Sam's Cookalong Diary With Gordon's help, Sam gets ready for the big day

Date Published:

17/01/2008

It's the big day. I've ordered my food, tidied my kitchen and sharpened my knives. I've invited my guests, and they tell me they're "only slightly nervous" about what I'm going to serve up for them

As for me, I'm feeling pretty confident. I'm certainly more prepared than I was this time two weeks ago.

After following Gordon Ramsay's training videos, I now know:
How to sharpen a knife

The best way to chop potatoes for oven chips

How to chop herbs without impairing their flavour

How to shell a scallop

How to make a vinaigrette

To give a steak time to warm to room temperature before cooking it

How to cook a really good steak

The best way to whip cream and prepare a bain marie

Useful skills. I've got a good arsenal to hand before going to battle this evening. I've also picked up lots of interesting factoids about chocolate, sex and social change. It's been a rewarding experience already.

Another factor in my new-found confidence is the knowledge that even if my mind goes completely blank when it comes to crunch time I'll have Gordon Ramsay supporting me - as he reminds us on his final video - "every step of the way."

That's not to say that things still won't go wrong. I'm well prepared, but I can't guarantee that things will be 100 per cent all right on the night. There's still that random factor that my inherent clumsiness brings to every occasion. No amount of good advice from Gordon Ramsay is going to change the fact that I'm a klutz in the kitchen and liable to drop anything at any moment, not to mention trip over my own shoelaces. Luck will play a part in all our experiences of the Cookalong - and I'm not going to be blaming myself too much if things go wrong, even if it I do admit that my guests are right to be anxious.

The other small challenge I face is that I'm going to be live-blogging the event here on the site and on the dedicated cookalong facebook event. I'd love to have you along with me.

You can also gain a few minutes of web fame by uploading your videos to thisDailymotion group, not to mention the Facebook event page. Finally, why not take pictures of your meal and show off what a great job you've done on our Flickr group.

It's your event too, so make the most of it. Share your triumphs and tragedies so this won't only be a night to remember, it will be saved for posterity.

Most importantly, whatever you do, enjoy yourself. Get ready to cook, eat, drink and be merry.

Put yourself on the Cookalong map

Share your experiences on Facebook and post your pictures on Flickr

Read Sam's last diary entry