cooking Class in Paris.

[Frozzie]

french markets are fab and they are everywhere and often once a week...every town has one of its own unless its a tiny village but pretty much all have one and they focus on alot of local products generally..its always exciting discovering what they have on offer locally..paris however is the exception, they can have a mix of products from all over and each quartier has their own food market, another flower market, a flee market etc etc!!

re the apron thing i had seen that before but with the cooks half aprons and alot on cooking shows here..hadnt actually done it with a full apron though at home lol...doh so thanks for the tip   I am seriously loosing brain cells since having DS and DD lol ..DH is starting to wonder if I havent been taken over by a foreign entity lol!

acw hadnt heard back from you so hope all is going well and you enjoy the rest of your holiday 

[andiesenji]

I've always worn my aprons (bib type) that way but in recent years the arthritis in my hands has caused me a bit of a problem in getting it tied tightly enough to retain the towel.

As my size is not changing day to day, I found that this "trick" is very handy for quickly and easily fastening and unfastening my apron strings.
From time to time I have to adjust the knot on one of the rings, as I lose a bit of weight, but I get a snug fit and the towel stays where I put it.  I remove the clip for washing.

[Cuilidh]

What an ingenious clip (well, ingenious to me as I haven't seen this 'double ended' version before).  Have you thought of using the type of male / female nylon or plastic clip you see a lot on rucksacks these days (you know the type that you slide one half into the other and it clicks into place) - or perhaps velcro?

Good tip about the tea towel - my apron tie isn't long enough to go right around twice - I think I'll have to lengthen it.  I always wondered how the TV chefs kept their tea towels in place.  Mine always fell out.  Isn't it great how these brilliant small ideas, although obvious, are often amongst the most useful.

[judydawn]

Ingenious for sure.  Andie you always find a way around every problem you come up against. Have you written a book of household/kitchen hints or any book for that matter?  Your knowledge should be shared with the world as it is here on this forum. 

Mine isn't double ended like yours but I use a single clip like this to keep track of my keys these days.  I was always losing them in my handbag amongst all the other rubbish I carry around so now they hang on this in a prominent place on the bag and cause me no more problems.  You often see men carrying their keys around like this, attached to the loop on their trouser waist.

[andiesenji]

I have also used a carabiner - aluminum and lighter than the double clip, but I gave it away to someone who admired the color (purple) and haven't gotten around to buying another. 

I have several aprons and have tied rings onto the ties of each.  They are sold in a local feed/tack store as "harness rings" - they are stainless steel and don't rust. 

I've written a lot of my hints in a document that I will eventually post on my blog.  I haven't really considered writing a book, with all the stuff that is on the internet now, there isn't much use for one.

[Frozzie]

oh i dont know andie, i think people are still keen on books especially something that would put a bunch of tips in one place and save someone searching all over for it because as much as the internet is great for finding out information it often takes alot ot time to track it down (yes sometimes it doesnt) but most people dont have that kind of time....or even if it was posted on your blog its still in once place    Also anyone can post anything online, so most of the time you can be searching through a whole lot of waffle to actually get to something worthwhile, nothing replaces experience and knowledge and sharing that is priceless 

[Cuilidh]

Well said, Frozzie.  Knowing that you are going to get good, sensible and CORRECT advice from one point would be an invaluable help to so many people.

[trudy]

Can't wait to hear more about your trip Chookie.  I look forward to seeing all the new found recipes once you get home.

[CreamPuff63]

I was thinking.... in a 12 month plan we could probably put together a trip to Paris or France if the two are close together ( ), with some TM or other cooking classes to all join up. Frozzie where is the closest Head Office - do you reckon they would be keen? Probably only need to fill one-two days, and then we do all the other stuff or maybe join a cooking tour. If not, maybe we can come up with our own intinery if anyone else is interested. Suggestions on doing it cheaply and cheerfully would always be the go I think. Have connection for basic accommodation in Croatia (Podgera) also 50m from beach for tour extension

[Frozzie]

CP there is only one head office and its in Nantes (upper mid west france roughly) so nowhere near paris...its a good idea you could do english based cooking courses geared for tourists like chookie did or HO may be keen to give you a french taste of the thermomix world and organise a special cooking class in one of their workshops or you could find out which chefs use the thermomix and stop into see them for a cooking class as well for example in each of their establishements...could be interesting to see who is interested and maybe tailor the itinerary to suit.  As far as doing it cheaply, the best way would be to organise staying in gites ie houses (usually in the country) that people rent out as its a price per house and not per person/per room like hotels and b&bs...if you need me as a translator I dont mind helping out to organise it and/or contact whoever needs contacting...As far as cheaply in france for a large group or small group its not that cheap over here except when you can do things like rent a house out and break up the cost but the absolute cheapest is staying in places like formula one or premier class (budget hotels) on average around 30 euros per room per night and you can sleep 2 in a room (actually three a double and an upper single bed and some have three singles i think anyway you get the idea......anyway something to think about and see if there is interest and go from there...however i can help out I would be more than happy to do so ...oh and you would definately have to put me in as a stop on the itinerary and say hi

[Frozzie]

I was thinking.... in a 12 month plan we could probably put together a trip to Paris or France if the two are close together ( ), with some TM or other cooking classes to all join up. Frozzie where is the closest Head Office - do you reckon they would be keen? Probably only need to fill one-two days, and then we do all the other stuff or maybe join a cooking tour. If not, maybe we can come up with our own intinery if anyone else is interested. Suggestions on doing it cheaply and cheerfully would always be the go I think. Have connection for basic accommodation in Croatia (Podgera) also 50m from beach for tour extension

CP after actually thinking about it Im not sure many people would go for it only because as friendly as we are on this forum not many people know each other or have met and therefore would be alot less likely to spend that kind of money on a trip when they are not sure how they get along...maybe start smaller and do an oz get together?

[judydawn]

An Oz one would be great - you could all meet halfway in Adelaide then I could probably make it 

[achookwoman]

Wouldn't be much fun without you Judy.

[Very Happy Jan]

An Oz one would be great - you could all meet halfway in Adelaide then I could probably make it 

Sounds like a plan to me. 

[Cuilidh]

...  how big is the biggest venue?