Create Chinese
Master one of the world's most diverse cuisines—spanning regional styles from Sichuan's fiery heat to Cantonese delicacy. Chinese cooking emphasizes: wok cooking (high heat, quick stir-frying), balance of flavors (sweet, sour, salty, bitter, umami), texture variety (crispy, tender, chewy), and fresh ingredients. Essential techniques: stir-frying (constant motion, blazing heat), steaming (dumplings, fish), braising (red-cooked pork), and deep-frying. Key ingredients: soy sauce, rice wine, ginger, garlic, scallions, sesame oil, star anise. Regional styles: Sichuan (numbing mala spice), Cantonese (fresh, subtle), Hunan (sour heat), Shanghainese (sweet soy braising). Learn knife skills—julienne, dice, slice. Master fried rice, dumplings, mapo tofu, kung pao chicken. Mise en place essential—cooking happens fast. Family-style dining culture. Healthier than takeout, more authentic flavors.
beginner
3-4 hours
Learn croissants
Create the ultimate laminated pastry—buttery, flaky, golden layers achieved through precise folding and rolling of dough with butter. Croissants require: detrempe (basic dough: flour, water, yeast, sugar, salt, butter), beurrage (butter block), and lamination (folding to create hundreds of layers). Process: make dough, chill, encase butter block in dough, roll out, fold (letter fold or book fold), chill, repeat 3-4 times (creating 27-81 layers), shape crescents, proof, egg wash, bake at high heat (steam puffs layers). Challenges: butter temperature (too cold=breaks, too warm=melts into dough), patience (takes 2-3 days with resting periods), precision. Reward: incomparable texture, home baker prestige. Also use technique for: pain au chocolat, Danish pastries. Advanced baking. Meditative process. Ultimate breakfast achievement.
beginner
2-3 hours
Learn curry powder
Create custom spice blends capturing complex, warm flavors of Indian cuisine—far superior to store-bought curry powder. Traditional Indian cooking doesn't use "curry powder"—it's a British invention simplifying regional masalas. Learn to toast and grind whole spices: cumin, coriander, turmeric, fenugreek, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, black pepper, cayenne. Toasting in dry pan awakens essential oils—transforming flavor. Grind in spice grinder or mortar and pestle. Create variations: Madras curry (hotter), garam masala (warming, added at end), tandoori masala, tikka masala spice blend. Understand spice layering: blooming spices in oil before adding other ingredients. Fresh is best—whole spices last years, ground loses potency in months. Store in airtight containers, dark places. Homemade curry powder elevates any dish. Control heat level, customize flavors. Foundation of Indian home cooking.
beginner
3-4 hours