Once upon a time (way back in 2006), a Wiess associate felt sympathy for the college’s sophomores who were getting jacked off-campus and had no where and nothing to eat.  She decided to make sure they knew enough about cooking to avoid starvation, and just like some crazy fairy godmother who knows what you need even when you think you are fine, she started offering cooking classes in the Magisters’ kitchen five or six Saturdays each academic year.

Each cooking class centered around a theme. Students were handed a recipe when they arrived and shown a collection of ingredients for about five dishes. Some worked alone, others worked in teams of two or three, depending on the complexity (or chopping) required. As the master chef, I stayed in the background, available to answer questions or provide advice, but the students learned by doing.  All the cooks got to try each dish as it became ready, regardless of which student or cooking team prepared the food.

After four years of cooking classes, I organized the recipes into this blog and added menus and shopping lists to make the weekly tasks easier to manage.  Every recipe has been tested three to four times in my own kitchen before being published on the blog and the recipes range from basic cooking to “impress-the-loved-one” dishes.  Find an error or want to add a recipe or tip?  Send your comments to carlyn at rice dot edu.

Happy cooking!

August 22, 2010