Co-op Cooking Class Fans, Looking for Awesome Online Resources? Try These

 In this uncertain time of home quarantining, there are a few truths we can be sure of:

  • our actual need for more toilet paper has gone up,
  • dogs are loving it/cats are not so sure, and
  • our cooking skills are being put to the test. Another truth—the world of online classes and resources has skyrocketed (can anyone not say Zoom now?)!

Right now, in-person cooking classes at the Co-op are not possible, and honestly, there is no real end in sight (except that it will end, I am positive of that). There have been requests from some of our class loyalists to do an online class or two, and I greatly appreciate the love. While I am looking into how to do this and add something new to the crowded online table, for now I will offer a few of my favorite media go-tos!

As I often say in class, I am self-taught, which means that I am self-learning, and the learning opportunities are plentiful!

Here are a few of my favorite resources and a few that are offering special quarantine opportunities! 

Home Cooking
Home Cooking podcast and show website is a special four-part podcast with my girl (and everyone’s BFF) Samin Nosrat—Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat (see local bookstores for the AMAZING/MUST-HAVE cookbook and the fun Netflix series that both brings the cookbook to life and is an amazing travel journal!)

The podcast is everything that I want it to be—Samin’s warmth and infectious laugh coupled with her co-host Hrishikesh Hirway’s special talent for making puns at a moment’s notice. And of course, great practical recipes for getting your cooking on! The website complements the show with all recipes.

Need more proof? Food and Wine also recommends it. Steps are easy. This is available wherever you get your podcasts!

Milk Street Online Cooking School
Milk Street Online Cooking School is offering ALL of its online classes FREE through the end of May. Therefore, you have a few weeks left to take advantage of this great offer!

Not familiar with Milk Street? A) It is located in Boston, and B) it is the recent endeavor by Christopher Kimball (the bowtie-wearing former host of Cook’s Country). The “Milk Street” method will look familiar if you are a Cook’s Country or America’s Test Kitchen fan, but with a decidedly international flair. There is a distinct dedication to exotic ingredients, but it is a great way to discover new flavors and recipes!

You do have to register for each class, but then you get immediate access. There are great manuals and recipes to download, so make sure your printer has lots of paper. It is not clear if you will maintain access after April 30, so I would jump on this opportunity now!

All Things Julia
All things Julia! (Julia Childs that is … for those of you not on a first-name basis.) There is so much to say about the classics. Through this link you can find/link to:

  • original The French Chef episodes (Amazon Prime and iTunes),
  • Cooking in Concert,
  • Baking with Julia (before there was the Great British Baking Show),
  • Cooking with Master Chefs,
  • In Julia’s Kitchen, and of course
  • her last series for PBS, Julia & Jacques: Cooking at Home.

There are also links to fun remixes, interviews, and the classic Saturday Night Live sketch with Dan Aykroyd. The woman was a true national treasure. Moreover, it is always good to know where Food TV actually started. She was real, honest, did most of her shows in one take, made mistakes, and always came out on top. Bon appétit!

Instagram
Instagram … what can I say? For me, Facebook is where I keep family, friends, coworkers, professional pages, local pages, etc. Instagram is where I go for inspiration. I get to follow all the people I want to, people I will never know (hello Kevin Bacon! It’s me Lindsay!), and all things I find inspirational.

For cooking, I highly recommend that you take all that sourdough you are making and head to @joseybakerbread. Also, try the modern-day anti-Marthas @alisonroman @dashandbella, of course, my BFF (Samin) @ciaosamin. And for the absolute BEST thing on the internet—the reason the internet was created—@thetinychefshow.

What are you watching and listening to? Do you have any good suggestions for a cooking instructor without a classroom? Keep an eye out for some short videos coming to our YouTube channel here.   

Until we meet again, remember recipes are guidelines, keep calm—it’s just cooking, and stay safe.

~ Lindsay

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Lindsay Smith

Lindsay Smith is the Co-op's Food Educator. Contact her at lindsaysmith@coopfoodstore.com.