Have you ever been on a cookery course?

Burlesque_Babe

If so (doesn't matter what course, when, where, the level of difficulty) I'd love to hear your views on....

Did the teacher/tutor demonstrate and cook at the same time as you - so you and the tutor ended up with a finished article, or did they not cook at all? Just show you how to chop etc?

Did they gather you around and show you a stage and then you went away and did it?

Did you just stay at your 'work station' all the time and follow the instructions as they happened from the tutor/teacher?

Or was it a mix of the above?

I'm asking because I've recently qualified as a teacher of adults and I'm teaching cooking. I'm still finding my feet and have my second session this coming week. I want the learners (who are beginners) to have the best experience possible but I'm struggling with the layout of the room a bit as there is no cooker next to the 'teachers' table and unless I stand at the far end of the room, then I have my back to half the learners if I use one of their cookers to demonstrate on.

Thought I'd ask you lovely people on OS :A as I know you are the most likely to do cookery courses

greenbee

I've done a couple - a half-day at Prue Leith, and a two-day Chef Skills at Ashburton.

In both cases it was a 'gather round' for the demo bit, then back to workstations where the tutor would come round and look/comment/advise - and you could obviously ask questions of either them or the other pupils as you went along. Both times we worked in pairs, but at Prue Leith they doubled up the pairs so that you shared a workstation.

Hope this is useful. Good luck!

Burlesque_Babe

thankyou greenbee. Did the tutor do all the dish as you watched? Or in stages? ie they did a bit, you went back and did it, you 're-gathered' and were shown the next bit?

I was planning to do it that way but the layout of the room has thrown me a bit and as I'm new to it all (they hadn't turned the gas on for me on Tuesday which was a baptism of fire - or not!!) I'm on a steep learning curve.

KaratePigeon

Probably isn't much help but I did an evening cookery course when I was in Amsterdam on a conference, as some sort of evening entertainment/team building exercise!

The teaching chefs didn't actually cook - we were just divided into teams (one team to make each course) and given a menu with instructions on. Then the teachers came around and gave advice etc. Then we all sat down and ate the full 4 course meal which had been cooked by all of us.

It didn't turn out particularly well but then we were all scientists and most of the people didn't have a clue about cooking! :rolleyes:

greenbee

I think the way you do the demo depends on what the pupils need, and the way the dish works.

From what I remember, they showed us in logical steps, so when something was cooking/resting/marinating/cooling we then looked at something else. All of these sessions involved time planning as there were multiple dishes to do, but there were natural breaks for explanations. I think if you try to do it all at once, people will forget. Not so much of a problem when your making fairy cakes, slightly more of an issue when you're boning a chicken or filleting a fish for the first time (and as for preparing squid, not something I plan doing myself again in a hurry!)

Burlesque_Babe

it's all helpful KaratePigeon

The group are beginners so I need to ensure everything is shown to them, there is a table between the teacher's desk and the work stations, I was going to look at moving that into the middle of the classroom but that then presents a health and safety issue as it blocks one half of the learners in.

Fish pie this week if anyone is hungry!

annie-c

I did a local authority evening class in Asian cookery. The lesson lasted 2 hours and we had to take all our own ingredients AND utensils, ie every spoon, knife, bowl, even a blender one week. The only things provided were the workstations with cooker and sink and electricity supply. THere were 12 of us round the room and the teacher had her own workstation identical to ours at the front.

Each week the teacher demonstrated 2 dishes and you could do either or both. The recipes were given out the week before.

As we arrived we got on with laying out our stuff and beginning to peel veg etc as others arrived.

Shortly after the session start we gathered round for a demo. Depending on how complicated/how much cooking was needed. She might demonstrate a dish in one go, or might do it in stages. Then we would head off and she would come round and help as needed. Then we would be called back to her work station for the nexts stage/dish.

Usually there was plenty of opportunity to ask questions, write notes, etc and she always let us all sample her food so we could compare the result to our own

She was not a qualified teacher, BTW, most LA evening classes are just run by people who cook well. She wasn't a brill teacher either but we really liked her and as we were all adults we helped each other out too.

I'm sure the 'students' will be nice to you and you'll learn what works by being there and doing it:)

JayJay14

Hi, I took City and Guilds 7061 ***** years ago. Our tutors were all qualified chefs (one had trained at the Savoy in London).

We all worked alone though shared a table - chef would demo the dish and then we would go off and have a go ourselves while he wandered round giving advice and checking we were doing it right. We were all on day release from work and the tutors really made it quite a lot of fun, I used to look forward to my day at college very much, it was a shame that I was unable to carry on to a higher lever.

I think it will be most important that you are so enthusiastic about the lessons as that will be passed on to your pupils - well done:T

Burlesque_Babe

annie-c wrote: »

She was not a qualified teacher, BTW, most LA evening classes are just run by people who cook well. She wasn't a brill teacher either but we really liked her and as we were all adults we helped each other out too.

things are changing in LA classes - by 2010 all teachers of adults have to be qualified to at least the PTLLS stage and be committed to doing the CTLLS stage (the bit I'm doing next). My vision of the classes is just as you describe annie - with exception that all the utensils are provided unless they want to bring their own knives.

Think I just need to try to get around the issue of where I stand as I don't have my own dedicated workstation - just a desk and then a table in front. I guess the teacher during the day (it's in a school) doesn't cook, they just instruct.

you're right annie - it's all about helping each other. All the learners this week had to share 2 electric cookers as the gas hadn't been turned on - they certainly had to get to know one another - bit of a challenge for me as well! :eek:

My passion is cookery - god, I can rattle on about it for hours so I'm hoping they will learn lots of other bits as well as the dishes we cook.

nickyhutch

I took a vegetarian cookery couse as evening classes at my local college. The teacher demonstrated the dish we could be cooking one week, and we came and cooked it the next. When we'd finished, she'd demonstrate the next week's dish. We usually did 2 dishes, now I think about it. She bought the ingredients and we paid her on the night. We could use all the college's equipment; the only things we had to bring were an apron and something to take the finished dish home in.

Burlesque_Babe

interesting - my Mum did a course donkeys years ago (spaghetti bolognaise was the height of fashion!) and that's how it worked on her course also.

I'm surprised we don't do a vegetarian course. When I get into the swing of it all (I'm doing 2, possibly 3 nights a week next term!) I might put a course plan together for a vegetarian offering.