Day 5: Mash It Up

Today was our first test. It was on herb identification and food sanitation.  It is safe to say I am borderline OCD.  After learning many food sanitation rules I realized that all of my cleanliness quirks are good habits! I can guarantee both my mother and roommates are rolling their eyes at this comment, but like we learned in elementary school-safety first! Some things I learned that I did not know: when defrosting food from the freezer, it needs to be thawed in the refrigerator, under running cold water, or in the microwave and then cooked right away. Thawing food on the counter top allows pathogens to form which are dangerous and can easily ruin a night out to put it nicely.  Some of the things I learned were pretty gross but it seems that there are a list of rules set in place to help protect us all, phew.

Next up we learned how to blanch root and green veggies. We blanched haricot verts (which are pronounced a LOT differently than I previously thought), broccoli, and potatoes. After bringing the veggies to a pretty green color we stored them to use during Monday's class. We did get to use the potatoes to jump start our cooking! We began by using the stoves which have a much larger flame than I have ever worked with, they are pretty cool. We were provided with a rice press which mashes potatoes. The best way to describe it was a chef's way of playing with Play Doh. We pressed the potatoes, added butter, cream, milk, salt, and had a finale product. Although I am one for indulging and willing to take a caloric plunge once in a while, I can't say I will be ordering mashed potatoes any time soon. On the other hand they are so easy and fun to make!

While preparing our food the class next door brought over braised short rib served over polenta. Another class brought us Asian noodle salad. Both of these dishes were so delicious and left me really excited to work on both of these recipes.