CULINARY ARTS CLASS: MASTER THE BASICS

How did they get that crunchy crust on the crème brulee? What went into that amazing schwartzwalderkirschtorte? How come this tiramisu tastes better than mine? The answer to all of these questions is the same: knowledge of the basics of culinary arts. The mightiest masters of their craft, the titans of any creative field, have one thing in common: they learned the fundamentals of their art, and then they practiced. And practiced. And practiced some more. That's the first role of any culinary arts class, to deliver the basic skills and disciplines upon which you can grow your creativity.





When it comes to taking a culinary arts class, like taking any class in general, there will be those classes that one looks forward to and those classes that one will wish to avoid. This is a purely psychological approach to selecting coursework. That is, if there is an aversion to a particular culinary arts class then that aversion is based on a personal preference switch that, quite honestly, can be turned on or off inside one's head with a little concentrated effort. This is a highly prized discipline to develop because sometimes the most important classes are those classes that may seem mundane or unimportant on the surface.

The Base Of The Pillar Comes First
A truly good culinary arts class will be a class that develops a sense of basics and fundamentals that are important to the overall scheme of being a good chef. Basics teach a value system of the primary skills and tools necessary that advanced techniques are based on. The 'inside joke' of all this is that advanced skills and basic skills are identical; advanced skills are merely the refinement and perfection of basic skills.





"I wanna!" versus "I oughta."
When it comes to a culinary arts class, many people will be in a rush to take a "baking" course because desserts are a fun item to make. Also, people will run to take a course on seafood preparation because seafood can come off as a sophisticated or exotic food to make. This is all well and good, and it is highly advised that individuals pursue those courses that give them a great deal of pleasure. However, it is ill advised to take such courses at the expense of spending time on courses that provide other valuable skills even if these courses come off as 'boring.'

Look at the following culinary arts classes: "Menu Management" and "Table Service Skills." Most students at a culinary school will probably roll their eyes at such courses mainly because they do not exactly come off as very exciting, yet each culinary arts class of this nature teaches the very valuable and important skills that the profession revolves around. Therefore, it would be severely detrimental to blow off such courses.

Aversion to classes that are not psychologically stimulating is an attitude that needs to be adjusted. Doing so will make the learning process more rewarding. Any culinary arts class that teaches solid basics should be welcomed, not avoided.