HAMLET — The Hamlet Public Library will become a makeshift kitchen later this month, teaching those who want to eat healthfully how to cook grains and fish properly, and how to wield knives handily.
Classes will be 2-4 p.m. Tuesdays, March 20 through April 10. Cost is $25, which will cover the foodstuffs needed to create the dishes on the curriculum at home.
“It’s not like I’m going to have a kitchen” in the middle of a library, said Extension agent Janice Roberts, who works in both Richmond and Moore counties and will be class instructor. Instead, she will use an electric skillet for the “demo” parts of class, alongside PowerPoint instructions and food-safety tips.
“(But) I will have enough knives and cutting boards … so they can become confident with knife skills,” Roberts said Friday, noting that people need to learn how to slice, dice and chop if they’re to become comfortable handling fresh fruits and vegetables.
“(Class members) will build a repertoire so they can eat healthy at home,” Roberts said.
That repertoire?
Rice on week one, to learn how to cook a basic grain. Fish on week two, so cooks lose their fear of under- or overcooking. Chowder in week three, so class members will learn safe knife use.
And week four? That will be a surprise — to everyone, because even Roberts hasn’t decided yet. Maybe something Mediterranean?
“I like to teach something (without specific ingredients so) people … can make it their own” by choosing herbs and spices, or vegetables to add, she said.
Librarian Belinda Norton said the two-hour classes were aimed at adults — who, by the way, are asked not to take their children along. Parents who attend will find out during the classes what’s coming up for their children in the summer, Norton said.
“We did this several years ago,” she said, and had good participation.