Cooking Methods - Braising
June 30, 2007
Braising is a cooking method that utilizes heat and moisture to break down the tough connective tissues of meats. If you have a rather tough piece of meat that you would like to cook to tender perfection, then braising is an ideal cooking technique.
First the meat or poultry is usually browned to achieve a nice texture. Vegetables are sometimes added along with the meat to add another level of flavor. The liquid used is usually acidic in nature which helps to tenderize the meat. The mixture is cooked over a fairly low flame for some time until the desired level of tenderness is achieved.
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Cooking School Can Be An Adventure - By Craig Chambers
June 28, 2007
By Craig Chambers
When it comes to cooking school and a career in cooking, you are developing a lifestyle and life path. Remember the US Navy slogan “it’s more than a job, it’s an adventure? Well that is true for you too. As you set, your course to be the best you can in cooking you are also embarking on one of the greatest adventures of your life. Not only will you learn the skills and techniques you need in cooking school but also you will develop life long friends and valuable resources. The love of cooking is a great starting line but it will not be enough by itself.
Training is important and cooking school can refine your love of cooking into a skill that will possibly earn you a lot of money as well as respect and appreciation for your knowledge and ability. The knowing “how to” aspect of cooking is what separates the good from the best and will allow you to achieve excellence on higher levels. You already have the desire; you just need the “how to”.
My Brother in Law is from England and loves to cook crepes. He is actually very passionate about it and loves to cook them at family gatherings. However, it is also the only thing he knows how to prepare. Although you might consider him an expert on crepes, his knowledge base and practical cooking experience doesn’t extend much further. This is exactly why you should go ahead and take the challenge of going to cooking school like you have been considering. You will be the better for it and your family and friends or customers will reap the benefits along with you. Boy I wish my Brother in law had gone to cooking school so we could have something at reunions besides crepes even though he makes awesome crepes.
Cooking schools give you the basics that you need to survive in commercial kitchens as well as practical knowledge about hoe to run your own home kitchen. You learn things like nutrition that is so important today with people exercising and being calorie conscience. As you know, cooking schools have their students after graduation being hired by major hotels, resorts and health spas. One of the most important aspects of that job is to be able to put together tasty but nutritious meals that will please the clientele looking for health and long life.
As you prepare for your future cooking school will also give you the foundation of food storage and safe food handling practices that will set the foundation for you to build on. You will also learn and become an expert on all of those fabulous herbs and spices. Knowing when you can substitute dried herbs for fresh ones and how to properly store fresh herbs to keep their flavor will put your sauces and marinades on everyone’s favorites list.
Without a cooking school to guide us, how would we learn about high and low heat techniques, thickeners, pan searing, quick pan frying or cooking at high altitudes? It is the cooking techniques that you need to learn and that you can gain from cooking school. You will also come away with an arsenal of tools, knives, kitchen equipment and neat gadgets to make cooking easier and better.
If you want more than just a job in a kitchen then don’t settle for less. Invest yourself in the things you love and get the training and skills to take your love of cooking to its next level. Set a life path and make it an adventure, be your best and let your talent shine. Reach for your dreams and investigate cooking school.
Craig Chambers is a cooking enthusiast who understands the benefits of cooking school and offers an extensive free cooking guide, recipes and resources on his website http://www.cookingyourbest.com
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Chinese Cooking Methods: Providing Delicious Variety To Your Everyday Meal - By Juzaily Ramli
June 28, 2007
By Juzaily Ramli
Nowadays, food lovers are spoilt for choice when it comes to cooking skills and techniques, as well as cooking methods and style. These new advances provide an outlet for even more types of cuisine to be explored and shared with food lovers around the world.
With the latest methods available, cooks and chefs can discover the most perfect blend of aromas, essences, colors and food qualities especially with Chinese cooking. Even though most of the basic ingredients in Chinese cooking do not differ much, it is the style and preparation technique of foods that differ and thus make cooking all the more enjoyable.
The most common methods and styles of preparing food in the Chinese style are boiling, braising, stewing, frying, sauteing, smoking, simmering, and steaming.
Frying is a key method in Chinese cooking and plays a major role in many recipes. That is why there are even more types of frying in Chinese cooking. The quick-fry, deep fry and slippery-fry are the three common types of frying utilized in Chinese cooking.
With many methods of frying, it all boils down to the type of food that you are dealing with, as different food calls for a different method to acquire the desired results. For example, frying is the best choice if you want flavorful and juicy meat, and if you prefer your vegetables crispy. In Chinese cooking, speed also comes into play, as one of the most common method is the stir-fry where as the name suggests, all the ingredients are swiftly stirred and then fried.
Another popular method in Chinese cooking is sauteing or also known as shallow cooking. The good thing about sauteing is that it uses less oil than frying or deep frying. It also requires a lower temperature than stir-frying. How is food sauteed? Food is sauteed by slowly browning food in a little oil. It could be done on one side or on both sides. Sauteing results in softer food on the inside and crispier on the outside. Generally, sauteing would be followed by sauce making.
Other Chinese cooking methods include boiling, braising, simmering and stewing.
Parboiling is also an option. In parboiling, food ingredients are chopped, washed and put into a pot where they can float. They are then cooked over a high heat. However, it is good to remember that parboiling slowly and for long periods of time can destroy the nutritional value of the food, not to mention the flavor. So, instead of prolonged parboiling, opt for cooking on a slow simmering heat as this can help in maintaining the nutritional value of your food.
In Chinese cooking, smoking and cold mixing is also popular. These two methods involved precooked food ingredients instead of raw food. Cold mixing uses parboiled or scalded ingredients which are then mixed into salads and chilled before being served. Roasting on the other hand lets the raw ingredients marinate before being barbecued over direct heat.
And finally, another Chinese cooking method is poaching, where ingredients are cooked in liquid a little below the boiling point. This style of Chinese cooking is highly recommended especially when cooking delicate fish where you want the fish to be cooked just till the meat is tender.
These methods are just some of the more common styles of Chinese cooking. Incorporate them into your routine and you might find that they make your food more appetizing and delicious.
Learn how to cook mouth watering dishes from all over the world with Juzaily Ramli and his wife at
http://www.cookingtipsdaily.com and discover how you too can master Chinese cooking in no time flat even if you’re not Chinese at
http://www.cookingtipsdaily.com/chinese
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Learn to Cook Ethnic Food at a Cooking School - By Andy West
June 22, 2007
By Andy West
One of the most exciting things you can learn at a cooking school is how to cook ethnic food. Ethnic food is a delicious treat, a break from the usual fare, and most people have at least one or two favorite ethnic cuisines. Unfortunately, ethnic restaurants can be expensive, especially if you would like to enjoy your favorite ethnic food more frequently.
The solution is, of course, to learn how to make your own ethnic food. Buying an ethnic cookbook and diving right in is overwhelming for most people, however: Cookbooks do not always do a very good job of explaining how to prepare a dish, as well as what goes into it. A better approach is to take classes at a cooking school. You will learn to not only prepare your favorite ethnic food, but also all of the little tricks of the trade that will make it look and taste more authentic.
Here is a sampling of ethnic foods that you can learn to make at your local cooking school:
Italian Cuisine
Italian food is an American favorite; almost every home you walk into will show its influence. Hardly any American pantry is without at least one box of pasta, and pizza and spaghetti are the favorite dinners of many picky children. There is a lot more to Italian food than pepperoni pizza and spaghetti, however. Your local cooking school can teach you how to make a variety of Italian pasta dishes, delicious sauces, and unique types of pizza.
Asian Cuisine
Not very long ago, Chinese restaurants were the only type of Asian food you could commonly find in America. In recent years, however, Asian cuisine has become more popular; Asian restaurants now offer sushi and other Japanese fare, Thai cuisine, and Vietnamese food, as well as the traditional Chinese. With popularity, though, has come an increased price. Fortunately, Asian food is not difficult to make, and can be learned by taking classes at a good cooking school.
Mexican Cuisine
Mexican food has also become popular in America, and the number of Mexican restaurants is increasing exponentially. Like Asian food, though, it is important to remember that these dishes are things that some people make in their own home on a daily basis. Cooking classes can teach you the techniques you need in order to make authentic tacos, burritos, enchiladas, and other traditional Mexican dishes.
Cajun Cuisine
Cajun food is like virtually no other ethnic cuisine. A traditional Louisiana cuisine, Cajun blends a variety of interesting tastes and savory spices, creating unique dishes such as gumbo and delicious desserts such as bananas foster. Surprise your family and delight your guests by learning to make this distinctive ethnic food at home!
Mediterranean Cuisine
Mediterranean cuisine includes food from Italy, Greece, and the Middle East. The special combination of tastes makes these dishes unique, but they are surprisingly easy to make at home. To learn how, sign up for classes at a high quality cooking school.
Indian Cuisine
Indian food has been gaining in popularity in recent years. Unique blends of spices make Indian cuisine aromatic and flavorful. There are several different regional varieties of Indian cuisine, including Madras (South Indian) style, North Indian style, and Tappas (Street Food) style. Classes at a cooking school will teach you how to find and combine the ingredients to create these distinctive dishes.
These are just a few of the exciting types of cuisine a cooking school can teach you to prepare. Ethnic food makes an exciting change from the typical fare, but it can also be fun to learn how to prepare these unique dishes. Whether you want to improve your marketability as a career chef or just learn to cook something new for yourself and your family, a cooking school can introduce you to many interesting ethnic cuisines.
Andy West is a freelance writer for The Culinary Institute of Virginia College. Culinard offers two outstanding culinary programs. For more information on Alabama cooking schools, please visit http://www.culinard.com .
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Entering a Culinary Arts School - By Josh Stone
June 21, 2007
By Josh Stone
Your kitchen career starts here.
They say cooking is the first art. Before mankind learned to speak, draw, or write, he learned to prepare a meal. And this art is passed down to your generation, in the form of a wide and diverse field of culinary specialties to choose from. A cooking career is limitless; it can take you anywhere, and you can explore it all of your life and never find the end of it.
Applying with a culinary arts program is basically no different than applying to any other program or course at a college or a university. As a standard practice, there is a process that you need to follow and you may need to meet with a career counselor in the department to see which program is right for you, as there are plenty of options available.
Considerations with regards to the school’s reputation, location, tuition, and financial aid programs available are essential in choosing what is best for you. You will be pleased to know that as a general rule, culinary arts courses go for a more reasonable fee than what you would expect for, say, a computer scientist. But the more elite schools tend to be pricey, too. Particularly if they can boast a celebrity chef on Food Network as one of their alumni.
Some small starting places are researching online via their website, or simply request their catalog by mail. These programs will range from general cooking and food safety to highly specialized positions like for pastry chefs.
Many who attend culinary arts college are aiming to become professional chefs or work in the food industry in some capacity, but don’t be surprised to find several students also attend culinary arts colleges to improve their own home cooking. The “cooking renaissance” has produced a growing population of culinary arts colleges and cooking schools in the country, and plenty of interest amongst the population in attending them.
Many varieties of people and companies, even from local restaurants and supermarkets, are setting up cooking classes so that anyone can improve their kitchen crafts. For the aspiring career chef, culinary arts colleges offer the greatest opportunity to landing a great career. Some go for prestige, such as a cruise ship chef or banquet chef to the celebrities, while others are happier with a small, secure position in an institution or restaurant.
Due to this increased popularity, there are now over five hundred programs in the United States that offer top educational courses in the field of culinary arts. Colleges, universities, and private programs all offer these courses.
There will be several things to consider when choosing a culinary arts college. You should consider what avenue you want your career to follow after you have taken the course, such as restaurant managerial work or owning your own private catering company. After deciding on this, you can easily narrow your search down for the right program quite dramatically, since there are many courses set off for those specific fields.
You will need to determine what is important in a college for you. Lengths of the program may be a consideration, and also what qualifications you will need in order to be accepted. Course fees need to be heavily considered, and if you are on a tight budget you will need to find out about student or college financing as well.
This is also a good time to ask yourself if you have the right kind of skills to stick with a culinary career in the long term. A chef will need many attributes to make it. You will need physical stamina, because this is a very demanding job with the need to move fast when the time counts. Cleanliness is one of those things that goes without saying, but only the fastidiously neat need apply. The demanding maneuvers of prepping food require good fine motor dexterity.
Because the repetitiousness of much of the chef career may lead to burn-out, you need to have real enthusiasm for it. In a contrast, you need a strong tendency towards creativity, while also being conformist enough that you have the ability to follow rules and standards of the industry. Last, and this is something that’s often overlooked, but math skills are also important in this job. We can’t have you standing over a stove with a calculator converting milliliters to teaspoonfuls, now, can we?
Freelance writer for over eleven years.
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