The Gordon Ramsay Teaches Cooking MasterClass might just be my favourite MasterClass so far (and I’ve taken a lot of them).
The Gordon Ramsay MasterClass is certainly one of the most enjoyable (going head-to-head with Werner Herzog and James Patterson for enjoyability).
It’s also definitely a masterclass stuffed with practical advice beautifully suited to both complete beginner who can’t even cook an egg like me to a seasoned pro looking to hone his craft.
In addition to being enjoyable and educational in all right doses, the Gordon Ramsay Teaches Cooking MasterClass has gorgeous production value and is so highly polished that you can’t help but binge it.
Now that MasterClass have released their All Access Pass where for just double the price of a single class you have access to their entire library (learn cooking from Alice Waters, Wolfgang Puck, Thomas Keller; learn writing from David Mamet, Shonda Rhimes, Judy Blume; learn filmmaking from Martin Scorsese, Ron Howard, Werner Herzog), enrolling is a no-brainer for anyone looking to learn from the best.
Now let’s get into my Gordon Ramsay Teaches Cooking MasterClass Review. I’m going to be raving and I don’t have anything bad to say about the course. Sorry to disappoint you if you came to this review hoping I was going to bash Chef Ramsay. I simply loved this masterclass.
My Gordon Ramsay Teaches Cooking MasterClass Review (Part 1)
This is just part one of my Gordon Ramsay MasterClass review.
There will be a few more reviews and updates as I move further into the course.
I’m almost a complete beginner when it comes to cooking so I’m taking this masterclass at my own pace. I’d rather space out the different recipes Gordon teaches over a few weeks and really enjoy them than cram them into a short space of time and get fed up with cooking.
I say “almost” a complete beginner because I actually did get pretty serious about cooking many years ago.
Back in my university days, I used to buy a bunch of cookbooks, watch tons of cooking documentaries, and spent way too much on fancy ingredients, and had a blast spending hours each week cooking up something new.
But I haven’t actually cooked anything in years. I’m blessed with a girlfriend who is a superb cook and I’ve really grown slack in the kitchen department.
But thanks to Chef Ramsay, I cooked my first meal in years!
It tasted amazing, looked just how it was supposed to, and I felt a real sense of pride.
My girlfriend was impressed I actually managed to cook something!
And I couldn’t help boasting to my mum after she’s been on at me to help out in the kitchen for so long.
Okay….
It was eggs.
Poached Egg & Shiitake Mushrooms on Brioche – to die for!
But, hey, small wins.
Plus it was a poached egg. I’ve never poached an egg and I hear that can be tricky.
Plus I had get to grips with setting my mise-en-place, chopping, dicing, poaching, and sautéing.
For someone who doesn’t cook, this was a nice place to start.
I mean, come on, I’m not going to go from never cooking to suddenly breaking down a whole chicken.
That’s next week!
Gordon Ramsay’s Cooking Mindset
You know the Gordon Ramsay Teaches Cooking MasterClass is going to be good right from the very first video lesson.
Gordon really brings his A-game to this class.
He is bursting with energy and enthusiasm. He knows exactly how to teach and what to say to get you inspired. And you can tell that he has put a lot of thought into the course and is approaching it with the same care, diligence, and demand for top quality that he brings to his restaurants.
The first video is all about Gordon’s humble (read: utterly poor and massively in debt) beginnings learning the craft of cooking from masters and how he rose through the ranks and acquired his Michelin stars.
For every six months I stayed in France, I was getting myself more and more in debt, but the knowledge—it was incredible. – Gordon Ramsay
It’s a fascinating and incredibly refreshing account that inspires me not as a cook but in my own craft as a writer. I’m sure if cooking is your calling, the way Gordon speaks with such passion will renew your ambitions to learn the art of world class cooking. It almost made me want to ditch my writing vocation and pursue cooking myself!
The next class is all about kitchen layout.
You don’t need a $100,000 kitchen to cook good food. – Gordon Ramsay
Chef Ramsay says you don’t need a luxury kitchen in order to make delicious food but my girlfriend and I couldn’t help but feel some intense feelings of jealousy as we watched Gordon parade around his millionaire’s cooking haven.
Luckily, Gordon really does stress the fact that you can get by on a small kitchen and he talks at length of how when he was crazily poor learning his craft in Paris, he had just one little hob in his tiny studio apartment.
That tiny little hob was everything to him. It’s where he learned the principles that got him to where he is today.
That made us feel a little better.
At least we have three hobs in our little kitchen area!
Gordon runs through a list of the equipment you need in order to make great food and, luckily, it’s a much shorter list than you would think or than many cookbooks would lead you to believe!
Never be put off by vegetables looking ugly because sometimes, the uglier the vegetable, the more flavour it has in it.
The next video lesson is called ‘Mastering Ingredients: Vegetables and Herbs’ and this was one of my favourites.
This class really exemplifies how and why Gordon got to where he was today and also cements him as a fine teacher – his passion positively leaps from the screen.
In this class, we learned about chopping herbs, buying vegetables according to season, pairing vegetables with different dishes, and all that good stuff.
The lesson following this one was where we followed our first recipe and I learned how to make a decent poached egg using Gordon’s technique – the same technique he teaches in his kitchens and the one he uses when making all eggs to order.
In addition to Gordon’s video lessons, I love the course workbook.
MasterClass always do a phenomenal job putting together a workbook that has a concrete syllabus so you can take your learning further.
The workbook has all the recipes and notes and further assignments and tasks for further exploration so you can continue growing as a chef.
Just made your first poached egg? Great, the course book directs you towards learning about duck eggs next.
Just finished watching Gordon’s knife techniques? Great, the course book directs you further to master the classic French vegetable knife cuts and gets you making some roasted squash hummus after using the cubing technique.
Gordon also answers student questions!
MasterClass have this thing called ‘Office Hours’.
Basically, if you’re enrolled in one of the masterclasses, you can submit a question to the instructor.
I’ve never submitted a question but I do like dropping in and watching the instructors answer the questions submitted by the other students.
I can’t wait for the rest of the Gordon Ramsay MasterClass
I know it was “just eggs” but I really had so much fun cooking them. It really busted me out of my normal routine and got me learning a new skill.
I’m also enrolled in the Wolfgang Puck Teaches Cooking MasterClass at the moment, so the next recipe I do will actually be from him (tuna sashimi).
My plan is to alternate between Wolfgang and Ramsay each week and also add in some of Alice Waters’ and Thomas Kellers’ stuff too.
Seriously, MasterClass have an awesome Cooking Lineup – grabbing their All Access Pass is kind of a no brainer.
I’m looking at the syllabus ahead for the Gordon Ramsay MasterClass and it looks like I’ll be learning this stuff next:
- Knife skills
- Elevated scrambled eggs with sea urchin and white truffle
- Butchery 101: breaking down a whole chicken
- Chicken suprême with root vegetables
- Mastering fish and shellfish
There’s more after that – beef, lamb, pork, lobster ravioli, making pasta dough, and more mindset stuff – but I’m not looking ahead too far. I’m enjoying the relaxed pace at which I’m taking this masterclass.
More updates to follow!
For now, it’s back to the kitchen for me.