Thread: Culinary School

Originally Posted by gratewhitehuntr

congrats

you'll probably be able to pay for it honing other students knives

what will you be taking first? French?

pastry ...... mmmmm.........

Actually we start by learning the proper way to clean and keep a decent kitchen.

Originally Posted by Doc

Actually we start by learning the proper way to clean and keep a decent kitchen.

Very important. My wife used to work for a lab that performed microbiology testing on food and beverages for the health inspection...

We are scarred for life. Sometimes, ignorance really is bliss.
We are paranoid to the point that when we eat over with people we don't know that well, we always pay attention to how they prepare food, and on that we base our decision on what we eat or even we eat there at all. One time we both filled up on side dishes (salad, bread, etc) because the main dish contained undercooked chicken.

Back to the topic: when it comes to cleanliness in the kitchen, I've seen people cut veggies on the same plate or with the same knife they used for raw meat. I've seen people put raw chicken on a bbq and then immediately use the same fork for putting a burger on my plate. I've seen people put properly baked hamburgers on a plate that still contained raw meat juices.

And you'd think that butchers know this and take care to instruct their personnel. But the number of times I've seen people grab raw chicken and then handle sausages and other meat.... One time one of the assistants at a butchers shop picked up raw chicken with a meat fork, and then used the same fork to skewer a grilled meatball which she wanted to give to my kid with the words 'would you like a little meatball'? To which I said no and explained why. I almost felt like asking 'would you like me to ram that fork through your eye and into your brain', but decided against it because she might not have understood I was being satirical about offering someone salmonella poisoning.

:

hm.... well as I said. scarred for life. And don't get me started on pistache nuts...

Originally Posted by Bruno

Very important. My wife used to work for a lab that performed microbiology testing on food and beverages for the health inspection...

We are scarred for life. Sometimes, ignorance really is bliss.
We are paranoid to the point that when we eat over with people we don't know that well, we always pay attention to how they prepare food, and on that we base our decision on what we eat or even we eat there at all. One time we both filled up on side dishes (salad, bread, etc) because the main dish contained undercooked chicken.

Back to the topic: when it comes to cleanliness in the kitchen, I've seen people cut veggies on the same plate or with the same knife they used for raw meat. I've seen people put raw chicken on a bbq and then immediately use the same fork for putting a burger on my plate. I've seen people put properly baked hamburgers on a plate that still contained raw meat juices.

And you'd think that butchers know this and take care to instruct their personnel. But the number of times I've seen people grab raw chicken and then handle sausages and other meat.... One time one of the assistants at a butchers shop picked up raw chicken with a meat fork, and then used the same fork to skewer a grilled meatball which she wanted to give to my kid with the words 'would you like a little meatball'? To which I said no and explained why. I almost felt like asking 'would you like me to ram that fork through your eye and into your brain', but decided against it because she might not have understood I was being satirical about offering someone salmonella poisoning.

:

hm.... well as I said. scarred for life. And don't get me started on pistache nuts...

Oh man...don't ever come to Japan. HA! Raw ground goat topped with a raw egg...chicken just slightly cooked on the outside, liver sashimi...it can be downright gruesome sometimes.

The fresher it is, the better, and that means if it doesn't out and out kill you to eat something raw, it will be eaten raw.

Originally Posted by JimR

Oh man...don't ever come to Japan. HA! Raw ground goat topped with a raw egg...chicken just slightly cooked on the outside, liver sashimi...it can be downright gruesome sometimes.

The fresher it is, the better, and that means if it doesn't out and out kill you to eat something raw, it will be eaten raw.

I don't like sushi at all, because of the tase and texture. I understand that if it is made from fresh stuff, it is ok to eat. I get that. But that is a whole different ballgame from raw meat from a butcher shop where it is several days old by the time you touch it. And given that > 30% of all chicken is tainted with salmonella...

Eggs are ok if they are not cracked. Salmonella is always on the outside. We don't mind eating raw egg (like in tiramisu) but we always wash the eggs first before we use them, and inspect them for cracks that could have contaminated the egg.

I really like Japanese food a lot btw, as long as it is cooked or fried.

I have wanted to attend Culinary School for some time. I went to the head Instructor at one in this area and was told that since I have to use a cane, I would be "Run over" in the School. I doubt that, I am a large framed six footer, but I surmised that she had no interest in me as a Student.
I guess I'm stuck cooking in my own Kitchen.

Regards,

Jeeter

I am an 8 year veteran of the kitchen or should I say hell.

My personal favorite places in the kitchen are the bakery, garde mange and desserts.

I can make good bread, I can make a mean salad, I can make charcuterie, and I can make a tiramisu that makes the Executive Chef of the company want more.

Forget steaks, and hot side. Give me the others any day.

Back to school.

Equipment.

GET GOOD KNIVES ( I know that you know this I just have to point it out).
Use blade guards from Messermeister or "blade vaults"
Carry everything in a bag that you can wipe down easily. Canvas is bad, pleather is better.
Get a long 10" or better steel.
Here are the only knives you will need despite what the school says.

Japanese Vegetable knife with square end. This will do veggies, fruit, soft meats like fish and some chicken, Herbs even the woody ones, and it even makes a good pizza cutter.


The 10" Chef's knife. It will do everything else even skin salmon, fab down rib rolls and act as a slicer for those Easter Roast Beef buffets.


The Paring Knife. This is a must have. You cannot live in a kitchen without one.


This is all I needed and they did everything that I asked of them and more. You will also need a serrated bread knife. That will do tomatoes and other soft squishy things.

Global's are the only knives that can be re-Koshered if you ever have that need as I did once.

Good luck.

Originally Posted by singlewedge

I This is all I needed and they did everything that I asked of them and more. You will also need a serrated bread knife. That will do tomatoes and other soft squishy things.

My chef knives (1 thin Japanese slicer, and 1 santoku, both 6" blade) will slice tomatoes and other squishy things just fine without deforming or squishing whatever it is they are slicing.

Congrats! Ive also love cooking! Since young age that i do it! I've a deal with my wife...I cook she cleans Thats what i like the most in travelling..taste different food! But everytime i come back to Portugal..i say that we continue to have one of the best "cooking" cultures of the world..such a small country but you can find so many different things that i think who visit gets impressed!..not speaking of the wines

I can't do bread, or anything resembling it.
I DO, however, do some mean hot entrees (like steaks, fajitas, casseroles, soups and chili.) I do breakfast pretty well too.
I won't be starving anytime soon.
I suppose a man uses what he knows. I use an 8 inch Santuko, a six inch Chef Knife, a small Parer and a light Cleaver. The Cleaver is most often used like a knife instead of a chopper/whacker. If I feel I need a bit more weight than the other knives offer, I use the Cleaver and let the weight of the blade do the work.
As soon as I use one of my knives, it is washed! It is then dried and given a few strokes on the Steel. Most of them are over ten years old and show little wear.

Jeeter

Doc,
If you make anything, I mean anything, half as good as you make that barbecue, you will be set for life. Best of luck to you brother!

-Rob