Masterclass
Masterclass is an online platform that amongst other master class coaches who cover acting, writing sports etc there are some really good cooking courses that are presented by Gordon Ramsay,Wolfgang Puck,Thomas Keller and Alice Waters– each course is personally presented and each chef shares both cooking techniques, recipes and about ttheir careers – years of experience is shared and each gives many golden threads on how to make your cooking really professional
I joined the course and did all 4 chefs courses – each course had its own value – I also cooked several recipes and my comments are below.
What is Masterclass All About?
At time of writing there are 4 chefs that present their courses and I have summarised what I learnt from each course I did
The intention in The Masterclass is not just to show you recipes but to give you more depth in how to make your cooking a more rounded affair
In addition to the classes there is a forum and downloadable PDFs for each lesson which also have some very good links to interesting educational information
How many videos does Masterclass have?
Gordon Ramsey 20 videos
Thomas Keller 36 videos
Alice Waters 17 videos
Wolfgang Puck 16 videos
Content Organisation
The Master Class is divide by Chef and I have summarised what each chef covered and what I learnt from each
Gordon Ramsay
The videos cover Gordons Journey , Kitchen Layout , Mastering Vegetables and Herbs, Knife skills (best video on knife skills which I have watched), breaking down a whole chicken which I actually used, he made making pasta look so easy ( Gordon says -cook with your eyes – so profound and makes sense) and talks you through each step for various recipes including Chicken Supreme with Root Vegetables which cooked and came out absolutely beautifully – I really impressed my family as the recipe took a different approach which lifted the dish to the next level. Even if you do not plan to cook certain of his recipes, I implore you to watch each anyway as there are many good hints on how to cook thrown in, (using lemons zest in his salt) Gordon also gives some life advice which motivated me to improve my cooking skills as he tells what he had to go through – truly inspirational
Try Gordon Ramsey’s course here
Gordon has launched another course called Gordon Ramsay Teaches Cooking II: Restaurant Recipes At Home – I have not reviewed this course yet so cannot comment but introduction looks good
Alice Waters Course
A very different approach here and a much calmer and earthy approach to cooking – very closely related to farmers market, using natural tools in kitchen like wood and basic utensils
Alice also talks about what she has in her pantry and says it starts with a good olive oil, a good red wine vinegar- I loved the simplicity of her recipes
She buys spices whole then toasts and then grinds them – this lifts the flavour and “wakes the spices up”
There are several really good recipes including Salsa Verde, Pasta, Garlic Aioli (one of the most amazing sauces)
She brings a very important point of sticking to seasonality which brings out the best in the food- so look at what the different seasons offer -“taste and smell” is mentioned often
Even setting the table is covered in one of the videos- Alice uses dark napkins which do not show up hand prints
There also egg in the spoon recipe – loved it
Thomas Keller
Thomas Keller covers many processes and techniques and which enhances your skills – recipes are simply guides he says
“Ingredients and execution is cooking” in Thomas’s words
Interesting how he introduces the method of weighing instead of using cups and teaspoon measuring utensils
Most of the introductory videos I did not find interesting and went on for a bit too long
Thomas covers many different recipes and gives much depth about each and each recipe is very thorough
I found the six disciplines of success interesting and am using some of them in my home cooking
“Cooks cook to nurture people” – great and true statement
Wolfgang Puck
Love the way Wolfgang presents his course as very easy to follow and comes out beautifully – both in taste and presentation and gets to the recipe very quickly
I love his basic approach to food – not too complicated and explains how to have balance of flavours and the dishes are to die for – my favourite was the Roasted Chicken with Mustard Port Sauce and the Pepper Steak with Red Wine Sauce
I like the way he messes a bit when he cooks – this is what I do as well, so feel at home watching Wolfgang
What was really interesting was his story of his career – there are some really interesting golden threads that I picked up from this video
Quality of ingredients is very important and you need to take some risks and be creative – do not be a copy cat
He also says we eat with our eyes first – so presentation is important so be creative
How much is tuition?
You can enjoy unlimited access to all classes for $280 per year
Anything Free
No
Research Results for Masterclass
I looked at Facebook -.over 1.9 million likes and 2 million followers
Final Verdict
I recommend Masterclass as it really gives you more than just recipes – it covers philosophy, kitchen essentials, skills required and not to mention, the recipes presented are really professional and will give you the advantage of learning years of experience presented in just a few videos – I will be watching them all over again
I recommend you try Masterclass
Enjoy!!
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