Part 1 of 5 series on hands-on cooking classes in Baltimore - Pierpoint

There are sufficient videos, food television that shows you how to make a dish but there is nothing like getting down and doing it yourself.  Do you know what finished pasta should feel like?  Learning how by just touching a steak to know if it is well done or rare?  How should I be holding my knife?  Can you chiffonade and dice to proper size?  Is that pie crust too dry? What are the techniques in making a proper dark roux?

I am a strong advocate of hands-on cooking classes, there is nothing like jumping right in and learning techniques. My first hands-on cooking class was well over 30 years ago or more with the lovely French instructor Germain Sharretts at the Church of the Redeemer.  I learned a lot in the class.  We would break up in teams and prepare a 3 course meal. It was there that I learned how finished pasta should feel, the proper rising of the baba rhum dough and making a proper pâte à choux.  

Read the entire part 1 post on hands-on cooking classes in Baltimore and watch the slideshow READ MORE at Examiner.com / Dining