Is culinary school really necessary? I always thought if you knew how to cook, you knew how to cook. It turns out I was wrong. If you want to go into culinary arts as a career, culinary school is just as necessary for you as law school is for a lawyer. I found that even if you are a great cook, there are simply skills and qualifications you will get from culinary school that you need when it comes time to enter the professional culinary arts world.

You, like many people, may believe that cooking is a talent that you are just born with. That is partially true, but many in the culinary arts industry recognize that it is indeed a talent, but it is also a skill. Though you may have an understanding of how to make food, in culinary school you will learn more about ingredients, foods, and how to combine them. By being well informed and educated, you will be able to take better advantage of your given talents.

You may also not realize that culinary school can prepare you for more than just becoming a “cook.” Most people think of chefs, caterers, and restaurateurs as the only people who attend culinary school, but that simple isn’t true. There are countless jobs available to graduates of culinary school. You can choose to be in restaurant management, work in retail food markets, or even become a food writer to name a few of the options. Culinary school is an education to prepare students for any career in food, not just becoming a cook.

The point is that if you really are serious about a career, any career, in culinary arts, then culinary school is necessary. Yes, like any education, it is expensive, but in the end wont it be worth it to be able to get a good job doing what you want at the restaurant or company with you want to do it? If you were to become a lawyer, you would have to go to law school and if you want to become a doctor, you need to go to medical school. So to have a successful culinary arts career, you have to go to culinary school.

When you go to select the culinary school you want to attend, you should look for one that is accredited and will get you the certificate or degree you need for the career you are after. A good culinary school will train you in the use of quality ingredients, proper presentation, and even balance for meals. The program will help you to understand everything about the food from the purchase of the ingredients to the presentation of the finished meal. With the overall culinary education you will get, you can then make full use of the talents you have.

If you love to cook and see yourself as a chef, restaurant manager, or even a food critic, you should consider culinary school. The knowledge and basic skills you will acquire there will allow you to pursue a long and successful career in the career you want.

If you would like the latest cooking secrets, or find more of my personal articles like the one you just read, visit my culinary site.

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Ingredients:

1/4 cup panko breadcrumbs
4 large eggs
1 1/4 cups plain soy milk
3/4 teaspoon hot sauce
1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2 cups cubed whole wheat bread, crusts removed
3 cups broccoli florets
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 1/2 ounces diced Canadian bacon
1 medium onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
4 ounces grated mozzarella cheese

Procedure:

Preheat oven to 350 deg. F. Lightly coat a 9″ pie dish with cooking spray. Sprinkle panko inside and tilt to coat bottom and sides. In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, hot sauce, salt and pepper. Add bread cubes and stir to coat. Cover and set in the refrigerator until called for. Steam broccoli until just tender, 3 to 4 minutes. Rinse under cold water to retain color and drain well. Chop coarsely. In a medium skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add diced bacon, onion and garlic and saute until softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Add onion mixture and broccoli to the egg mixture. Stir in cheese. Pour into the pie dish and evenly spread the mixture. Bake until light golden and set about 45 to 50 minutes. Let cool for 5-10 minutes and then cut into wedges.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups thinly sliced fingerling or red potatoes (about 6 ounces)
1 large red bell pepper
1 teaspoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
enough of your favorite pizza dough for a 12″ pizza
cooking spray
1 tablespoon yellow cornmeal
1/3 cup soft goat cheese
3 tablespoons chopped pitted kalamata olives

Procedure:

Preheat broiler. Cook potato in boiling water 5 minutes, and drain. Cut bell pepper in half lengthwise; discard seeds and membranes. Place pepper halves, skin sides up, on a foil-lined baking sheet; flatten with hand. Broil 15 minutes or until blackened. Place in a zip-top plastic bag; seal. Let stand 15 minutes. Peel and cut into strips. Combine potato, bell pepper, oil, oregano, salt, and black pepper, tossing well to coat. Preheat oven to 500°. Roll the pizza dough into a 12-inch circle on a lightly floured surface. Place the pizza dough on a 12-inch pizza pan or baking sheet coated with cooking spray and sprinkled with cornmeal. Crimp edges of pizza dough with fingers to form a rim. Arrange potato mixture over crust. Drop the goat cheese by teaspoonfuls onto potato mixture. Sprinkle with olives. Bake at 500° for 15 minutes or until browned. Remove from oven. Cut pizza into wedges.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup sliced almonds
1/4 cup plain yogurt
3 tablespoons sour cream
1 teaspoon ground powdered ginger
1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper
3/4 cup thinly sliced celery
1/4 cup chopped red onion
1/4 cup dried cherries
1/4 cup golden raisins
8 ounces cooked turkey breast, chopped
4 whole wheat pitas, halved

Procedure:

Toast almonds in small skillet over medium heat, stirring often, until they turn a light golden brown. Remove from heat. In a medium bowl, whisk together yogurt, sour cream, ginger, and pepper. Stir in almonds, celery,onion, cherries, raisins and turkey breast. Spoon about 1/3 cup turkey mixture into each pita half.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons butter, melted
12 ounces fresh baby spinach
5 ounces shredded sharp white cheddar cheese
3 ounces shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups milk
2 large eggs
4 egg whites
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Procedure:

Preheat oven to 350 deg. F. Pour melted butter into a 9″ x 13″ baking dish lightly coated with nonstick spray - tilt the dish to coat. Arrange the spinach evenly over the bottom - it will be quite full. Evenly scatter the top with the shredded cheeses. Place flour in a medium bowl. In another medium bowl, whisk together milk, eggs, egg whites, mustard, salt, baking powder, garlic, pepper, nutmeg and cayenne pepper. Pour milk mixture into the flour and whisk to combine. Pour over the cheese and spinach mixture. Bake until set and lightly browned on top - about 40 minutes. Remove and let cool for about 10 minutes before cutting. Makes 6 servings.