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© 2007 Melody Schmidt "No tests, no homework. Just a class full of delicious food." This is the way the chef class was described to me by my fellow classmates. "Wow," I thought. This class should be a breeze." After already spending one year in middle school and taking electives such as computer and chorus, I was ready for a more hands on and relaxing class. Little did I know that the chef class would become one of my favorite and most challenging classes yet. Cooking had never been a big interest in my life. Once in a while I'd scramble some eggs and make Christmas cookies with my mom. All that changed on the first day of seventh grade. The minute I walked into my chef class I was not only greeted by a wonderful teacher, but also by a great aroma of spices and herbs. Sitting in the kitchen instead of a regular classroom gave me a sense of familiarity and comfort. Our first day in chef was about safety in the kitchen and how to use certain utensils. Holding a big sharp knife was something my mom never let me do at home. She always said, "You'll stab yourself or someone next to you with that big thing." When we started cooking we didn't use any recipes that involved more than five ingredients. To me it was still thrilling because I was in charge of the whole process. There is a lot to remember when you cook and our teacher made sure the recipes didn't overwhelm us. Cleaning up was a big part of this class too. It is something I took for granted at home when I cooked or baked. I always had the fun, my mom however, got stuck with the big clean-up afterwards. At school we were responsible for our work area. Everything had to be spotless at the end of the class. As the school year progressed, our recipes became more sophisticated and sometimes a little tricky. Every time I learned a new recipe, I was eager to present it to my family in our own kitchen. One morning I was up bright and early to surprise them with Puffy Pancakes. In case you never took a chef class, Puffy Pancakes is actually one big pancake you cook in the oven. At school, under the supervision of my wonderful teacher, the pancakes were delicious and puffy. To this day we (myself, my parents and my teacher) never figured out what went wrong with my puffy pancakes. While my family anxiously awaited their Sunday breakfast, the oven started smoking so hard that the smoke alarm went off. In addition to opening all windows and doors on a foggy morning in November, we had to have a fan run for fifteen minutes to clear the smoke. Needless to say, the pancakes were neither puffy nor delicious. This minor disaster didn't stop me from experimenting with other recipes and I had a few successes to say the least. In the past my mom had never been a big pizza fan. She found most pizzas too greasy and unhealthy. One day for lunch when she was busy with my baby brother, I surprised her with my homemade pizza. She ate three pieces and couldn't stop praising me for my masterpiece. I made the yeast dough from scratch, added fresh herbs and garlic, and covered it with tons of cheese. I also taught my mom that working with yeast isn't as "scary" as she always thought would be. My mom is now a big believer in yeast recipes. My younger sister absolutely loves the soft pretzels I make (also a yeast recipe). My family loves the pretzels with a hearty pasta dish. Taking a chef class has been a real eye opener for me and far more rewarding than I first thought would be. Not only did I learn how to be comfortable working in a kitchen, but I also went from a picky eater to someone who is open to new flavors and textures. Cooking has become a big hobby of mine. I took it a step further and started experimenting with more difficult recipes. Sometimes I am successful; sometimes things don't turn out the way I planned. I guess that's life. With every mistake we learn a little bit more. I truly believe that cooking is an art that is satisfying for the whole family. |