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BWSchultz

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Does anyone know of a good cooking classes offered in Houston? I'm looking for something fairly upscale to give as a gift to my wife for Christmas. How about some of the nicer restaurants around town? I think Brennan's does but they don't seem to be offering anything at the time. I think it would be a fun thing for us to do as a couple (and I get to take part in my gift to her. Big win for me!) If anyone has some experience with cooking classes around town, please let me know. Thanks HAIF!

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Does anyone know of a good cooking classes offered in Houston? I'm looking for something fairly upscale to give as a gift to my wife for Christmas. How about some of the nicer restaurants around town? I think Brennan's does but they don't seem to be offering anything at the time. I think it would be a fun thing for us to do as a couple (and I get to take part in my gift to her. Big win for me!) If anyone has some experience with cooking classes around town, please let me know. Thanks HAIF!

I've heard good reports from friends about the ones offered at Central Market on Westheimer. Great variety, and they fill up quickly. Also, you might check with Williams-Sonoma.

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Sur la Table looks nice from their website. I've heard from other sources that people enjoyed their experience at Central Market, too. I'll probably stop by Sur and see what I think of the place. I could take a chance and register for a specific meal there but I think I'll go the gift cert direction and let her make the call.

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Does anyone know of a good cooking classes offered in Houston? I'm looking for something fairly upscale to give as a gift to my wife for Christmas. How about some of the nicer restaurants around town? I think Brennan's does but they don't seem to be offering anything at the time. I think it would be a fun thing for us to do as a couple (and I get to take part in my gift to her. Big win for me!) If anyone has some experience with cooking classes around town, please let me know. Thanks HAIF!

i saw in the houston press, that some local chef (mexican food and restaurant) is offering classes on traditional holiday tamales.

wish i could remember her name and restaurant, but the add has been in their food section for a few weeks now.

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BW, have you checked out Leisure Learning classes? There was a lady who gave Chinese coking classes, and there were other fares as well. Not sure what is being offered now. I always wanted to take some classes but never got a round tuit.

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BW, have you checked out Leisure Learning classes? There was a lady who gave Chinese coking classes, and there were other fares as well. Not sure what is being offered now. I always wanted to take some classes but never got a round tuit.

Last year my youngest sister took a class from Leisure learning but...they didn't have a real kitchen; wouldn't let the students do any hands on work...she would have gotten the same or better from me in my kitchen. I ended up buying her a series of classes at Central Market. As a result, she humiliated me at Thanksgiving with a superb pumpkin souffl

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I would second (or third?) Sur la Table. They have alot of different classes. Make sure you pick one that says it's "Hands On", those are much more fun and interactive. My partner has taken several classes at Sur la Table and enjoyed all of them. They are also very fair...I was scheduled for a class once that was cancelled, I didn't get the message and showed up anyway, they were very apologetic and gave me an in store discount and a free class whenever I wanted to take one. Can't beat that!

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I would second (or third?) Sur la Table. They have alot of different classes. Make sure you pick one that says it's "Hands On", those are much more fun and interactive. My partner has taken several classes at Sur la Table and enjoyed all of them. They are also very fair...I was scheduled for a class once that was cancelled, I didn't get the message and showed up anyway, they were very apologetic and gave me an in store discount and a free class whenever I wanted to take one. Can't beat that!

That is really nice. Sur la Table costs $65 a person and Central Market runs about $50-$75 so that's in the same ballpark. It sounds like a lot of fun!

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if you like enchiladas:

http://sylviasenchiladakitchen.com/classes.asp

also the head chef at noe's, robert gadsby often has stuff (once through rice epicurean or central market ... i forget..) ... if i remember it was about $50- $70 and you got to mingle with the who's who in houston AND eat the vittles you cooked.

check out: http://www.thegrandwineandfoodaffair.net/chefs.php

Edited by houstonmacbro
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  • 2 years later...

Some more ideas, for anyone who's still interested... ^_^

The Houston Chowhounds host random cooking classes from time to time that are very fun and very cheap. Two recent ones were a mole-making class with Jay Francis (that included a trip to the farmers market to buy the ingredients) and a soup dumpling (xiao long tong bao) class with a pretty famous Chinese chef. Coming up soon is a class where Bobby Heugel (of Beaver's and now Anvil) will be teaching cocktail-making.

Even cooler are the FREE cooking classes that Monica Pope offers at t'afia every Saturday morning. They're called Green Plum Cooking School and signup is at 9am at t'afia on Saturdays. The classes begin at 9:30 and can hold about 45 people. I'll be there myself next Saturday.

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Speaking of Anvil, eh, did it ever open? Been looking forward to it since they did the whiskey thing at Poison Girl.

Last I heard from Bobby (last Wednesday), they're hoping to open in March. April at the latest. With the amount of work they're putting into the place, I'm surprised it's opening that soon, to be honest. I've never seen or heard of so much effort and thought put into one establishment. It should be incredible.

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Does anyone know of a good cooking classes offered in Houston? I'm looking for something fairly upscale to give as a gift to my wife for Christmas. How about some of the nicer restaurants around town? I think Brennan's does but they don't seem to be offering anything at the time. I think it would be a fun thing for us to do as a couple (and I get to take part in my gift to her. Big win for me!) If anyone has some experience with cooking classes around town, please let me know. Thanks HAIF!

Trr the French restaurant on Eldridge, le mistral. They recently moved into a new building and had planned a cooking school as well as jazz bar in addition to the restaurant which now has a private room for parties as well. Two great brothers own it and I like the food very much. Let me know if it works out

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  • 7 months later...
  • 2 years later...
  • The title was changed to Cooking

I'd like to learn how to cook more. Expand my abilities.  Believe it's mostly trial and error right?  The more hands-on cooking, the better you'll become.

 

What about spices and such? Going to Central Market and buying gourmet spices can really add up.  Maybe start off with basic spices as I'm not a chef :ph34r:

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On 12/12/2019 at 7:17 PM, ekdrm2d1 said:

I'd like to learn how to cook more. Expand my abilities.  Believe it's mostly trial and error right?  The more hands-on cooking, the better you'll become.

 

What about spices and such? Going to Central Market and buying gourmet spices can really add up.  Maybe start off with basic spices as I'm not a chef :ph34r:

 You have the right idea. Start with the basics, and build on them. Eat your mistakes and you'll remember to never make that error again.
Having the right equipment makes a difference, starting with a cutting board and a chef's knife that you can keep sharpened. It doesn't have to be the $200 model, just something that will hold an edge. It's better to start with a few substantial pots and pans than a cupboard full of cheap stuff. A heavy-duty blender comes in handy, too.
I like PBS cooking shows (such as "America's Test Kitchen" and "Cook's Country") because they not only demonstrate cooking equipment, procedures and techniques but also the science behind them, which separates the Jesse Pinkmans from the Walter Whites.
If you can find an older (pre-1980's) copy of "The Joy of Cooking", snap it up. It's trustworthy, informative and actually enjoyable to read.
You're right about spices, too. Try buying them at Fiesta instead of Central Market. The packaging might not be as fancy, but the quality is good and they cost MUCH less. 

 

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Central Market and HEB also have bulk spices in bins so you can get what you need for waaaaaaay less money.  Even though the price may be marked as some huge amount, it ends up being a buck or less (sometimes much less) when you scoop your seasoning into a little bitty ziplock bag.  People basically are paying several bucks for the bottle, which ends up holding much more than generally will be used in the next few months.

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