Badger Bites

While some students come to college with a strong interest and foundation in cooking and baking, others have significantly less experience. The Wolf Teaching Kitchen at the Bakke Recreation Center aims to change this while teaching healthy eating habits. This newly built kitchen includes all brand new appliances and is the perfect place to learn how to cook. In the space, RecWell offers a wide range of classes, from 1-2 hour classes where students make (and eat!) a full meal, to “badger bites”, 45 minute classes in which smaller snacks are made. UW-Madison student and cooking instructor Orla Ryan said some of her favorite classes have included a cheese themed one, in which students made a grilled cheese and cheese dip, and a one pan meal. Ryan learned to cook in order to both feed herself as well as her younger brother with severe food allergies. As a biomedical engineering major, she likes to look at food from a science perspective, figuring out new recipes and techniques. As a cooking instructor, she mentions that developing correct knife skills is one of the most important things to learn, saying “it can be difficult to watch people cut things…it makes me super nervous.” Learning crucial skills such as these is one of the main purposes for these cooking classes. They serve as guided exposure to the kitchen and can empower students to cook on their own. As Orla Ryan said, the purpose of these classes is to “help college students feel more comfortable in the kitchen, and to find recipes that work for them.”  They are also a great way to meet new people while working in a team to prepare a delicious meal. Badger Bite classes are 8 dollars, while the full cooking class is 20 dollars. The RecWell cooking classes are a great way to learn new recipes in a fail-safe environment and best of all, you don’t have to do the dishes!