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he following article includes pertinent information that may cause you to reconsider what you thought you understood. The most important thing is to study with an open mind and be willing to revise your understanding if necessary.



Ready to stand on your feet up to 70 hours a week in 95-degree plus heat? Up to working with all types of people in a sometimes-frantic atmosphere and at an always-hectic pace? Prepared to wait years before you reach the top of your profession? If you can answer “yes” to these questions, you are ready to take your first step toward becoming a gatekeeper in Hades, er, I mean, a professional chef!



You can see that there's practical value in learning more about chefs. Can you think of ways to apply what's been covered so far?



Although this career can really be like the above, most successful chefs say it is definitely worth it – especially if you’re passionate about food. Food definitely must be the center of your life – not eating it, but preparing and presenting it! (Though a taste now and then will keep the good chef on track.)



Many years of training go into the making of a professional chef, one of the reasons a deep love of food and cooking is so important. Some potential chefs begin by taking courses in high school or after-high-school vocational training programs. Others opt for formal education at private culinary schools or take culinary arts degree programs in college. Apprenticeship (usually three years) and internship (often a year) are almost always required for completion of these programs because most employers in the field today won’t accept less than hands-on training when it comes to hiring people who prepare the food for which their establishments are known.



Curriculums vary, but all good cooking schools teach you how to prepare and present a number of meals appropriately using the correct equipment, along with menu and portion planning, budgeting, purchasing, nutrition, and waste control. You also learn proper sanitation and public health regulations regarding the handling of food – which consist of a lot more than just a quick hand wash and a pinch of salt thrown over your shoulder for good luck.


Hotels, restaurateurs, cruise ships, and other establishments needing professional chefs look toward the American Culinary Federation (ACF) and its accreditation when going over the resume of a possible chef to work for them. The ACF puts their stamp of approval on more than 100 culinary school training programs and backs apprenticeship programs all over the USA. If you have successfully completed training that’s acceptable through the ACF’s recognized standards, you’ve got a definite leg up on your competition who’ve recently received certificates from Bob’s Burger Flipping School. This doesn’t mean you’re guaranteed a job, however – you just have an advantage!



Chef certification or a degree in culinary arts is not an absolute requirement for becoming a professional chef. It’s just regarded as the easiest way – if there is such a thing. Some chefs become what they are through working under already-well-established professionals. If they don’t succeed their mentors (possibly at retirement), their mentors sometimes recommend them to other quality establishments to enable them to rise in their careers. This is wonderful if your mentor likes you; otherwise, when you leave that establishment, it’s back to square one – chopping, peeling, and cleaning up others’ messes.



So, it’s highly recommended to take the formal education route – that is, if you’re sure this career is to your liking. By all means, go for it! Who knows? In just a few short years, you, too, can spend hours and hours on your feet, dripping wet from the heat and exhausted from trying to get everyone doing what they’re supposed to in your kitchen – but hey, you’ll be a chef!





Now that wasn't hard at all, was it? And you've earned a wealth of knowledge, just from taking some time to study an expert's word on chefs.



In the meantime you can find out more by visiting the web site listed below.



Keith Londrie II has worked and researched the subject of chefs. To learn more information, please visit the new site for culinary information at http://define-culinary-arts-program-schools-restaurant-management.info/

When most people think of knives, what comes to mind is usually basic information that's not particularly interesting or beneficial. But there's a lot more to knives than just the basics.



Is everything making sense so far? If not, I'm sure that with just a little more reading, all the facts will fall into place.



Everyone knows that the very most important tools to a chef are knives. Forget about the cheap, disposable paring knives used by the dozens by restaurant line servers. An executive chef leans more toward the likes of the Denka No Hoto chef knives that run about $430 for a handmade 13" piece of cutlery touted as “among the finest in the world.” Some chefs get so possessive of their knives, they refuse to allow anyone else to clean them other than themselves, fearing the sought-after, razor-like edge may be marred or damaged.



Professional chefs advise investing from at least $250 to $400 for a good set of quality knives that includes a paring, filleting, French, carving, and bread knife, as well as a sharpening steel and a fork. And this is a “starter” set. As a chef gains more experience – and makes more money! – he or she soon begins to covet the hundreds-of-dollars-per-individual-knife cutting instruments.


Sharpening steels come as adjuncts to knives, and it is not a one-kind-sharpens-all proposition, either. Steels must match the type of knife they are to sharpen. Coarser steel is used for butcher knives, for instance, while finer steel works better on paring knives. So along with your knives, you should also keep on hand the proper steels with which to keep them in excellent condition.


Cheap knife sets only mean trouble in the long run, so go ahead, take the leap, and make the investment. When buying, always inspect the blades and look for less alloys (metal mixes) in the composition and more tempered carbon stainless steel, instead. With a poor knife, you spend a lot of time sharpening it because it just won’t hold an edge. Say you’re in a hurry (as most chefs are) and don’t sharpen it, then use it anyway. You may wind up cutting yourself – badly. One trip to the emergency room, and no one will ever need to warn you again about using dull knives. As one chef said, “A good knife is like a good dog. Treat it well, and it’s your friend forever.”


Mandolines, while not knives, perform much the same function. These instruments slice, dice, and julienne vegetables, fruits, and meats to the user’s specifications – and are totally hand-operated, no electricity required. Food sliced using a mandoline comes out looking neat and uniform and cooks more evenly during deep-fat frying or sautéing. While a professional chef would most likely opt for the $200 variety found at restaurant supply houses, mandolines can be bought for as low as $30, but just like knives, it’s best to buy quality over cheapness – which always winds up costing you more in the end.



Chefs use many tools besides knives – blenders, mixers, food processors, colanders, all kinds of hand tools such as whisks, spatulas, wooden spoons, and so on, but what struck one professional chef as his second most-needed, on-the-job tool after knives? A good attitude. This chef says that with a good approach to his profession, he is free to thrive on the adrenaline rush of busy nights at work, knowing he’s in top form, and always being on the lookout for ways to improve.


Now that’s some sharp tool!






Now you can be a confident expert on knives. OK, maybe not an expert. But you should have something to bring to the table next time you join a discussion on knives.




In the meantime you can find out more by visiting the web site listed below.



Keith Londrie II has worked and researched the subject of chefs. To learn more information, please visit the new site for culinary information at http://define-culinary-arts-program-schools-restaurant-management.info/

When most people think of chef, what comes to mind is usually basic information that's not particularly interesting or beneficial. But there's a lot more to chef than just the basics.



Just like any other profession, whether or not being a chef is a career or a job depends largely on you. Of course, if your chef-dom is merely a job for you, don’t be surprised if it doesn’t take long to burn out. Fifty to 70-hour work weeks, high stress, and the creative brain drain all take their toll fairly early on those not entirely dedicated to their paycheck-maker.



Successful chefs are like other creative types – they will be found “playing with their food” even if no money was involved. Like writers who write because they love to express themselves this way, and singers who belt out tunes anywhere they can get away with it, chefs are “chefs to the bone.” A true chef considers the money involved merely a “bonus” to what he or she loves to be doing anyway.



While a job is just a means to an end (as in paying the bills) with 40 hours dutifully put in every week and the occasional overtime blessing (or curse, depending on your situation), a career is like a marriage: You have an unspoken commitment to yourself that you will love, cherish, and even obey this vocational calling ‘til death do you part. If you ever get to know a successful professional chef, you’ll immediately realize this “marriage” is a forever thing – part of his or her personality that’s so ingrained there is essentially no difference between that person and what they do for a living.



It's really a good idea to probe a little deeper into the subject of chef. What you learn may give you the confidence you need to venture into new areas.



Chefs live, breathe, eat, and dream about – guess what? Food. Although there are many other duties associated with “cheffing,” such as management, personnel, accounting, and other responsibilities, the core of a chef’s livelihood is the preparation and presentation of food.



When someone earning their living comes home from work complaining of the tiredness of their feet and back, the heat of the kitchen, or the endless stream of meals that had to be prepared, it’s apparent this is just a job to him or her. The career-minded chef is not even aware of being career-minded; their mind is on what went wrong, what was successful, and how could they improve on anything that happened in “their” kitchen that shift. The chef in the former state of mind wonders how to get out of his current situation; the chef in the latter mindset wants more and relishes the next opportunity to express him- or herself with food.



So when you ask if being a chef is a career or a job, no one can answer that except you. If coming home smelling like barbecue or fish or Limburger cheese appalls you, consider the fact this is often the case with chefs. You may want to save your cooking skills to the occasional at-home masterpiece that wows your friends and family. But for those of you reading this that are saying to themselves, “Yep, that’s me, all right,” then don’t wait any longer – the world’s taste buds impatiently await you!



When word gets around about your command of chef facts, others who need to know about chefs will start to actively seek you out.



In the meantime you can find out more by visiting the web site listed below.



Keith Londrie II has worked and researched the subject of chefs. To learn more information, please visit the new site for culinary information at http://define-culinary-arts-program-schools-restaurant-management.info/

Are you looking for some inside information on chef? Here's an up-to-date report from chef experts who should know.



There are a number of specializations you can go into as a chef. There are no rules that say you have to be the executive or sous chef, chronically loaded down with an incredible amount of responsibility. If you are one of those creative cooks who’d rather be a little lower down the ladder but deal with a lot less stress, you can still keep your finger in the pie (so to speak) with one of the following culinary cooking specialties:



Saucier – As might be expected, the saucier is the sauce specialist. As a saucier, you create all the sauces and those dishes that are cooked in sauces. Making from scratch stocks, soups, classic and contemporary sauces, accompaniments, and foods paired with all these are all considered part of your job. Sauces are an essential component in much cooking, so sauciers must be very well educated when it comes to the possible mixtures and combinations of ingredients that compose a fine sauce.


Garde Manger – The garde manger creates all the cold food presentations: fruit and vegetable salads, pates, canapés, and hors d'ouevres – anything cold for the table. The garde manger chef makes all vinaigrettes and dressings in addition to molded aspics, pickled vegetables, chutneys, and relishes. In some settings, the garde manger chef plays sculptor, as well, by creating ice sculptures ranging from the simple to the elaborate to decorate party or buffet occasions.


Entremetier – The entremetier prepares, cooks, and presents all types of vegetables, pasta, rice, and egg dishes. As an entremetier your rice must never stick to the pot and your spaghetti must be cooked perfectly al dente. Vegetable side dishes perfectly prepared and impeccably presented to accompany entrées make you an important link in the “food chain” of culinary arts.



Patissier – As a patissier, you are the creator of all baked desserts and other confections: cakes, pies, tortes, tarts, cookies, and candies. Creativity must be expressed not only in the taste, but also in the decoration of all types of dessert and pastry dishes. The perfect piecrust is your forte, and fudge, for you, never fails.



Most of this information comes straight from the chef pros. Careful reading to the end virtually guarantees that you'll know what they know.



These are a just a few of many other culinary positions out there in the world of food, but all professional cooking positions require the following traits:



– stamina


– excellent sense of smell and taste


– creativity


– math skill


– good with details


– patience


– good teamwork abilities


– organizational skills


So if you love to cook and possess all these characteristics, there awaits for you many excellent opportunities as a specialized chef. These positions don’t carry quite the prestige as does the head or executive chef, yet the final (and most critical) responsibilities of wherever you work do not lie at feet of these positions, either. But make no mistake: although specialty chefs may not be held ultimately responsible for any major faux pas, they are still expected to create and produce at the top of their expertise. Otherwise, as they say in the business, “Your goose will be cooked.”



Take time to consider the points presented above. What you learn may help you overcome your hesitation to take action.



In the meantime you can find out more by visiting the web site listed below.



Keith Londrie II has worked as and researched the subject of chefs. To learn more information, please visit the new site for culinary information at http://define-culinary-arts-program-schools-restaurant-management.info/