Hi there!
I'm dropping in to introduce myself. My interest in cooking started about 10 years ago, when I met my husband (I know, how utterly domestic of me..I can hear Betty Friedan rolling in her grave...) In anycase, he was supporting us at the time, so I thought it would be nice to make some really good food. The only problem with that idea was, at the time despite my experience working in professional kitchens as a prep and line cook, the only things I really knew how to make were hambergurs, spaghetti with sauce from a jar, and a stir fry that I made up. Oh, and eggs. I was pretty good at eggs. One day, I was at our local "free store," and I found a copy of a professional cooking text book, and decided to bring it home. I experiemented with that book for months. I broke out the calculater and reduced recipies (professional cooking text book recipies generally deal with large volumes) and began a self taught course in culinary expirimentation. Some things we're a great success: my veloute sauce, (which I've never made again, for some reason.) was delicious, wild mushoom and tomato soup with saffron, outstanding. My first chicken fricasee, not so much (I didn't degrease.) However, despite my various successes and failures, I discovered a real love for cooking.
Anyway, about a year and a half later, I had a child, so my cooking adventures took a an understandable backseat to motherhood for a few years. 8 years later, I still stick to pretty simple dishes with big flavors, and I'm still intimidated by baking. However, I'm ready to dive back in again, and drilling down into some serious cooking skills. I'm exited to have found this site, and it's free? Cool! What a gift to the culinary curious and serious student alike. I can't wait to get started...though, I'm listening to the Knife Skills podcast, and I already have a really nice, sharp french style fchef's knife, and I primarily use that and a pairing knife for everything...so can I skip it??? ;)
Cheers!