I agree thoroughly. When I teach my students how to season their pasta water, most are mortified šš.
My chef used to say, you have to make it taste like the sea! BUT, the pasta is only going to absorb maybe 2 percent of the salt you use. So if you use a little bit of salt, you won't even taste the difference.
Like I tell my students, you cannot season the pasta AFTER you cook it. You can add sauce sure, but if you miss that chance to season the pasta in the beginning, it's lost. Pasta is seasoned during the boiling! Season in the start, and you'd need less salt when composing your dish.
For those of you that like my baked mac and cheese.... secret number 1.
P.S. with Kosher Salt. ... š I couldn't tell you what this would be with table salt, cause I do not use it for my cooking.
Cooking with Athalia
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Join me for fun and interactive online cooking classes for kids and teens. Healthy food preparation is a lifelong skill that should not be taken lightly.
Lets work together to equip our children (adults too, never to old to learn something new), with valuable and fun nutritious skills for a life full of wellness, that they are sure to pass on to future generations.
Next week, my dinner students will learn to knead dough and bake BBQ Chicken Pizza from scratch.
Cooking from scratch as much as possible is a priority in our class, and I ensure that my students understand its importance.
While the dough rises, they will learn how to make a simple homemade BBQ sauce.
During class they will learn the proper techniques for kneading dough and recognizing when the process is complete.
My students are always excited whenever I have classes that involve dough preparation.
05/31/2026
I spent the morning preparing and sending completion certificates to my Spring 2026 students. This continuing and cherished tradition holds particular significance for my students and families, and resonates deeply with me as a homeschooling parent.
05/31/2026
'Mise en place' is a term that encapsulates the essence of culinary arts, combining beauty with utility. I insist that my students arrive to each week's class prepared to cook, allowing us to make the most of our time together. Having instructed over 800 students in the past four years, I've recognized the necessity of formal kitchen preparation training. Next week, I will teach a pioneering class focused on imparting kitchen preparation skills, designed to teach students how to systematically organize themselves in the kitchen like seasoned professionals.
05/28/2026
One of my baking students informed me today, that she was preparing the Apple Cider Donuts we crafted last Fall (my batch is pictured here). I am thrilled that she enjoyed them so much she is making another batch. I believe a batch of these outside of Fall sounds delectable. Do you prefer this for Fall or for any time of the year?
Watching that MasterChef moment where a chef served food with a bandaid in her final dish, really got people talkingāand for good reason.
In professional kitchens, cuts can happen quickly, even to experienced chefs. But thereās a big difference between getting injured and handling food safely afterward. Proper kitchen practice means stopping, cleaning, putting on a glove, and making sure thereās no risk of contamination before going back to cooking, even in a competition.
This is why food safety training matters just as much as cooking skills. Itās not just about making something deliciousāitās about protecting the people youāre cooking for.
In my cooking classes, I teach kids and teens these real kitchen habits from day one: how to handle knives safely, what to do when accidents happen, and how professional chefs actually work in a fast-paced kitchen.
Because confidence in the kitchen isnāt just about recipes. Itās about safety, awareness, and respect for the food.
https://outschool.com/classes/junior-chef-kitchen-safety-sanitation-skills-lab-fFrozATb?usid=Zmy3vunC&signup=true&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=educator_share_activity_link
05/18/2026
This is our last week of class for our Spring semester. My students have worked hard this semester. They gained confidence, valuable kitchen skills, organization skills and the list goes on. It's always bittersweet ending the semester, but the summer session starts back in 2 weeks!
I decided to feature this week's recipe Fish En Papiolotte. It's a classic French dish where we make parchment packets of fish, cooked in the oven. The fish sat on a bed of spinach, topped with an herb compound butter, lemon slices, onions and tomatoes. We did Couscous and veggies on the side.
Sometimes I get photos from my kids ( I love seeing their food in class, but sometimes I'd get lucky and get an emailed photo too! ).
I'm so proud of this student. He is 10 and lives in Hawaii. He came to me halfway through the semester. It's been a pleasure working with him and his Mom each week. He used Salmon and pearl couscous.
It's not too late to get your tween enrolled for the summer session.
https://outschool.com/classes/the-heart-of-the-house-kids-online-cooking-and-baking-class-5ipE56hJ
05/13/2026
It's that time of the year again! Summer is almost upon us, and my summer classes are listed!
I'm very excited to offer a number of camps this year (along with my usual line up of classes).
I am especially excited about my Fundamentals of Cooking Camp for Beginners!
This camp is geared towards students aged 6-11, who are new or fairly new to the kitchen, and desire a strong foundation on which they can grow!
Classes are small and will fill up quickly! Register today.
New to Outschool?
Use my referral code and save on your first class!
Code: AthaliaLyo20
Fundamentals of Cooking Camp for Beginner Chefs | Small Online Class for Ages 6-11 This course is designed to give students a strong, confidence building introduction to the kitchen. It is perfect to learners that are brand new to cooking and need support learning basic kitchen skills.
Happy Mother's Day!! I hope you all had a great day. This Mom was working hard today helping my students create their Mother's Day dinner or lunch for their Moms. I gave them the option of either having the day off or having classes as usual , and they wanted to have class š
03/02/2026
Celebrating and giving God thanks šš¾
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34714