Best Cooking Classes for Amateurs, Reader's Choice and readers' choice: the Chopping Block

Reader’s Choice

The Chopping Block

Last year my boyfriend and I coincidentally gave each other the same thing for Valentine’s Day: a gift certificate for a class at the Chopping Block. I’d long wanted to refine my crude chopping technique, and he was game for trading in his old steak saws for a proper chef’s knife. So one Sunday morning we found ourselves standing around a long wooden workspace with about 15 other novices, nervously eyeing a host of gleaming implements. A chef and her assistant put us through our paces for a few hours, encouraging us to experiment with various knives, and while I can’t say I’ve licked all my bad old habits, I did learn a handy trick for chopping an onion. The store offers a bunch of high-end cookware and cutlery, but we were never given the hard sell. In addition to teaching knife skills, the Chopping Block hosts a range of themed classes—handmade pasta, sushi, Spanish cuisine, girls’ night, etc—some of which include wine tastings.  4747 N. Lincoln, 773-472-6700, or Merchandise Mart Plaza, suite 107, 312-644-6360, thechoppingblock.net, $40-$85. —Kate Schmidt

Readers’ Choice

The Chopping Block

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