On a brilliant afternoon in a Cascade Culinary Institute kitchen at Central Oregon Community College (COCC), retired attorney Vickie Minor mastered the fine art of cooking a whole chicken.
“It always came out under- or overcooked,” the Bend resident conceded of past poultry efforts. Lots of chicken recipes use a guesstimate cook time, Minor discovered, but there is no better lesson than actually seeing it done — so she signed up for a COCC Community Education culinary class. Key takeaways from the immersive learning experience: dark meat cooks differently than white meat, trussing a bird is beneficial for even heating, and always let it “rest” after cooking to help keep the juices intact. “I now make whole chicken for dinner many times a month.”
That was several years — and many culinary classes — ago. Minor will soon take her 25th class (“Sautéing in Italy,” which starts on March 25) with the college’s Community Education program, an ongoing learning journey that has led to a kitchen ease with everything from risottos to sautéed scallops. “The classes have boosted my knowledge base, and along the way, I happily started experimenting and cooking on the fly using whatever I had in my pantry,” she said.
Sparking a happy, experimental response to learning is a common Community Education outcome — where topics are presented in an interactive, affordable and easy-to-try format. Most classes are in-person; many are offered remotely for convenience.
