fandomhigh | Beginning Gourmet Cooking Techniques

Hannibal nodded at the students as they took their seats. "Good morning. I hope you all had a very good break. Today we'll be speaking about utensils once again. While a good knife is perhaps the most important, there are other things which also make cooking substantially easier. Among them, pots and pans."

He nodded at the assortment in front of him. "There are a number of basic types, and if you're planning on cooking at all, it's good to have at least one of each." He held the handles of the first two, lifting them so everybody could see. "A sauté pan, and a skillet."

"The sauté pan is deeper and has straight sides; it's best for searing meat, and for reducing sauces. It has more surface area at the bottom, and meat and other things are less likely to escape." He smiled and turned the other one. "The skillet's sides are sloped, so you don't have as much room. But if you're cooking anything that takes a lot of movement, such as stir fry, or that requires serving from the pan, it is easier to work with."

He picked up and turned the next item.

"Saucepans come in many sizes; if you're stocking a kitchen, you'll probably want several. The size of your pan can determine how quickly and evenly your food is cooked. Similar to those is a double boiler."

"The top pot is simply a shallow saucepan; the bottom, as you see," he demonstrated, "has a ridge in which the other sits. This way you can cook things for which direct heat is too delicate. Water in the bottom steams the food in the top."

He tilted the largest pot forward. "Lastly, a dutch oven."

"Larger than a sauce pan, with thick walls. Very useful for soups or for larger roasts."

He flicked the dutch oven, which made a fairly dull thud, and the double boiler, which rang at a higher pitch. "You will also note the various metals. Cast iron is traditional for the dutch oven; also many saucepans, including this one. However, the iron may react with strongly acidic or alkaline foods, so it's good to have something nonreactive as well. Stainless steel is nonreactive, but it doesn't conduct heat well. This double boiler and skillet are all-clad; that means they have a copper core surrounded by stainless steel." And that they cost more than some people's paychecks.

"You want to be careful when choosing metals to get something that will last, and preferably that will not poison you. Also, you should take good care of the pans that you get; they'll last much longer and your food will taste better."

He eyed them all. "I had considered that for this class it would be appropriate to have you wash dishes instead of cooking, but that seemed too cruel after vacation. Count yourselves lucky. Instead, you will be making eggs." He tapped each pan or pot in turn. "Fried, scrambled, poached, and hard boiled. The same food, very different ending points, and different cookware for each. Please ask if you have any questions."

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"I imagine it doesn't make classes terribly comfortable, either. Have you seen a doctor?" That sling didn't look like hospital equipment, nor would they have let him out limping like that. Unless he'd simply decided to be a stubborn teenager and left crutches in his room.

"...I don't know," he admitted, making a face. "I mean, when I woke up there was a nurse so I'm guessing there was a doctor around at some point."

But, the people who'd done this to him were bastards and hadn't given him crutches. Though, if they had given him crutches, he probably would have left them in his room.

"So, I probably have but I wasn't awake for it."

"And naturally you wouldn't want to stay in the hospital." Hannibal shook his head. Honestly, even as substandard as many doctors were, they were perfectly adequate for minor injuries. He couldn't understand the extreme aversion so many young people had to them.

"I didn't actually have a choice," Flick snapped but calmed down almost immediately. Pain made him a little cranky but he knew he was still talking to a teacher. "When I woke up, I was in the back of an ambulance on my way here. They dropped me off and left. Not my choice."

But yeah, he probably would have tried to get out of a hospital if he'd been admitted. This time, though, it wasn't his fault.

Hannibal raised an eyebrow. "I don't think I have to tell you that isn't standard practice." Somehow, he didn't think Flick would be talking about it, but he could gather at least "angered somebody with influence, money, and fists".

"If you find yourself in serious pain or difficulty, my number is on your syllabus," Hannibal pointed out. "I assure you I'm well acquainted both with injuries and with discretion." Not that he'd try to extract any less information than a hospital, but he'd be sneakier about it, and he wouldn't have to tell the police.

"Appreciate the offer," Flick said after some silence. He didn't look at Dr. Lecter but he did nod. "Might take you up on it if I don't think things were...set correctly."

Hannibal nodded. "You don't want that limp becoming permanent if it's avoidable. Meanwhile," he tugged the handle of the pan over to Flick's side, "brace this here, between your body and your elbow, and rest your arm on top of it lightly. These pans have enough weight that should keep it from moving while you use your free hand to cook."

"Thanks," Flick said and he meant that. He didn't look at Dr. Lecter but he nodded and he was definitely appreciative. "I'll let you know if you need to take a look at my leg."

He'd rather avoid becoming a modern day peg leg, if he could help it.

"You're welcome." Hannibal nodded again and headed off to check on the other students.

Beginning Gourmet Cooking Techniques | Tuesday, 1st Period

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