I'm a Culinary Student now!

I did it. I enrolled in culinary school. Quit my job, reconciled my husband to the temporary loss of income, and committed the next two years of my life to becoming a professional chef.

Okay, not really. But I did buy a year's membership to the Rouxbe Online Video Cooking School. My 14-day free trial ended today, and in the last two weeks, I have viewed 67% of the online video cooking lessons, achieved an average 95% on the related quizzes, and learned absolutely heaps, starting with how to test a pan for appropriate heat before adding either oil or food, to how to choose and hone knives, to how to use those knives to cut absolutely anything, safely. Food safety, how to cook eggs, steaks, poultry, vegetables. How to steam, how to pan-fry, how to braise, how to roast. How to make stock and broth, and what is the difference between the two, anyway (stock is made from bones; broth is made from meat on the bone).

It's fascinating. And really inspiring. I have hardly had any occasion to use any of the stuff I've learned, yet (except for last weekend's direct application of the technique on "How to Segment Citrus Fruit"), but I have learned heaps, and I'm quite excited to start trying some stuff. My Beloved is going to some NHRA event in Seattle on Sunday, so I'm hoping to be trying my hand at some bread, if it's not too hot out to have the oven on.