Food and Drink, Foodie Roundup, The Features

Cooking Classes Around DC

Photo courtesy of Chris Rief aka Spodie Odie
Evening Star #9
courtesy of Chris Rief aka Spodie Odie

So you’re not exactly Martha Stewart or Jacques Pepin in the kitchen–you can’t make a perfect omelet and maybe you’ve set off the smoke detector once or twice. Lucky for you there are a bunch of chefs and cooking classes coming up around the city that can teach you how to properly slice, dice, sauté and maybe even en flambé without burning down the house or losing a finger. So don’t be timid about hosting the next dinner party or simple wine and cheese night–these classes (including a bunch coming up this weekend) have got you covered.
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Food and Drink, The Daily Feed

Cook like a Pro: Learn to Roast a Whole Pig at BLT Steak

Photo courtesy of
‘The main entree – pig’
courtesy of ‘wfyurasko’

It’s not every day that you get to roast an entire pig, and frankly, it seems like a daunting task. But this weekend executive chef Victor Albisu of BLT Steak can break it down for you, as well as show you how to break down the whole hog.

The April 23rd class will run from 12:30 until 3 PM and is $100 per person. The class includes a four-course lunch and cooking demonstration. At the end, you get to feast on lechon asado, whole roasted suckling pig, crispy pig ears and artichokes, a valencia salad with Iberico ham and a chorizo stuffed pork loin. In hog heaven, yet?

To snag a spot, you can make reservations with Erica Frank at 202-689-8989 or email her at erica@bltrestaurants.com. Enjoy the Saturday afternoon literally “pigging out.”

Food and Drink, Fun & Games, The Daily Feed

Cooking Classes for The Rest of Us

Photo courtesy of
‘Day 14: Rachel Cooking’
courtesy of ‘InspirationDC’

My roommate and I regularly burn things, under-cook things, and generally make a mess in the kitchen. It’s sort of a trial by error approach to cooking, but hey – that’s how you learn right? Well, until now. Cookology, a recreational cooking school, opened out in Dulles Town Center on Valentine’s Day.

It’s the perfect place for those of us who look at a huge slab of roast and think: “um, what knife do I use” and “what do I do with this weird bone” and “is there a sauce that would go with this that I just don’t know about” and “do I put this in a pan or in the oven or can I just stick this mess in the toaster oven and be done with it?” – all those questions make me wish I could take my middle school home ec class all over again. Cookology is here to answer all the questions I wished I had asked back then!

The site has yet to post classes and prices (please be affordable, please please please!) but they’ve got a list of classes that they’re starting with, including my favorite: “Ready to Bake, take home an entire week’s worth of meals” as well as assorted others, “Make. Eat. (Guys night!)” and nutritional cooking. Cookology also offers wine tasting nights, product demonstrations (got a new gadget you wish you could test before you commit?) and every Friday is Date Night where you can cook with your significant other – perfect for Matt and I, we’re always trying to figure out new fun dates.

I love it, I’m excited! Where do I sign up!?