Courses > The Cook's Roadmap: An Introduction
Course Overview
In this course, you will learn how to handle your chef's knife like a pro. You will learn about basic nutrition, including macro- and micro-nutrients are and how they fit into your diet. This course will also teach you how to roast the perfect chicken, delicious roasted vegetables, pan-frying, ro…
Click to expand...Course Objectives
- Begin to handle your knife like a pro
- Learn about whole foods and how they impact your health
- Learn to make delicious salads and dressings
- Be able to cook fluffy grains and tender legumes
- Learn to create homemade pizza and perfectly al dente pasta
- Learn how to steam and roast delicious, nutrient-dense vegetable dishes
- Apply dry-heat methods, master the fry pan and roast the perfect chicken
- Understand moist-heat techniques, such as steaming, poaching and simmering
- Understand stocks, how to prepare and how to use them to boost flavor
- Gain the skills to start improving your health by cooking from scratch
Course Syllabus
Unit 1: Course Orientation
The Cook’s Roadmap, Level 1 is designed to offer a comprehensive introduction to cooking. The orientation welcomes students to the Rouxbe Online Cooking School and explains the way we have organized and structured the courses. The orientation unit also sets forth expectations that we have for our students and frames what you can expect from the Rouxbe team and your educational experience.
Lesson 1
Course Orientation - Cook's Roadmap Level 1
Unit 2: Knife Skills
This unit charts a path for you to become more comfortable and proficient with handling a knife. Since a knife is the most important tool in the kitchen, we offer guidance on how to select and care for your knives while giving you ample opportunity to practice your skills.
Lesson 1
Unit Orientation
Lesson 2
Lesson 1: Selecting a Knife Set
Learn what to look for when selecting the right knife for you and why it's important to use high-quality knives.
Lesson 3
Lesson 2: Proper Knife Handling
Tackle the techniques behind using most important knife in your kitchen: the chef's knife.
Lesson 4
Lesson 3: How to Cut with a Chef’s Knife
Tackle the techniques behind using most important knife in your kitchen: the chef's knife.
Lesson 5
Unit Review
Unit 3: Course Foundations
This unit introduces Rouxbe’s Map of Cooking and explains the importance of the individual steps and discrete processes that go into cooking food. A whole foods nutritional foundation will be laid to help you understand about the why and how behind selecting nutrient dense food.
Lesson 1
Unit Orientation
Lesson 2
Lesson 4: What is the Map of Cooking
In this lesson, you will learn about the Map of Cooking, which helps guide you through the endless recipes, cookbooks and cooking advice so you can become a skilled, independent cook.
Lesson 3
Lesson 5: Cooking Methods
This lesson will focus on essentials to help you build or enforce a strong foundation from which you can set yourself up for success in your kitchen.
Lesson 4
Lesson 6: Our Whole Foods Approach
In this lesson, you'll learn about the components of a whole foods approach to eating, as well as the differences between processed and whole foods.
Lesson 5
Lesson 7: Basic Seasoning
In this lesson, you will learn about the types of salt which are commonly used during the cooking process and how salt affects food. You will also learn how to season with salt and when to salt food during the cooking process, so you can bring out the best flavor in your food.
Lesson 6
Unit Review
Unit 4: Dry-Heat Cooking Methods, Part 1
This unit focuses on dry heat cooking methods. It will introduce some foundational information on how to heat a pan so you can properly pan fry food, and you will focus on the techniques of sweating and roasting, both of which help build flavor in your food.
Lesson 1
Unit Orientation
Lesson 2
Lesson 8: Introduction to Pan Frying
In this lesson, you will learn and practice the technique of pan frying and will learn how to perform the water test.
Lesson 3
Lesson 9: Sweating
In this lesson, you will learn the technique of sweating and how to make a basic tomato sauce.
Lesson 4
Lesson 10: How to Roast Vegetables
In this lesson, you will learn how to roast delicious vegetables.
Lesson 5
Lesson 11: Poultry Fundamentals
In this lesson, you will learn the fundamentals of poultry and how to break down a chicken.
Lesson 6
Lesson 12: How to Roast a Whole Chicken
In this lesson, you will learn how to roast and carve a whole chicken, and how to make a delicious gravy.
Lesson 7
Unit Review
Unit 5: Moist-Heat Cooking Methods, Part 1
This unit focuses on moist heat cooking methods. Using submersion methods, you will learn about and then practice stock making, poaching and simmering. Moist methods provide a learning platform through which to create a variety of delicious dishes that all use the power of hot liquid or steam for their preparation.
Lesson 1
Unit Orientation
Lesson 2
Lesson 13: Submersion Cooking Methods
In this lesson, you will be introduced to submersion methods of cooking.
Lesson 3
Lesson 14: Preserving Vegetable Pigments
Learn how to preserve the pigments in vegetables and how vegetables can be a main course.
Lesson 4
Lesson 15: Cooking Vegetables in Water
In this lesson, you will learn how to cook vegetables in water while preserving their nutrients and color.
Lesson 5
Lesson 16: Steaming Introduction
In this lesson, you will be introduced to steaming.
Lesson 6
Lesson 17: Steaming Basics
In this lesson, you will now apply the basics of the steaming technique.
Lesson 7
Lesson 18: Steaming Vegetables
In this lesson, you will steam and finish many sizes of vegetables.
Lesson 8
Unit Review
Unit 6: How to Make Salad & Salad Dressing
This unit focuses on various kinds of salads, salad dressings and vinaigrettes. It guides you through an overview of the various kinds of salad greens and offers insight into how to select, handle and prepare these foods. We highlight the ingredients that are important to vinaigrettes and dressings—such as olive oil, vinegar and basic seasonings that build flavor.
Lesson 1
Unit Orientation
Lesson 2
Lesson 19: Salad Greens | Selecting & Preparing
In this lesson, you will learn how to select and prepare different types of salad greens.
Lesson 3
Lesson 20: Salad Dressing & Vinaigrette
In this lesson, you will learn how to make basic vinaigrettes
Lesson 4
Unit Review
Unit 7: Rice & Grains
This unit introduces rice and grain cookery with attention to basic cooking techniques and flavor development processes. As the unit progresses, you will branch off and learn about whole grains and their culinary uses.
Lesson 1
Unit Orientation
Lesson 2
Lesson 21: Rice Basics
In this lesson, you will learn the basics of cooking rice.
Lesson 3
Lesson 22: Cooking Rice
In this lesson, you will learn to make plain and infused white rice, along with brown rice with a flavorful stock.
Lesson 4
Lesson 23: Cooking Rice | Pilaf Method
In this lesson, you will apply the pilaf method to cooking rice.
Lesson 5
Lesson 24: How to Cook Grains
In this lesson, you will learn how to shop for and cook whole grains.
Lesson 6
Unit Review
Unit 8: Learn About Wheat & Gluten
In this unit, you get an inside look into gluten; the unique component in wheat that enables us to prepare a variety of common food products from bread to pasta. You will learn what gluten is, what nutritional implications it can have, where it comes from and what culinary functions it serves. At the end of this unit you will prepare a delicious pizza from scratch to share with your friends.
Lesson 1
Unit Orientation
Lesson 2
Lesson 25: Wheat & Gluten
Wheat is one of the most common grains used in everyday foods. In this lesson, you get an inside look into gluten, the magical component in wheat that enables us to make so many wonderful products. You will learn what gluten is, where it comes from, and when gluten is and isn’t your friend.
Lesson 3
Lesson 26: Make Pancake Recipes
In this lesson, you will prepare Mile High Pancakes, and compare batter that has had the gluten develop vs. batter that has not.
Lesson 4
Lesson 27: Make Pizza
In this lesson, you will prepare one of the suggested pizza recipes to practice working with gluten.
Lesson 5
Unit Review
Unit 9: Learn About Pasta
The elastic properties of gluten enable pasta to be stretched and shaped into the many different shapes and sizes of pasta.
In this unit, you will learn how extruded and laminated pasta are made, the differences between them and when you might choose one over the other. You will also learn how to cook extruded and laminated pasta to perfection, every time.
Lesson 1
Unit Orientation
Lesson 2
Lesson 28: How to Select Pasta
In this lesson, you will learn how extruded and laminated pasta are made, the differences between them and when you might choose one over the other. By understanding how pasta is made and knowing how to identify quality pasta, you are guaranteed to have the best pasta-eating experiences.
Lesson 3
Lesson 29: How to Cook Pasta
In this lesson, you will learn the essential skills and techniques to properly cook pasta, how to cook dried and fresh pasta and how to test each type for doneness. You will also learn how to match different sauces to the type of pasta you are cooking.
Lesson 4
Unit Review
Unit 10: Final Assessment
This is where it all comes together. In this unit, you will be given your final assessment on the material that is covered in the preceding units.
Lesson 1
Course Review & Final Assessment
Student Work
Pantry
This is a collage photo of my in-kitchen pantry and my back-up pantry. I keep extra supplies in the back-up pantry of those stock i... View More
Practice Recipes
