Risotto cooking class follow-up

Teaching a cooking class on my own was a new experience for me.  I've been in cooking classes, I've assisted with cooking classes, I've done demos, and I've (of course) done many computer classes.  So I had some idea where to start.  But still, it's probably better that the first class was small because there were some issues.

First off, I recruited a friend to be my assistant, and she got sick at the last minute.  Second, I got to Noisebridge only to discover (a) someone cooking dinner in the kitchen, and (b) that there were electrical issues, causing the electric rail which was our main source of power and lighting for everything but the stove to not light up.  It's a good thing I got there an hour early, because I needed it!  I ran extension cords over to the kitchen and did my best to set up.

Two things I did right included preparing a recipe handout with both a master recipe and the two recipes we'd be cooking, and researching and preparing notes on the wine.  However, I should have also prepared a list of what ingredients needed to be prepared in what order; I knew this, but I ran out of prep time.  Also, thanks to advice from the Bulletin Board, I brought aprons.

The other ... interesting ... thing about the Noisebridge kitchen is the stove.  The kitchen construction crew have done a bang-up job and made doing cooking classes possible. The sink, in particular, is a joy to use for cleaning up from any food event.  However, someone's gadget-obsession got the best of them when they purchased the stovetop.  It's a computerized magnetic induction stove.  Computers and cookware don't mix; computers and magnets don't mix; computers and magnets and cookware definitely don't mix.  Oh well, at least it's easy to clean.

Just as we were cleaning up from cooking, I got my other surprise of the night.  They'd decided to hold "Five Minutes of Flail" on Thursday as well.  I'd volunteered for this several weeks ago and not heard any more about it.  They called me up to the mike!  So I flailed more than most, having not even 30 seconds of mental prep before I had to make up a talk to go with the slides.

Unfortunately, with only 3 students I didn't raise any money for the NB kitchen, or even cover my ingredient costs.  Next time!  I discovered that the Noisebridge kitchen needs, in addition to cookware: spoons & spatulas, towels, paper towels, decent paring knives, and hotpads.

Again, I had a great time and the students had a great time.  So I'll definitely be holding another class, probably in mid-June.  Sign up on the cooking class mailing list  or the Bulletin Board if you want to be kept up to date with the class schedule and vote on topics.

More photos are here:  My pictures, and Mark's pictures.