Thomas Keller MasterClass: Second Class Review

Thomas Keller Teaches Cooking Techniques II

We team up once again with MasterClass to bring you another amazing culinary arts class. We are back with another Thomas Keller Masterclass, this time with lesson two – Teaches Cooking Techniques II: Meats, Stocks, and Sauces. As a follow-up to his first MasterClass, which focused on vegetables, eggs, and pasta, this class is devoted to meat proteins.

For Thomas Keller, sourcing ingredients is a critical step to get perfect results at the end of each recipe. So, before you start making any recipe, you should first start with the finest quality meat and poultry available to you. You might spend a little extra on them, but believe us that it’s worth the money!

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An Incredible MasterClass

If you read our first Thomas Keller Master Class Review you will realize how surprised it was to us. The expectations were high but Thomas Keller managed to overcome them all in an astonishing MasterClass. So when we saw that Thomas Keller had a new class we were very excited to review it.

We still not believe it, but somehow Thomas Keller managed to produce an even better class than the previous one! As we already said, this MasterClass will be focused on meat proteins, specifically, beef, duck, chicken, pork, and veal. Throughout this class, you will see many techniques taught in the first MasterClass, so if you have access to it go take a look and review the videos. In the kitchen, there is no such thing as being too prepared. But if you don’t have the first Thomas Keller MasterClass don’t stress out. Although some of the recipes and techniques may be challenging at first, we assure you that there is nothing in this class beyond your reach.

So take your time. Be patient and persistent. Practice, practice, practice. And above all, have fun!

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Masterclass Overview

‍01 – Introduction

Back to teach his second MasterClass, Chef Thomas Keller shares why he’s returned, and outlines the techniques he’ll teach you—and the philosophy you’ll use to approach all your learning in the kitchen.

‍02 – Getting Started: Meat Cuts and Quality

Chef Keller walks you through the grades and variety of cuts of beef, pork, and poultry. Learn the difference between choice and prime, the meaning of marbling, the purpose of air-drying meat, and the benefits of dry or wet aging

‍03 – Sauté: Chicken Paillard

Learn the key ingredients that you’ll need to enhance and add flavor to any dish.

‍04 – Sauté: Wiener Schnitzel

Using veal top round and building on techniques you learned in Chapter 3: Chicken Paillard, Chef Keller teaches you his tricks for achieving an airy, crisp layer of breading and the perfect level of seasoning.

‍05 – Fried Chicken

Chef Keller teaches you how to make the fried chicken served every other Monday at his restaurant Ad Hoc. Learn how to brine and break down a whole chicken and fry each piece to perfection.

‍06 – Technique: Oven Roasting Overview

Chef Keller gives an overview of the meats you’ll be roasting in the next three chapters, including three cuts of beef, two cuts of lamb, and a whole chicken. Then, learn how to calibrate your oven, and the importance of bringing proteins to temp.

‍07 – Pan Roasting: Duck Breast

Chef Keller teaches you his pan-roasting technique for Pekin duck breast, including how to render the fat for a crispy skin and how to achieve the perfect medium-rare finish. Then learn how to make a honey-orange gastrique sauce for a sweet and sour finish.

‍08 – Pan Roasting: Côte de Bœuf

Chef Keller thinks of côte de bœuf, or rib steak, as a celebratory dish, built for sharing. Learn how to air-dry, truss, and roast a rib steak, and how to prepare a maître d’hôtel butter for the final flourish.

‍09 – Oven Roasting: Chicken

Learn how to re-create what Chef Keller describes as his first choice for his “last meal.” Chef Keller explains the benefits of brining and air-drying, and teaches you how to truss and roast a chicken in a single pot with vegetables.

‍10 – Oven Roasting: Blowtorch Prime Rib Roast

The main ingredient is a center-cut rib roast, and a key implement is a propane blowtorch. Learn Chef Keller’s technique for a prime rib roast cooked to an even medium rare in every slice.

‍11 – Technique: Braising and Braising à la Matignon

Chef Keller teaches you the principles of braising and the role of mirepoix, marinating, and matignon in adding flavor and texture to slow-cooked cuts of meat.

‍12 – Braising: Pork Shoulder à la Matignon

Learn how to truss, sear, and oven-braise a pork shoulder à la matignon with celery root, apples, and onions in a traditional cast-iron cocotte.

‍13 – Braising: Red Wine Braised Short Ribs

Chef Keller teaches you how to braise short ribs through a slow-cooked recipe that is worth the patience it requires. Learn how to make a red wine marinade, clarify it to become the base of the sauce, and reduce it into a finishing glaze.

‍14 – Grilling on a Hibachi: Steak, Lamb Chops, and Chicken

Chef Keller teaches you his techniques for grilling a variety of proteins on a stove top hibachi. Learn how to choose the right fuel and manage your safety while grilling indoors.

‍15 – Stocks, Broths, and Jus: An Overview

Stocks are an essential building block in Chef Keller’s restaurants. Learn stock-making fundamentals, from their ingredients and techniques to the broader applications of stocks throughout so many dishes.

‍16 – Roasted Veal Stock

Chef Keller teaches you how to use a pressure cooker to make a restaurant-quality veal stock that will become the foundation for a number of sauces and recipes, including the sauce in Chapter 21: Brown Chicken Quick Sauce.

‍17 – Light Chicken Stock

Learn the steps to simmering, clarifying, straining, and storing the light chicken stock that Chef Keller uses to cook pasta and as a base for soups and sauces.

‍18 – Sauces: An Overview

Chef Keller walks you through the definition of a sauce and provides an overview of some the most common French sauces alongside the proteins they most commonly pair with.

‍19 – Vinaigrette, Emulsified Vinaigrette, Sauce Vierge, and Pickled Chow Chow Vinaigrette

Learn how to makes a variety of sauces including a basic oil-and-vinegar vinaigrette; a creamy vinaigrette, emulsified with a raw egg yolk and mustard; a sauce vierge; and a chow-chow vinaigrette, from a medley of chopped and pickled vegetables.

‍20 – Chicken Velouté and Sauces Suprême, Allemande, and Albufera

Using the stock you made in Chapter 17: Light Chicken Stock, Chef Keller teaches you how to make the French mother sauce, velouté. Then use your velouté to create three more versatile sauces.

‍21 – Brown Chicken Quick Sauce and Sauce Chasseur

Chef Keller developed this “quick” sauce in the early days of The French Laundry. Learn how to build flavor by browning chicken parts, caramelizing vegetables, repeatedly glazing and reglazing, reducing, and clarifying.

‍22 – Closing

Chef Keller concludes his MasterClass with parting words of wisdom and reminds you the importance of patience and practice as you continue on your culinary journey.

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Our Favorite MasterClass

This is by far our favorite MasterClass, we really like the previous ones, but this one is simply brilliant! The recipes and techniques you will learn are so useful to your everyday life, that your home cooking will never be the same. Recipes like fried chicken, wiener schnitzel or even red wine braised short ribs, just to name a few, make this class worth every penny.

As we always said the techniques are the most important thing you can learn. And in this class, you will have many techniques to learn, starting with blowtorch prime rib roast, to braising à la Matignon, to stock, sauces and a lot more things. The list of this you can learn in this MasterClass is endless. You really need to see with your eyes to really understand what we are talking about.

Similarly to what happens in all other MasterClasses, in this one you will have access to a class cookbook with more 100 pages that will complement the video lessons. This cookbook will have all techniques and recipes explained as well as some additional notes. You will also have access to the MasterClass platform where you can interact with other students and with Thomas Keller.

At The End Of Thomas Keller MasterClass Review

We really don’t have much more things to add in this review. The only thing we can say is that we are completely surrendered to the quality of the MasterClass project and Thomas Keller itself. If you never try any MasterClass and you are in doubt in which to acquire, do not think anymore! This is the perfect entry to the MasterClass world.

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