Florence Market & Cooking Class: A Review That’s Truly Honest

Planning a trip to Florence? Like your probably checking out what interesting food experiences the city provides, so maybe your thinking about signing up for a market tour combined with a cooking class, right? A cooking class sounded like a fun way to experience Florentine food and culture. I mean, it’s almost impossible to leave Italy without putting on a few pounds, right? So, let’s see if a Florence Market Tour and Home Cooking Class actually lives up to the hype. After participating in one not that long ago, I’m here to give you the lowdown on my personal experience, that’s everything from shopping for ingredients to eating the delicious stuff we cooked.

First Impressions: Meeting at the Market

The experience, it started pretty early – think trying to drag yourself out of bed before the rest of the tourists had even thought about having breakfast, I mean, so we met our class at the Mercato Centrale. The market itself is just really wild. Seriously, it’s absolutely overflowing with vendors yelling about their produce. Oh yeah, it’s where the locals get their everyday stuff, fresh pasta, cheese, all the things you’d imagine. That’s were introduced to our chef, who was quite an enthusiastic guy. He, right away, took charge and began what was more or less a lively tour. I could feel the excitement that he was projecting.

He really, sort of, gave us the lay of the land, that showed us various stalls selling everything. Think the freshest vegetables, various aged balsamic vinegars, different cuts of meat. It definitely wasn’t your basic grocery store produce aisle. It looked to be sourced locally and recently. During the tour he gave a lot of detail that helped us better see the produce.

Here are things to see in the market:

• Fresh Pasta Stalls: See fresh pasta being made
• Selection of local Cheeses: Oh yeah, local cheeses for sure.
• Butchers: Every cut of meat you’d want to try.

Hands-On Cooking: Making Pasta From Scratch

Next up? It was off to the kitchen, is that where the cooking began, like in earnest, really. It was just a short walk away from the market, thankfully. The cooking space, I’d describe as very charming, really, set up in a cool rustic building, that sort of homey, just as you expect a cooking class location in Italy. Maybe they do it for all tourists.

So, pasta-making was up first. I was a little bit surprised that the chef walked us through mixing flour and eggs until that dough ball formed that we all hoped for. After kneading the pasta for a bit, we then began forming it into ravioli and fettuccine. Seriously, it looked quite a bit easier than it actually was. Even with the chef’s clear direction and assistance, everyone’s pasta still looked a little wonky. At least mine did. But anyway, everyone’s was unique to them. One of the best cooking lessons that I’d attended.

During the process of making the pasta, the chef gave great insights on how to make pasta, like from scratch, basically, how the types of flour mattered and how the water’s temperature has a dramatic affect on the overall quality.

The Feast: Tasting Our Creations

What do you think happens when you’re done making an authentic italian meal. Basically, all the stuff we’d labored over, of course, it ended up being cooked by the chef. When we’d all tried, he added just the appropriate touches, that included flavoring the different sauces, all were really well made. We had, more or less, three courses that day: bruschetta with super tasty tomatoes, pasta that’s topped with fresh ragu, and also, that roasted pork loin, which, arguably, had to be my personal favorite.

All the cooking? It came with a local red. With lunch they provided free water and also red italian to sample.

Is it Actually Worth It? What you Need to Know.

So, should you actually drop the cash for a Florence market tour mixed with the cooking class, right? If like your aiming to get something more that those regular tourist attractions, like a cool engaging, hands on, culinary class that is pretty authentic. Then my answer is that it’s a definite yes.

It depends on what you’re aiming for in Florence.

• Like your a foodie? Basically, if so, then this needs to be a must. Like you will be able to discover ingredients and also the best italian dishes.
• Aiming for an unique thing to do?: Want more that sight seeing around tourist areas? Oh yeah, sign right up.
• Enjoy doing thing? If yes, you can enhance that further by learning about Italian food and trying yourself at making pasta.

On the other hand, so if you think that cooking is not your think and your basically just aiming for sight-seeing, you probably want to not consider this cooking class. So too it’s not suited if like your one a strict budget, these tour’s prices, more or less, would be deemed luxurious to people looking for bargain deals.

Some Practical Things to Keep In Mind

• Timing Is Key: Try and schedule this at the very beginning of your trip, just so that, at least, you’re aware of Florentine foods before just walking around tourist sites.
• Wear Relaxed Clothes: I think that it is important. During class, is that it can get super messy, right, specially during that time of kneading.
• Come Willing to Engage: More or less, get in there and mingle. Also get advice from other tourists on things they’d checked out. Also get ideas for awesome cooking tips too it’s also great.

One little side thing that did go wrong was the tour itself being slightly crowded, basically we were not the only class, but I was okay. Although everyone’s personalities and preferences can vary. It was great meeting people that had the same goals, seeing what italy has to offer food-wise. It does sort of show how popular these kinds of experiences became when like you come to a awesome food city like Florence. A market tour mixed with hands on cooking lesson definitely is memorable thing I’d definitely sign up to, especially being lead by an professional and dedicated person that makes the class extra worth it.