A few weeks back I was invited to attend a VIP blogger event in Tampa. My talented friend of Casa de Crews was part of the planning committee along with Sunday Supper so I knew it was going to be a must-attend event. I packed up the car and made the 2 hour travel to Tampa to meet a handful of bloggers and the Idaho Potato team. When I was notified it was a potato cuts class I was intrigued but did not expect to gain so much from this event! I think anyone who enjoys spending time in the kitchen should take part in a proper potato cuts and/or knife use class. Man oh man have I been doing things improperly.
Grab the details below.
When I arrived they were doing intros (darn Florida traffic) and prepping to make a dish. The smell was amazing so obviously I was in the correct room. wink
We dove right into proper knife holding techniques and chopping options before heading to our stations to get to work. The stations were amazingggggg! Each of us was welcomed with a personalized station with our own Boos cutting board (including cleaning and oil supplies for our boards) and Wustof knives. There were additional items gifted to us but I was so blown away by the cutting board and infamous knives that I was a bit giddy to work with my new items. My husband was shocked when I brought all my new kitchen items home and my dad (who LOVES to spend time in the kitchen) was a bit jealous of my new items.
Technique. I shared a few live videos on Facebook during the event because I was shocked to learn how I was suppose to be holding and cutting with a knife. To be honest when we were shown how to hold the knife and how to cut I was a bit taken back… it looked all sorts of wrong and scary. When we got back t our stations and gave it a shot it totally made sense! Not only did I not feel scared of the very sharp knife I felt safer using it the proper way. Total game changer!
Aside from chopping and dicing potatoes we also worked with onions, garlic and some other items. Chef Chris was phenomenal!
Holding the knife properly truly is key but here’s what else I learned:
- Place a wet paper towel under your cutting board to make sure it stays put.
- Practice makes perfect, if you stop using knives the proper way you’ll lose out on the skill set you learned quickly.
- Idaho Potatoes can be used for so many main dishes aside from side dishes, the options are much wider than I thought.
- When cutting be sure your knife is upright using the tip/top and cut down. Repeat that method without moving the knife all over the place or in different positions. It’s much smoother using this technique and it flows as you cut and dice.
- Placing your finger nails/top of finger on the potato as a guide isn’t scary at all and truly works if you’re holding your hand and fingers in the proper upright position. The knuckle is actually what is the guide and touching the top portion of the blade.
- Bloggers that have been cooking and sharing amazing recipes for years might also be using the improper techniques so don’t feel alone or be afraid to ask how.
We sampled Idaho Potato Scalloped Au Gratin, Idaho Potato Risotto, Roasted Idaho Potato Fingerling Salad and a Buffalo Hasselback Potato which was served at lunch. We dined at the as a group for lunch. The Epicurean Salad was my favorite of the meal and I’m craving it now! It was so nice running into some familiar faces and meeting new Florida bloggers that will soon become online besties of mine. Being part of the VIP group was such a treat!
Before parting ways for the day we returned to the kitchen to compete in a potato salad recipe contest. Oh my goodness was that fun. I was a bit nervous to be part of a recipe competition but it was exciting and only lasted about 45 minutes, so not stressful at all. Our Greek inspired potato salad didn’t win but we all walked away with such a great experience it didn’t matter.
I’m looking forward to the next VIP event Sunday Supper hosts!
I was a VIP guest at the #IdahoPotatoCutsClass for #SundaySupper. This is not a promoted blog post, I learned so much I simply had to share! xo
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