Family Cookery 101

Without a well-stocked kitchen, preparing dinner for your family is a challenge.  I have found that without the right sized pots and pans and without a good sharp knife, cooking is next to impossible.  This is an opinion shared by Patricia Wells, from whom I took a cooking class in Provence in the summer of 2007.  Patricia, who was a friend and protégé of Julia Child, showed us one of Julia Child’s favorite chef knives on our first day of class.  It was nicked and scratched; we’ll call it “well-used and well-loved”.  Patricia’s point was this – you do not need an entire set of JA Henckel’s or Wusthof knives to get the job done well.  This translates more broadly to most things in the kitchen.  You don’t need to spend a fortune, but you do need a few basics.  I’ve listed my suggestions for you.  Take a look.

The other necessity to family kitchen success is surely a repertoire of a few basic skills.  For instance, before I perfected my knife skills I would browse recipes, and where I saw chopping I turned the page in search of a recipe with little to no prep.  It was all too much!  With just a few basic skills that are honed and fine-tuned, you can prepare with ease and without intimidation a variety of yummy delights your family will enjoy.  Take a look at the instructional videos.