© 2006, Cookschoolpro, All Rights
Reserved
Privacy Policy
|
Home Degrees |
 |
|
A CULINARY ARTS EDUCATION: IT'S MORE THAN TASTEWe seldom stop to think about the overall dining experience. When we smell Mom's herbed roast beef with capers, our mouth starts watering and we want to dive right in. But a culinary arts education will teach you that there's more to cooking than taste. We are, after all, sensory animals. And if there was ever an activity that fully engaged all our senses, it's dinner! Sight: A Pile of Food or a Masterpiece? Some foods look messy and others look mouth-watering. Why is it that the recipe you make at home usually does not look quite as appetizing as the picture in the magazine? It is because the chef (and the photographer) at the magazine have had a culinary arts education to learn how to make food look as tempting as possible. For the mouth, mashed potatoes and macaroni and cheese may be a great combination, but two blob-shaped, bland-colored foods won't win an art contest. Chefs learn how to choose bright, interesting color combinations. Never roast two green peppers when you can have a green one and a yellow one. Sound: Hear This! The restaurant designer learns from his or her culinary arts education how to make the very sound of food add to the pleasure of a meal. Many restaurant kitchens are open to the dining area, or even in the very center of the room. This way, guests hear the sizzling grill, the flambéed dishes, and even the opening and closing oven door to increase their anticipation of the meal. Touch: Making It Fun Though we do not touch most of our food with our fingers, we touch every bite all with our mouths. A sound culinary arts education teaches how to best please the sense of touch. One of the joys of a good salad, for example, is crispness. A fresh leaf of spinach and a tired-looking one may taste similar, may give the same nutrients, but there is no pleasure in biting into it. It's similar with a french fry. No good chef will give a soggy, limp fry to guests. They know how to cook fried potatoes to a soft inside contrasted with a crisp exterior. Smell: Not Just The Food, You Know The sense of smell is actually an integral part of the sense of taste. If you eat a meal in a pleasant, clean restaurant it will taste better than the same meal served next to a garbage dump. Taste: The Ultimate Verdict The very goal of a culinary arts education is, for many, preparing a meal to please the sense of taste. Learning how to properly tempt the other senses is a necessary part of making a gourmet meal. |
|
© 2006, Cookschoolpro, All Rights
Reserved Privacy Policy |