Food for Thought

If there's one realization you walked away from college with, it's that you have no fucking clue how to cook. No one can afford to eat out all the time (and if you can, then why are you reading this?), and it'd be nice to be able to whip up a meal for a loved one every once in a while. If chocolate-chip Eggos, spaghetti, toast and frozen pizzas pervade your diet, then maybe this is the right class for you. The Orange location of Laguna Culinary Arts is offering a three-part series in basic cooking, starting Tuesday. The first meeting will be an introduction to the kitchen, teaching you basic knife skills, safety, culinary terms, identification of produce, and cooking methods related to the preparation of veggies: blanching, steaming, sautéing and grilling. Step two is dedicated to the identification, selection and trimming of meat and fish, as well as the preparation of several quick, easy and delicious sauces to go with them. The third class brings you to the oven, with basic techniques for roasting. Put down the instant ramen and Chef Boyardee-it's going to be okay.
Tuesdays, 6 p.m. Starts: Jan. 1. Continues through Jan. 23, 2008