Culinary Institute of America Cooking Demonstration

The Culinary Institute of America offers cooking demonstrations and tastings. A few years ago, my husband and I attended one at Greystone, their California branch. We loved the professional setting and clear explanations. Many food demonstrations skim over the details and are more of an afternoon out than a class. Not so at the CIA.

While I only really remember the white gazpacho soup, I still look at the book On Food and Cooking by Harold McGee which was recommended during the demonstration. This book offers clear explanations of food science and relates it to food and cooking techniques. While that might sound dry, chefs, poets and scientists are quoted throughout. Accessible and fascinating, I highly recommend it. Recently, I’ve been reading about heat and fish texture. Cooking fish well is no easy task and this section helps to explain why.

If you are lucky enough to be close to one of the CIA campuses, I recommend stopping by for a demonstration, taking a full class or just tasting their creations at their restaurants.