fandomhigh | Entries tagged with cooking

"Okay, so...it's our final, and...the island appears to be having one of those weeks. So I'm not going to make you work with sharp or hot objects while distracted. That seems like a bad idea. And that's your final lesson: sometimes you just can't cook for yourself. Sometimes you need some help. That's what takeout is for. And Gatorade. Remember to hydrate. You all get As, now get out and uh, be responsible."

sharp_man

"Welcome to your final," Hannibal told them. Was he aware of the pollen? Of course. Was he going to let it stop this? Of course not. You were both adults; if he could keep from killing people for an hour, you could focus enough for a cooking test.

"Cook me something; the more techniques and awareness you show of what we've discussed, the better you will score."

Then he was sitting down with his phone and looking up ~~victims~~ things for later.

carbsliftthespirit

There was an assortment of movie snacks on offer today, because the students would be watching a film! Less educational, more motivational, because hey, if a mouse could cook, so could you! Right?...right?

sharp_man

When the students got to the Danger Shop today, Hannibal nodded and waved them to the front.

"In traditional Western cuisine, there are five sauces which are referred to as the 'mother sauces'. Each of them can be used as a base for many other sauces, so once you learn them, you're well on your way to being able to make any number of things."

He had five dishes in front of him, and indicated them in turn; there were little spoons so they could each taste them.

"The first is Béchamel. It's the simplest; you don't need to prepare anything ahead of time. It starts with only milk, flour, and butter. The butter and flour you use to make a roux, as we did in an earlier class; then the roux thickens the milk and herbs and spices are added; salt and pepper, often clove, maybe onion. Many creamy or cheesy sauces start with Béchamel."

"Next is Velouté. Also fairly simple; instead of milk, you use some sort of stock - poultry, veal, fish, any meat that makes a light stock - which you would generally make ahead of time. Any spices would already be in the stock. You thicken the stock with the roux. Mushroom sauce and many seafood sauces are made from this. And don't worry," he told Arden, "this one uses veal."

"Espagnole is a brown sauce. It begins the same as the velouté, but with a darker stock, such as beef, and is a bit more complex. Once you have the stock, you add tomato puree and vegetables. Some mushroom and wine-based sauces use this, and it's often cooked together with more stock to make a demi-glace which is used in other sauces."

"The fourth is Hollandaise. It has only two basic ingredients - clarified butter and egg yolks. Herbs and lemon are often added. It is a permanent emulsion; like oil and vinegar, the butter and eggs would not normally mix, but when combined correctly, the sauce will not separate. There are a number of other sauces that use this as a base, but it's not uncommon to see it used on its own, either, particularly on vegetables."

"The last is tomato sauce. Which is not, generally speaking, what you'll find on a pizza," he noted, with a wry smile. "Vegetables are sautéed, traditionally in pork fat, then added to tomatoes, stock, and perhaps some further bones or meat, then it's cooked in the oven. Traditionally it's also thickened with a roux, although the tomatoes are often enough of a thickening agent."

Once they'd had a chance to try them all, he continued. "Today we'll be working through as many of these as you're able. I suggest you attempt them in this order; I'd rather you make a good béchamel than five lumpy sauces. If you should need help, please let me know."

sharp_man

Today class was back in the Danger Shop with their cooking stations, and each one was outfitted with an assortment of gelatin types, food colorings, small knives and spatulas, along with...syringes?

Hannibal nodded to them both and smiled. "Today, we return to gelled things, and we learn about agar." He showed them a number of flakes. "We will be making raindrop cakes. They are deceptively simple in concept, but you will want to ensure you get the mixture and procedure correct so that it stays together. I have enabled us to cheat by using this room to generate a refrigeration unit that will quarter the time it will take to set the cakes. Once you have the basic concept down, you will find a number of ~~moddable~~ mix-ins at your stations, and can work at using them for added flavor and color."

He demonstrated the proper way to dissolve and mix the agar, then waved them toward their stations. "Please ask if you have any questions."

carbsliftthespirit

Raiden was late today, because he had only just realized it was Tuesday.

Actually, he had walked into Pizza Planet thinking it was Monday and been greeted with, "Uh...don't you have a class right now?" It was fine. Everything was fine.

"Hey, so, your assignment for today is to put together a meal from whatever ~~handwavily~~ is in the fridge and cabinets at your station, and then explain to me why it's acceptable. It's, uh, a practical application or whatever. Go!"

Nailed it.

sharp_man

This week, the class had received handwavy e-mail messages to meet at Portalocity. When they got there, Hannibal greeted them and handed them each a list of fruits and vegetables. "I have this as a spreadsheet online if you would like, but sometimes paper is easier." Also, he was old. "Today, we will be covering selecting good produce. The first lesson to buying decent fruits and vegetables is, whenever possible, to buy things which are organic, grown locally, and currently in season. It's healthier and tastes much better. That said, I realize that you may not always have that option. There are some foods that buying organic is more important for than others, due to the amount of chemicals they retain or the types used."

He nodded at the paper. "In addition, as you will see, there are certain times in Baltimore during which very little is in season. Therefore, we will be traveling to Baltimore in August, so as to actually find something more than apples and mushrooms."

He held up the list. "I've included some simple reminders about how to choose the best of each; I will go into more detail once we arrive, and feel free to take notes. As our class activity today, instead of cooking, you will be choosing your own produce to bring back from a local farmers' market. At this particular market, most things are grown organically, and should be marked as such. Stay close and pay attention while I orient you, and then find the produce I assign."

He smirked. "It's in your best interest to perform well; once you've completed the assignment, you are welcome to relax in the August weather. If you need help, I will be pleased to answer any questions. You may also ask the farmers, of course."

He waited to see if there were any current questions, then nodded them through the portal.

"I would like you each to pick out one head of spinach, one bunch of grapes, one eggplant, several tomatoes, a few onions, several apples, a couple of parsnips, and one other item of your choice."

When you've all chosen your produce, Hannibal will grade you on your choices, and then you can all relax in the August sun!

He'll let you taste what you chose, what he chose, and some of the same items of produce he picked at random from the non-organic, non-local supermarket. (Feel free to not taste a difference and make him feel sorry for you!)

carbsliftthespirit

"I forget what we've done so far," Raiden, notoriously terrible of memory, admitted cheerfully, "so I don't remember if we did soup or not yet. So we're doing soup this week.

"Now, the thing about soup is you don't need a recipe. You can use a recipe! But even then you can follow it loosely. Use what you have, try to make sure the flavors don't clash in a weird way, and you're golden. You can't mess it up. The basic rule is that you're going to want some kind of fat, some aromatics--garlic, onion, ginger maybe--some vegetables and maybe some meat, and broth. Or...water. I can't stop you. But broth is better! You don't even have to make your own broth! They sell it in cartons at the grocery store now, it's amazing. So you put your fat--oil, butter, bacon grease, whatever floats your boat--in your pot, you cook your aromatics and then your vegetables and maybe meat in it, you add broth until it looks like soup, you maybe throw in a bay leaf, you let it simmer for a while, and ta-da! Soup! I'd say it's foolproof, but then they'll invent a better fool, so uh, be smarter than that? I don't know. Anyway, let's make soup. Think about your favorite kind of soup, and then find a recipe for it, or just try to figure it out on your own. Sometimes that's more fun."

sharp_man

Class was back in the Danger Shop today, and it was once again set up with cooking stations. "Good morning," Hannibal said once they were both there. "Last week, we learned about cuts of meat, and we have already discussed the importance of a good knife."

He picked up one of his own knives. "But there are techniques to using them. It is more complicated and elegant than simply hitting things with them. The key is control of your tools, something that will come into play in a future class."

~~Hannibal playing with knives~~
Cutting Techniques

"This week, we'll cover mincing, dicing, chopping, slicing, and julienning, among other things. There are many different types of cuts. They can help add interest to food's appearance, and are also important to ensure everything cooks at the proper rate. If you have different sized pieces of the same type of food, you'll end up with some of it overdone and some of it underdone." Don't do that, kids.

He gestured for them to join him up front to watch. "We will start with proper technique, as I'd prefer neither of you lose a finger." He went over the different grips and cutting techniques, demonstrating them.

"When cutting meat, you should always cut against the grain. Cutting the wrong way is a common error that can ruin a good meal." He showed them a rare piece of steak. "Meat is muscle fibers. Muscles travel in a specific direction; like wood, they have a grain." He showed them the long side of the meat.

"Because they're designed for strength, pulling muscle with the grain - or chewing it - is very difficult." He sliced a bit with the grain and tugged on it to show them. "So, when you're slicing meat, you should always cut in the other direction." He did a bit of that. "This makes it much more tender." He pulled that piece apart fairly easily.

"You all have various vegetables and some meat at your stations. Today you'll be making a vegetable beef soup to practice different cuts. Pay attention to the size each vegetable should be, or they won't all finish at the same time. And please watch how you cut your meat."

He nodded for them to begin.

carbsliftthespirit

Raiden was, of course, wearing green today, because he didn't like being pinched. "Happy St. Patrick's Day!" he greeted his class. "For those of you who might not know, St. Patrick's Day honors the patron saint of Ireland in the Catholic religion, but even those who aren't Catholic or Irish can celebrate, because who doesn't love a themed holiday with lots of drinking?

"In America, with its large Irish immigrant population, the traditional foods of St. Patrick's Day include beer, green beer, corned beef and cabbage, and Irish soda bread. I figure you can all put green food coloring in beer on your own time, so let's learn to make the others. Corned beef and cabbage is great to put in your slow cooker: you're basically going to throw everything in and forget it all day, then enjoy a delicious dinner. Let's cut up some vegetables!" Once that was done, Raiden moved on to, "Yes, we're making bread today. It's soda bread, which means it's a quick bread! You don't have to wait around on yeast! So follow along with me as we make the recipe, and I promise we'll get there.

"And there you have it! A delicious Irish-American feast really isn't that hard, and what you do to your beer is between you and your God. Any questions?"

sharp_man

The class met this week at Portalocity again, this time to head out to a local butcher's shop in a lovely market.

"In future, we will be discussing how to cut meat," Hannibal began, "but there are any number of different meats you may encounter. Different cuts of different animals are useful for different things, and it's important to know how to make the most of them. And even given the overall qualities of a species, the flavor and texture of meat on an animal varies depending upon which part of the body it comes from. Also, different strains of species have different flavors, and their diet can make a very large difference." As did their frame of mind upon death, but that tended to distress people.

He led them toward the butchery to one side of the building. "I have arranged for the butchers to show you the various cuts of beef, pork, and lamb; where on the carcass they come from; and how to acquire them should you be performing your own butchery. Then we'll be moving to the stall next to it, which I have rented temporarily so that I can show you how the various cuts cook up. There won't be time for you to cook yourselves today, but I'll be feeding you. Provided you pay attention while I work." This was still, after all, a class.

carbsliftthespirit

"Today, let's talk about salad," Raiden declared. "Now, what is a salad? It's a word with a wide variety of definitions, covering everything from leafy greens to fruit set in Jell-o. The key thing is that it's cold, and involves a bunch of different ingredients, usually mixed together in some way, and some kind of dressing, sometimes substituted for by the Jell-o if you're in Minnesota.

"The great thing about salads is that they're highly customizable, so you can use what you like, and really control the nutrition too. Need more protein? Add something like eggs or tuna! Use whatever veggies you like. There are a thousand dressings out there, plus recipes for different ones! The sky's the limit.And that's without getting into variations like pasta salad, or chicken salad, or Snickers salad!" A real thing, also a product of the Midwest. "Today we're sticking to your regular old leafy salad, though. You may have to do some cooking, of maybe an egg or some bacon, a chicken breast maybe, and some chopping, but mostly salads are about assembly. So we've got a bunch of ~~handwavey~~ ingredients, and you can try things out, see what you like, what's good together. Have fun with it! Be adventurous!" he encouraged them.

carbsliftthespirit

There was a sign on the door to the Home Ec room today:

CLASS CANCELED
No one wants to hear me sing!

You could learn about soup...well, no, not next week. Week after next.

sharp_man

"Last week, we began working with gelatin," Hannibal said when everybody met him at Portalocity. "We will work a bit further with it in future, but this week, we shall be working with something else interesting and topical - chocolate. And because there is only so much to teach about it without seeing where it comes from, we will have another field trip."

He waved them through the portal - to Maison Cailler.

"Welcome to Broc, Switzerland. Maison Cailler is Switzerland's oldest brand, and considered by many to be the original home of milk chocolate. We will have a tour here, followed by a class taught by one of their chocolatiers. It will last several hours, but I've arranged portals so you won't miss the rest of the day back home, either. So, please enjoy the history, smells, and tastes of chocolate, pay attention in the class, and then we'll have some time in their store before we head back to the island."

carbsliftthespirit

"Okay! Today we're gonna learn about..." Raiden did a little drumroll with his hands on the counter. "Pasta! Truly one of the best of the carbs. Actually, all of the carbs are good. We don't play favorites in this house. Now, pasta, or noodles, we're also not the vocab police in this house, is made from flour and water and sometimes egg, and you can make it from scratch but that's way too advanced for this class. In this class we're using the dry stuff in a box." He held up a box of spaghetti. "The different shapes of pasta have different functions and are better for different things, but who cares? Use what you like. I'm not gonna stop you.

"One of the easiest dinner options out there that's like, a real meal is to cook up some pasta and heat up some jarred pasta sauce, put some Parmesan cheese on top and ta-da! Dinner. You can also brown some meat--ground beef, ground turkey, Italian sausage, whatever you like...even probably that fake meat, I won't stop you, vegetarians. You can also throw together an actual recipe without much effort, and then feel like you accomplished something! And in the summer, you can make pasta salad however you like for a cold option. Pasta truly is a versatile king. So! We've got a bunch of ~~handwavey~~ ingredients and stuff; get to making some pasta how you want it."

sharp_man

"Welcome. We have quite a bit to do today, so I will begin quickly," Hannibal said, "but I hope you won't mind. There is quite a bit to learn if you intend to work with gelatin."

He gestured at his setup. "I will be demonstrating by making panna cotta." It had previously been marshmallows in this lesson, but, well. "There are a few techniques to cover in order to make this. Dissolving the gelatin, cooking a mixture to a specific temperature, and carefully mixing different substances. Once we've completed all of that, they will have to sit for several hours in order to gel, so you will have to take them with you and eat them later. I will demonstrate that as well."

He went over the recipe carefully, demonstrating with gelatine powder and real vanilla.

"Any questions?"

sharp_man

Class had been ~~handwavily~~ asked to meet at Portalocity today, and Hannibal smiled at the students when they arrived. "Good morning. There are several field trips we may take this semester, to experience first-hand some things that might benefit from it."

He paused. "If any of you have difficulties with green light, I suggest you don sunglasses before we embark." He wasn't particularly fond of this world's sun, but the people at the store were very friendly and helpful.

Once anybody who wanted to had put on their glasses, Hannibal waved them through the ( portal )

carbsliftthespirit

"Chilly out there, isn't it?" Raiden asked his students. "My brother's refusing to leave his warm cozy bed, but that's not unusual for him anyway. Still, glad you made it to class! Today we're going to learn about the perfect combo for a cold day: a grilled cheese sandwich and tomato soup. Now, these are easy recipes, but you don't even have to get this complicated! There's nothing wrong with heating up a can of tomato soup, and a grilled cheese is where a slice of American cheese really shines. But we're gonna get just a little complicated, okay? I've got some different cheeses besides what the recipe calls for, so you can pick your favorite grilled cheese option, and you'll get to use a stick blender; it's fun. Like a boat motor for your food. Let's get started!"

sharp_man

Some instructors might be wimps, but Hannibal was not one of them. He rather enjoyed this weather; it gave him a chance to wear his warm clothing.

He would hear no slander against his hat!

He nodded and waved his students over to his counter at the front.

"We'll be discussing a number of sauces and techniques later in the semester, and you will need to know some techniques before we begin on them. The first is called a roux. A roux is flour and salt cooked together; it can be used as a base for some recipes, and some of the techniques it uses will help with others, such as gravy or gelatin."

"Our roux starts with clarified butter." He put a square block of butter into a small pot and began heating it. "Standard butter consists of butterfat, milk solids, and water. Clarifying it removes the water and milk solids. Clarified butter can get much hotter without burning, which makes it very good for frying." He demonstrated how to skim the butter as it cooked, leaving only the part they wanted.

"Once we have our clarified butter, we can start on the rest of the roux. A good roux is essential to many sauces. It helps to thicken them and adds some flavor. It's important not to burn it, and to make sure that the fat and the flour mix evenly." He showed how to finish making it.

"After that, the next challenge you face with any sauce, particularly as a beginner, is avoiding lumps. You must add the liquids slowly, and it helps if they're cold. If you add them too quickly, or too much at once, it won't be pretty."

After he'd demonstrated the proper technique, he nodded to them. "Today we'll be making a béchamel sauce, and you'll be clarifying your own butter and making the roux. Please let me know if you have any questions."

carbsliftthespirit

"Okay," Raiden said. "Now that you're familiar with the equipment, let's talk food! Specifically, let's talk eggs. Now, there are a million ways to cook eggs. You could make a whole class out of that! In fact, hmm." He paused, then said, "Something to think about for the future," and shook it off. "Today we're going to make scrambled eggs, because they're easy and delicious. With toast, you've got a great breakfast, or any meal, really. Breakfast for dinner is always a great choice!"

Raiden proceeded to demonstrate how to make scrambled eggs and toast for the class. "You can also add stuff to your eggs, from herbs to cheese or even some bacon or veggies to make 'a scramble,' which is like an omelet only you don't have to be so fussy with it. The sky's the limit! Get to cooking," he encouraged them.

sharp_man

"Today," Hannibal announced, "we're going to discuss measuring. When following recipes, it's important to measure correctly. Dry ingredients and wet ingredients are measured differently."

He discussed how most common items were measured, then presented them all with a simple recipe. "Today, we will each make a batch of these cookies. We will discuss each step as we go through it - how to properly position the oven racks and pre-heat it, how to measure everything, and how to cook them. Please ask for any additional help you may need."

carbsliftthespirit

"Okay!" Raiden declared, clapping his hands together. "Everybody gather around." He herded them to one of the Home Ec room's kitchen workspaces. "Today we're gonna learn how the appliances and fixtures in your standard modern kitchen work. Now, pretty much every kitchen will have a stove, a refrigerator, a microwave, and a sink. Probably a dishwasher. After that, things get optional, but we'll cover mixers, food processors, and blenders today, and that should be enough to get you started. The controls might be different from model to model, but basically, here's how everything works."

Those of you who already knew what a blender was might not need to pay attention, but some of you should probably listen up as Raiden ~~handwavily~~ talked through and demonstrated how to use all of the above items. He even demonstrated how to load the dishwasher, although he was sure some of you heathens wouldn't pay attention to that part. When he was finished, he asked, "Are there any questions?"

sharp_man

Hannibal smiled at the students as they settled in. The Danger Shop today had been arranged into separate cooking stations for each of them. "Hello. This is how I will typically have the place arranged when we are cooking. Since some of you may not be familiar with all of the equipment in use, please feel free to ask if you have questions. For today, we will start with the stove."

He turned on the one at the front of the room. "You may be more familiar with electrical ones, but I prefer gas, like this. It means more immediate heat, a finer control over the degree of heat, and more even heating." He smiled. "And fire translates better to other times and places than electricity, I find."

He held up a pot. “To begin the class's theme of simple yet complex tasks, we'll start with something deceptively complex. Boiling water.” He motioned them toward his cooking station. “Gather closer, please. First, you should always begin with cold water. It will take longer, but it will taste less like pipes and water heater. Filtered is best, if you can get it, both for taste and for exactness of temperature." He filled it from the filtered faucet nearby. "Now, there are several types of cooking you may see referred to, and it's important you know the difference: a simmer, a slow boil, and a rolling boil. The best way to achieve and maintain each depends upon your tools and what you are using them for.”

He explained the differences, plus the relative sizes of pot that should be used, how to adequately work a gas stove (and how to make do with electric if necessary), and the benefits of boiling before simmering versus not.

“Today we will be making pasta. It’s a simple food that can be made more complex depending upon what you do with it. And how you boil it does make a difference.” He showed them overcooked, doughy pasta; undercooked, crunchy pasta; pasta that had been stuck together from not enough room in the pot; and pasta cooked correctly. “I prefer fresh myself, but dried is easier to find these days for most people, so that's what you're most likely to use and what you’ll find at your stations." He nodded to them.

"You will also find a number of simple recipes to try, or you may invent your own. Again, ask for help if you like. When you’ve finished, we’ll discuss what you've learned.” He smiled and waved them toward their individual setups. "Whatever you make, you may take with you. Meanwhile, you may eat what I've made using these same techniques. Please do concentrate on your cooking, however."

carbsliftthespirit

Once the students had assembled in the Home Ec room, Raiden greeted them all with a hearty, "Good morning! I'm Raiden, and this is the basic cooking class! If you wanted the advanced cooking class, it's on Monday and you already missed the first one, but I'm sure the moose can sort you out. So!" He clapped his hands together. It was loud. "Let's get started! Before we do anything involving sharp or hot objects, I'd like to know what I'm working with, and I'd like to make sure you all have full bellies. There's a ~~handwavey~~ selection of breakfast sandwiches over there," he said, waving toward a table where there were also carafes of coffee and orange juice, along with assorted other accoutrements to go with the sandwiches. Did you want hash browns? There were probably hash browns. "So please help yourselves, and then I'd like for everyone to introduce themselves and tell me about your current level of cooking skill, and your level of familiarity with the appliances and fixtures at the cooking stations. If you don't know what a stove is or how a sink works, I need to know so I can teach you. Let's get started!"

sharp_man

Hannibal smiled at them. "Welcome, both of you, to Beginning Gourmet Cooking Techniques. This is a small class, then, but that simply gives us more time to focus on individual strengths and weaknesses. So, since today is for introductions, let us do that. I already know who you are, but I should like to know if there are dietary restrictions or preferences you have. Any allergies, religious objections, or so forth. Also, please let me know what experience you have in cooking and what you hope to take away from this class."

He nodded to the table at the front of the class. "And while we're getting to know each other, please feel free to help yourself to coffee or tea and to some French onion soup and coquilles St Jacques.

Hope neither of you cared about your cholesterol.

hashtag_chocobro

The last time Gladio and Prompto had been called in to cover for Ignis' class, they'd been eager and excited to do it, especially since it meant potentially teaching their friend's students the kind of things that would make their friend suffer. But this time, the attitude was much different, as Gladio had received that call at a ridiculously early time of the morning (even for when he usually got up!), and there was a good chance their friend was going to actually suffer, because of 'something going on right now on Innistrad.'

You know, that place that he and Liliana insisted on traipsing off to so often where so many good things always happened!

So Gladio was doing his resolute best to not be an absolute behemoth of irritation and annoyance (and concern), while Prompto was just feeling pretty nervous and just hoping he was able to keep things under control. He was sure everything would be fine! Igs and Lils went to Innistrad all the time! They had a house there! (Well, Liliana did). Sure, Ignis never called to have them cover his class because of some vague thing that he wasn't going into detail about, but it was Ignis! If there was a problem, he would have let them know!

Right?

Prompto cleared his throat. "Hey, guys," he said, giving the class an uncertain smile, and lifting his hand, "it's us again. Ignis couldn't make it in this morning, so we're here to pick up his slack and teach you more about Modern Kitchen Basics! Even if, at this point, there's a good chance you guys might even know more than us."

"So," Gladio grunted, "with that in mind--"

Before Gladio managed to get too far in his part of the lecture, he suddenly stopped, because he very suddenly didn't even have a mouth. In fact, it was a very good thing that Prompto had turned to look at Gladio when he started speaking, because he could catch the exact moment when his lumbering friend shrunk down and changed form into a big vase full of gladiolus flowers. He let out a surprised sound and lurched forward to catch the vase before it fell to the floor to smash into pieces.

There was some juggling going on, a bit of close calls, but, finally, with a big heaving sigh of relief, Prompto managed to set the vase down on the counter, and then let out a groan and rubbed his face.

"Great," he said, "and now my coteacher is a plant."

He sighed and shook his head and looked out at the class. "So, yeah, sorry if that," he gestured toward the Gladiolus gladiolus, "is new to you, but sometimes that happens. Don't worry about it. Or do, we can talk about that, I guess, but, uh, the main point we were about to go into was that this is going to be a sort of review class? Like, show us some of what you've learned, either with one of the lessons you particularly liked or found really useful or just what your favorite kitchen tool or appliance you've learned about so far is. Pretty simple, right?

"And Gladio was going to have us all use the electric kettles or microwaves to make Cup Noodle^TM to enjoy, too, but, hey, maybe now the smell alone will bring him back, right?"

Like, if anything could pull Gladio back from a sudden transformation...that would probably be it!

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