The Everyday Gourmet: Rediscovering the Lost Art of Cooking

The Everyday Gourmet: Rediscovering the Lost Art of Cooking is an enlightening series presented by The Great Courses in 2012 that aims to engage viewers with a passion for learning about the complexities of culinary arts, giving them the ability to cook with a deeper understanding and appreciation of the fine gastronomic delights.

Led by the accomplished and charismatic Chef Bill Briwa of The Culinary Institute of America, this series delves into a rich assortment of topics, elevating home cooking from a simple everyday task to an art form. Staying true to its name, The Everyday Gourmet, this delectable series encourages viewers not just to follow a recipe, but to understand and master the fundamental principles of cooking, to learn about the intricate relationships among ingredients as well as the scientific principles that underpin the magic that happens in the kitchen.

Spread across multiple engaging episodes, Chef Briwa demonstrates an array of cooking techniques, from the most elementary to the more advanced ones. He covers the basics of how to properly grill, braise, roast, stew, and fry, as well as more advanced techniques to make sauces, salads, fillings, and batters. Throughout the series, he provides practical tips and insights on knife skills, how to choose the best ingredients, ideal cooking temperatures, the art of seasoning, and so much more.

What makes The Everyday Gourmet distinctive is the masterful blend of teaching cooking skills with a profound understanding of the historical and cultural context of the food. For instance, viewers will learn about the origins of different types of food, how they have evolved over centuries, and how these influences have shaped today’s modern cuisines. By merging practical skills with the theoretical knowledge, it adds an empowering dimension to the home cooking experience, transforming it into an enriching journey of rediscovery.

Chef Briwa also showcases a variety of international dishes ranging from Italian pasta to French pastries, Mediterranean specialties, Asian stir-frys, and American classics. The broad spectrum covered by this series makes it truly a global culinary experience, allowing the viewers to bring the world to their kitchen.

Furthermore, each episode is formatted to be clear and straightforward, yet detailed, to ensure the learner absorbs the core techniques and theories. Even the most advanced concepts are revealed in a way that is easy to grasp and enjoyable to learn. The series is designed in such a way that it caters to any level of cooking expertise, ensuring everyone from novices who want to learn the basics, to seasoned chefs who want to enhance their culinary skills, can benefit from it.

The show’s aim goes beyond imparting cooking skills. It is equally about healthy eating habits, about making informed choices in selecting the best and freshest ingredients, and about optimizing nutritional benefits — all through the simple everyday task of cooking. It encourages viewers to experiment, to create personalized flavorful dishes without compromising on nutritional balance, thus helping build a healthier lifestyle.

The series is shot in high definition, providing clear, close-up shots of every step of the cooking process, adding to the finesse of the show. The tasteful presentation of the series with rich and vibrant cinematography, combined with Chef Briwa’s enthusiasm and instruction, makes for an engaging and enjoyable culinary learning experience.

While the primary goal of The Everyday Gourmet: Rediscovering the Lost Art of Cooking is, as the title suggests, bringing back the art of cooking to everyday life, it achieves much more than that. It opens up a fascinating world of food science, culture, history, and nutrition to enrich the viewers’ appreciation of fine cuisine. It inspires them to go beyond cooking as a chore, to see it as an experience – a beautifully woven tapestry of art, science, culture and taste. It encourages them to apply these learnings in their own kitchens, to create gastronomic delights that are not only visually appealing and tantalizingly tasty but are also a reflection of their passion for learning and appreciation of food.