A Chef’s Army: Cooks Make the Food Go Round

by Kitchen Shaman | Sep 28, 2015 | Cooking Skills

Now that I don’t cook in professional kitchens, I can sit back and take an objective view of my chosen career. It’s a brutal job. We ran morning to night. Food is all I thought about. Personalities were a focus. Who I was working with that day affected my mood.

girlcooking_bwIt may seem like cooking is a solo act. Something that you do in your own home, alone, or one lone wolf competing against other renegades to win some title or money, but that really isn’t the case. In the professional culinary world it takes a team of people – sometimes dozens or even hundreds – to create an enjoyable dining experience, one plate at a time.

Skills of a Chef: How I Learned to be a Control Freak

by Kitchen Shaman | Jul 13, 2015 | Cooking Skills

There is a control freak in every chef. I don’t care how humble, how calm they may appear, chefs like order. Floors must be clean, stainless steel tables should sparkle, not a speck of dust or dirt anywhere. Food belongs in containers lined up on shelves that get wiped down every day. Walk-ins to be filled with trimmed and unblemished produce, meats, and dairy. This is the best kind of kitchen. The kind you see on television. Gordon Ramsey is a control freak. So am I.

Skill of a Chef: Plate

by Kitchen Shaman | May 23, 2015 | Cooking Skills

Every chef gets asked the same questions. In my attempt to answer the classic "what makes a good chef" I've written about the importance of knives and palate. Today I'm tackling plating: the creative skill a chef exercises to bring you beauty to your meal.

One of the things a chef is expected to do, and do well, is plate food. What does this mean?

Skill of a Chef: Palate

by Kitchen Shaman | Feb 5, 2015 | Cooking Skills

As an experienced professional, people always ask me what makes a good chef. There is no simple answer as a good chef possesses numerous skills. This is the second in my series of articles addressing those skills. Part 1 covered knives. Other skills include palate, plating, and managerial ability. Today I’m talking about palate, the flavor you coax out of different combinations of ingredients.

Skill of a Chef: It’s All About the Knives

by Kitchen Shaman | Jan 5, 2015 | Cooking Skills, Knives

Knives are personal. The way they feel, the way they balance in the hand. How the blade cuts through the food. Personally, I like a lighter knife, one that is easy to grip and that is very, very sharp. Cat Cora of Iron Chef fame uses a 13" chef’s knife, and she’s 4’11”. Intimidating? Yes. Necessary? When you are that short and working in a “man’s” world, wielding a large knife can help intimidate your co-workers.

Tag: chef skills