To begin with, I don't know about you, but I am a bit of a celebrity watcher. In my youth, I had aspirations to be an actress and have always been fascinated by the lives of the rich and famous. Let's just say, I always thought that Oprah and I would have been great friends.
So when a friend of mine asked if I would be interested in a "special" that MasterClass was offering - a two-for-one kind of deal - I decided, yes, I wouldn't mind spending some time cooking with Gordon Ramsay or getting writing tips from Roxane Gay.
So, first of all, just what is Master Class?
In a nutshell, MasterClass is a subscription online education program where experts (and yes, celebrities) give pre-recorded tutorials and lectures. Topics range from music to cooking to writing to sports to business to government - you name it. But the fun part is - you get to hang out with a celebrity or an expert on a topic and learn something at the same time.
I decided to start with some cooking classes with Gordon Ramsay, because as you know I love to cook (I have written about my own cooking adventures in "Rosy's Test Kitchen #1,#2, #3, #4 and #5). Next I want to try Mindfulness and Meditation with John Kabat-Zinn because I want to be mindful and improve my meditation practice, then on to writing tips from Roxanne Gay because as you know I love to write and then style tips from Tan France (the style guy on the new version of "Queer Eye") because you know I love fashion.
So...here I am reviewing my very first MasterClass!
Gordon Ramsay - Teaches Cooking 1
I have always been a Gordon Ramsay fan from "Hells Kitchen" to his latest "Uncharted" adventures. I figured out early that despite his sometimes raging, angry television persona, he is really a pussy cat. And, after seeing this first Masterclass, I am not only convinced of that, but also see why he is considered a chef at the top of his game.
His Masterclass consists of 20 videos, each ranging from 6 minutes to 25 for a total of almost four hours. It begins with a four minute intro with arty shots of Gordon's hands and some vegetables, which you can skip, but after that it's a riveting display of Gordon Ramsay's skills as a chef with so many good tips for us amateurs that my head is whirling (good thing there is a downloadable workbook available).
The series begins with Gordon explaining how he became a chef. I feel I can now call him Gordon after spending almost four hours with him just him and me. He was a rugby star but at 16 snapped his leg so that was out. So his parents made him take a foundation course in catering and the rest is history. He is very candid, unscripted and talks off the cuff - all very Gordon but nary a "f**k me" to be heard! Well, I know. That would be asking too much so there are a few. Okay a lot, but you will hardly notice. He actually mostly says "beautiful!" when describing him own cooking!
So then with video #3, we get into the nitty gritty of cooking with him giving me a tour of his kitchen and explaining the importance of a good kitchen layout and the basic essentials of a good kitchen - great pots and pans, good knives, not sure about the blow torch and the smoking gun, though. That video is followed by mastering vegetables and herbs, knife skills, poaching the perfect egg, elevating scrambled eggs, breaking down a chicken, how to cook fish and meat, making pasta dough and ending with some "Advice for Life." In the meantime, he unlocks the secrets to his iconic Beef Wellington as well as demonstrating how to cook some dishes - Salmon with Shellfish Minestrone, Lobster Ravioli, and Chicken Supreme with Root Vegetables.
Some of this might be overwhelming for the amateur cook. Will I be making my own pasta or breaking down a whole chicken or a whole fish that is as big as my arm any time soon?
Will I use sea urchin to elevate my scrambled eggs? Probably not. I don't even know where I would find a sea urchin, but at least now I know how to break down a chicken and a fish, if I wanted to, and make killer scrambled eggs!
But whether or not you can see yourself following through with some of these recipes or techniques, watching Gordon do his thing is fascinating. He has such a reverence for the ingredients. When he breaks down the chicken, he handles each piece so gently and places it so beautifully on the counter. Even if you don't believe in eating meat or fowl, at least Gordon gives those ingredients respect. And when he plates the chicken for his Chicken Supreme, I was in awe of all of the details he used to make it perfect.
So, here are some of my main takeaways:
- Do not chop herbs. Drop them whole onto the dish at the end. Chopping them destroys the flavor.
- Don't peel carrots. "Brush them." And the worst thing you can do to a baby carrot is dice it.
- Don't be scared by "ugly" vegetables such as celery root and fennel.
- When using aluminum foil in your baking, always have the shiny side up.
- Use olive oil for most things but grapeseed oil for chicken and meat. Olive oil can't stand up to a lot of heat.
- To scramble the perfect eggs, don't whisk them Put the eggs in a sauce pan and gently stir and stir and stir.
- Always cook salmon skin side down (it protects the fish) and score the skin to keep the salmon from buckling, but serve it skin side up. Oh, and never cook fish cold from the fridge. Let it "relax" to room temperature.
- Scallops have a top and a bottom - the bigger, fattier part is the top. Store them top up and you are half way to cooking a perfect scallop (and do NOT store them in water)!
- Chicken stock actually works well with fish dishes because it gives the recipe body.
- Roll your lemons and limes before cutting and squeezing them. That makes them juicier and easier to squeeze. Also to avoid squeezing the pips into your recipe, cut around the center rather than cutting them in half.
- A cast iron pan will become your best friend in the kitchen.
There you have it - the summary of my very first MasterClass.
So...Was it worth it?
Yes! What cook wouldn't want to hang out with Gordon Ramsay and learn how to do what he does? And he really cares about giving out great cooking tips. No way did he mail this in. It's candid, unscripted and inspiring. I love him even more now!
MasterClass offers us regular folks a chance to spend some one-on-one time with, well, dare I say it? The Masters. And at the same time, we can absorb what they know. The MasterClass website is a bit difficult to navigate, but that is a minor complaint in what has turned out to be a fun and educational adventure! Join me!
Now on to Masterclass #2! Mindfulness and Meditation with Jon Kabat-Zinn! See you there!