Disclaimer: I was invited to experience The Social Kitchen first-hand.
The Fisher & Paykel Social Kitchen has popped up in the Queen Victoria Market offering top quality cooking lessons with a twist. On market days, top chefs from Peter Rowland Catering take you through the market to obtain fresh produce and whip up a unique dish. Masterclass are held on non-market days by a selection of Melbourne's best chefs such as Shane Delia (Maha), Scott Pickett (Estelle, Saint Crispin), Dave Verhul (The Town Mouse) and Adam Liston (Northern Light).
I was lucky enough to be invited to preview The Social Kitchen — Food blogger perk! I have been meaning to go to The LG Kitchen in The South Melbourne Market when it first opened but never got around to it; So when I received an invite to The Social Kitchen, I was over the moon. As a kiwi, Fisher & Paykel was a household name with us growing up. Mainly because of this national anthem hack on their washing machines.
Now I have discovered that they not only make excellent singing washing machines, but also have amazing kitchen appliances including fridges, ovens and cooktops — all so beautifully designed too.
As we got familiar with the kitchen and did the meet and greet, it was time to wash our hands and get into the ingredients. I don't normally shop at The Queen Victoria Market but I will now after seeing the plethora of fresh produce available.
Everyone's eyes lit up when it was announced we were cooking Paella. A delicious Spanish dish with rice, seafood, and spices.
I was luckily enough to be teamed up with Rose Donohoe who writes for Broadsheet. She got strait into it while I was sipping on my wine and Instagraming here and there. We started chopping the vegetables. Peppers, garlic and onion and chucking them in the massive paella dish. Fisher & Paykel's electric stovetop has a wonderful functionality where you can link two hot plates so they are are controlled at the same temperature — Perfect for a dish like this.
It was great to be shown all the tips and tricks when it comes to cooking this dish. The experienced chefs are great at leading the whole process.
Then we threw in the protein starting with the chorizo, and then the chicken. There was one point where we felt like our dish wasn't going to turn out, perhaps it was too much salt or too much water – thank god we were wrong. Once everything started simmering we added the rice and the seafood; Prawns, fish and mussels.
The rice absorbed all the water and all the pimenton and salt made the perfect seasoning. Apparently the trick is to 'leave the dish alone' once everything is in but I was too impatient and prodded it a couple of times which got me in trouble with my cooking partner. We were almost ready and the whole process felt really easy. The assistant chefs were cleaning up after us, making sure we were on the right track and cooking has never been funner.
We even managed to whip up a gremolata – a mixture of parsley, lemon zest, spices and olive oil. This made the perfect garnish.
So that was it, dinner is served. I don't mean to brag but I think we made a pretty dam good paella.
It was great to sit down with the rest of the people in the class and getting to know everyone's story and taste their dish to see who's was better.
After dinner was finished and everyone was full, the food bloggers say what food bloggers say best. "What's for dessert." So an impromptu dessert it was. We made a mess. An Eton mess that is.
Peppercorn meringue and whipped vanilla cream topped with fresh berries and edible flowers. A very simple yet elegant dish which is easy to throw together, especially if all the prep has all been done for you! Thanks chef.
It really was a social kitchen with a fun and vibrant atmosphere. A great place to learn new cooking techniques, enjoy great food and meet like-minded people.
GIVEAWAY!
If you want to check out The Social Kitchen for yourself I am giving away 4 tickets valued at $135 each! Simply click on the link below and enter the form to go into the draw.
ENTER HERE
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The Fisher & Paykel Social Kitchen Cooking School
Queen Victoria Market, Shed A (Peel Street end)
Starting 13 Nov 2014 – for a 26-week season only
Classes Tues & Thurs-Sunday ($135)
9.30am-12noon; 1pm-3.30pm; 6-8.30pm
