One year into quarantine, you’ve probably already experienced your fair share of Zoom happy hours and video conference joy for work, school, or even a social-distanced trivia night with your distanced friends and loved ones. We’ve discovered innovative ways to take advantage of our remote lives, be it wearing sweatpants with nicer shirts for work meetings, using wine bottles as weights for your favorite workout class, or traveling to the kitchens of Italy for an interactive cooking class with culinary experts at Delicious Experiences.
Unlike many cooking videos or lessons, classes with Delicious Experiences are not pre-recorded cooking demos. Instead, you are the star of the show and your culinary expert is with you, virtually, to guide you through your journey.
To ensure you get the most from your direct time with an expert chef, there are a few technology and planning tips to brush up on before you put on your apron and get to cooking in the kitchen. These tips are also great to have in your back pocket for other virtual experiences.
Mise En Place Your Video Setup
In cooking, mise en place or “putting in place” in French refers to setting up your workspace before you begin any actual cooking. This often looks like measuring out ingredients, chopping vegetables, and getting all your bowls and appliances set out on the counter.
For any successful virtual class, it’s important to add your computer to the list of items you’re setting up before the class actually begins. You don’t want to be ready to flip your burgers with Chef Nate Appleman only to realize your screen is in a place where he can’t see your oven!
Before your scheduled date, do a practice session with a friend to test out your camera and where you need to place it so the instructor can see your kitchen. You may need to have several stations set up for your camera, moving it as you move throughout the kitchen. Also, keep in mind that your phone may have a better camera than your laptop. Try out both and see which one works best!
Another important aspect to consider are your best angles. Put your camera higher up so the chef can see your cutting board or stovetop. Cookbooks make great props for adding height to your kitchen counter.
When you first begin, check to see if the chef or expert leading your workshop can properly see what you’re doing. You may need to check back in throughout the session to make sure they can still see everything.
Charge Your Batteries
Not only do you need energy for a live class, so do your video conferencing tools. Fully charge the batteries on any electronics you’ll be using: laptop, cell phone, earbuds, speakers, etc.
Which Wi-Fi Works Best?
Test out your Wi-Fi connection on both your internet and your cell phone. We all have different providers for these services, and sometimes hotspots occur where you cut in and out. Try both before your booked class to see which one has a better connection for video.
Solo vs. Group Experiences
At Delicious Experiences, each session can be a 1:1 private class or with a small group of people in your home. Technology-wise, these classes differ slightly for the best audio-visual experience.
If you are enjoying your private virtual cooking session on your own, use wireless earbuds or headphones to hear and speak with the chef. This helps cut out any background noise and really puts the expert’s voice right in your ear, so you feel like you are together in the kitchen.
If you are cooking or mixing your drinks with a group, solo headphones aren’t an option. Instead, test out your speakers beforehand and consider connecting external speakers if the sound quality isn’t great. Having a crew in the kitchen can be great, but just keep in mind that the chef/mixologist/sommelier can only see whoever is in their view.
If you want to be strategic with your cooking crew, instructions and recipes for each dish will be provided before the session, so you’ll know exactly what you’ll need and can put together a strategy for group cooking.
With these technology and planning tips, your Delicious Experiences class will go as seamless as possible, and you will get to maximize your time enjoying the experience, rather than the tech details. Apply these tips for your corporate virtual cocktail classes, virtual cooking celebration with family and friends, or your monthly book club. A good video setup is something you’ll want to master, and perhaps some new knife skills, to get through this pandemic.
