15 Tips for Smoother Cooking Demos
15 Tips For Smooth Cooking Demos
Make a list of your demo kitchen equipment and plan recipes that can be done accordingly. That might mean a full kitchen, a microwave, or a cutting board. If you have the power, you can always use an air fryer or Instapot! But also keep in mind the needs of your audience. Using expensive equipment doesn't make sense if they don't have it at home. Try replicating what will help your audience and keep it simpler and easier.
Find a lot of recipes or dishes that appeal to a wide audience, from vegan to meat-eater to urban foodie to picky and simple. Be mindful of the budget. Make a Pinterest board to assemble your ideas, giving you ideas for the presentation and a good variety to choose from.
Practice all recipes several times until you have them memorized. Note the changes needed.
Make a list of everything you need from the store and have enough on hand.
Measure all ingredients and make everything ahead of time. The audience should never wait long on any step. They don't want to watch you measure long lists of items. And no one wants to sit through extended cooking or baking. Put the raw one in the oven, then take out the one you baked ahead of time. Think of each item in this way. If you don't have time, get the audience to help you. Always wash your hands first, of course!
Test your presentation technology. Whether it is a laptop and projector, microphone, or virtual on Zoom, give it a dry run.
Get to the demo kitchen early and turn on all the equipment. Find the trash and have a handwashing station. Be ready.
Keep a sense of humor!
Fill in your show with helpful information and advice. Show them new food products that help them save time. Talk about the ingredients that you used in your dishes.
Have an assistant to help monitor the microwave and stove so you can concentrate on your presentation and questions. If you can’t have a hired one, find a volunteer from the audience, promising them a sample!
Show how a finished dish should look on the plate for a great visual. Give great presentation tips such as sprinkling with chopped herbs or parmesan and using colors of veggies and fruits.
Encourage questions at the end while your assistant is dishing up samples for great audience participation. They will be captive while waiting for their goodies, which adds a lot to your presentation. Encourage the audience to share tips and answer each other’s questions where applicable.
Best dishes to demo: one-pot rice dishes, ethnic favorites, vegan stir-fries, healthy remakes of audience favorites, something you make all the time, whole grains they might not have tried, oven-fried fries, a simple fruit dessert, and seasonal favorites.
Provide handouts for the audience with recipes, cooking tips, and ingredient substitutions.
Last but not least, confidence is the KEY to success in any cooking demo - practice the demo several times before going on stage with it.
BONUS tip: If you are doing the demo virtually, sending out the recipe ahead of time can be fun as hosting virtual cooking along on zoom!
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