Culinary Inspiration by Otao Kitchen

For a Melbourne team to work effectively, it needs team players that communicate, support and collaborate with each other. While you can foster these qualities with time, it’s rare to find a team that work well together at the start. Collaboration has to be developed through group activities. 

If you’re looking up activities for team building, Melbourne team activities are packed with events and classes that will transform your team into a cohesive unit. Fun group activities in Melbourne offers include cooking classes, painting classes, and escape rooms. Your employees will develop friendships, create memories, and build trust, translating to productive, effective work units. 

This page covers why you should invest in team-building and lists some of the best team building activities in Melbourne has available to help you get started.

Importance of Team Building Cooking Activities

Team building cooking aims to create a fun and exciting environment where employees can interact while learning new skills. Throughout the cooking activity, they will learn about their strengths and weaknesses and develop the skills to work in harmony with each other. However, it would be best if your company didn’t rely on one-off corporate cooking events. Otao Kitchen hosts many cooking activities that allow your team to challenge themselves and build skills that will transfer to the workplace. 

Group Cooking Classes in Melbourne

A group cooking class is the perfect team outing. Melbourne is filled with foodies, so connecting your teammates with local chefs makes for a fun and exciting social kitchen escapade. 

You can stand beside your co-workers as you learn how to slice and dice and then celebrate the achievement with a delicious meal. Whether you’re looking for corporate summer outings or a more intimate setting, you can find new kitchen studio at Otao Kitchen for your employees to build trust and cooperation. Through group cooking classes, your team will:

• Bonding
• Creativity
• Cooking 

Virtual Classes for Team Building

As the world continually adapts to the “new normal,” remote work has become commonplace. While some may love being able to roll out of bed and have their office a few feet away, remote workers lose out on the relationships typically built through in-person communication. 

One way to alleviate this burden is through online group activities. If you’re setting up team building activities, Sydney or Melbourne doesn’t have to be the stage. You can perform these games from the comfort of your own home while still benefiting from the much-needed social interaction.

Corporate Group Outings in Melbourne

Corporate team-building exercises don’t have to be a nuisance. With a little planning and the right atmosphere, you can organise an activity that boosts morale while building camaraderie. 

If you’re trying to find the most memorable team building activities, Melbourne cooking school Otao Kitchen can deliver, nothing beats a group cooking course—and you can host online group activities. Otao Kitchen has a variety of classes that can appeal to any palate. Contact us today to book group cooking classes for your company.

When the Covid19 pandemic closed hospitality, tourism and entertainment businesses in early 2020, our chefs, tour guides, hosts and others were stranded. Otao Kitchen’s cooking classes, demonstrations and food events were cancelled.

Otao Kitchen turned to social media, where Zoom, Instagram and Facebook Live took the place of kitchen demonstration bench in front of an audience. It was trial and error, as we learned which camera buttons to push, how to control the sound and new ways to present our menu. Almost two years now we are getting the hang of it, prompting Otao Kitchen special ways in cooking and teaching over the internet.

In the past 6 months, we found one trend that’s emerging is cooking along with a kit. We are selling boxes of ingredients that go along with the online recipe that’s being demonstrated on Zoom cook-along classes. We found that we can make up the revenue loss by in-person cooking classes, and offer something more than you can find on Facebook or YouTube.

Chef and owner Ha Nguyen says there are 3 types of classes. The first one is the old school approach, where the instructor simply show how the dish is made, and the video is posted online. This method is crowded as every media outlet.

The second option is live Zoom classes that require registration. These allow us to earn some money by charging a fee with a limit on the number of people on each Zoom call. These classes often allow attendees to ask questions as the cooking is going on, or to follow up once the dish is finished. We did well in this class over the pandemic.

The third option that is rapidly growing for us are classes where participants purchase a kit of ingredients and make the dish at the same time with the chef. This way guests can enjoy closer to real life experience without the need of going out! Otao Kitchen is making the kits from dumplings to ramen and more to come.

We also learn a new way to deal with online cooking classes’ challenges. At a cooking school, we have everything, but not all people have the right pieces of equipment. We have to deal with people cooking while their family is at home. People also want to cook while socialising. We worked to modify the recipe, so we can send the kit with flexible to make the dishes. Even our chefs learned how different these classes can be.

Additionally, chefs can’t cook as much as they might be in a live demonstration, because every step needs to be broken down for the camera. Everything is slower because it’s all online.

Our guests' expectations are rising, so we have to be better with the experience delivery. If someone is a chef, the guests expect their set to look like a proper kitchen studio. At the beginning of the pandemic, guests were more patient with clumsily produced content. Now our guests want to feel like they are getting their money’s worth, and we want to feel like we are giving them more value.

Safe to say, as a small business, your feedback has helped us improve dramatically. At last, we feel like we’re delivering customers’ expectations.

How to Buy, Store and Prepare Chicken?

Australians eat more chicken every year than any other meat or protein. It can be a nutritious and tasty choice, but raw chicken often contains nasty salmonella. If not handled properly, the bacteria could make someone really sick! Poultry is a product that deteriorates quickly, so it’s important to know when it is fresh or not. Here are some hints to find the freshest chicken and the best way to store it.

Buying Chicken

• When purchasing chicken, make sure there’s no ‘off’ smell. Fresh poultry should have very little, or no aroma.
• If buying a whole bird, ensure the skin, flesh and bones appear undamaged.
• Chicken breasts should be plump with a very pale pink flesh.
• Chicken thighs have a darker meat. They should have a dark pink flesh and a little white fat.
• Make sure to purchase from a reputable supplier who has been approved by local authorities.
• Check that the chicken is delivered at 5C or below.
• Confirm that frozen chicken products are completely frozen and inspect the packaging for any signs of thawing.
• Don’t accept any chicken that is soft, discoloured or sticky. Pay particular attention to the wings and joints.

Storage

To store chicken, leave it in its original packaging or place in a container and cover completely. Store on the bottom shelf (or the coldest part) of your the fridge for up to 2 days. This helps prevent contaminating any foods below. Cook any raw chicken within two days of purchase and freeze whatever you don’t use. Ensure to wrap your chicken in airtight packages. Label, date and keep refrigerated at 5C or below, or frozen at -15C or below.

If freezing fresh portions, do so immediately after purchasing (in its original packaging) for up to 2 months. Alternatively, separate the chicken into serving portions, thoroughly wrap in plastic bags or cling film and freeze for up to 2 months. It is very important to thaw chicken completely before cooking. To defrost, place the chicken in the fridge on a large plate (in its original packaging). This will take between 12-24 hours. Never refreeze chicken that has already been thawed. Cooked chicken can then be frozen for later use.

Commonly Used Cuts

Whole Bird

A whole chook can be used for roasting, poaching, making stock or dishes like Vietnamese pho or Hainanese chicken rice. Alternatively, you can flatten or “butterfly” a chicken. This is a great way to roast or barbecue a whole bird, that promotes quick and even cooking. The secret to a delicious chicken is buying the best quality you can find, such as free-range, locally sourced or organic.

Breast & Tenderloin

Chicken breast is such a versatile cut of poultry. It’s a white meat with very little fat, perfect for throwing into stir-fries, grilling, steaming, pan-frying and oven roasting. They are also great for poaching to be used in salads, soups or sandwiches. Another method brilliant for cooking a chicken breast is crumbing. Not only do the breadcrumbs keep the chicken moist, but they also give a wonderful, crunchy texture (as seen in a chicken parma or katsu).

Chicken breasts found in the supermarket tend to be quite large with the tenderloin attached. This can make them difficult to cook through perfectly, without drying out. To ensure your chicken cooks evenly and remains juicy, you can slice the breast into even cuts or use a rolling pin to slightly flatten it out. There’s nothing worse than eating a dried-out piece of chicken, so the key is to keep it moist without overcooking. Chicken is cooked through when a temperature probe reads 73C.

Tenderloins, found underneath the breast, are a delicious and speedy cooking option. They are slightly more tender than the whole breast and are great crumbed, fried, baked, or quickly marinated and chargrilled.

Thighs

Thighs can be bought as fillets (with or without skin) or cutlets with the bone attached. Chicken thigh meat is generally darker and has a little more fat than the breast. It’s a working muscle and therefore has more flavour comparatively. Diced chicken thighs are great for BBQ skewers, slow cooking, stir-frying or thrown into soups and curries. Use the whole thigh or cutlet for roasting, bakes, barbecues and stews.

Chicken Maryland is a cut where the thigh and drumstick are attached. Marylands are good for roasting, poaching, braising and baking. They are ideal for cooking slowly over a barbecue or char-grill.

Drumsticks & Wings

Chicken wings and drumsticks are typically cheaper per kilo but are often seen as the most flavourful. They are great baked, fried or simmered in a sticky glaze or marinade and eaten with your hands. The skin to meat ratio is greater in these cuts, so the outside gets nice and crispy, while the inside stays juicy. No matter what you do with this part of the chicken, it’s bound to taste good! It’s also really difficult to overcook wings and drumsticks, making for less stressful cooking.

If you’ve ever been to a Chinese, Indian, or Thai restaurant, you likely already know how intentional Asians are when it comes to preparing food. Their dishes can’t be easily replicated using the typical options you find around you, so you’ll need to look for a good source of Asian ingredients. 

It’s popular knowledge that to make the best Asian cuisine, you should have the best ingredients. You probably want to try cooking some Asian meals at home, but you don’t even know where you can get everything you need to do so. Fortunately for you, the answer is right here. Just read on to know how you can search for and get your hands on quality ingredients for Asian cuisine.

1. Browse Catalogues

You’re probably wondering why you haven’t thought about this. Or maybe you have. Either way, checking catalogues is a great way to locate specific shops where you can get good ingredients for the Asian food you want to serve.

Not only will a catalogue provide you with store names, but it’ll also help you know the prices of the ingredients you’re after. Browsing a Coles catalogue and others similar to it will even allow you to discover special offers you can take advantage of.

1. Visit An Asian Supermarket

You may have already gone to different supermarkets in your area numerous times to purchase ingredients for your everyday meals. However, those places might not have the specific ingredients that’ll allow you to prepare Asian dishes the right way. You have to go to Asian grocery stores to buy those, so keep an eye out for one whenever you’re walking around or traveling from one place to another.

1. Do An Internet Search

In a world where nearly every business is online, you’ll surely be able to find an Asian online store offering high-quality ingredients. Some of them may even offer discounts on certain items. You only have to take your time and ensure that you choose the right one for you. 

Although many of them have physical shops, it may be more convenient for you to order from them online and have your items delivered. In doing so, you’ll save time and effort and get your Asian ingredients at excellent prices.

1. Ask An Asian Friend Or Neighbour

Of course, your Asian friends and acquaintances would know exactly where you can buy fresh ingredients for Asian cuisine, and they’ll be delighted to share that sort of information with you. Don’t be surprised if they even offer to accompany you to the particular stores they mention. And when they do go with you, they might just be able to teach you how you can determine the freshness and quality of certain food items.

Common Ingredients In Asian Cuisine

If you’re wondering what ingredients you’ll need for Asian dishes, check the list below. Unlike Western cuisine, Asian cuisine has plenty of plant-based options that aren’t merely salads or sides. So if you’re a vegetarian or vegan, you’ll definitely want to try your hand at cooking with some of these ingredients:

• Tofu

Tofu is highly favoured among Asians since it’s low in fat and rich in protein. It’s made from soybeans and can be easily incorporated into all sorts of dishes since it absorbs the flavours of the other ingredients you cook it with.

• Bamboo

Bamboo is a unique vegetable often used in Asian cuisine. There are many edible species of bamboo, and they can either be tough or tender. What’s more, they’re rich in protein, fibre, and vitamin B.

To make the most of bamboo shoots, they’re often boiled before use. This helps get rid of their naturally bitter taste. Then, they’re thinly sliced and added to soups or stir fries to give them a pleasant yet subtle flavour.

• Chili Pepper

The chili pepper is an all-time favourite of Asians to make a wide variety of dishes more exciting and add a nice kick to them. It can even be processed into powder form. Powdered chili pepper is convenient for storage and can be found not only in Asian stores but in most regular stores.

• Fish Sauce 

Unlike tofu, bamboo, and chili pepper that are plant-based ingredients, fish sauce is animal-based. It’s prevalent in Southeast Asian countries. This liquid condiment is processed from small fish just before fermentation. It has a strong, salty flavour that may not be appealing to some people. The key to using this in your dishes is to avoid adding too much of it at a time.

Conclusion

Asians can be rather particular about their meals. Although many of them enjoy plant-based dishes, meat is just as abundant in their cuisine. To prepare a delicious Asian meal, you have to get the freshest ingredients you can find, and you’ll be able to do just that by following the tips discussed above.

There's no better time than now to take a full check of your kitchen essentials as a budding chef. If you still keep old and destroyed pots, stubborn knives, and worn-out chopping boards, it’s time to change those. These essentials have reached their end of life when it doesn’t serve its purpose anymore. Chefs know that while cooking skill and technique matter, it doesn’t hurt to invest in top-quality materials to make cooking easier, more efficient, and speedier, too.

You have that drive within you now to take your cooking to the next level. So, as you hone your skills, your kitchen tools should contribute to that purpose as well. Yes, there are gadgets and gizmos for just about everything in the kitchen. But you don’t need to have them all at once as a budding chef. You can start with the bare essentials.

With that said, here’s a list of the top kitchen essentials you must have as a budding chef:

1. Store Catalogue

Grocery store catalogues are still present nowadays, and that’s for a good reason. Budding chef or not, it’s advantageous to have copies of grocery store catalogues like the ALDI catalogue and others. This keeps you on the loop as to what supplies are in store, what’s on sale or special, and what’s new on the shelves.

In keeping with digital times, many store catalogues are also available online or through digital form. So, there’s no reason for you not to subscribe to those on your mobile phone. Within the pages of catalogues, you may also find discounts, coupons, and promo codes that are exclusive only to the catalogue subscribers. As a budding chef, those discounts are great! That means you can source out ingredients for lower prices.

2. Sub-Zero Refrigerator

Of course, every kitchen needs to have a refrigerator. But as a budding chef, you can take it further by having a sub-zero refrigerator. This type of fridge has a stronger ability to preserve the flavour of ingredients. Prolonging the freshness is key to having the best-tasting dishes, unless you have the luxury of time to buy fresh produce every single day.

Sub-zero refrigerators also come with a lot of added features to ensure overall safety. These include an air purification system and an antimicrobial system to keep food fresh, safe, and clean.

3. Three Knives

You want to have a whole block of knives for various uses. There’s such a thing called three knives. These are your paring knife, chef’s knife, and serrated bread knife. If you can invest in those three, then you’re good to go.

Those three knives, no matter how top-quality they may be, will eventually get dull. So, as you invest in those three, it makes sense also that you invest in a good quality knife sharpener.

4. Heavy, Wooden Chopping Board

If what you have are still the old, plastic, flimsy chopping boards from many years back, it’s time to let go of those. A budding chef needs heavy, wooden chopping boards to match. Wooden chopping boards can withstand even the heavy chopping of meat. 

To practice best sanitary practices, be sure to get at least two—one for raw meat, fish, and poultry, and another for vegetables and fruits.

5. Stock Pots

Stock pots are great as they can form the foundation of complex recipes. On the stock pot, you can start sautéing the vegetables and spices without the need of transferring to another pot. There, you can also make pasta, soup, and other dishes.

When shopping for a stock pot, be sure to check its efficiency, material quality, and its compatibility not just with your stove at home but with a wide range of other stoves as well.

6. Cast-Iron Pan

Cast iron is one of the most inexpensive ways to have a good pan that conducts heat quite well. This is great for frying and grilling, especially if you’re cooking steak and chicken. While using a cast-iron pan takes a lot more work than using a non-stick pan, the food taste coming out of the cast-iron pan is worth all that effort. Not to mention how cast-iron pans can last for a long time.

Conclusion

The list above enlightens you on the top essentials you need to have in your kitchen as an aspiring chef. While not exhaustive, it’s up to you to tweak and add based on the dishes you usually make and the tools you personally swear by. Little by little, as you hone your skills, you can add more to your list as well. There's a tool for every chef, with that perfect balance of the tried and tested must-haves, as well as new ones on the rise.

Corporate teams around the work have embraced remote work and find a new way to collaborate. Team building is an important part of collaboration and bonding. Team building efforts are most effective when done regularly, and result in a caring and connected team. 

When it comes to remote working with teams, virtual team building is especially important. Since the intention to communicate and collaborate needs to be at the forefront of all remote initiatives, making sure that your team feels emotionally connected is a good place to start. 

REMOTE TEAM BUILDING AND BONDING

Speaking to your team member in person is easier when in person as you can give your attention, pick up on nonverbal cues, and build rapport via shared experiences.

However, choosing to get together in person as one team does come with some challenge. Assuming it’s safe to travel, airfare and accommodations can be pricey, and each flight will add about 0.5 metric tons of CO2 to your carbon footprint. 

Selecting remote meetings helps fill in the communication gaps during those technologically-challenging moments. Let's look at some icebreakers and quick virtual activities to help your team kick-off your next conference call on the same page.

The key here is to make team catch up with consistent, rather than a random bonding exercise. In the long run, your team will become more familiar with the idea of opening up to other team members through some fun virtual activities like cooking. 

Here are some quick and ongoing team building activities to implement in your team conference calls to keep work moving forward in a collaborative and connected light.

THE HAPPY HOUR TEAM BUILDING 

We will be cultivating a fun and imaginative atmosphere, making delicious food and drinks to share in this virtual team-building ‘happy hour’ demonstration class. Through an approachable back-to-the-basics style of cooking and hospitality, we empower people to connect and develop as a group. Our chef instructors have structured a fun, engaging, and interactive program using food and beverages as a vehicle for inspiring deeper connections. We provide a variety of food-based experiences like home cook-offs, cocktail workshops, cooking classes, contests, and challenges. You can choose any of the menu themes below.

ONLINE COOKING CLASSES 

In this online cooking class, your team members can cook, connect and celebrate together. This virtual cooking event can be hosted by our chef in Melbourne to the comfort of the participants' kitchen anywhere via Zoom. You choose the menu, we may change a little to reflect the timing and send you a list of ingredients, so your members can include them in their normal shopping. Our menu below has been customised to use your local supermarkets (Australia - Coles, and Woolworth) or (New Zealand - New World, Countdown).   We can modify recipes and ingredients to suit any dietary requirements. The virtual cooking events can range in duration from 1 to 2 hours and are for a minimum of 2 and a maximum of 40 Zoom connections. All you need is a laptop, tablet, or mobile phone, a functioning kitchen, and a few pantry basics. Check the ingredient list before booking classes in Dumpling Making, Street Food Asia, Vietnamese, Thai, Chinese, Indian, Indonesian, Japanese, Korean or Vegan 

ONLINE COOKING CLASS  WITH A MAGIC BOX OF INGREDIENTS DELIVERED AUS WIDE

Online cooking classes with our magic box of ingredients are the best activity to do with your team or clients? Perhaps an alternative to your end-of-year party or a gift? Live private cooking classes with Otao kitchen chefs are the perfect way to enjoy great food, learn new tricks, and get together when it's not so easy to physically get together. We'll deliver everything including some stool (no meat/seafood) so you and your guests need to cook along at home, so all that's left is to log on our Zoom, hone your cooking skills, eat delicious food, and have a great time. Generally, we need 7 working days to deliver your boxes to a metro city, and it will be more for regional cities and towns in Australia. The meals will be vegetarian, and we will include in your note if you want to have the option to add meats and seafood.  Check the menu here: The Ultimate Dumpling Making, Japanese Ramen Making Class, Authentic Pasta making Class, Cooking with Native Ingredients, Plus you can ask for our drink Victorian option.

Cooking has always been a part of our lives, whether it’s for an ordinary day or special occasions. It’s an activity that brings people together, and it’s a skill that can be useful in any part of the world, especially when traveling. One of the common challenges, however, is finding the right cuisine and learning how to cook it. Fortunately, Otao Kitchens has come up with an innovative solution that not only solves this problem but also provides opportunities for multicultural chefs. In this blog post, we’ll explore Otao Kitchens and the benefits it offers.

Otao Kitchen is a Melbourne-based business that allows foodies and visitors to learn how to cook various cuisines, including Vietnamese, Thai, Japanese, Dumpling, Greek, Korean, Indian, Spanish, and Mexican and more. Their instructors are professional chefs who grew up eating and cooking the cuisines they teach. Chef Anan, for example, has always been passionate about the way food brings people together, and his dream of cooking with her grandmothers inspired her to join Otao Kitchen.

One of the advantages of Otao Kitchen is its small class size, which provides a more intimate and personalised learning experience. The kitchen is clean and updated, making it feel like a leisurely afternoon spent with friends rather than a formal cooking class. The atmosphere reflects the culture of the cuisine being taught, and the students get to interact and learn from the chef throughout the cooking process.

Otao Kitchen’s initiative also supports multi-cultural cuisine and provides opportunities for talented chefs. The business gives chefs a chance to share their knowledge and passion for cooking, showcasing their cultural heritage and cuisine. In a way, Otao Kitchen allows them to do more than just sit in the kitchen and listen to stories of the old country. They get to interact with people from different parts of the world, share their culture, and learn from their students.

It’s no surprise that Otao Kitchen is popular among tourists visiting Melbourne. About 30 percent of the attendees are tourists, and Otao Kitchen’s multicultural cuisine and interactive classes make it an attractive option when exploring the city. It’s a great way to experience the culture and learn a new skill while traveling.

Conclusion:Otao Kitchen has made a significant impact in the cooking industry by providing a solution to multicultural cuisine and cooking problems. It offers a personalized and interactive learning experience, supports talented chefs, and showcases various cultures and cuisines. The business has definitely transformed the way people learn and experience cooking, and its success speaks for itself. If you’re looking for a fun and immersive way to learn how to cook delicious dishes, Otao Kitchen is definitely worth checking out.