With over 150 online classes under my apron, I have learned that inevitably someone would forget an ingredient or have the wrong ingredient and it was my job to not have them panic but to redirect. I kid you not, I don’t think I have taught one class where this hasn’t happened.
Once I was teaching a class how to make tzatziki and one of the students had strawberry yogurt, not plain Greek yogurt. I couldn’t even let her experiment with garlic and dill and strawberry. This became a Chopped meets Iron Chef moment when I had her open her fridge to see what we could use and then improvise. We landed on plain cream cheese that we would whip and then thin out with heavy cream. Since it was salty, it would pair much better with garlic and dill than the strawberry yogurt. She reported that it wasn’t half bad. I felt like I won the imaginary competition I created in my head.
I never want someone to feel bad or feel like they can’t participate. At the same time, it keeps me on my toes and gives my brain a workout! But isn’t that life? When something doesn’t go according to plan we pivot and try a different way. Sometimes a new perspective makes things better. Sometimes a mistake in the kitchen turns out to be delicious.
This is the benefit of taking a cooking class when you are just starting out on your cooking journey – having someone there to help if you make a mistake. Whether that someone is me or somebody else. I go at your pace, talk about the process, and make it fun. My favorite part is experiencing the joy you feel after a successful class. So many are surprised that the food tastes good because they made it. That’s my goal: to instill kitchen confidence in every class and to brighten up your meal rotation. Who doesn’t need that?
Happy Cooking!
Jill