cchristie Food Journal

When I moved into my own apartment during university, my mother gave me an assortment of used cookware, a full set of hand-me-down dishes and a brand new copy of The Better Homes and Gardens Complete Step-by-Step Cookbook. I was in heaven. So much so that I spent more time studying the secrets of homemade bagels than the basics of microbiology, which explains why I'm now a food writer and not a food scientist.

During my first semester in my own kitchen, the pages of this cookbook became dog-earred and splattered with grease and batter. While the black and white photographs proved useful for most techniques, for the life of me I couldn't debone a chicken breast without mangling the results. And no matter how I tried, my onions refused to hold together while I diced them. Still photos were better than verbal descriptions, but they weren't always enough.

Years later, lack of space forced me to give this book away. Until recently, I regretted this cookbook purge. Fortunately, Rouxbe (pronounced ROO-bee) presents an online solution for anyone who wants to learn solid cooking techniques and discover new recipes, but hasn't the shelf space for 384-page tomes.

I admit, I was hesitant when I heard about an online cooking course. I wondered what gimmick they'd use to distinguish themselves. An overly-enthusiastic chef? Tilt-angle photography that would make me motion sick? Outrageous competitions?

Nope. Rouxbe videos put instruction first. The unseen narrator is calm and pleasant, almost hypnotic. The music, if any, is non-intrusive. The camera shoots from the angle that gives the clearest view, not the most artsy shot. And most impressive of all, the information is clear and concise. While the script tells you what to do, it also addresses common mistakes.

But it's not learning in a vacuum, either. Most techniques are tied to recipes. Each recipe video offers "drill down" options, highlighting a specific skill needed to create the dish.

I originally thought a membership would make a great gift for students heading off to college. Then I realized I had a few gaps in my own education. So far I've learned why my knife is always dull, that my wrist action impedes my rolling knife technique and the missing step in my chicken deboning.

Rouxbe is continually rolling out new techniques and recipes. With any luck I'll learn how to make a decent creme brulee.