The main problem of those who don’t like or don’t know how to cook is that people don’t know one little secret: food cooks itself. Every morning, day, evening, thousands of women come to the kitchen with the thought that they will now have to cook food for a long time and hard, and they are not happy about it, but are even very annoyed. And so, day after day, many people go to the kitchen as if they were going to hard labor.

That’s why I always say: the secret of delicious food is that it cooks itself. And you only need two things - a good mood and creative inspiration. Because it depends on your mood what kind of food you will get: tasty or so-so. Probably nothing else in life depends so much on a person’s mood as cooking. It has been known since ancient times that the kitchen is a field of creativity for humans, and not a battlefield. And many, many peoples in their culture had “magical kitchen incantations” that helped women create tasty and even healing food for their loved ones.

But I assure you: your talent for delicious cooking is dormant or even deeply asleep, but it is there! For those who do not know how to do this or do it poorly, I suggest cooking courses for beginners.

What makes my courses different from others? is that, having completed them, you will learn how to cook many different dishes at once (and not 20 selected recipes, as is offered in many other existing culinary courses). You will understand the essence of cooking food - delicious, mouth-watering, which not only satisfies hunger, but brings back the taste of life - yours and your loved ones, and brings you joy and pleasure.

I don’t think that in cooking the main thing is to accurately measure grams and note minutes while holding a watch in your hand. It is important not so much to understand the process as to understand the essence, even the philosophy of cooking, to feel what and how you cook and eat, to feel the taste of the dish and the emotions when you cook it. It is important to discover within yourself the desire to cook deliciously, and the main thing here is to just start cooking.

The course is designed for three weeks, three four-hour lessons per week. All classes are practical. At the beginning of the lesson, a detailed plan is distributed, with recipes and technology; if desired, you can make notes in it. At the end of each lesson there is a tasting of the prepared dishes.

• First: introductory lesson. We are getting acquainted. A master class and introductory lecture on cooking delicious food at home are held. I will tell you about different spices and how to choose and combine products, how to calculate the amount of food, how to store them correctly. The lesson and master class are conducted in the form of a dialogue; those who wish can get involved in the process of cooking.

• Second: The lesson is dedicated to salads and cold/hot appetizers. I will tell you about the basic recipes for salads - vegetable, meat, fish. During the lesson we will prepare 5-6 salads. And also 5-6 cold and hot appetizers - various rolls, mushroom, vegetable, meat, shrimp, stuffed vegetables, in baskets and so on, for all occasions.

• Third: The lesson is devoted to cereals and the preparation of milk porridges and various dishes from them. Many people do not like milk porridges for one simple reason - the porridges are not prepared correctly, and they simply turn out tasteless. I will tell and show you how to cook porridge correctly. And also about various additives to porridges that will make them varied in taste. During the lesson we will cook 5 main porridges and make 7-8 berry and fruit additives to them. We will also make 5-6 dishes from rice and buckwheat.

• Fourth: all about soups. We learn how to properly cook broth, which can be used not only as the base of soup, but also as an independent dish with various additives - crackers, croutons, dumplings. Also 5-7 soups: borscht, fish soup, chicken, vegetable, pea, bean, cream soup.

• Fifth the lesson is all about meat. How to choose, how to cut, bake, fry, stew. How to make sauces for meat. How to marinate - There are different marinades for different types of meat recipes. We will prepare 10 different meat dishes for you.

• Sixth lesson – we devote ourselves to preparing various hot dishes: vegetables, vegetables with meat, various stews and casseroles.

• Seventh: all about fish. We learn to choose fish, cut it, choose seasonings for fish dishes, bake, fry in various ways and salt.

• Eighth: pasta and pasta. We will learn how to make these dishes always tasty and varied - with various sauces, herbs and spices.

• Ninth The lesson is devoted to simple and quick, but delicious baked goods - cookies, muffins, muffins, bagels, buns, pies and fruit pies.

The cost of the course is 18,000 rubles.

The group is 3-6 people, which allows you to make the course almost individual. Course times: daytime - from 12 to 16 hours and evening - from 19 to 22-30 hours.

Various payment options are available. You can sign up for the course here, in the comments, or by phone +79099079735 or by e-mail: [email protected]

Address of the courses: metro Botanical Garden, 300 meters from the metro on foot), in my home kitchen-studio, I send the address personally in a letter.

In the new issue of the column about effective self-education, we, together with experts, figure out what should be in the kitchen of a novice cook and which Moscow schools make sense to look into in order to cook the best steak.

First, ask yourself: why do you need this? At the very beginning, I would recommend listening to your heart and learning to cook if there is any response. If it doesn’t work out, don’t force yourself. Cooking should be fun.

You can start with good cooking shows, preferably foreign ones. You can use books, but learning to read a recipe is very difficult. “Fry until golden brown”, “saute the onions” - what is this? Understanding comes only with experience. I think the best thing to do is go to cooking classes. There you see what the cook is doing, you can always ask again, write it down, and besides, secrets are usually revealed there that will not be written about in books. Now there are a lot of video recipes on the Internet, you can watch them too.

As for the utensils needed to start, you should have a good knife, a cutting board (preferably two), a thick-bottomed saucepan, a frying pan and a heat-resistant dish. It’s all very simple; you don’t need a temperature probe or noisette right away. When conducting master classes, I often come across people who don’t know how to cook, but waste themselves on something difficult. However, first you need to basicly master a frying pan and a knife.

It’s good if you always have eggs, cream, milk, cheese, some herbs, olive oil and butter in the refrigerator. All products are simple, but their combination will allow you to do something at any time. Flour, butter, egg - this is shortbread dough. There is no need to buy a bunch of different spices at once.

It is impossible to explain what an ideal dish is. Some people like one thing, others another. Probably the ideal is the right combination of products. At my master classes, I always talk about the need to have a sense of proportion. For some reason, participants think that putting a lot of things on a plate is a good thing. For example, sometimes we make pizza. Some guests think that if they put all the ingredients on a poor yeast dough, it will be delicious. But that's not true.

It is worth reading the cookbooks of various good chefs and at the same time listening to yourself. If you like cheese and herbs, do something with it. If you love meat, cook it. You need to do what you like. I started cooking with soups and main courses; I didn’t like making salads and desserts. Now I love to cook everything.

You can only learn by practicing. If you just read and look at the screen, nothing will happen. Cooking is chemistry and physics. If you practice every day, of course, you can learn to cook.

It is important to understand that it is not the detailed recipe that rules the show. how to cut vegetables, cook broth and add meat, and understanding why we perform certain actions. It is the theoretical basis that allows us to come up with our own dishes “from what was in the refrigerator.”

To learn how to cook well and tasty, you need to remember one important rule: do not listen to your friends, mothers and grandmothers, no matter how tasty their borscht may seem to you. Sometimes the level of such homemade dishes is very primitive. Of course, your mother’s soup and your grandmother’s pancakes may seem to you the height of gastronomic pleasure, but this is far from the case.

Like any other field, cooking requires following rules, as well as attention to detail and processes. First you need to learn the basics. What basic sauces are there, how one type of cutting vegetables differs from another and, most importantly, where and in what context you need to apply certain skills. It is best to start with basic dishes, studying their history, subtleties and important technological aspects. Take mushroom risotto and learn how to cook broths and work with rice; Understand how to add volume and color to a dish using different types of mushrooms. We started cooking Bolognese and understood the “1110 rule” when cooking pasta, learned how to make meat stew, and became friends with tomato bases for sauces.

It is worth stocking up on important and useful tools. First of all, you will need a couple of different, necessarily sharp knives, a heavy frying pan, and a cutting board. In confectionery - kitchen scales, spatulas and whisks, a good mixer. Once we've learned how to hold a knife in our hand and understand how a whisk differs from a spatula, we need to think about what ingredients are important to keep on hand. Everyone has their own taste, but it’s great when the kitchen always has a bag of flour, fresh vegetables, a bag of rice and spaghetti, a piece of good cheese and a jar of tomato sauce. Season your dishes with fresh herbs and ground pepper, and your family will begin to suspect you of cooking witchcraft.

Once the basics have been mastered, it’s time to move on to a more complex matter—taste. Need to try. A lot, often and the best. At least once a month it is useful to have dinner at a really good expensive restaurant, and when traveling to visit local seafood, vegetable markets and bread shops. Try and analyze what and why you like, what combinations of products delight you. Feel free to ask the chefs who surprised you about why this soup is so delicious. The secret may be quite simple, but knowing it will open new doors to the world of gastronomy.

What to read

Channel Jamie Oliver Food Tube

On his channel, Jamie Oliver does what he loves most: preparing delicious food and giving simple advice to viewers. Moreover, this is not just a collection of recipes, but a full-fledged interactive gastronomic channel-transmission. Other chefs who are Jamie's friends are also regular guests. In the new year, Jamie decided to launch a series of healthy meals, snacks and drinks, so you can start looking after your health in good company.

Learn to Cook

One of the most useful resources for those who decide to master basic cooking skills. Each article is like a full-fledged guide dedicated to one product: its types, cooking methods and mistakes to avoid. The text is generously accompanied by photographs and videos, so it is almost impossible to make a mistake with the color of a well-done salmon steak.

"Afisha-Food"

A huge database of recipes from cuisines all over the world, which are added by users themselves. If amateur experience seems dubious, here are recipes from the now defunct Afisha-Food magazine. Most of them are trustworthy.

Where to study in Moscow

When: The next class “Cocktails for two” is February 14

How many: 150,000 rubles for a basic cooking course, master classes - from 3,000 rubles

Project Meet&Greet

The Meet&Greet open kitchen is not exactly a cooking school. Rather, it is one of the ways to spend time, prepare and eat several dishes, while learning some culinary secrets. The school was founded by friends and hosts of the “Two and a Half Chefs” program, Kristina Chernyakhovskaya and Albina Preis. Meetings are held twice a week: dinner on Wednesdays and brunch on Sundays. Menus, which usually consist of two or three dishes, are announced several days in advance on the website and on social networks. There, project participants regularly share proven recipes.

Where: Burger Brothers cafe

When: every Wednesday at 20:00 and Sunday at 12:00

How many: 1,800 rubles for dinner, 1,000 rubles for brunch

Culinary school of Yulia Vysotskaya

At the school of the familiar host of the TV program “Eating at Home” there are many master classes that form cycles: “Italian Cuisine”, “Russian Feast”, “Sophisticated Asia” and so on. Each master class is independent, but by attending several classes within one course, you can gain comprehensive knowledge on the topic.

Where: studios at Belorusskaya, Okhotny Ryad and Mega Khimki

When: daily, depending on the site

How many: 900–3,000 rubles

Culinary workshop Just Cook

Another school where theory is preferred to practice. During the master classes, participants prepare three dishes each, following the advice of two professional chefs. Then everyone sits down at the table together and tries the result of the lesson. Classes are devoted to French, Russian, Pan-Asian and other cuisines of the world, but there are also separate master classes - for example, on fish or dumplings.

Where: Bratislavskaya, 18, building 1; Leningradsky Prospekt, 80, building 12A

When: from Wednesday to Sunday, depending on the site

How many: 2,000 rubles per lesson

Most of us prepare food every day, but not everyone can prepare a dish comparable to the creation of a good restaurant chef. You can study many cookbooks and magazines, or take advice from TV shows. But not everyone will be able to translate the recommendations received into reality.

You can learn the secrets of cooking and learn how to create gastronomic masterpieces at culinary courses in Moscow. Experienced chefs will share the most unique recipes and teach you how to cook them correctly. You will also meet interesting people and find new like-minded friends.

The school was founded in 2008 and since then has proven itself well among professionals and amateurs. The transformable classroom hosts training courses, demonstrations and team building activities. The school often invites international experts, such as Guillaume Mabilleau, Bruno Pastorelli, Pascal Tepper, Alan Dunn and other professionals.

The VIP Masters school offers advanced culinary courses aimed at chefs and technologists, as well as culinary courses for beginners. For example, a course for a novice pastry chef will allow you not only to learn the basics of culinary art, but also to learn how to prepare more than 25 types of confectionery products.

Cooking is a famous profession. We appreciate the delicious food that restaurants offer us. When our mother cooks, we note what a great cook she is. However, there are not so many people willing to study in this area. Today, young people prefer office jobs, and almost no one thinks about cooking. Such a profession requires constant experimentation and the use of imagination. The chef must be able to surprise the visitor.

In the capital's public catering facilities, many women work as cooks - 87% (2017). And in large restaurants, men work as cooks, who often surpass women in skill. At first glance, a cook seems like an easy job, but from a physical point of view it suits the male half.

The culinary profession is not a battle of the sexes. It is suitable for those who love to cook. Who knows how to put their soul into even a simple dinner, showing imagination. The chef must be motivated - to feed customers deliciously, to come up with a new dish, to create a pleasant atmosphere in the establishment, to get feedback from visitors. For adults and experienced chefs, there is an unspoken rule - don’t work as a cook if you can’t make people happy.

Easy to make roasted potatoes. It’s difficult to cook it deliciously a hundred times in a row for a thousand different people. Cooking is an art that is preceded by proper training. You can read many books about cooking methods, learn how to fry and bake, but this is not education. To become a chef, you need to study a lot, not forgetting about invention and ingenuity.

Cooking requires following rules and paying attention to details. Learn the basics first: basic sauces, types of fruit cuts, cooking styles, etc. Therefore, it is recommended to start with simple dishes, their history and technical aspects.

You can study to become a culinary specialist at colleges, technical schools, or by attending culinary courses in Moscow. At a college or technical school, training lasts from 2 to 3 years, depending on the specific direction. To find a job, you need to obtain the appropriate document or certificate of education. In terms of duration of training, professional courses have several advantages:

choosing an option for conducting classes - collectively or individually;

Compared to state educational institutions, professional courses are inexpensive;

Practical tasks are used to train specialists in such courses.

Having mastered the basic principles, move on to a more complex matter in cooking - taste. It develops through trial and error. Try everything you use in cooking. From time to time it is worth organizing dinner at a new restaurant. Feel free to ask the chef why he used certain ingredients. Then you should personally visit vegetable markets, seafood markets, and bread stores. Analyze product combinations and create criteria to evaluate compatibility.

This will create a base that will guide you in the kitchen.

Every profession has its advantages. And cooking is no exception.

Let's look at the positive aspects that will help you make a decision:

Having practice and professional development will allow you to apply for a highly paid position;

gaining skills and knowledge that will be useful in life - the cook will always delight his family with pancakes;

demand in the labor market.

Let's pay attention to the last point. Today, representatives of different areas, having received an education, remain without work. According to data for the period 2014-2017, more than 35% of university graduates cannot find a job in their specialty. There is always a demand for culinary specialists. Salary directly depends on the place of work. The average salary in HR resources is from 3,000 to 4,500 rubles.

According to statistics for recent years (since 2014), 30% of young people with higher education under 28 years of age prefer to change their professional field, for this purpose attending training courses.

People from different fields can undergo training - housewives, teachers, scientists. Often married couples who are looking for a joint hobby or planning to open a business in the food industry come to study. Mothers and daughters attend courses in order to diversify their home menu. Sometimes courses are held for children, teaching them the basics of preparing simple dishes and desserts in an educational style.

To become a master in the culinary arts, you must have the following qualities:

cleanliness (no one will hire a sloppy cook);

responsibility (primarily to the client);

politeness (working in the kitchen does not exempt you from observing ethics);

mindfulness (focus on work and don’t get distracted).

Interest in cuisines from different cultures is growing in Russia. It’s easy to write a gastronomic encyclopedia of the establishments operating in the capital. For this reason, it is worth researching in advance and choosing the right direction for you. You should choose the cuisine that suits you mentally and that you have an interest in. Popular Italian cuisine is suitable for those who appreciate the sophistication and aesthetics of their dishes.

Before completing the training, you should study the available options in detail. One of the main factors is the availability of practical training. Until you put on an apron and try to make pasta Bolognese, you won't start learning. Pay attention to those courses that provide their graduates with employment in Moscow.

The advantages of working in the capital are obvious:

restaurants of various gastronomic specialties;

high demands of employers;

the best workers in the region;

a large number of foreign clients.

When meeting tourists in an establishment, there is no need to worry, because delicious food is a universal language for foreigners. If everything is prepared perfectly and with love, the tourist will find a way to express his admiration for you.

The development of the bistro and restaurant sector presupposes the presence of trained personnel in the labor market. If you know how to cook deliciously, imagine and experiment to suit your clients’ liking, then there will be no problems with your work. You will need to work as a chef's assistant for some time. This type of work involves applying theoretical knowledge in practice and studying the nuances of work. This is a way for employers to evaluate your abilities and personal qualities.

Career growth is up to you. Promotion is possible all the way up to elite chef or even director. When the level of skill rises, the increase will not be long in coming. Great chefs are always in demand.

It is worth considering your own business as an option for applying the acquired knowledge and experience. Once you have experience in managing and organizing activities, think about your business. You will choose the type of establishment, cuisine and level of customer service. It was mentioned earlier that there should be no problems with attracting personnel.

Technology makes it possible to apply knowledge online. Let's consider several options for working online:

1. Youtube channel. Video hosting makes it possible to record videos of cooking dishes or desserts with subsequent publication on the resource. Having collected a sufficient number of views (an average of 100,000 per video), you can earn money by advertising and selling products through an affiliate program based on a contract.

2. Keep a blog on the Internet. VKontakte groups, Instagram pages with short descriptions and videos can attract the attention of the audience. The purpose of the blog is to do the job professionally and thoroughly explain the process, answer questions and feedback from clients. In this case, advertising and sales remain the way to earn money.

3. Training. Courses for beginners, even online, cooperation with educational institutions that will invite you to lectures and seminars.

The training itself will be a pleasant bonus. You will prepare interesting and delicious dishes for yourself and your family without leaving the kitchen. And word of mouth will help you gain some fame among your loved ones and acquaintances. Then you can take orders to your home and receive payment for the work.

Summarize. Cooking is a complex but interesting profession that helps people find themselves and realize themselves. Knowledge in this area is important, but the determining factor in achieving success will be your work style and self-education. Experimentation and atmosphere play a decisive role. As a cook, you will grow every day. As a professional and as a person.

“When I enter a restaurant, the first thing I notice is the atmosphere. This is the key to seeing everything correctly.” Gordon Ramsay is a chef, restaurateur, TV star and author.

Not everyone knows how to cook. Especially tasty and healthy dishes. You can learn this by attending cooking courses in Moscow for beginners. This direction has recently become increasingly popular. There are even special schools and academies.

Culinary establishments and centers

Cooking courses for beginners offer not only the basics of the art, but also the execution of complex recipes. It all depends on the wishes of the student himself.

Culinary centers:

1. From the publication “KhlebSol”. Classes at this center are held on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Master classes are given by famous gastronomy professionals. Classes are conducted interactively. Teachers tell and show how a specific dish is prepared. Program participants can do individual preparatory operations or repeat the dish themselves. Upon completion of the courses, a certificate is issued.

2. Cookingclass offers individual lessons. During the lessons, in addition to Russian cuisine, foreign dishes are prepared. Additionally, you can learn how to make rolls and sushi. Each lesson is a separate master class. During the lessons, several different dishes are prepared. These cooking courses in Moscow are intended for beginners. Classes can be conducted individually or in a group.

3. “Moscow House of Restaurateur” offers training master classes for chefs and bartenders. There are separate courses for beginners.

4. “Vip-masters” conducts classes for professionals and beginners. After completing the courses, a state-issued diploma confirming the qualifications obtained is issued.

5. “Kitchen in Details” not only teaches you how to cook, but also how to properly set the table.

6. In the French establishment “Commeunchef” classes are taught by a culinary master. All lessons include wine tasting. Beginner cooks can also attend classes.

7. Clever studio offers master classes and culinary consulting. Lessons are taught by professional chefs. For beginners, easy but very tasty recipes from different countries are offered.

8. The Sisters Grimm restaurant is famous not only for its courses for beginners, but also for its themed master classes “for men.” Meat recipes are described and studied there. In classes “for women,” ladies are taught how to bake pies.

Culinary arts courses can cost differently. The price varies from 2500 to 4000 rubles. One of the most interesting educational institutions is “Meetꝸ Greet”. On Wednesdays you can not only cook something there, but also watch a movie. On Sunday, people come in the morning, prepare breakfast for themselves and eat it all together at a common table. The organizers provide students with food, prepare menus in advance and assign assignments. The cost of such a master class is only 500 rubles.

The best culinary schools in Moscow

Cooking courses for housewives in Moscow are held in a number of special schools and academies. The most famous:

1. “Gastronom” conducts over twenty lessons every month. Classes are demonstrative in nature. The chef describes and cooks at the same time, and visitors to the master classes write down recipes for themselves.

2. “Rozhnovsky Academy” conducts courses and wine tastings. The chefs share the most delicious recipes with beginners and reveal some of their secrets. Lessons are held approximately 2-3 times a week.

3. DelGusto offers recipes for Italian cuisine. All the chefs are of the same nationality. If desired, you can prepare Sicilian dishes and aphrodisiacs. There is even an “Egoist’s Kitchen”.

4. “AsktheChef” conducts classes for professionals and beginner cooks. All lessons are divided by topic (there are 10 in total). One course consists of three master classes. Afterwards you will receive a diploma, 20 recipes and a cook’s diary. If students complete all five courses and pass the exam, they receive a state certificate with a certain rank. One course costs 12,000 rubles.

5. “Arpicom” is a very popular academy for beginners. Here they teach not only cooking, but also how to select wines for dishes. On Tuesdays they teach how to cook Italian salads, pizza and pasta, and on Thursdays – steaks.

6. Seiji is a Japanese school of sushi. Classes are held on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. A professional translator is present during the lessons.

7. Izumi offers various culinary programs. On-site training is possible. Those who complete the training are issued company certificates.

8. “TasteofRussia” is an English-speaking school. Dishes from CIS countries are offered. At each lesson, three to four dishes are prepared, which are then tasted. There are also lessons for the youngest cooks.

Another famous school is from Massimiliano Montiroli. There they not only teach you how to cook, but also how to distinguish fresh fish from stale fish.

The most inexpensive cooking courses

If we look at inexpensive cooking courses in Moscow for beginners, we get a decent list:

· Clever studio;

· "VIP Masters";

· "Arpikom";

· confectionery school “Cakes from Audrey”;

· training center “Labor Market Academy”;

· "Cook House";

· "Academy Exclusive";

· school of Elena Dvurechenskaya;

· "Just Cook";

· "Del Gusto";

· "CookingNite";

· culinary studio “OPEN KITCHEN”.

Cooking courses and master classes are also offered in many small restaurants. Some training offers can be seen right on the doors of institutions; not all addresses are posted on the Internet.