In my last shipment of books, Penn Foster provided me with a DVD called Chef Skills. I noticed that Penn Foster is planning on sending more DVD's with their shipment of books, and I hope they will all be as informative as this one was.
The film is about 20 - 30 minutes long. A Chef hosts it and starts off by informing you of some important tools you need to have in your kitchen. This lesson was about knives.
I have used many different knives in my lifetime: cheap ones from Wal-Mart, expensive ones from Pampered Chef, and restaurant quality knives in the many establishments I've worked at over the years. Surprisingly my favorite knives to use are the ones I saw on an infomercial from Chef Tony. The man has had many an infomercial from silicone bake ware to plastic lids that don't come off, but when I saw his commercial for the knives I thought, boy those look pretty good. During the holidays my husband found the set at a JC Penney's and I was able to get them for less than $20. It provided me with five different knives and they are the best knives I have ever used. The precision is unbelievable.
As I watched my Chef Skills DVD, I thought I would learn how real chefs use a knife, but the truth is...my mother taught me how to use those techniques when I was a little kid. The movie did teach me a couple of things about "squaring off" rounded vegetables to get a uniform look, which I found quite helpful. The movie also taught me that my mom really knew what she was talking about.
Towards the end of the movie the chef showed how to make the infamous caramelized onion frittata (see blog entry Making A Frittata Shouldn't Be Brain Surgery).
All in all, I found the DVD to be resourceful, and encouraging. It showed me that I am using my knives correctly, and taught me a couple of helpful tips.
I am looking forward to my next movie day.