Classes for Amateur Cooks

I have wanted to take a cooking class for some time now, just to learn some basic skills to build upon. The problem is they are just so darn expensive. The French Culinary Institute looks like it has some great courses but the knife course  is $540 for 15 hours. Sure, I would like to learn how to bone a fish or prepare a rack of lamb but I think 15 hours would be a bit much for me. And the food technology course is 3 hours for $150. They sound great and I bet I would really enjoy them but it just seems like a lot of money to spend. Maybe I am just cheap. But I am lucky that there are so many great programs for amateur cooks in New York City. It is also pretty amazing to be taught by some of the best chefs in the world. Well, If you have a spare $200. (This is a recession people) I really like this one from The Institute of Culinary Education. The Mastering Pan Sauces class looks really fun. In 8 hours you could learn so much. I know how to make some very basic sauces but I wonder how I could make it better or just something different. I want to be able to cook a pork loin and have a variety of options of what to do with the juices. I eventually want to not need a recipe and just be able to just wing it. Knowing what flavors work together and how to build off of a basic roux. I prefer my food simple. I like to taste the meat and that is why I generally don’t use sauces. However, sometimes a piece of meat will come up a little dry and a good sauce would be beneficial. If I do not have a recipe, I freak out. How much wine or vinegar? How much chicken stock? I think just having two or three sauces down could do wonders for my cooking. Maybe I will ask for a gift from BP II? :)

The City Cook