Fandom Island and Town

Knowing that the one student that might still cause him the same level of deep concern he'd had at the beginning of this class was still out of town, it was a rather confident Ignis that came into the classroom for today's lesson, assuming none of the progress that had been made in the past few weeks had backslid at all into their former states.

"Good evening," he greeted the students with a nod. "In this class so far, we've spent a lot of time focusing on more specific recipes, but, today, I figured it would be interesting to try to explore a more broad but useful topic, and that is the simple art of baking bread. Bread is quite possibly, in this particular day and age, one of the most convenient of foods, as one can find it on nearly any grocery store, but the quality of such bread, while afforadble, is often quite suspect. And there is nothing that can compare to a nice bread made fresh in ones own hearth, so to speak.

"So today, that is what we will be focusing on entirely. The making of bread, from the mixing to the kneading to the baking, and also some of the ways in which to make a loaf of bread stretch through the week in a variety of different ways to get the most out of it. Let us begin.

"Oh," he then added, "before I forget, next week will be our final time meeting for the class, and I should like to do something a little different. I would like you to come prepare to cook a dish of your choosing for me to consider your progress in the class and make any final remarks or suggestion on the journey you have taken here. So please keep that in mind, and I look forward to seeing what you come up with. But, in the meantime, let us focus on our bread..."

Ignis knew the lesson for today was going to be a big risk, but, so help him, he kept finding himself feeling reluctantly optimistic that, maybe, just maybe, this might be the lesson where everything finally fell into place and he started seeing improvement over the repeated mistakes he kept seeing some of his students make time and time again.

He was, after all, a patient man, though perhaps that patience was wearing thing. Perhaps this was one last effort to keep true to the spirit of the class without compromise, before finally giving in and focusing on recipes that even a child would be able to execute with far better success rate than this class.

"One of the most ubiquitous and convenient foods out there, especially around here and in this culture," he began, and then let out a slight sigh before continuing, the sort of sigh a man made when he knew he was likely about to make a huge mistake but was going to do it anyway, "is pizza. There are many excellent options out there in the realm of pizza, though it's a bit of a catch-22. The ones regarded with any sort of quality can be quite a strain on one's budget, and the ones that are cheap are usually quite terrible for you when consumed in excess. Thankfully, making a pizza at home can be one of the easiest things to do, provides you with the opportunity to make it precisely as you like, and usually winds up being quite a bit heartier and more filling than their take-out conterparts. And so that is what I would like to focus on today.

"Now, obviously, making pizza dough from scratch is optimal, but since we are focusing on convenience and time with this course, we will be using pre-made dough."

And also because the thought of teaching this class about perfecting pizza dough was literal nightmare fuel for Ignis.

"This cuts out a significant amount of time, and, from there, it is simply a matter of building it with your sauce, cheese, and toppings, then into..." Excuse him a moment to steel himself, "the over, where we will take excpetional care to pay attention to the heat and the time it is in there to prevent turning out pizzas into black burning discs of failure."

A pointed pause, a lift of his eyebrow. Certainly not directed at anyone in particular, no.

"Won't we? Now, building it is simple. You simply choose your sauce, spread it evenly and generously around the crust, and then the toppings and cheese of your choice. Simple enough, right? But there may be more to truly making an excellent pizza at home, which will include the following tips, so please, pay heed and take note:

"If you have the time, preheating the surface of your pizza pan will yeild excellent results, and, if available to you, a heavier material is best. You can do this merely by preheating both surface and oven together if you are short on time. Parchment paper is also an excellent resource, as it will help make it easier to remove your pizza without it getting burned onto the surface of your pan. High temperatures are...unfortunately...optimal, especially when one considers how hot a pizza oven at a restaurant is likely to be...but do keep an eye on it so that it does not burn so easily. If you're including a protein that you are cooking before hand, be sure to undercook it, as it will cook a little more with the pizza, and then you do not have burned meats on an otherwise well-cooked pizza. And though the temptation may be strong to load your pizza up as much as possible, you will find that a sparser distribution of toppings will lead to a more even bake as well as a more balanced final product. And, finally, at the very end, do not be afraid to add seasonings or a little drizzle of oil at the end, as it will be an easy and effectie way to elevate your pizza to the next level."

And with that, he considered the classroom with a bit of wary anticipation.

"Any questions? If not... I think we may be ready to..." Gods save them all, "...begin."

Even though last week's disasters had involved very little fire, only a mess and the absolutely expected and totally handwaved result of Tisarwat burning all her caramel into an entirely new layer to the bottom of her pot, Ignis was positive there would be no threat to the community center burning down tonight!

Well...positive was a bit strong of a word, with this group, perhaps. But, at this point, if they managed to burn something down with this lesson, that would involve absolutely no actual cooking, then he would perhaps be impressed, although very reluctantly so.

"One of the best ways to get out of the habit of leaning on take-out and instant meals," he started, since that was the main focus of the class, after all, "is to learn how to make yourself quick and easy lunches that won't get boring too quickly and will be satisfying both to make and to consume. Which is why learning something quick and easy to put together can be invaluable for the busy person. One style of food that can offer countless opportunities for variety as well as a way to incorperate filling grains, protein-rich fish, and fresh vegetables to learn how to effectively make sushi rolls.

"Traditionally done with rice, seaweed, fresh raw fish, and vegetables, there are certainly many different ways to play around with the conventions of the style and make it your own. Or use it to help clear away some ingreidents in your fridge before they go to waste. Even if you aren't a fan of the particularly vegetal flavor of seaweed, one can substitute the wrap in unique ways, such as a thinly made egg, lettuce, or perhaps thin cured meats. The possibilities are, quite frankly, limited only to your imagination and, perhaps, the ability to master the technique.

"So that is what we will be working on today. I have already plenty of rice available for you in this rice cooker--a wise investment for anyone short on time that I would highly recommend--as well as a variety of completely moddable ingredients at your disposal. And one does not even need a special mat to properly roll sushi, even; all one would need is a clean towel. Here. Let me show you how."

And with that, the class had truly begun in earnest.

"Welcome back, everyone," Ignis greeted the class with a faint smile as they were back in the cooking classroom at the community center, and they seemed to have done a marvelous job of getting all the smoke out of it from last time. "I do hope you all were able to enjoy some of the wide variety of culinary options available to us on our trip to Boston. If there was ever an excuse to lean heavily into reason why not to bother with cooking for yourself, a visit to a city rich with its own food culture is an excellent one.

"If there was anything you had on the trip that you might actually be interested in exploring here in this class, please let me know, because I would love to touch on a few things if the interest is there. But, for today, I thought perhaps I might focus a bit on the outdoors aspect that was frequent throughout the iternerary. Of course, there is a wide variety of packaged products that one might purchase to suppliment their susitence while out on a trail or camping or somehting like that, but, at the same time, it can be incredibly easy to make your own if you have the time and the foresight to prepare them. Which is why today, I'd like us to look into some hearty snacks perfect for the trail or even just while noshing a bit at home. So, today, we'll be exploring the versatility and ease of homemade granola, as well as some other easy-to-travel-with treats, including a way to make your own jerky, as well as bar that requires no baking."

Because he'd worked with you three enough to know that if heat could be avoided, they'd likely be much better off.

"Without further ado, then," he said, "let's get started."

Well, the confidence that Ignis had gained in this class when they had explored potatoes was completely demolished by last week's forrays into eggs, but hopefully, this next kitchen staple would prove that his confidence was not completely lost and there was still hope for his hapless wayward chefs after all.

"Good evening, everyone," Ignis nodded to them all. "I hope you've all had a very good week, and that you're ready for your next step in your journeys to discover simple ingredients and steps that can be taken away from convenience meals and into a healthier diet regardless of time, resources, or..." Why, yes, that was a very meaningful pause there, "skill. So far, we have explored pastas, sauses, potatoes and eggs, to....varying degrees of success, and today, I would like to spend one more class exploring yet another staple ingredient that is used in a variety of different cuisines, is invaluable for its ability to pack a lot of vital nutrition in a small yet versitile container, and offers a variety of options when it comes to flavors, dishes, and meals. I am talking, of course, about none other than beans."

He could practically hear Noctis's groans of dispair all the way from Insomnia.

"This planet," Ignis continued, "offers up an impressive array of beans"...which meant that the class was about to hear about several of them right now, but don't worry. He limited himself to only some of the more popular and familiar ones, but if you'd ever wanted to be able to list at least eighteen different variety of beans before today, you were in luck!

"Now, when it comes to cooking with beans, as with most things, fresh is always best. And since there isn't much to cooking from a can, we will naturally be focusing on using fresh beans today. Though it isn't strictly necessary, your beans will cook more evenly and faster if you soak the dry beans before cooking them, which can be a lengthly processs, but will ensure the best result. I know this class emphasises on ease and convenience, but one can very easily set their beans to soak one day so that they are ready to be cooked the next. Sometimes, all it takes to diversify your quick-eating habits is just a little bit of foresight and planning.

"I went ahead and took the liberty of pre-soaking all of our beans for us, so that they are at peak preparedness for you to work with them today, though, at least. So take a moment, choose your bean wisely, and we'll begin by draining and rinsing them off before turning to the stove..."

Which naturally lead into the expected detailed explaination of tending to your beans properly while cooking them, which a natural digression into various suggestions for seasoning and dishes to incorperate them into once they are finished, and then, once that was done, Ignis would also touch on using a pressure cooker, since a key componant of the class was, indeed, that they were quite often pressed for time.

"And that's it!" he concluded. "Simple, healthful, and hopefully delicious, the mighty bean is not to be trifled with and makes for an excellent addition to any meal. Let me know if you have any questions, and, if not, I'll let you all loose on the beans and let's see what you can come up with."

There were, of course, many different directions in which Ignis might take this class next, and while the step he decided to take forward was rather treading along the path of when he did a similar course for the students at the school proper, he felt it was a very logical next step and was really quite excited to be visiting this topic again.

Because, yes. Ignis Scientia was a man who got inexorably excited about potatoes.

Not that is was too terrible obvious from the outside, but trust the narrative. He was thrilled.

"Good evening," he greeted, and, if you were particular perceptive, there was your first hint of the excitement your instructor was feeling, the easiness of a slightly bigger smirk than usual. "Hopefully, your week hasn't been too taxing with the various oddities of the island, and that you're quite prepared to do more cooking again, because we'll get right into our next lesson, which I feel will open up the door to a wide variety of possibilities beyond packaged sustinence, no matter what your ability or time restraints may be. Our topic today is incredibly versitile, which makes it quite the essential for any fledgling chef, and that is, of course, the humble but mighty potato.

"Now," he continued, because of course there had to be an excess of information given to them before going into the actual cooking part, "the potato is a root vegetable, a fiberous starchy tuber that can be cooked in about as many ways as there are different varieties of them. You can boil them, mash them, stick them in a stew...all of which you will have the opportunity to do today in this class. Now, extrapolating further on the benefits of a potato as an oft-used staple in a diet..."

And if you woke up that morning thinking about how much you'd like to learn more about potatoes, were you in luck! Ignis was nothing if not comprehensive in his studies, and he was clearly intent to share with all of his students everything in his findings.

"But before this goes on too long," he eventually said, as if it wasn't already too late for that, "I'm sure you're itching to get to cooking. After all, this is a cooking class! So let's take a moment to go over some of the more common preparations, such as baked, mashed, roasted, as well as au gratin, scalloped, and in a salad, starting, of course with properly preparing the potato itself, which should include a thorough washing..."

This was a man who clearly cared about pototoes.

Tomorrow was guaranteed to be an interesting adventure in trying to figure out exactly what 'How to Be a Chocbro' even meant, but, for today, for tonight, Ignis was relishing a little in being able to do his own thing, free from his compatriots, to conduct what he hoped would be a nice, fulfilling experience of expanding the world of cooking to those who may not quite be the best at it yet.

Of course, he had attempted to teach Noctis Lucis Caelum how to cook, so he did not at all expect any of this to be that easy.

He was rather grateful to have the distraction of something to keep his mind off of that song that was stuck in his head, the one he could only seem to remember the first verse of and couldn't put his finger on anything more than that, not even the title, which was, quite frankly, maddening, too. And so, without further ado, and looking impeccibly stylish in his usual well-tailored clothes and with his spectacularly long, waist-length hair (complete with the usual cockateil-poof of his bangs), he was ready to begin his course, giving a nod to the gathered students.

( In which a man talks way too much about noodles. )

"Any questions before we begin?"