Become a Chef - Learn How To Cook at Home

If you want to become a Chef and start a rewarding career in the culinary arts then the most important thing you can do for yourself is to start cooking. Don’t wait until you land your first job before you start cooking. Of course, getting a job is an important factor in the development of any Chef, but you really need to start developing your skills if you want to make it in this industry.

Learning to cook at home means actual cooking and not making mac and cheese or throwing frozen pizza in the oven. You really need to get your hands dirty and start cooking things from scratch.

LEARN HOW TO SHOP

If you have the luxury of a local farmers market near you then make certain you go there regularly and check out the produce. Many times they will offer more variety than a supermarket. Not only that, but most of the produce offered at local farmers markets are grown on site, which means they are fresh, which is not always the case at a supermarket. When you visit your local market on a regular basis you will begin to learn more about the food and what’s in season. While you visit the market be sure to get friendly with the owner and workers there. Ask questions and let them know more about you and your desire to learn to cook and become a Chef. More often then not, they will be happy to talk to you about the produce and other products they sell.

Next, visit your local butcher. These guys really know their meats. It is more personal than a supermarket and they are usually very happy to talk to their customers and share tips like what the best cuts of meat are, how to season and cook them, etc.

Visit your local fishmonger as well. These guys really know their fish. Do the same as you did at the butcher shop and ask questions, get friendly. They should also be very happy to share their knowledge with you.

YOUR EQUIPMENT

If you are going to learn how to cook at home, you are going to need the right cooking equipment. Now don’t be mislead into believing that you need the top of the line everything and every gadget under the sun, in order to be a Chef. This is simply not the case, but you still need to invest some money into buying equipment.

For your cookware, get yourself a basic set including a fry pan, a sauce pan, a saute pan and a stock pot. You may also want something for grilling. A cast iron grill works quite nicely. The next thing you will want is a good set of knives. I wouldn’t go cheap in this department. Knives are a Chef’s best friend, so invest in a good set. If you buy a cheap set of knives, they will go dull very quickly and a dull knife can be dangerous. Two good brands of knives to look into are Cutco and J.A. Henckels. To be honest, I have not tried any other brands because I never had the need to. My J.A. Henckel knives are wonderful. I have had the same set for over 5 years now and they still perform wonderfully.

There are other things you will need like a colander for straining, a grater of some sort for cheese and zesting of fruits and tools for stirring, mixing and serving. There will certainly be other items you will need along the way. You will learn more about your cooking equipment and needs the more you spend time in the kitchen.

EXPERIMENT

Are you a picky eater? Not into certain types of foods? Are there certain foods that make you squeamish, that you would never consider putting in your mouth? Well if this is you then you will need to develop different taste buds if you want to be a successful Chef. Here in America, there are items that most Americans would rarely, if ever, consider ordering at a restaurant. Items like heart, kidneys, tongue and tripe to name a few. In other countries, these items are quite popular. So in order to understand how to cook with these items, you have to be willing to at least try them.

LEARNING RESOURCES

There are a ton of learning resources available to today’s Chef. Everything from books to videos are within everyone’s reach. Start out with a few good books on French Cuisine. French Cuisine is a good place to start because of its influence on other cuisines. Do not simply skim through these books until you find a recipe that interests you. You should read these books from start to finish, including the introduction, appendix and glossary. These parts of cook books, normally ignored by many home cooks, contain gems of information like tips and techniques, history and more. Once you have gone through French Cuisine, then move onto another popular cuisine like Italian. Try out as many different recipes as you can. This will give you a well rounded and rewarding learning experience.

COOK FOR FAMILY & FRIENDS

Once you have been cooking for a while, you will eventually want to cook for people right? It can get kind of lonely eating by yourself. Besides, cooking for friends and family is great practice and an excellent way to get feedback. Here is what you do. Find a few of your friends or family and let them know you would like to have a dinner party (try to scrounge up 10 bucks a head to help pay for the ingredients). Tell them it is your first time cooking for a group of people and that you would like their honest feedback.

Come up with your own menu of dishes that you would like to prepare, just like a restaurant. Start with an appetizer, a main course and dessert and then print it out for your guests. Don’t go too crazy with the menu items, remember you are a beginner. Find one or two people to assist you with taking orders and helping out in the kitchen. Try to make this as close as possible to a real restaurant environment.

When your guests arrive and you take their orders, give yourself a time limit. Try to get the appetizers out within 20 minutes, then the dinner and desserts out in a timely manner. This kind of cooking under pressure with time limits, is exactly what you will experience in a real restaurant kitchen. When everything is over, make sure you sit with your guests and get their HONEST opinion on everything. You need to know what you did wrong and what you did right. Then work out any mistakes you may have made and try it again in a month or two.

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I Love Apalachicola Bay Shrimp - By Bob Alexander

By Bob Alexander

Most of the shrimp we eat speak a foreign language. Like most folks, I’d never really given a lot of thought to where the shrimp I eat come from. During my last trip to my favorite fishing grounds, Apalachicola Bay and St. George Island, Florida, I learned quite a lot about shrimp! Before this I was just happy to be able to eat all the shrimp I wanted and not care where they had spent the night before!

My family and I were preparing a huge pot of shrimp that we’d bought from the back of a pickup truck on the side of the road; next to the long bridge from St. George Island to East Point on the mainland. We were using a couple of recipes that we had just gotten from the fellow who had sold us our shrimp.

Our fish salesman’s name was Ernest, the captain of his own shrimp boat, the “Mary Nelle”. He’d lived in East Point, Florida for most of his life; shrimping for the last 12 years. He sells most of what he catches to local seafood distributors and picks up extra spending money selling fresh shrimp out of his pick-up truck. He is also a fountain of knowledge about the shrimping industry, most of which is not good if you’re an American shrimp fishermen!

Bragging on his product, I mentioned that the last time I was on the island the shrimp I bought from him then was delicious. He replied by saying that the shrimp that lived in the waters off Apalachicola and St. George Island were the best tasting you could buy anywhere. Probably Texas and Louisiana shrimp fishermen would contradict that claim.

He then told me that 85 % of all shrimp consumed in American came from foreign countries such as China, Taiwan and Viet Nam. By some estimates it’s more like 90 %.

don’t know about you, but I want my shrimp tasting like the last time I dipped into the Gulf of Mexico! I now know that some of the shrimp I’ve eaten in the past that tasted like boiled shoe laces were actually foreign shrimp. Besides that, about half of that is farmed raised, never having to fight for its existence in the ocean surrounded by ferocious predators. I think that’s what gives the shrimp its unique taste; fear! You don’t get that same taste with farm raised shrimp.

The reason for this huge importation of shrimp of course is money. Nations all over the world supply us with shrimp, most at a lower cost than our own domestic fishermen can provide. Fishermen here in the United States though, haven’t taken this matter lightly. With slogans such as “Wild American Shrimp!” and “Do You Know Where Your Shrimp Is From?” are educating consumers in America to what good tasting shrimp is all about!

Ernest, the shrimper, admitted that even after all the years on the water, he stills loves the taste of shrimp. He was delighted to give us a couple of his recipes for shrimp. Here’s how a real shrimper likes his shrimp!

ERNEST’S SHRIMP SCAMPI:

Half pound butter
2 pounds large shrimp, peeled and deveined
5 mediums cloves garlic, crushed and minced
4 tablespoons chopped parsley
3 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons Tabasco sauce

PREPARATION:

In a large skillet, heat butter over medium heat until butter stops foaming, usually 30 to 40 seconds. Add the shrimp, garlic, Tabasco sauce, lemon juice and parsley. Cook until shrimp are just turning pink, 4 to 5 minutes, turning often. Serve immediately.

For your own culinary treat, try to get American shrimp whenever possible. They taste better and as a bonus, they speak our language.

Bob Alexander is well experienced in outdoor cooking, fishing and leisure living. Bob is also the author and owner of this article. Visit his sites at:
http://www.bluemarlinbob.com
http://www.redfishbob.com

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7 Simple Steps To A Perfect Pork Barbeque - By Jonathan T. Teng

By Jonathan T. Teng

Grilling is a very important step in preparing a Barbeque. You can grill over hot live fire made from real wood or charcoal. Gas flames or briquettes can also be used but they are only substitutes and are less ideal for this case.

There are 2 types of heating; direct and indirect. I recommend indirect heating in cases where you do not need intense heating.

Just to be sure that you get the flavor right, you can add wood chips to the gas grill. It is extremely easy to control the temperature of a gas grill. To be sure that the gas grill lasts during the preparation, fill your propane canister adequately.

Are you still wondering what is the best way to cook pork? I usually put the pork in a gas grill, take a nap or go out and do some shopping and come back within three hours. Just be assured that the pork would be cooked, just the way you wanted it.

I have learn this recipe from the book “Thrill of the Grill”. The co-author, Chef Chris Schlesinger showed an interesting spice rub which has proven very handy to me.

With the recipe producing a lightly smoky piece of meat which retains its flavors, the dry and the mix ingredients of the rub make this dish taste awesome. I also add some sugar, cumin, paprika and chili powder which I admit is not entirely conventional.

Once cooking is done, you can start serving the pork. Please note some instructions while you serve the pork.

Squeeze few drops of lime and Tabasco or add some chutney to the pork shoulder and serve it straight of the grill.

If you do not like it this way, you can also shred the pork in a vinegar-based red sauce.

Needless to say, this Carolina Style Barbeque will just be delicious.

If you wish to make pork steaks that are ridiculously good, refrigerate after cooking. Then slice the pork and put it back on the grill.

– Smoked Pork Barbecue –

~ 1 pork shoulder, about 5 or 6 pounds

~ 1 tablespoon sugar

~ 2 teaspoons black pepper

~ 2 teaspoons cumin

~ 2 teaspoons mild chili powder, like ancho or New Mexico

~ 2 teaspoons paprika

~ 2 teaspoons salt

1. Start gas grill, using burners only on one side to achieve a heat of 250 to 300 degrees.

2.Put a couple of handfuls of wood chips in a tinfoil pan, and set it over working burners.

3.While grill heats, mix together dry ingredients, and rub them all over pork, including under skin as best you can and in any crevices.

4. Put pork on cool side of grill and cover. Check about 15 minutes later to make sure chips are smoking and heat is below 300F.

5. Check every hour or so in case heat escalates too much or chips need replenishing.

6. Pork is done when it reaches an internal temperature of about 190 degrees, about 4 hours later.

7. Meat will be very tender. If you like, raise heat and grill meat to crisp it up a bit.

Serve immediately, or refrigerate overnight, slice and grill (or pan-grill) individual slices.

Jonathan writes for a famous online cooking newsletter “Quick Easy Recipes Secrets”. If you need delicious recipes and up to date cooking tips just visit: http://www.easy-recipes-secrets.com

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