Simple Tricks I Learned in Culinary School
When I was in culinary school, I worked under a dozen fantastic chefs who all brought their unique experiences and tricks they’d learned to the table. Maybe a lot of these are common sense, but for someone who was never taught to cook and just figured things out as I went along before classic training, a lot of these changed my life.
Chef Chris, the owner of the culinary school, worked in a variety of positions within the culinary world from recipe developer for Papa John’s to caterer to line cook. I learned a few tips and tricks from him:
You can use a pair of tongues to squeeze juice from citrus fruit
When you cut peppers, cut them on the side of the flesh, not the skin, and you’ll have a much easier experience
When honing a knife, you can place your steel onto a rag so it doesn’t slip around
Similarly, you can place a damp towel or paper towel under your cutting board so it won’t slip around
Sweating onions is a literal thing. You heat your pan with your oil, then add your onions, then add salt. The salt draws the liquid out of the onions. Once the onions are translucent, you add your aromatics (garlic, fresh herbs, etc.) and cook until you can start to smell them. And there you have the base of many traditional French sauces. From there, you’ll typically “deglaze” the pan with something like wine or stock, which releases what’s called “fond,” or all the tasty browned bits, from the bottom of the pan. This creates an incredibly flavorful sauce and also makes it easier to clean your pan later
Chef Jon was another one of my supervising chefs, He was a sushi chef and also had his own brand of homemade ice cream, with flavors like Ube, Coffee & Tobacco, and Mango. There was one day in culinary school when Chef Jon was asking about my career thus far, my goals, etc and he told me after we’d been cooking all night “well you are definitely in the right place,” which built my confidence and provided some key validation at that point in my career. Here’s what I learned from Chef Jon:
There are lots of techniques and “right ways” to do a lot of things, but cooking is inherently creative. If you find a shortcut that works that doesn’t diminish safety or quality, it is the “right” way for you and that is perfectly acceptable
When cleaning fish, pull out the pin bones like you’re plucking an eyebrow, in the direction the bone is sticking out, otherwise you’ll tear the flesh
When you’re chopping produce, or using a knife in general, let the blade do more of the work. Imagine the knife is gliding through the potato you’re cutting and use the motion to let the blade do the heavy lifting, rather than using force. I’m still working on this one, personally, but it makes a difference in efficiency
Chef Dom was the pastry chef who taught our breads and confections section, and he was incredibly helpful with modifying recipes to be gluten free. He had private cheffed in Park City and worked in a variety of restaurants before he decided to teach.
A chef’s pinch of salt is a big and generous one. Don’t be shy
When whipping anything in a stand mixer, the parts will start to warm up as the paddle spins, which can affect the recipe, so for some things, speed and timing is important (for instance, butter will start to melt if the metal bowl starts warming up too much and will break your frosting). Start with a cold bowl and a cold paddle, and throw them in the fridge if they get too warm. Inversely, you can use heat to your advantage. If the contents are too cold/you need to quickly bring something to room temperature, you can use a blow torch on the bottom of the stand mixer bowl (if it’s metal of course) to warm things up
Chef Adrian had been a student at my culinary school and was shadowing Chef Chris to become an instructor.
When you’re frying things, you don’t need to use an excessive amount of oil. An inch or two will do the trick, and save you time
Making risotto is a labor of love. Use a deep pan so you’re able to effectively stir it throughout the process.
I have so much appreciation for the mentors I was lucky enough to learn from during my time in culinary school. For their belief in me and every little trick they shared, I am grateful.
