Putting On My Apron at Apron's: Week Two

After last night’s Basics of Culinary class at Publix Apron’s Cooking School, I’m going to have to re-evaluate whether I’m going to class to learn or to eat. If every meal is as good as last night’s, the answer will be to eat! It was Italian night and what better person to teach Italian cooking than a true Italian chef. Bob Vitiello, one of the resident chefs of Apron’s, is just that! In the cause of making an authentic Italian meal, Bob and Mike McClure intertwined the concepts of bread-making, emulsification, sauce-making, and baking. The end result was the makings of a divine four course meal: Portobello Carpaccio, Foccacia, Grilled Caesar Wedge, Penne ala Vodka with Grilled Chicken, and Molten Chocolate Espresso Cakes. And it was just as yummy as it sounds!

This week’s class was lots of fun as we all pitched in to help with the cooking. The wealth of information provided will definitely improve my expertise in the kitchen and also leaves me in awe of how much there is yet to learn. Yet with only one week of class under my belt, I’ve already found myself correcting Rachel Ray’s knife skills on the Food Network. Sure she does it right most of the time, but there was a time or two….Okay, enough of my grandiosity for the moment, it’s back to class now.

Bread Making

With bread-making, it’s all about seeing and feeling, so the instruction was largely hands-on with the class touching the dough and watching the dough rise in order to learn how to make the perfect bread. Here are just a few of the tips that were offered in this week’s class:
 Always let the yeast and water set to make sure it’s alive.
 Owning a mixer with a hook means you don’t have to knead the dough by hand, saving you a lot of time and labor. It also means I need to buy a new mixer.
 There’s no need to worry about what kind of flour to buy. The name tells you exactly what it’s for, meaning all purpose is for all purposes. Therefore, no need to waste your money on bread flour unless you bake a lot of bread.
 Baking is the one area of cooking where it’s crucial to measure.
 You can generally skip the recipe step calling you to sift as flour is already sifted.
 If the dough doesn’t stick a little to your fingers, the bread will be too dry.
 Bread dough needs to rise three times, but the third time is in the oven. Once the internal temperature of the dough reaches 135 degrees, the bread won’t rise anymore.

Emulsification

Emulsifying is about combining two ingredients that don’t normally mix, like vinegar and oil or oil and water. Adding a binding agent (which contains lecithin), such as mustard or egg yolks, will bind the substances. The key to emulsification is to ADD THE OIL SLOWLY with the food processor running.

Even More Tips

 Crack eggs on a flat surface so as not to push the shell inside the egg.
 It’s easier to separate egg yolks and whites when the eggs are cold.
 Add red wine vinegar to Caesar Salad Dressing. Use lettuce to taste test. Add more oil, if too acidic.
 Use a brush or damp paper towel to clean mushrooms. Rinsing them will make them slimy.
 Buy Balsamic Vinegar Glaze rather than slaving over a stove and smelling up the house like I do when I make it.
 Following the directions on the pasta box will always result in perfect Al Dente.
 Don’t put oil in your pasta water. The sauce won’t stick.
 Don’t worry about putting too much salt in the pasta water; it can’t happen.
 When grilling chicken, make sure the grill is smoking hot.
 When grilling meat, only flip it once.
 Chicken is well done when it reaches 165 degrees. Stick the thermometer in its side.
 An easy way to squeeze the juice from a lemon is to use tongs. Place the lemon between the tongs and squeeze. (Now there’s no need for a reamer anymore).

This is just a sampling of the tips learned. But I’ve got to go now; there are delicious leftovers waiting in my refrigerator for me (which I can even make myself now)! But, I’ll be back after next week’s class at Apron’s with more.

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