If you want to be a chef, you should attend a culinary school. You will have the chance to gain the skills necessary to become a master of your kitchen one day.
Culinary schools teach everything from how to slice and mince ingredients to how to collaborate with other kitchen members.
Before and after enrolling in culinary school, all students should be aware of a few things. Here at Chef Sac, we are pleased to provide direction and information so you will know what you need as a culinary student.
These are essential for setting reasonable goals and achieving your ambition of being a true culinary expert.
Uniforms give an air of professionalism. It also tags you with a quick identification by your customers. To be a chef, you must look the part.
As a prospective chef, one of your major concerns should be food safety. This is one of the reasons why uniforms are designed for all kitchen staff. The colour code globally is usually white.
Uniforms include aprons, hair coverings, and beard snoods to prevent contamination of food with facial hair. Other uniform requirements also dictate that no chef or student should be caught wearing jewellery in the kitchen area. Other components of a uniform include the beanie, jacket, pants, and hats.
Highly recommended Chef Beanie Hat by Chef Sac
Wearing a formal uniform makes you look and feel your best. Besides food safety, uniforms are designed for your comfort. Due to the presence of several ovens and other forms of heating, industrial kitchens may get rather warm.
Standard uniforms should allow for ventilation to be comfortable in the kitchen. As a culinary student, if your uniform is uncomfortable, notify your teacher right away so that the issue may be addressed before it becomes a bigger problem.
In the kitchen, one of the most useful and necessary items is a high-quality side towel or dishcloth. From wiping your hands to grasping hot panhandles to covering salad greens to smashing ice cubes, its uses are endless. Avoid patterned towels so that it would be easy to spot stains on them.
Knives are the most important tool you need as a culinary student. All others come secondary. You cannot be a full-fledged chef without your knives. Your first knives can be compared to the pencil you used in first grade to master your alphabet. Treasure them. Every culinary student needs to get a basic knife set as a start. This set contains different knife lengths and shapes. Each with their use.
A basic set will contain a slicing knife, tourné knife, boning knife, serrated bread knife, paring knife, cake slicing knife, and a flexible fillet knife. When it comes to knives, it turns out that the sharper they are, the safer they are. This is because a blunt knife is more likely to slip, which leads to accidents.
You will almost certainly take your knife set with you everywhere you go. It is imperative to protect your knives by keeping them covered at all times. Invest in a good knife guard for your knife set.
You might wonder how to carry all this knife set about? This is why Chef Sac has designed quality knife bags for chefs and prospective ones. Not only does Chef Sac provide fashionable chef bags, but each bag also has dedicated slots to accommodate different lengths and sizes of knives.
Chef Sac's Innovative Chef Knife Bags - Many styles to choose from
Strong Velcro straps hold knives and tools in position so you do not have to worry about your knives rubbing against each other and falling out the bag. Just make use of Chef Sac's knife bags and knife rolls and you are good to go.
Even though the supplies you use in class might be given by your school, you will still need kitchen equipment at home for practice. A saucepan, a stockpot, and a saute pan are all essentials. Building a collection of pans and pots along the way is totally fine.
Chef Sac Recommends T-fal Ultimate 12 Piece Cookware
Let's not forget the shoes! Comfortable ones! You need them. As a student learning from a teacher, you have to be on your feet for long hours. Most chefs are by the way. Get some comfy shoes with rubber soles, like Crocs. They are the best.
Chef Sac Recommends Slip Resistant Bistro Clogs by Crocs
Chefs like rubber-soled shoes with non-slip soles since they are typically on their feet for long hours, working in a hazardous environment where spills occur regularly, so your shoes must be up to the task. This is one area in which you must not cut corners.
The culinary industry has a hierarchy that you must follow as a student. This system is called The Brigade System. This system varies and you must know the correct term to address every member of the hierarchical tree in the kitchen.
We have the Executive Chef, Sous Chef, Pastry Chef, Line cooks, etc. Some kitchen terminologies you need to get familiar with as a student include Mise, Fire, Heard, Behind, and Stage.
Blog Recommendation: Kitchen Slang 101: How to Talk Like a Real-Life Line Cook
Although there is a likelihood that you will do a lot more hands-on education than book learning, you'll still have to study certain materials. These books may have to be acquired via your school.
By the time you graduate, student materials are likely to be well-used, so take your time and effort to select the appropriate ones for you. The culinary world has many excellent books available to help you start, so we recommend that you read as much as you can.
Chef Sac Recommends Reading The Professional Chef by The Culinary Institute of America
It takes a little more than a cookbook to become a chef. To place up a menu, the appearance of the food on the plate, and how it tastes to the consumers are important. You have to bring out your creative spirit. Note that customers frequently come to a restaurant because of the chef's innovative reputation, so don't be scared to try new things!
Although this is a trait that can be found in any field, it is certainly relevant in the culinary industry. You must devote time to your craft, study it, and appreciate it. As a chef, you must master a variety of repeated actions and abilities, ranging from knife skills to taste profiles to culinary procedures that you will employ regularly. Commitment and perseverance are required to establish a solid culinary foundation.
This quality stems from a proven ability to work and will contribute to developing the culinary vocabulary you need to succeed. The culinary school allows you to learn from your errors and grasp the key differences between your present status and your future ambition.
Working in a kitchen can be both mentally and physically taxing, so be prepared to put in long hours. Showing that you are ready to do the menial tasks, like washing dishes or clearing the trash, will demonstrate your dedication to this industry and your willingness to work hard to reach your goals. Cooking is not as complicated as science, so do not let your fear of things going wrong deter you.
As a student, you may make a mistake and yet come up with something useful. There is no perfect technique to prepare all meals as everyone's tastes vary. You are good to go as long as you equip yourself with the necessary tools and expertise.
Start by joining the Chef Sac Culinary Maverick Movement today.
"What a nice bag. This bag is perfect for my everyday needs. As a culinary student, I’m in love with this chef bag. It is spacious and I can fit all my equipment plus a computer and a notebook." - Isaac Sanchez
"Have had this for over a month and it is amazing. This is everything I want both as a knife bag and backpack. You can be so organized and carry all of your belongings also. Highly recommend" - Miller
1 comment
You talked about shirt, shoes and equipment a chef should have. So the question is….What kind of pants should you wear? What kid of head wear should you have?