Take A Class, Cook A Meal
Jun 1, 2009
Now that the economy has nudged us back into the kitchen, we may be less than thrilled with our skills or our repertoires. Luckily, cooking classes are as varied, and as available, as dinner itself.
Adult Ed programs and County Extension Services offer free or low-cost classes on basics and beyond. Typical offerings include: healthy eating, quick cooking, cooking for older adults living alone, cooking for couples.
Next are classes offered by what I’ll call talented semi-professionals: community people who give classes in their kitchens. These can be a great way to meet people while learning new tricks.
Then come formal cooking schools, where you can get more serious or still just have a good time. You can improve your knife skills, focus on one region or ethnicity, learn how to put together a dinner party.
Cooking classes make great presents for weddings or anniversaries. Many couples enjoy the shared activity and the promise of good meals to come.
We all know the proverb about how much better it is to teach a man to fish than to give him a fish. It’s also good to learn how to do justice to that fish once it’s in the pan.
Mealtimes Matter Video
from Miriam Weinstein
About Miriam
Miriam Weinstein is an award-winning documentary filmmaker. As a journalist, she has won several awards from the New England Press Association. Her work has appeared in Boston Magazine, the Boston Globe magazine, Hope, and ParentSource. A former staff member for North Shore Weeklies and freelancer for Essex County Newspapers, she writes restaurant reviews and food columns as well as features on a wide variety of subjects. She lives in Gloucester, Massachusetts, with her husband and has two grown children.
The Surprising Power of Family Meals
In her book, The Surprising Power of Family Meals, Miriam Weinstein shows how this basic human institution helps nourish and strengthen our families today. You can buy this book from our friends at Smucker's® Online Store.
