Culinary students are offered an opportunity to develop and strengthen various skills during their training. One of the golden rules you are taught is to always taste everything before serving (not a bad perk of the job). Mastering the following culinary skills is essential for any budding chefs in any kitchen:
Knife Skills
One of the most important skills taught is efficient and safe knife skills. A chef’s knife is his most important tool. The four basic knifes skills any person studying culinary arts will learn are dicing, mincing, julienne, and chiffonade. Mastering these (basic) skills will give you speed and uniformity in food preparation.
Palate Training
Being exposed to new ingredients you may never have worked with before will help you develop new flavour sensations and detect and balance these flavours. By developing your palette it will help your confidence in seasoning your dishes to perfection, creating new dishes and it will help you analyse other’s dishes.
Perfect Stocks
Learning the essential skill of making a good broth will hold value throughout your culinary career. Stocks forms the basis for many dishes and are used in soups, sauces, and stews. Used internationally, at Steyn’s Culinary School you will quickly learn the difference between stock, broth, bouillon, as well as white and brown stock. (An interesting fact is that you should never stir or cover a broth with a lid.)
Mastering Sauces
Sauces, like stock, will often be used. A well-made sauce, gravy or dressing can lift a plain dish and make it memorable and will enhance the flavour and presentation of any dish
At Steyn’s Culinary School, you will learn about the five “mother sauces” which form the base of classic French Cuisine: Hollandaise, Béchamel, Velouté, Sauce Tomat, and Sauce Espagnole. Other sauces, which are used as an accompaniment and to enrich food will also be taught.
Cooking with Herbs and Spices
Fresh herbs and spices add a flavour twist to any of your dishes. Knowing what seasoning to add and how they are added and combined to any dish matters. At Steyn’s Culinary School you will be taught the practical ways on adding natural flavouring and how to keep herbs and spices as fresh as possible to lengthen their shelf life and maintain their flavour.
Plating and Presentation Techniques
It is true, people eat with their eyes, it is therefore important to present food in an appealing way. There are many decisions a chef must make before a dish leaves the kitchen, from choosing the correct plate to garnishing and finishing off the plate.
Mastering Cooking Skills
The skills you will learn to master the various cooking skills and methods are the backbone of your knowledge to work in a commercial kitchen. Some of these primary and practical cooking skills include: grilling, broiling, roasting, stewing, steaming, deep frying and sautéing.
Molecular Gastronomy
Food science is a modern form of cooking and various techniques are used. By using the latest trends and technology, students will explore creative ways to excite the senses of sight, taste, and smell by using different textures and flavours.
Food Trends
Many of the techniques learned at culinary school are based on traditional forms of cuisines from around the world. However, since the cooking scene is forever evolving and changing, you will be taught the latest trends to stay current.
Apply Good Nutrition
You need to understand and be taught the importance of a good balanced diet and how to cook and prepare beautiful dishes that can be tailored to meet a variety of food intolerances.
Creativity and Confidence in the Kitchen
Mastering finer culinary skills, taught at Steyn’s Culinary School, will not only provide you with confidence in and out of the kitchen but will be carried over into any aspect of a chef’s life. These include: organization, cleanliness, discipline, teamwork, time-management, budgeting and creativity.
Learn Culinary Skills with us:
Last but not at all least of the basic skill that chefs will learn is that preparation is key to everything. By learning to cook well will involve layering skills, intuition, and creativity.
Studying at Steyn’s Culinary School will equip you with the skills and knowledge needed to succeed in the hospitality industry. Contact us and our friendly staff will be here to assist you by visit our website, emailing us or sending a WhatsApp at info@steynsculinaryschool.co.za or 072 645 5167 respectively. FOLLOW us for updates on Facebook and Instagram .
