Serious Foodie Class in Vancouver

[Mooshmouse]

chef marco from the pastry classes is doing a week long chocolate class in feb.  i wonder if we'll be treated to some samples?!!  heh!

←

Gauging from last session, your class might be the lucky recipient of a plate or two of truffles to sample at some point. The ones that Chef Marco left for us to try were amazing.

[lauraf]

So excited for the class, but I've recently been diagnosed with two herniated disks. I'm fairly functional (tho' heavily medicated) but have limited movement and can't lift anything heavier than a text book. Is this going to drastically affect my ability to participate?

[makanmakan]

chef marco from the pastry classes is doing a week long chocolate class in feb.  i wonder if we'll be treated to some samples?!!  heh!

←

Gauging from last session, your class might be the lucky recipient of a plate or two of truffles to sample at some point. The ones that Chef Marco left for us to try were amazing.

←

i was lucky enough to also try a sampling of those truffles from that same class as i was in a pastry and choc class in the evening! and yes, they were so good! mmmmm.....chocolate

i will cross my fingers....lol!

[makanmakan]

So excited for the class, but I've recently been diagnosed with two herniated disks.  I'm fairly functional (tho' heavily medicated) but have limited movement and can't lift anything heavier than a text book.  Is this going to drastically affect my ability to participate?

←

ouch, sorry to hear that, laura. i know that we are working in groups (of either 2 or 3, can't remember) so i'm sure that everyone can pitch in.

maybe give the school a call and ask. hopefully it will all work out.

[Vancouver Lee]

So excited for the class, but I've recently been diagnosed with two herniated disks.  I'm fairly functional (tho' heavily medicated) but have limited movement and can't lift anything heavier than a text book.  Is this going to drastically affect my ability to participate?

←

"Fairly functional tho' heavily medicated" pretty much describes the entire 1980's for me.

Perhaps they can provide a stool for you to sit on? And I'm sure we'll all help chip in and make sure you don't have to lift anything. Can you still use a knife? That's what's up in the first class....

[Daddy-A]

So excited for the class, but I've recently been diagnosed with two herniated disks.  I'm fairly functional (tho' heavily medicated) but have limited movement and can't lift anything heavier than a text book.  Is this going to drastically affect my ability to participate?

←

"Fairly functional tho' heavily medicated" pretty much describes the entire 1980's for me.

Perhaps they can provide a stool for you to sit on? And I'm sure we'll all help chip in and make sure you don't have to lift anything. Can you still use a knife? That's what's up in the first class....

←

I dunno about the stool ... pretty crowded for that. You're moving around a lot and standing at your station doing lots of meez. But iirc there's no heavy lifting, or at least nothing somebody else in your group can't handle.

A.

[*Deborah*]

What Arne said. Good luck, Laura.

[lauraf]

Thanks guys. I can use a knife, but the problem is the pain is on the left side of my neck and shoulder and I'm lefthanded! Repetitive motions do aggravate it, so two hours straight of chopping would probably be challenging. But I think I'd be okay even if I can't do 100% of everything. Dang, I'm gonna the last one chosen for teams . . .

painful memories of grade six . . .

and seven . . .

and eight . . .

[Mooshmouse]

Thanks guys.  I can use a knife, but the problem is the pain is on the left side of my neck and shoulder and I'm lefthanded!  Repetitive motions do aggravate it, so two hours straight of chopping would probably be challenging.  But I think I'd be okay even if I can't do 100% of everything.  Dang, I'm gonna the last one chosen for teams . . . 

painful memories of grade six . . . 

and seven . . .

and eight . . .

←

Don't worry Laura. Chef Tony splits the class into groups very democratically by numbering everyone off. And it's not two straight hours of chopping. Cooking is, after all, more than just mise en place.

I'm sure you'll be just fine as you'll have cooking partners to share the load. Depending on what your class size is, though, there may occasionally be groups with just two people in them. You might want to mention to Chef Tony before class starts that you'd prefer to be in a group of more than two people so that there's a greater distribution of slicing and dicing duties.

Bring a pen, everyone. You'll be taking lots of notes.

And remember to have fun!!!

[lauraf]

Thanks Joie - sounds like I'll be fine!

[mtigges]

Laura, I've suffered scoliosis all my life. (I'm not a doctor, so I don't know if this advice is relavant to your affliction.) There's a cocktail that works for me. Robaxacet 8 and Ibuprofen. Robaxacet 8 requires you to ask the pharmacist. It's Robaxacet plus codeine. So a relaxant, and a pain killer. Add in Ibuprofen and you have the anti-inflammatory. My family doc recommended it, and when my pains flare (I'm a potter, so I spend hours hunched) it's the only thing that works. Unfortunately, codeine causes a bit of constipation.

Mark.

edited to add: I'm jealous again. Have fun everyone, I look forward to recurring weekly updates.

Edited January 19, 2006 by mtigges (log)

[Vancouver Lee]

Laura, I've suffered scoliosis all my life.  (I'm not a doctor, so I don't know if this advice is relavant to your affliction.)  There's a cocktail that works for me.  Robaxacet 8 and Ibuprofen. ...

←

Isn't that what goes into a Flaming Moe? A couple of those wil have Laura all ready to cook.

I bought my knives yesterday from the Cook Shop in City Square. I you haven't purchased them yet, these folks were some of the most helpful and professional people I've ever dealt with. They made a lifelong customer of me yesterday...highly recommended if you're like me and procrastinated on picking up a chef's knife.

[makanmakan]

i already have a knife, but what i will be embarrased about is just how dull it might be!! i hope we learn how to sharpen our knives properly.

[Mooshmouse]

Chef will be teaching you the proper use of a steel. If you come to class early enough and ask very, very nicely, one of the pro student assistants might sharpen your knives for you.

[BCinBC]

^ Sharpening with a wetstone actually an easy skill to learn, not to mention useful. Mostly a matter of being able to approximate a 20 degree angle (or whatever your knife bevel is). The smaller the knife, though, the harder it gets. IMO.

[lauraf]

Laura, I've suffered scoliosis all my life.  (I'm not a doctor, so I don't know if this advice is relavant to your affliction.)  There's a cocktail that works for me.  Robaxacet 8 and Ibuprofen. ...

←

Isn't that what goes into a Flaming Moe? A couple of those wil have Laura all ready to cook.

I bought my knives yesterday from the Cook Shop in City Square. I you haven't purchased them yet, these folks were some of the most helpful and professional people I've ever dealt with. They made a lifelong customer of me yesterday...highly recommended if you're like me and procrastinated on picking up a chef's knife.

←

I'm on a combo of nerve blockers and ibuprofen that keeps the pain mostly at bay . . . I've got T#'s if it gets really bad, but they seem to do about the same as a stiff martini

Lee, how much is a good chef's knife and paring knife? I don't know about the quality of mine . . .

[makanmakan]

thanks, moosh and bc. i'm ok with the steel (but real lessons would be grand) but it's the wetstone skill that i'd really like to learn. i have one that's gathering dust in a big way.

[prasantrin]

thanks, moosh and bc.  i'm ok with the steel (but real lessons would be grand) but it's the wetstone skill that i'd really like to learn.  i have one that's gathering dust in a big way. 

←

Lee Valley in Winnipeg has an excellent Sharpening in the Kitchen workshop--it often sells out. They teach you how to use a steel, wetstone, and some kind of electric band sharpener thing. The one in Lee Valley may have a similar course.

[Vancouver Lee]

I'm on a combo of nerve blockers and ibuprofen that keeps the pain mostly at bay . . . I've got T#'s if it gets really bad, but they seem to do about the same as a stiff martini 

←

I took a nasty fall a few days ago and I'm on T3's now, too. We'll make a great team!

("I took a nasty fall..." Man, do I sound like a grandma or what?)

Lee, how much is a good chef's knife and paring knife?  I don't know about the quality of mine . . .

←

The top quality chef's knives cost anywhere from $120 to $250, with the Japanese-style knives being the most expensive and the German ones being at the lower end of that range. I was looking at two really nice Wusthof's and a Henkels that were between $130 and $150. There was also a knife designed by Porsche (the same people who make cars...honest) that had a really cool handle for the same price.

The owner of the Cook Shop saw that I was having a hard time deciding, so he suggested that I buy a $40 Victorinox (<---spelling?) knife instead. His reasoning was that until I knew for sure which of the expensive knives was the right fit for me, no sense spending the money and being stuck with the wrong knife. Hopefully I can borrow some of the other student's knives over the course of the class, use them a little, and see which one works best for me.

I was pretty impressed that the owner of a retail store would talk me out of a $150 sale in favour of a $40 sale now with no guarantee that I'd come back when I buy a top-of-the-line knife. Like I said earlier, they now have a customer for life.

Maybe some of the professional chef's out there can chime in on this one, but it seems to me that a knife is just a tool, and what makes the biggest difference in the end is the skill of the person using the tool. Give me the world's most expensive hammer and I still couldn't build a house, but give a great carpenter a crappy hammer and he could build a masterpiece. In short, my guess is you needn't worry about the quality of your knives.

Edited to add: Same rationale as above, I also bought a$7.99 paring knife, same manufacturer.

Edited January 20, 2006 by Vancouver Lee (log)

[kontemporary]

Excellent post, Vancouver Lee.

I too tend to think the quality of cutting is dependant more on the skill of the handler than the quality of the knife, in the same way that good driving requires a good driver, not a good car. Even though our city tends to do poorly on the latter as opposed to the former.

I think one of the best investments would be not on getting a top of the line chef's knife, but getting a top of the line lesson on knife-handling skills. I think that would contribute to a cooking experience more than anything else a knife could give. (That is, unless you are already a master at this - then by all means get that knife!)

[Matt R.]

The owner of the Cook Shop saw that I was having a hard time deciding, so he suggested that I buy a $40 Victorinox (<---spelling?) knife instead.  His reasoning was that until I knew for sure which of the expensive knives was the right fit for me, no sense spending the money and being stuck with the wrong knife.  Hopefully I can borrow some of the other student's knives over the course of the class, use them a little, and see which one works best for me.

I was pretty impressed that the owner of a retail store would talk me out of a $150 sale in favour of a $40 sale now with no guarantee that I'd come back when I buy a top-of-the-line knife.  Like I said earlier, they now have a customer for life.

Maybe some of the professional chef's out there can chime in on this one, but it seems to me that a knife is just a tool, and what makes the biggest difference in the end is the skill of the person using the tool.  Give me the world's most expensive hammer and I still couldn't build a house, but give a great carpenter a crappy hammer and he could build a masterpiece.  In short, my guess is you needn't worry about the quality of your knives.

Edited to add:  Same rationale as above, I also bought  a$7.99 paring knife, same manufacturer.

←

Eight dollar pairing knives and forty dollar Victorinox french knives are the best! I have some high-quality knives that I love, and use a lot at home, but at work my 8" Victorinox french knife and boning knife get the most use. Why? They are easy to hone, and stay sharp for a while. That brand in particular has a great handle - comfortable, secure. Be careful of expensive knives with metal handles. They can get slippery when wet or oily or bloody. Bottom line is expensive knives are a want, not a need (with few exceptions) even in a professional kitchen. In my experience, they are mostly just for show.

With proper use of a steel, you should not need to place your knives on a stone (at home) more than once or twice a year with regular use.

Back on topic, I thoroughly enjoyed this thread last time around, and am looking forward to living vicariously through my computer, yet again.

-- Matt

[Daddy-A]

[host]

Time to re-focus.

This thread is about the Foodie Course at NWCAV and those that are taking it. It is not the place to discuss knives or pharmaceuticals.

There are plenty of great threads on eGullet about knives and sharpening them. CLICK HERE for a selection from General Food Topics.

HERE is a course from the eGullet Culinary Institute on Knife Maintenance & Sharpening.

This is a terrific course, and I'm really looking forward to seeing how you guys enjoy it!

A.

[/host]

[lauraf]

Distastrous news: my doctor said I'm not healing fast enough and have to be 'more proactive' about resting. So NO COOKING CLASS.

I am totally devastated. By the Academy was great - they've moved me into the May 9th class, and some lucky person on their sizeable waiting list will take my place. Anyone else signed up for May to play with me?

[barolo]

I'll be there too. Sorry to hear you have to delay your class by a few months Laura. I'm looking forward to meeting the rest of you, as well as the insructors and other students.

[makanmakan]

awww, sorry to hear that, laura. i was looking forward to meeting you too. i guess it'll have to be an egullet pig-out instead! good luck with the healing!