As part of the “All you can eat” exhibition, a cooking workshop on the topic of “Smart Cooking” took place last Thursday, 23 November at the Lycée Technique de Bonnevoie. Under the guidance of experienced cooking teacher Carlo Sauber, the participants were able to familiarise themselves with the concept of “Smart Cooking” in both theory and practice.
Carlo Sauber has been the cooking teacher of the Lycée Technique de Bonnevoie for 26 years, where he shares his knowledge and experience with the next generation of chefs. He is also well known through his media appearances and as a successful cooking book author. In addition to his teaching activities, he regularly organises workshops for interested and passionate amateur cooks of all age groups, in which he demonstrates how to cook at home like professionals.
As part of the programme for the “All you can eat” exhibition, which is on display at the Luxembourg City Museum until 21 January 2024, Carlo Sauber, a gifted culinary and didactic chef, organised a workshop on the topic of “Smart Cooking” in the kitchen of the Lycée Technique in Bonnevoie. Participation was free of charge and could be booked in advance via the museum’s website.
What is Smart Cooking?
The workshop began with a brief theoretical introduction to smart cooking. Carlo Sauber explained how every aspect of cooking can be improved by adopting a smarter approach. From the recipe to the choice of ingredients, shopping, time, healthy eating and the use of different cooking techniques and technologies, everything can and should be considered and optimised. It all sounds a bit complicated at first, but in practice it actually isn’t. It’s all about rethinking and turning bad habits into good ones. Sensible planning and preparation are the alpha and omega. This doesn’t have to take hours, as Sauber himself said: “A good recipe doesn’t always need a lot of preparation time!”.
The most exciting aspect of smart cooking is the creative use of ingredients and leftovers. The aim here is to reinvent familiar recipes with a wide variety of sometimes unfamiliar materials, using as much of the product as possible. As an illustration, Sauber had brought along two specially created recipes, which were then prepared together with the participants on site.
Let’s get cooking!
As the first volunteers began to cut the vegetables, a good atmosphere immediately arose: People giggled, jokes were made and here and there the ingredients were snacked away. Sauber jumped back and forth between the different stations in a laid-back manner, demonstrating various techniques and little tricks that make cooking easier: how to peel, cut and blanch properly or how to use additives such as xanthan gum. The vegetables provided were almost completely utilised while the waste bins remained virtually empty.
After – admittedly – a little longer than the recipes envisaged, the job was done. The result was two highly creative dishes that were as visually appealing as they were delicious: A courgette cannelloni with Gruyère filling on a velouté of radish leaves and a celeriac mousseline with creamy pesto made from carrot leaves.
After eating together, the participants left the workshop not only with new knowledge but also with plenty of inspiration and a joy for discovery, which will certainly enrich their future everyday lives.
Pictures: KACHEN