Eye To Eye With Katie Couric: Want To Be A Chef?

If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!

Think you want to be a chef? CBS’ Rita Braver spoke to some industry insiders about what it takes to make it in the kitchen. (CBSNews.com)

Popularity: 35% [?]

Susan Spicer on Becoming a Chef

Susan Spicer, of Bayona Restaurant, shares her thoughts on what it takes to become a chef.

Popularity: 27% [?]

Should You Become A Chef?

Becoming a chef is not a walk in the park. It is a challenging road and may not be for everyone. You should therefore have a basic understanding of what it takes to become a chef before you invest in an expensive education at top culinary arts schools. You should learn more about the requirements and process involved to become a chef.Do your friends and family compliment you on all of your creative dishes? Do people around you tell you that you should become a chef? Do you spend a lot of time in front of the TV watching cooking shows? When your co-workers ask you to make your famous chicken wings for the holiday party, do you jump at the chance? Well if this sounds like you, then you are certainly on your way, but becoming a chef is not always fun and games. You need to understand what a career in the hot kitchens is really like.

THE BENEFITS OF BEING A CHEF

You Are In The Spotlight

When you cook for people there is a great sense of accomplishment. You spend hours in front of a hot stove conjuring up your delicious creations and then get to enjoy the smiles on peoples faces when they taste the first bite. You relish the moment when a waiter or waitress tells you how much a customer enjoyed your Garlic and Ginger Crusted Salmon. You flip through your local food magazine and see a restaurant review that features one of your creative dishes.

You Found a Career You Are Passionate About

What is better in life than being able to work at a career that you truly love? If you want to be a chef, you have to love what you do. You have to truly enjoy cooking and baking, if not, those long hours in the restaurant kitchens are going to seem like days. If cooking feels like a chore then it may not be the right career for you.

THE STRESSES OF BECOMING A CHEF

It’s Hard Work

Being a chef is a difficult job. You are standing on your feet for hours every day. There is no time to sit and rest, its too busy for that. You will develop all sorts of new aches and pains from lifting heavy bags and boxes.

You Will Have To Deal With an Unpleasant Working Environment

Be prepared to sweat. Working in a kitchen has been compared to working outside all day under a hot sun in 90 degree weather. You will constantly be working over an open flame and reaching into hot ovens.

Kitchens can be rather dirty. You will eventually have to deal with garbage and grease that accumulates in many kitchens.

Being a chef can be dangerous. You will probably be burned a number of times from the hot ovens, pots and pans, boiling liquids and hot oil. You will get cut. When things get busy and you have to work faster, your concentration diminishes and a sharp knife, food processor blade, blender, or broken glass can be lethal weapons.

Everyone Can’t Be Emeril

Just because you got your degree at The Culinary Institute of America doesn’t mean you are going to land your own spot on the Food Network or get your own line of custom made cooking products and make millions of dollars. I am not trying to belittle that dream. If that is what you are shooting for, then by all means go for it, but in most cases cooks do not make a ton of money. So try not to get discouraged if you don’t make it big. The food industry is a busy world and is always in need of good chefs that love what they do and are willing to go the extra mile to prove it. Make that your number one goal above all things.

The Hours Aren’t Great

When you become a chef, be prepared to work very long hours, holidays and weekends. Many new chefs have abandoned their careers because they could not cope with spending so much time away from family and friends.

Final Words

I truly hope this article has helped you make a decision as to whether or not you want to become a chef. This article is not meant to discourage you. Many new chefs spend thousands of dollars on Culinary School, and when they finally get out into the real world, they realize they can’t stand the heat, and wind up quitting. That is an awful lot of time and money wasted, so make certain you are sure a chef is the right career for you. All the best and good luck.

Popularity: 14% [?]

How To Become A Chef

How To Become A Chef
By Alyssa Bentley

Good Culinary schools focus their students on learning through interaction with food. The best way to learn how to prepare food is to practice, hands on. After a student has completed their in-school training, they will move on to an apprenticeship, spending time in a kitchen doing the lower skilled kitchen duties. Culinary Students will need to learn under several different chefs to find what class of food they want to specialize in. In their classes, they should learn how to plan menus, determine serving and portion sizes, how to manage the cost of foods in quantity and reduction of food waste. Students must also learn restaurant sanitation and public health rules for proper handling of food.

The head chef directs the kitchen staff. Depending on the size of the kitchen, he may prepare meals or manage his own restaurant in addition.

A beginning chef can expect to make it to head chef position in 10 years, provided they are able to withstand the high stress and pressure that comes with the job.

Executive chefs often have restaurateur partners for financial reasons, but it’s good to take a few business courses if you intend to run your own restaurant. Executive chefs often spend more time with patrons and investors than in the kitchen.

There are many different job descriptions that must be filled in restaurant situations.

When entering the chef industry, you may end up as one of many line cooks in a kitchen. The different positions you could be expected to fill include a pastry chef, in charge of pastries and desserts, the pantry chef, in charge of cold-prepared foods such as salads, dressings, buffet items and sandwiches. Roast cooks handle roasted meats and gravies, as well as broiled meats or other items to order. He may also handle fried meat and fish.

The vegetable cook prepares vegetables, soups, starches and eggs, while the fish cook handles dishes involving fish and seafood. The sauce chef may handle the fish as well as sauces in some kitchens, as well as stews, hot hors d’oeuvres and sauteeing.

Other chefs you will need to be aware of include the Sous chef, or assistant to the executive chef. The person in this position is in charge of many of the organizational tasks involved in keeping a kitchen running smoothly. They keep records of purchases, needs and losses. They are often the organizers, making sure that food is crafted and sent out to the tables in a timely fashion so that all patrons get to eat at the same time.

The executive chef is in charge of everything that involves the kitchen, which includes the menu, personnel management and other business management aspects. There is also the Chef De Cuisine, who, depending on the kitchen, is sometimes in charge of the executive chef, sometimes equal to him, and sometimes directly under his authority, equivalent to a sous chef.

Things to remember

A few things to do to prepare yourself for entering the world of culinary excellence include taking a job in a restaurant, any job, even if it’s busing tables or washing dishes, just to give yourself experience and to help you get a feel for the physical needs of a career in the food industry. Holding a position in a restaurant will also give you a foot in the door. As you gain in experience and education, you can begin to work your way up the culinary ladder in a restaurant, starting with line chef, and working your way up to master chef.

Remember to research the culinary schools in your area and abroad, select your school and pursue it. If you are in high school still, speak with your guidance councilor about schools and careers in the culinary profession.

Alyssa is a creative writer for Mobile Penguins, http://www.mobilepenguins.com - a Website Advertising company out of Seattle. This article is researched and written for The Chef’s Emporium, chefsemporium.com. The Chef’s Emporium is a fantastic resource for culinary uniforms from the traditional white chef’s jacket and slacks to the more contemporary styles and colors.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Alyssa_Bentley
http://EzineArticles.com/?How-To-Become-A-Chef&id=1044461

Popularity: 13% [?]