Careers And Training In The Culinary Arts

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People who love to cook and experiment with cuisine from all over the world may find a career in the culinary arts to be the most rewarding. There is always a demand for cooks and chefs, and there are job opportunities anywhere a person may travel. There is also a good chance for opening ones own catering business or even a restaurant or bakery.

Any time a person turns on the television there is a large array of cooking shows of all kinds playing. There are even networks dedicated to food preparation. People love to watch expert chefs prepare meals and learn how to make the cuisine at home. Many chefs have reality shows, as well.

Currently, bakeries that make custom cakes and confections are featured in many of these popular shows. These culinary artists make such intricate edible designs that the creations often do not even look like food. Some have made cakes in the shape of people, favorite objects, or vehicles and even in the size of small cars. Some even have special effects like moving parts, lights, and smoke.

Wedding cakes are very popular on these shows as well. It is not surprising since a wedding is one of the most important events in a person’s life. Some of these cakes cost more than the bride’s dress and even look more beautiful.

Even those who do not want to be Hollywood chefs or have their own reality show can make a successful career in the culinary arts. Good chefs are always in demand, especially with restaurants that serve specific ethnic cuisine like Italian or Thai food. Pastry chefs can find positions at bakeries anywhere, and those who do not like to work for others can always open a catering business.

No matter what path one takes in this field, it is best to obtain some professional training first. Even people who grew up as kitchen helpers at their grandmother’s knee would benefit from a certificate or degree in culinary arts. Most community colleges have programs for this field, and there are options to branch into specific fields such as the pastry arts. One can also obtain higher degrees in the field.

Many larger colleges offer externships for the students to work in fine local establishments for pay. It is possible to train abroad in some cases, as well. This would be the best opportunity for those who desire to learn to cook gourmet cuisine from all over the globe. This experience can lead a person onto the path of becoming a world renowned chef. These are the people who eventually have their own establishments and television shows.

With the right training and experience, one can have a great career in the culinary arts. This is a far cry from simply making burgers in a casual eatery. There are many opportunities out there for those who wish to explore them. Everyone has to eat, and most people love to have a gourmet meal prepared for them by a person who has the skill and expertise to make it a truly special experience.

The Art Of Desert Safari Cuisine

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Finding yourself in the middle of the African Desert may present a few challenges to the skillful talents of a culinary artist. Ingredients are a lot harder to come by when you are stuck in the middle of the Desert. It’s just so much easier (and certainly more convenient) for a for a traditional restaurant chef who can very easily just pop out to nearest grocer to stock up on those must have necessities and luxury items.

However challenging, Culinary Artist Theresa Fehrsen has bravely stepped up to this challenge and is set to become the next Culinary Safari Chef Extraordinaire in her role as the new head chef at one of the most luxurious resorts in the Kalahari Desert.

Theresa Fehrsen has a lifelong fascination and passion for artistically tantalizing the palates by creatively presenting an array of culinary delights through inventive cooking. Being raised on a farm since she was a little girl, she always had access to an abundance of fresh produce and natural ingredients. Theresa’s fascination with natures own instilled in her from a very young age, a passion and skill in being able to effortlessly delivery incredible cuisine. The natural flair that she inherited from her mother for experimenting with food lead Theresa to Warwick’s Chef School in Hermanus in the Cape Province where she studied to become a master of the culinary arts.

When luxury ingredients are not always as easy to come by, it becomes essential to tap into the deepest level of intelligent creativity imaginable in order to plan well for the most extraordinary results. With the reserve being located more than 100 kilometers away from the next closest town; this Safari Chef Extraordinaire has to rely heavily on the locals in the surrounding areas. All the vegetables and herbs are organically grown in the safari camps and are protected with shade cloth to keep out the bugs, antelope and the warthog.

In keeping with an eco-friendly culture, the reserve’s waste disposal policy encourages sustainable travel to minimize the impact on the environment. Organic waste is therefore collected and used for the food gardens in a programme designed to maximize production of vegetables for households in remote areas. As further commitment to wildlife conservation, the reserve runs a programme to establish earth worm boxes which process organic waste into compost. The worms are able to process paper effectively as well as food waste. It is no wonder that with such dedication to eco-friendly tourism, that the reserve was honored as this year’s Wildlife Conservation Winner in Cond Nast Travelers thirteenth annual ecotourism World Saver’ Awards.

Even with so many challenges, the Kalahari Desert now has much to aspire to with chef and bartender safaris, a tandoori oven and a pizza oven shaped like a termites nest. This describes only a few of the astonishing plans of this creative genius as this Chef plans place Safari Cuisine at the very top of South Africa’s culinary arts map.

Not only has this culinary artist mastered the skill of inspired cooking, she also has a keen passion and interest in liquid refreshments. To further please and excite the tongue, she combines her cuisine with only the top selection of fine South African wines. The promise of a superb wine will compliment the delightful cuisine while enhancing the flavors and heightening the appreciation for both the wine and the cuisine.

To add an extra blend of class and sophistication to any safari cuisine, diners enjoy a selection of both alcoholic and non alcoholic cocktails. Even the children can select from a menu of fresh smoothies and non alcoholic beverages to accompany the healthier, but delicious alternatives to hamburgers.

Theresa is looking forward to completing advanced patisserie and nutrition courses, specializing in producing delicious menus for guests with food intolerances and allergies to ensure that her delightful cuisine is all encompassing and pleasing to all her diners.

Chef’s Culinary Garden at Beechwood Inn

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The Chef’s Culinary Garden at Beechwood Inn, Clayton, GA

The Northeast Georgia Mountains are home to some of Georgia’s leading fresh food producers. Vegetables, fruit, flowers, cheese, wine, nuts, grain, poultry, eggs, fish, pork and cattle are all seasonally available throughout the area. An abundance of fresh water, combined with soil rich in nutrients and a temperate climate offer a recipe for great fresh seasonal foods. Rabun County is particularly known for its cabbage crop. Maybe it’s the soil, but the cabbage grown here just tastes better. As spring moves towards summer we can hardly wait for our first ears of Osage Silver Queen Corn.

With all this local abundance we fret each spring as to what things we should plant in our culinary garden next to the Inn. We’ve been to restaurants where just moments before you are seated for dinner you observe the chef clad in her white coat tip toe into the gardens to snip fresh herbs and edible flowers. You just know you are in for a treat. We want to offer the type of experience where the diner sees and tastes things on their plate they know came out of the garden minutes before. The chef’s culinary garden should provide wonderful products but also needs to be close to the kitchen’s back door so it is as handy as walking into the pantry. And we want the garden to enhance and add to the variety, color and unique flavors for our guests’ dining experience.

Through the years we have honed our culinary garden to our style of cooking. Here is what we have planned for this year. We will plant a hedge of Genovese basil, as well as about 8 other varieties and colors. Other necessities include bay, dill, English thyme, tarragon, mints, lavender, oregano, rosemary, sage, parsley, savory and fennel; a rainbow of toy box tomatoes, lemon verbena, bee balm, heirloom tomatoes, edible flowers to bloom in succession. We also have an established asparagus patch, raspberries, blueberries, two varieties of crabapples, wild cherries (for drying), peaches, plums and a forest of Chanterelles. We can also count on Leckie Stack supplying us with some seasonal fruits from the Stack farm including Asian pears, persimmons and grapes. And Jenny Sanders will share with us wild ingredients in season such as ramps, elderflowers and berries, fiddleheads and a variety of mushrooms.

We would plant an acre of basil if we could. To many gardeners, basil is the king of herbs. Basil can play many roles while basking in the sun. Basil is essential in our kitchen, but it is also highly ornamental in our gardens and on our tables. We add branches to bouquets of flowers. Hot summer days become bearable if I can pluck fresh basil and use it in pestos, herbal vinegars, vegetable dishes and, most heavenly of all, nestle the leaves between slices of fresh bread along with a large slice of a ripe heirloom tomato and some creamy homemade mayo. Members of the mint family, basils are native to India, Africa and Asia but have a long, rich history of legend and use worldwide. Basil is best used fresh. Small leafed varieties can be grown in a pot on a sunny windowsill during the winter. To preserve summer’s flavor for winter make plenty of pesto and freeze it. We make sure that each year our garden has several Thai Basil plants. It is characterized by a strong licorice fragrance and flavor. Thai basil has many applications in the Beechwood kitchen due to its flavor appeal. It is the highlight of many Asian cuisines, including Thai, Vietnamese and Indian fare. The inn’s specialty is Thai Basil Rolls with Satay Peanut Sauce.

Another staple that we plant each spring is lemon verbena (Aloysia triphylla). It is native to South America and grows well in North Georgia, but it does not survive our winters outdoors. The Spanish brought it to Europe where it was used in perfume. It has been a favorite for garden rooms in North America since its introduction in the 1800’s. It has a clean, sharp lemon scent that makes it the Queen of lemon-scented herbs. In Gone with the Wind, lemon verbena is mentioned as Scarlet O’Hara’s mother’s favorite plant. One whiff of the smell, and I predict you will not want to live without this luscious smelling herb.

The inn’s specialty is lemon verbena ice cream but we use the leaves in a number of recipes. It makes an excellent tea, especially when blended with mint. It can also be used to brighten the taste of fish, poultry, veggie marinades, stuffing, salad dressing, sorbets, pana cotta, jellies, and vinegar. As the leaves are tough, remove them before serving. Finely crumbled dried leaves can be added to the batters of carrot, banana, or zucchini bread. Try adding some to cooked rice just before serving.

A rainbow of toy box tomatoes is essential to our culinary garden each year. They are cherry and grape tomatoes in a variety of wonderful colors and flavors, some heirloom some hybrid. The most important thing to the chef is the palette of colors and unique flavors they offer. Some are sugary and sweet some are puckeringly tart. But oh are they beautiful in tarts, salads, bruschettas and as garnish. Last year we planted about a dozen varieties and I had to resist eating them while I picked them fresh off the vine. We plant them in giant containers and they surround the Beechwood gardens. We will often see guests plucking a sample as they walk by.

Our heirloom tomatoes are good in almost anything but one of our favorite recipes is Black Krim Tomato Marmalade. Our wild cherries and crabapples are very tart, so they are best used in coulis, jams and remoulades. The blueberries and raspberries will find their way fresh to our breakfast table and also baked into muffins, breads and sinfully wonderful desserts.

The gardens also yield a succession of seasonal edible flowers. Today, many restaurant chefs and innovative home cooks garnish their plates with flower blossoms for a touch of elegance. They can be sprinkled on salads or added to your recipe. The secret to success when using edible flowers is to keep the dish simple. Most edible flowers have a very delicate taste, so when using them as a flavor component do not add them to something that already has strong flavors. Today this nearly lost art is enjoying a revival.

Not all flowers are edible, and the edible varieties should be grown without the use of pesticides or other chemicals. Edible flowers should be carefully identified and in some cases there are only parts of the flower that are edible (in some flowers the anthers should be removed). The Beechwood Chefs will often use a flower as the central part of an appetizer or entre. For instance, we use colorful organic daylilies and fill them with a light stuffing of local goat cheese and fresh herbs.

Writing about our culinary garden and thinking of these recipes makes us long for tomato season once again. Planting our culinary garden each spring renews our spirit and brings us joy. We appreciate the efforts brought to bear by local farmers and ranchers, but most of all we thank God for the variety and abundance of fresh products we bring to our table.

by Chef David Darugh http://www.beechwoodinn.ws

Beechwood Inn is Georgia’s Premier Wine Country Inn

What Are The Popular Types Of Laser Cooking Thermometer

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Laser thermometers have brought the revolution in the modern life especially in the modern kitchen. Different types of laser thermometers are available in the market to make life easier, simpler and comfortable. Laser thermometers are required when you need the accurate temperature reading of any object without touching the surface.

Different types of laser thermometers have hit the market with unprecedented popularity. The types of laser thermometers include the laser cooking thermometer, the culinary laser thermometer and the infrared laser thermometer. These can be divided into various categories as well. Here in this article we will have a look on these types of laser thermometers.

Laser cooking thermometer is the perfect companion for talking the exact temperature of the cooking surface without having to touch the surface. With these thermometers temperature can be measured in a number of ways but this work on the same principle of laser and infrared technology.

Types of Laser Cooking Thermometer

Laser cooking thermometer can be of various types. Candy thermometers and meat thermometers are the two most prominent types of cooking thermometers. Candy thermometers help in keeping an eye on the temperature of your candy concoctions as they boil. And the meat thermometers allow us to get the most delicious, succulent, tasty and soft meat dishes without the fear of overcooked or undercooked preparations. Laser culinary thermometers are just like the cooking thermometers. They help in measuring the temperature of the cooking surfaces and ensure the properly cooked food dishes.

Infrared Thermometers

Infrared thermometer is another type of laser thermometer. Infrared thermometer measure the temperature in a number of different ways. Infrared thermometers measure the temperature of an object analyzing infrared radiation that comes off of it. Almost all the object emits infrared radiation and these types of laser thermometers use the principle for accurately measuring temperature.

Laser thermometers can be of different types as well. Spot Infrared Thermometer, Infrared Line Scanning Systems, Infrared Camera, Portable Infrared Thermometer, Permanent Infrared Thermometers and Mini Celsius infrared thermometer are some very prominent types of infrared thermometers.

Among these, Spot Infrared Thermometer is the sort of thermometer that focuses a laser onto a small point of the object to read the temperature. The infrared radiation coming from this point aloe the thermometer to take temperature read. Infrared Line Scanning Systems Work similarly as the Spot Infrared Thermometer. But these thermometers use the mirrors to reflect its laser onto a wider surface instead of focusing onto a small spot. Infrared Camera is used to take temperature read when the surface area is large. These thermometers can create 2-D image of an area of space and they can map the temperature throughout it.

Portable Infrared Thermometer is yet another type of infrared thermometers. These are good for using in the doctors office or in the field. Permanent Infrared Thermometers are also for larger and mounted tasks. These are used in the large places specially for monitoring the areas. These are suitable for using in the military bases.

Laser thermometers are perfect for measuring the temperature of any type of object with accurate reading.

Your Culinary Career

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Many people are surprised by the broad range of employment opportunities available on completion of a Culinary Degree. When you graduate from Culinary School, you might choose to work in a restaurant, at a resort, or in catering. The job choice you make can set the direction for your career. Working in a restaurant is very different than working in the catering business for instance. There are different skills required for these jobs, and working in one field does not give you qualifications for the other. Keep this in mind before deciding which Culinary Career you intend to pursue. After you graduate, you have the opportunity to review the skills you have and decide from there what food service venue you want to focus your career on. During the first several years of your culinary you will spend a lot of time practicing your skills and then finding your niche.

One of the basic skills you will utilize throughout your Culinary Career is your technical skill. This set of skills includes cooking methods, knife skills, and line cooking. Another skill is that is learned is culinary. Budding chefs train to make food taste good. Chefs will learn seasoning, flavor combinations and plate presentations to

The most basic skill, the one that schools are designed to teach, is the technical. These skills are the basis of every chef’s talent – knife skills, cooking methods, timing, mise en place, and (the ultimate technical skill) making cooking on the line graceful, even during the rush. The other skill taught in school is culinary. Most chefs have a good palate to begin, but training for the nuances of flavor and seasoning, new flavor combinations, creative plates and presentations, delving deep in to a cultures cuisine all take training and practice.

The other two skill sets are what distinguish a cook from a Chef. A Chef is concerned with more than his/her own piece of the kitchen – they have the whole kitchen as a responsibility. With this in mind, organization is key. The chef has to stay organized, run the kitchen smoothly and efficiently, and conduct business.

Hand in hand with directorial skills are managerial skills. A chef understands how to work with people and get them to work for him/her. These skills are the highest level because they involve sharing knowledge and skill with those working for you. The most often-seen method is training, but ultimately being a mentor to a cook and to develop their career is the highest skill a chef can accomplish.