On Saturday I walked into a small kitchen where my knife skills were observed for 1 1/2 hours. Each student had a station to perform the necessary taillage skills, as well as access to a range top to prepare tomato fondue (oil/butter, tomatoes, shallot/onion, garlic, herbs, seasoning).
I imagined it would be intense, and it was. A chef instructor paced around a table of 10 students with his clip board, jotting down observations and grading each cut. I should know my final grade for level one when I arrive to class this evening.
20 things I learned in level 1
2. If you question if there is enough salt, there isn't.
3. I'm not being trained to be a dietitian. Bring on the butter!
4. Always taste food before giving it to the Chef.
5. I hate cocottes. Really, I do.
6. Mayonnaise is rather simple - eggs, acid (lemon or vinegar), mustard, and seasoning. Aioli, which is a derivative of mayonnaise, traditionally includes garlic and sometimes saffron. If you see the word "emulsion" on a menu, it's probably a derivative of hollandaise or mayonnaise. Remoulade? Fancy mayonnaise with capers, herbs, cornichons (little pickles), and anchovy. Tartar? Mayonnaise dressed with scallions, chives, and extra vinegar.
7. Dull knives are more dangerous than sharp knives when you're cooking. Oven doors are also dangerous, as my new large forearm scar will prove.
8. It's not sanitary to wear work clothes out in public. I never really thought about this, but people come in contact with a lot of germs when they're going to and from work, especially in NYC.
9. Baby carrots are reject carrots that couldn't be sold as whole carrots.
10. Taking the time to make your own stock makes a BIG difference in the final product AND it's super easy to do, with the exception of veal stock and fish stock. Not every home cook has access to veal bones and fish carcases, but vegetable and chicken stock are very home cook-friendly.11. There are atleast 20 different ways to cut vegetables, and yes, I can cut them all.
12. Consommé is an overrated, pointless labor.
13. Contrary to what Rachel Ray has been telling her audience for years, olive oil is not the most ideal cooking oil, and no, she did not invent the garbage bowl. It has a distinct flavor that can overpower dishes. Many chefs prefer using neutral oils, like canola. Olive oil is great for dressings, however, and is still the most commonly used oil in the world.
14. Active birds have darker meat because their muscles produce more myoglobin, which is a protein responsible for the color of meat. This would explain why duck is dark and ostrich resemsbles steak. Active birds also produce greater amounts of fat, which seems a little backwards, right?
15. Chicken must be cooked all the way through because of the risk of salmonella. There is not a risk of salmonella associated with other poultry.
16. "Black & Blue" refers to a temprature for cooking meat. The meat is charred (black) on the outside and cold on the inside (blue). "Black & Bleu," which is often an option for hamburgers and steaks where I'm from, is a cute play on the words and refers to the use of black peppercorns and bleu cheese when grilling.
17. There are eight USDA grades for beef: prime, choice, select, standard, commercial, utility, cutter, and canner. I wonder what the kids in public schools are eating... Maybe the same thing they're serving in prison?
18. It is only a requirement that meat is graded for safety, not quality. A company has the choice to have the USDA grade for quality.
19. It's never safe to eat raw fish, but I don't care. I still love sushi.
20. Free range means nothing in reality. The best thing we can do as consummers is know where our food is coming from because lables are just lables- forms of marketing. As a side note, not all free range meat is organic, but all organic meat must be free range.
