I am sure that with the rise of celeb chefs and tv shows, everyone is going to say, I WANT TO BE A CHEF! Well, THINK FUCKING CAREFULLY. Being a chef is no easy shit, you can easily work for 8-12 hours in the kitchen. Do you enjoy getting stuck in a hot, noisy, environment, where you never get to see sunlight, get fucked over by your head chef, screw up a person's order, cut/burn your hand, constantly try to cook your steaks, cook your steaks at different doneness, never get to rest, sweat like a pig? Well if yes, great! But if that is too much for you, don't be a chef. Hell, even right now, I'm in quite some shit, I'm shit at cooking, and I get fucked by my chef quite a couple of times. You don't start from the position of head chef, but commis cook, doing the dirty work, preparing food, and all the simple task. Just because your friends said 'woah, you're food taste good' at parties doesn't mean you can be one.
You need to be able to cope with shitheads as well, and work with them. Not a easy task, but if you put your feelings with work, you won't last long. And if you are one of those who thinks that 'oh hey I should go open a restaurant', think again. Restaurants close down much easier than you think, and if you're all 'Oh hey I love french food I'm going to act all classy and make a restaurant, good luck'
If you're really interested, I suggest you go pick up Anthony Bourdain's Kitchen Confidential. Good book on a chef's life. Alternatively, here's a video:
[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cfo67imiBaY[/media]
[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v74yIYMZ-uA&feature=relmfu[/media]
I'm rather shit at cooking honestly, but I like the industry. But you'll never know, even I might break down.
do you have anything more to add to this? such as your experiences so far, maybe with a particular dish that you've struggled with, something you've really enjoyed cooking, times when you've had a really good/bad day? how about some photos too (we may have seen them in PyF, but collate them here so we can see them as a whole), and just tell us a bit more about what you're learning.
as it stands, a paragraph telling people that they're going to be sweaty, shouted at and will burn/cut themselves isn't saying a great deal about what you've "learnt" so far. i'm sure people will be interested to hear about it if you get some more content in here.
Woah! Hang on Autumn, I wasn't done yet! I was going to make longer section before you posted.
Now, the experiences I had were amazing, some good, some bad, but regardless those are all useful. Currently in my third term, having school attachment. Its a bistro, its rather shitty. I work from morning to noon, starting at 7:45am to 3pm. We get about customers ranging from 15 or less to about 40. More often about 15 people. So far, I have 13 weeks, and already in my second week. I've done the Cold kitchen/Salad station and the Staff meal section. The Cold kitchen is placed right in front of customers view, and you do all your salads and sandwiches in front of em, so its quite interesting, although it can be busy when there's like 20+ customers. Oh! We also do a lunch buffet, mainly consist of stuff like mushroom bruschetta, potato salad, pasta salad, mixed green, etc. the usual crap. But when everyone is going for the lunch buffet its rather annoying because we have to keep topping up the salads and buffet crap. Its rather good because we get to come up with our own ideas on salads and the lunch buffet. But its not worth it for the customers going there. I mean, OUR FOOD IS CRAP. Sure, it looks not bad from the outside, but god, the food we cook is rubbish. Then again, everyone is lazy as fuck. We added too much salt to mashed potatoes, we serve expired/almost expired food, and fuck, the food is expensive. If you order a Lamb Stew with Pilaf Rice, its fucking 22 dollars. The cold kitchen isn't any better, our food is rather boring, stuff potatoes, pasta salad, cajun chicken salad.....
But most of the people eating there are office workers, since we happened to operate in the Central Business District area. And at night, we get 10 or less customers, from what I've heard from my classmates. So, I have no idea how the hell the school even earns money from this restaurant. Well, we are not paid to work here, but still, with the rent, food cost, I'm not sure how long it'll last.
The staff meals section were rather boring, we come up with ideas to cook for the kitchen, pastry and service staff and that's about it, then we prepare for tomorrow's staff meal. So its kinda boring. I've yet to go to the griller station. Its busy on that station most of the time so I'm quite scared of fucking up.
The chefs all seem not really bothered by what we do, so we go about doing our own shit. Its quite relaxing compared to working in a real kitchen.
That's the experience for this term. As for my previous term, I had lessons in school. Let's see, what I've learned:
Basic stocks, including vegetable stock, chicken and fish stock
Soups, Carrot Puree, mushroom soups, consommé,
Sauces, Mayonnaise (the real 'yellow' one not that process shitty white mayo), beurre blanc(Basically butter sauce. Hard to master cause it can break), Hollandaise sauce (Also hard to master, same reason) White wine cream sauce (basically, you fry chopped onions, add wine, deglaze, add stock, add cream, add butter, season) and brown sauce.
Meat, so far only try out on sea bass, whole chicken, sutchi fish(its like dory, but cheaper). Learned to carve/bone a whole chicken, and fillet a sea bass. I suck at filleting the sea bass, wasted shitloads of meat on the fish. Also learned to roulade a chicken and use all the cooking methods on the meat we have.
Vegetables, Asparagus, carrots, zucchinis. We basically just blanched them then sorta sauteed them lightly in butter and season. Nothing interesting.
Starch, was rather fun. Learned to make our own pasta, ravioli, cous cous, pilaf rice, mashed potatoes, boiled potatoes and etc. Favourite part was the pasta.
As for the other lessons beside just cooking, we learned how to organise a kitchen, ranks in a kitchen (Sous chef, Chef de Partie etc.), ingredients (where they came from etc.) and shitloads of lessons on how to communicate with people, what to do in a interview.
After my this term, which is 3.5 months, I'll have a short break, then going back to school to learn pastry and asian cooking. Then internship after that. But it'll be great, because I get to choose my hotel to work at. It'll last 1.5 years and till I graduate in October next year. Its a private school, so its rather expensive. Cost 8K but I think its worth it. Gonna pay back my parents hopefully asap. Time really flies.
Well I can post more, if you're interested. I'm thinking of writing more as I gain more experience. Hopefully a book. Wait, fuck that, I'm thinking too far.
Here's me in my jacket. I look like crap.
[img]http://sphotos-a.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/p206x206/537492_10150803865296622_862639346_n.jpg[/img]
Welcome to the industry! Was an enjoyable read, took particular note on the communication lessons.
God knows swedish culinary schools could use thoose.
What's a really fucking expensive food you always wanted to cook but never could?
Foie Gras.
Lobster.
Fuck, all my school teaches was Sea Bass and roast chicken.
Hehe, Not to brag but, you school sounds awful. I'm going to the program in my local Community college yet its claimed as one of, if not the best culinary program in the south east. Several times the hot food team beat J&W. The chefs here are amazing.
I'm already past my Internship, and in international cuisine as the core class. They're really pushing for Capstone exam now, fun stuff. Four hors d'oevres (2 hot, 2 cold), Consomme, App, Fish, Intermezzo, Meat, Salad, desert, wine pairing. Served to the public, and two judges. I worked with the second years when I was in my freshmen year and they produced some amazing food.
Now I'm in my second year and I get to boss around the 1st years, I guess the rough equal to you.
[QUOTE=Ignhelper;38018802]Foie Gras.
Lobster.
Fuck, all my school teaches was Sea Bass and roast chicken.[/QUOTE]
Generally you need to sear Fois Gras over extremely high heat, as its 90% so, so it would melt to nothing at lower temps.
For lobster you can steam it like normal or poach it. Poaching it in Butter (not broken) and white wine makes it amazing.
[QUOTE=Ignhelper;38018802]Foie Gras.[/QUOTE]
I wish I could cook Foie Gras. That shit is amazing!
Then California outlawed it and I was sad, then momentarily ashamed that I was sad over the fact that it is banned because the process to get it involves gooses being stuffed with grain until they had psoriasis, and then I realized I didn't give much of a shit because geese are the meanest birds on the face of the planet.
[QUOTE=Wingedwizard;38052656]Hehe, Not to brag but, you school sounds awful. I'm going to the program in my local Community college yet its claimed as one of, if not the best culinary program in the south east. Several times the hot food team beat J&W. The chefs here are amazing.
I'm already past my Internship, and in international cuisine as the core class. They're really pushing for Capstone exam now, fun stuff. Four hors d'oevres (2 hot, 2 cold), Consomme, App, Fish, Intermezzo, Meat, Salad, desert, wine pairing. Served to the public, and two judges. I worked with the second years when I was in my freshmen year and they produced some amazing food.
Now I'm in my second year and I get to boss around the 1st years, I guess the rough equal to you.
Generally you need to sear Fois Gras over extremely high heat, as its 90% so, so it would melt to nothing at lower temps.
For lobster you can steam it like normal or poach it. Poaching it in Butter (not broken) and white wine makes it amazing.[/QUOTE]
So was your intern tough?
I'll be going to hotels of my choice. Got shit loads of hotel. Thinking of Ritz-Carlton as first choice.
Its going to be only 6 months. But I've heard on average 1/3 of the class quits during their intern.
[QUOTE=doomkiwi;38052916]I wish I could cook Foie Gras. That shit is amazing!
Then California outlawed it and I was sad, then momentarily ashamed that I was sad over the fact that it is banned because the process to get it involves gooses being stuffed with grain until they had psoriasis, and then I realized I didn't give much of a shit because geese are the meanest birds on the face of the planet.[/QUOTE]
The restaurant I work at served it until the very end.
[QUOTE=Ignhelper;38055484]So was your intern tough?
I'll be going to hotels of my choice. Got shit loads of hotel. Thinking of Ritz-Carlton as first choice.
Its going to be only 6 months. But I've heard on average 1/3 of the class quits during their intern.[/QUOTE]
Why hotel? Why not a nice restaurant...
Also I did my Internship unpaid ~40h a week. Ive secured a job p. much and it was fun, really.
[QUOTE=Wingedwizard;38056323]Why hotel? Why not a nice restaurant...
Also I did my Internship unpaid ~40h a week. Ive secured a job p. much and it was fun, really.[/QUOTE]
Hotels are the ones that build up your resume.
[editline]23rd October 2012[/editline]
This video series is pretty good for teaching you the basics of cooking. But its fucking expensive, don't bother buying it unless you really want to learn shit. Alternatively, pick up books or something instead.
[url]http://www.youtube.com/user/rouxbe[/url]
[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_29Os6bcZYI&feature=plcp[/media]
[editline]23rd October 2012[/editline]
BTW wingedwizard what school did you went?
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