rice and salt. Once that is hot you add white wine, which adds a sour element as well as lemon. The cooking process has now started because we added a liquid. Then add your aromatics (thyme, bay leaf and garlic) and let those sink in. Eventually you add in stock for the rice to soak up and a whole bunch of butter.

I learned a lot as well. I understand more about how to work starch to thicken the sauce and how different liquids like wine can be the difference between a normal rice. Group I also learned something about the heating control, when we blew up some rice, then cooked it. All components are in the correct proportions at the right time to join. If these things do not happen in any case, the result is a mess, no one will eat.

The rice is the most important food in my country,it is the first time for cooking the rice with western style, there are a lot of new things that I can learn from this class, that is the most exciting thing I found from HA 243.

Week 3- Fish and Fruit

This week, the chef told us about how to deal with seafood, how to clean up a fresh fish and lobster. This lesson is very interesting, because we like to eat seafood, didn't know how to clean and cook seafood. However, after this lesson, I learned how to deal with seafood.

This week we also recognize that a wide variety of fruits and vegetables. There is something I have never seen before.

Week 2-Tool presentation and delicious beef

During the second week, the chef told us about the most kitchen tool, tell us their names and how to use.
The most exciting is the chef showed us how to distinguish between the various beef parts. And let us taste the authentic flavor of the steak.

Week 1- Welcome and how to cook an egg

 I was very excited on the first lesson, because I had never had the opportunity to step into the kitchen, although I would cook at home, but never had any contact with very professional kitchen tools.

At the first class chef showed us the semester arrangements and requirements, then handed over to each group task, cooked an egg.

After a discussion of the crew and we decided to cook the eggs in boiling water for 5 minutes, then turn off the heat, cover and simmer for 10 minutes. After chef review, we the egg boiled meet the requirements.

HA243-Introduction

The kitchen has always been a mysterious place, when we eat at a restaurant, we never have the opportunity to come to the kitchen, we will not find the kitchen looks like, how it works, how to make guests favorite food. But through this course, we have the opportunity to go to the kitchen to get to know the secrets of the kitchen.