One Fish, Two Fish~~Jay Takes a Fish Cooking Class (and Cooking Classes in Central Mass and Beyond)

I was talking with my hairdresser about how much we both enjoy cooking, and when I told her I was pretty excited for an upcoming evening cooking class that Jay and I are taking, she told me that her husband got her a three day series of baking classes at King Arthur Baking Company in Vermont and she had an amazing time! I’m not so much a baker, but I always like to improve on my cooking techniques. I decided to look around for cooking classes near me.

Below you’ll see a story that Jay wrote about a cooking class he took with two of our sons. It was held at Helen’s Kitchen in Natick, and the class was called One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish. I didn’t attend that one because I don’t like fish, but the boys all do. I sat that one out, but have signed us up for an upcoming class called Browning and Seasoning. Since one of my major Covid projects was re-organizing our spice cabinet, I’m pretty excited for this one.

After Jay’s story, you’ll see links to cooking classes near me offerings throughout Central Massachusetts and beyond (just in case you’d also like the 3 day King Arthur experience). I’d love to hear recommendations from your own experiences. I encourage you to visit my Resource Stories page to explore other stories I’ve written that might be helpful for you to bookmark.

Jay’s Story: A few years ago Jen gave me and two of my sons, Jay Marshall and Adam, an unusual birthday present. A gift certificate for a cooking class at a place called Helen’s Kitchen, where cooking lessons literally take place in Helen’s actual kitchen, at her home in Natick, MA. My expectation was that it would be informal, taking place in her house, but it wasn’t. Despite being in her home, there was no TV noise in the background, no one came strolling through, or even dropped by to say hi. On the contrary, everyone apparently stayed well clear of the kitchen while Helen was teaching her class, most likely with good reason. Helen, from Russia originally, has not just the skills, but also the personality of a head chef at a fancy restaurant.

Some time ago, while attending college in Sarasota, FL, I worked as a bus boy at the Sarasota Yacht Club. There were plenty of yachts around, but mainly it was a huge social club, where lots of wealthy people came to eat dinner. In order to prepare the food to a quality that was expected, for the quantity of people, there were about six sub chefs and one head chef. This head chef ran the place like a military establishment, with himself as the general. In the case of the Sarasota Yacht Club, the chef kept the place running smoothly by the tried and true “iron fist” method. Helen’s not that radical, and in fact she’s quite friendly, but she’s definitely in charge of her kitchen, so no kids or spouse were ever sighted, and we were never in doubt of what we were supposed to be doing.

There were seven guests/students in total, which is the class maximum. The other four students were from various towns in Massachusetts, and for three of them, this was their second time taking a class with Helen. This class was exclusively about how to best prepare and cook fish, with an emphasis on salmon, but there are many other options as well.

My personal main goal from this class was to learn how to cook seafood better, particularly salmon, so it tastes as it would in a first class restaurant, which mine never had before. During the three hours we were there, I learned 5-6 basic, but extremely important, factors when cooking fish that, based on the outcome, have ramped up my seafood cooking by about 300%. It’s truly amazing what a difference adding a few steps to the cooking process, and being aware of small factors, accomplished in the quality of the end result.

From my perspective, salmon is an excellent example of a food that varies tremendously in quality, largely based on how it’s prepared. It can taste tremendous, or it can be not so good. Here are two examples of things I learned from Helen that have improved my salmon cooking skills:

This might seem obvious, but it’s incredibly important. You have to start with good, fresh salmon, which has a lot to do with where it’s purchased. I’m aware of two main options locally: S.S. Lobster in Fitchburg, and West Boylston Seafood. These are both primary sources, meaning that you are purchasing the fish from an establishment that got their seafood as directly from the ocean as possible short of catching the fish yourself. If in doubt, just ask the clerk behind the counter how fresh it is. I find tipping well worthwhile when purchasing fish. As an example, a few days ago I asked the clerk at S.S. about the haddock. He told me it was great and the pieces were big, because they’d just gotten a shipment of haddock from Iceland.

This one isn’t obvious: Salmon, and all fish, need to be dried, or else you’re steaming the fish, which was my problem, and I think ruins the flavor. Rinse the fish thoroughly, dry it, then salt it, which pulls water from the fish. Rinse again and dry again. It’s a good thing to know.

As a caveat, don’t expect to be full after the class. It’s not a restaurant, and although you get to sample what you cook, and it comes out great, I found the portions a little smaller than I was hungry for.

As a final note on my busboy experience at the Sarasota Yacht Club: Many members ate meals there, but many more members drank there as well. One evening, as I was preparing to leave, a large, beautiful sailboat was being pulled out of the water by its owner, who unfortunately forgot to lower the tall masts, and despite everyone yelling at him, drove directly out of the parking lot in his snazzy truck until the overhead telephone and electrical wires intervened, breaking the mast in half and shutting down the highway for 3-4 hours. Luckily I’d ridden my bike so I could leave, but no one who came by car could, no doubt resulting in more drinking.

Cooking Classes Near Me

Acton
Kitchen Outfitters

Amherst
Leslie Cerier | The Organic Gourmet

Andover
EZ Compliments

Boston (Various locations or at your own location!)
Cozymeal

Cambridge
Cambridge Center of Adult Education
Cambridge School of Culinary Arts

Groton
Third Space Kitchen

Fitchburg
Monty Tech Continuing Education Current Catalog

Lexington
Two Aprons Cookery

Lowell
Mill City Grows

Marlborough
Assabet After Dark

Millbury
Patty’s Kitchen