I've been wanting a new challenge. I love cooking at home but have no basic training so I can cook a few things very well but have huge gaps in the basic foundations of the skill. So, I thought a 6 month to a year evening cookery course to a qualification would be just what the doctor ordered. Unfortunately after a lot of hunting around there seems to be nothing in my area, at least for the next six months or so. So instead I've decided to teach myself, with a little help from the internet and my small collection of cookery books. The problem is, it's tricky for me to find holes in my own knowledge as I'd guess the things I need to learn are things that I wouldn't be familiar with. So I'm hoping more experienced heads may be able to identify what I'm missing.
The basic back-of-a-beer-mat list of skills and produce I've came up with so far is below. These are mostly things that I've either never done, or aren't confident of and/or would love to do well. There are a few things, like roasting, veg prep, I've purposefully missed off as I'm quite used to them but any and all suggestions are appreciated!!
Cooking areas
Baking
Sauces
Pasta
Rice
Seafood
Meats, poultry
Eggs
Desserts
Appetisers
Salads
Stocks
Soups
Batters
Skills
Steaming
Caramelising
Filleting
Boning
Deep frying
Presentation
Thanks in advance and God bless anyone who actually managed to read the whole thing.
The basic back-of-a-beer-mat list of skills and produce I've came up with so far is below. These are mostly things that I've either never done, or aren't confident of and/or would love to do well. There are a few things, like roasting, veg prep, I've purposefully missed off as I'm quite used to them but any and all suggestions are appreciated!!
Cooking areas
Baking
- Making breads
- Cooking with pastry
- Making pizza dough
- Dessert breads
Sauces
- Roux
- Bechamel
- Mayonnaise
- Tomato pasta sauce
Pasta
- Making fresh pasta
- Ravioli
- Tagliatelli
- Tortellini
Rice
- Risotto
- Fried rice
Seafood
- Langoustine
- Scallops
- Crab
- Monkfish
Meats, poultry
- Game
. Wood pigeon
. Guinea fowl
. Pheasant - Rack of lamb
- Venison
Eggs
- Omelette/Frittatas
- Poached
Desserts
- Souffle
Appetisers
Salads
Stocks
Soups
- French onion
Batters
- Beer batters
- Tempura
Skills
Steaming
Caramelising
Filleting
Boning
Deep frying
Presentation
Thanks in advance and God bless anyone who actually managed to read the whole thing.