How does a Culinary Student becomes a Chef?

True or False( If a culinary art student in a professional school studies hard, work diligently, gets top grades, and show real dedication, he or she will be qualified to be a chef upon graduation. please explain
Brett
Dear Brett,
Great question!
Well yes and no. Yes you can call yourself a Chef but it does not qualify you to be a Chef. What we mean is you can study hard, get good grades, and work hard but it is what you do with that education that really makes you a Chef.
For the no part. We have met many Chefs/cooks that went to the best schools but are totally lost in the real world. A culinary school can give you all the tools that you need, however it is what you do with those tools that really makes you a Chef.
When you graduate from a culinary school do not expect to be a head Chef in the top restaurants unless you have worked for a few years before going to a culinary school and have a great personal knowledge of the culinary field.
If you have any other questions on this please let us know.
Sincerely,
Chef Chat Cafe

What to do with my garden?

It is now the end of the season here in the north east. Every year I have a garden and at the end of the season I have so many vegetables I can not give them away. I grow tomatoes, squash, and peppers. Please help!!!
Joe

Dear Joe,
We know what you are saying! The best way to help you is to give you few options. With your tomatoes you can boil some water and peal and de-seed them for jarring, or freezing. You can also just make a basic tomato sauce and freeze it so that you can add it to your favorite dishes. For your squash that's tough! Squash is a tough vegetable but it dos not hold very well. You can make a short bread, or muffins, stew them and can, or freeze them, or make a soup and do the same. For your peppers it is the same story. To hold these vegetable for a long time it is best to keep them as basic as possible. The reason is because if you make them for one dish you can not use them for others and you will be tired of just eating that.

If you have any other questions on this please let us know.
Sincerely,
Chef Chat Cafe

What to do with spinach?

I love spinach! Not as much as Popeye but I try to eat it every week with dinner. I have had it in a salad and sauteed but just with garlic. I see recipes but they look scary. do you have any other ideas?
Donna

Dear Donna,
Here's a question for you. What do you find scary? The only way they get scary is when you add ingredients that you do not like. Some ideas you can get from our recipe page but just to name a few you can stuff chicken with some spinach and your favorite cheese, saute it with you favorite nuts [unsalted of coarse], you can add some citrus fruit and some spice to kick it up a little. As you can see you can be as basic as you want and as dangerous and you feel. But it is up to you. Our best suggestion is to start slow. Add what you like and work off of that.
Let us know if you have any other questions on this.

Sincerely,
Chef Chat Cafe

What to do with bad wine?

I bought a bottle of wine and it tasted like I licked the walls of my basement!!! This is not the first time that this has happened to me and I feel bad taking it back. What should I do to prevent this from happening again, and what causes this?
Stan
Dear Stan,
Well the first thing we need to say is Do Not feel Bad! The reason that you should not feel bad taking it back because it does not hurt the wine store. All they would do is tell the company that sold it to them and they will take it back. Most of the time it is just one bottle but in a few cases it can be a case of wine. What happens is the bottle [mostly reds] are in a bad temperature and they turn.
To prevent this from happening again just stop buying wine or you just have to look at wine like it is a living, breathing organism. Some times it is a shot in the dark, or just find a better store if you have received wines from one store that this has happened to you before.
For your own wines at home you have to take care of it like your children especially if you buy high cost wines. Put the wine in a good temperature say 50 degrees F to 58 degrees F for reds and 38 degrees F to 50 degrees F for whites. If you like a colder white that is up to you but in some good wine you will miss some of the fruity flavors.
We hope this helps and if you have any other questions on this please let us know.
Sincerely,
Chef Chat Cafe

Crust on fish

I love a great sauteed piece of fish. I eat out a lot to say the least. I want to make the same dishes. When I try to recreate the crust on the fish it will come out way under cooked or over cooked. What am I doing wrong?
Cindy
Dear Cindy,
The first place to start is what type of fish are you using? If you use a thin piece of like flounder, the best way to create a crust is to coat the fish with seasoned flour, corn starch, or corn flour. Start sauteing in hot oil and cook the fish on one side for 90% of the way. You will need to lower the heat a little so you do not burn the fish. If you are using a thick piece of fish like halibut, just season the fish and sear it in HOT oil. Then do the same. To make it easier you can sear the fish until the crust forms and then flip it over and place it in a 350 degree F oven for about 10 minutes. For an even tastier crust you can shred some potatoes, season and add a little flour and create a crust the same way. It does sound easier said then done, but after a few times you will be a pro.
If you have any other questions on this, please let us know.
Sincerely,
Chef Chat Cafe

Cooking instruction book

My daughter has entered a culinary program in her high school and she is so excited. I have researched the book they will give her and it is very basic and gives no direction in becoming a chef. Can you suggest and good one that I can buy?
Sincerely,
Kim
Dear Kim,
Yes we can. Our answer may be one sided though. We suggest The Professional Chef, 8Th Edition from CIA. It will inform your daughter with what ever she wants to know. If that is to advanced for her you can try Becoming a Chef:by Karen Page. This book will help her decide if this is what she wants to do. It will give her some of the tools to advance in the class she is taking in high school. It is hard to give a multitude of suggestions because there are so many out there these days, but we are sure any one you pick up will help her.
Let us know if you have any other questions on this.
Sincerely,
Chef Chat Cafe

Help with soup!!!

I need some major help! I was making a clam chowder and I do not like to use a roux. So I use corn starch. Well when I was making the soup and it came time for the corn starch I grabbed the baking soda instead. When I added it to the soup it fizzed a little and was just cloudy. I added the corn starch after that and It tasted fine. I guess my questions is " will I die or get sick"?
Sincerely,
Y
Dear Y,
You will be just fine. The reason that it fizzed is all you did was activate it. What baking soda does is it creates gas to make your baked goods rise. For the small amount you used in the soup it will be just fine. Just one suggestion, we know some baked goods call for corn starch in them but try to keep your baking products away from you everyday ones. That will prevent this from happening again.
Let us know if you have any other questions on this.
Sincerely,
Chef Chet Cafe

How to buy wine?

I have a Problem. I love wine but do not know how to buy a good one. I go to the store or read magazines ant try what they say to try. When I do I am not impressed or I feel I have paid to much. Can you HELP?
Dan
Dear Dan,
Don't feel bad! This is a problem that even the best wine enthusiast has. The best way to buy wine is to buy what you like. What we mean by that is just because some guy or girl says "buy this you will love it" doesn't mean you will. With our experience with the wine world it can be a hit or miss some times. You can buy a red wine from wine maker A and it is great but buy a white and you would not serve it to the dog. Some people ask us if it is OK to buy wines buy the color of the label? Well if that helps you find what you like then that's what you do. One of our best suggestions is to pick a grape or a style of wine you like and try different ones from around the world. Find the one you like and move on to the next type. Just do your self a favor do not buy just on price. You can find a good wine for under $15. Save those high $$$$ ones for a special occasion, or if you have the $ and love to splurge go right ahead. But always remember to drink them, or you will wait forever to enjoy that bottle.
Always remember it's what you like not what everyone else like.
Let us know if you have any other questions on this.
Sincerely,
Chef Chat Cafe

Good food Magazines?

I am looking for a good cooking magazine. I am having a problem deciding on what to buy.
Can you Help?
Jodi
Dear Jodi,
We Can help you with that decision. Please visit our Product Review page to find out more.
Sincerely,
Chef Chat Cafe

What is Blind Baking

I have a recipe that calls for me to blind bake the crust. What does that mean?

Tammy

Dear Tammy,

To blind bake a crust means basically to bake the crust with no filling. What you would do is place some foil or wax paper in the bottom with some weight in it like dried beans [to prevent the rise of the crust]. This bakes the crust to a golden brown without burning your filling. What that will do is allow you to add just about anything that does not need to be baked in the crust ie: a lemon curd or a pudding pie. Be careful though, you may need to remove the beans and fork the bottom and bake for 5 more minutes.
If you have any other questions on this please let us know.
Sincerely,
Chef Chat Cafe

Grilled Tuna

We love to eat out!! Our favorite dish is a grilled yellow fin tuna. Can you give me a good recipe with some type of fresh summer sauce to go with it?
Thanks,
Tim and Laura

Dear Tim & Laura,
We would be glad to give you a recipe for this. Please visit our Recipe page for this.
If you need anything else on this please let us know.
Sincerely,
Chef Chat Cafe

Dry Grilled Chicken

I have trouble with grilled chicken. It always seems to come out dry on the inside and leathery on the outside. I just put salt, pepper, and some other seasonings on it. Can you tell me what I am doing wrong?
Gina
Dear Gina,
That is a question That seems most people have. If you are just using what you say you are, all you need to do is just add one more. That is OIL. Just as you would add some type of oil to a frying pan just before you saute, you need to do the same when you grill. Not just to the grill but to the food also. Use good oils on you food though, like olive oil or what ever you use to saute with. The reason is you need a medium. Something between the grill grates and your food to prevent that leather crust on the outside. You should really do this with all of your food that you grill. It will also help prevent sticking too.
For the dry inside! Our best suggestion is to not over cook it. We know that sounds easier said then done but if you time the chicken or just use a thermometer and cook the chicken to 165 degrees F you will be fine. When you do both after a while you will know just by time, sight, and touch that your chicken is done.
If you have any other questions on this please let us know.
Sincerely,
Chef Chat Cafe

Parts in a Recipe

My recipe for a spice rub for baby back ribs asks for 8 parts brown sugar, what is a part?
Alison
Dear Alison,
What your recipe means by a part is just like a fraction. If the recipe calls for 1 cup salt that is one part so you would add 8 cups of brown sugar for you 8 parts. That does sound like a lot but it is easier to understand in large numbers. For lower numbers, if your recipe calls for 1 Tbls salt that equals your one part so in turn you would add 8 Tbls of brown sugar for your 8 parts. If the recipe just says one part salt, two parts chili powder, one part garlic powder, and eight parts brown sugar, you are in control of what you want to use. What we mean is one part salt can equal 1 pound of salt, so 2 parts chili equals to 2 pounds chili powder, one part garlic powder equals one pound of garlic, and 8 parts brown sugar equals 8 pounds of sugar. Those numbers can be what ever you want as long as your one part is your guide line.
If you have any other questions on this please let us know.
Sincerely,
Chef Chat Cafe

Grilling vegetables

I try to grill vegetables and they turn out not so good to say the least. I try just oil and S&P also with some fresh herbs. But the herbs burn and there's always not enough salt. I try to grill squash, eggplant, onions, and peppers. Please Help!!
Sarah
Dear Sarah,
Grilling vegetables can be difficult even though it may look easy. To answer your questions we will start at the top.

1. For the herbs burning, the easy way to solve that is to just use dry herbs. The dried herbs will stay better on the grill. Fresh herbs should really be used at the end if you plan to cut up the vegetables and use as a medley. If not and you still want to use fresh herbs use long lasting herbs like thyme, rosemary, or oregano. Be sure to use enough oil to help them stay moist on the grill. Please do not use any herbs on your peppers because you will just burn them to much.
2. For the salt and pepper. If you always say you do not have enough S&P when you eat, you have to say to yourself "a little more" until you say that's to much. By doing that you will learn how much salt you like on your food. Be careful though, you may over salt too so just be ready.

If you have any other questions on this please let us know.
Sincerely,
Chef Chat Cafe

Trouble with sugar cookies

I have tried to make sugar cookies in the summer months and they come out OK. The problem I have is they stick a little to much when I roll them out. I use flour to prevent them from sticking but then they turn out blah! How can I prevent them from sticking and from tasting Blah?
Kathy
Dear Kathy,
Great question! There are a few answers for this. First the reason they stick is the humidity in the air from your AC. Try to cook on cool days or in the morning. To prevent the sticking while rolling them out you can try to refrigerate between rolling and cutting for a long period of time. If time is of the essence, and to help prevent Blah cookies, instead of flour try powder sugar. The cookies will adsorb the sugar and not just plain flour. If that is to much sugar for you, you can try a 50-50 mix of flour and sugar.
If you have any more questions on this please let us know.
Sincerely,
Chef Chat Cafe

How to buy a good NY Strip?

It is now grilling season finally and I love a great NY strip steak. I find when I go t the store and ask questions they always want to sell me the Angus. For NY strip that can get a little costly. Can you help?
Sincerely,
Joe and Stacy
Dear Joe And Stacy,
Great question. When buying a great steak you have to decide a few thing. 1. How much am I willing to Spend? If you spend to little you may be disappointed, to much you may feel taken. For a NY strip steak the best way to decide this is to ask yourself "what am I doing with the steak?" If you are just grilling it with S&P then all means go with the Angus. If you like a little extra flavor with you steak then we would go for a center cut, with great marbling {the little white lines in the meat}. Just be sure that there is no grizzle in the meat. You can distinguish this when you see a thick clearish line down the middle by the fat side. It will look like fat but trust us it's not. The cost for this type will be much lower then Angus by about $2-$5 a pound. 2. The best question to ask yourself and it may be a little greedy but you have to look at who you are serving. If you are serving friends who just eat to live then choose a lower cost steak. If you are serving people who live to eat then spend a little more, you will be invited to some really good dinners in the future. For size of the steak it is up to you. If you go to a good butcher if you can find one these days they will have no problem cutting you whatever size you want. For a NY strip steak we would say for a small or average size about 8 oz. for a MANLY steak 16 oz. will do it. Any larger you will not have room for a baked potato.
If you have any other questions on this let us know.
Sincerely,
Chef Chat Cafe

I Need Help With Choosing A Knife

Wusthof or Henkels?
I am looking to purchase some good knifes for my house. I have asked a few friend that love to cook and they all say different things. I have narrowed it down to two types Wusthof or Henkels. For a set they cost a pretty penny but I do not have a problem with the cost if I just buy one or two right now. I do not cook that much but when I do I try to cook with the best ingredients I can find. Please help with this.
Sincerely,
Maria
Dear Maria,
To answer this question the best place for you to go is our Product Review page. We will answer your question there. If you have any other questions on this after reading our review please let us know.
Sincerely,
Chef Chat Cafe

I need HELP with All-Clad Pots

Please help. I am looking to buy a gift for my really good friends and they love to cook. They always say " if they had to money they would buy All-Clad". They are costly but they are good friend and do great things for me. I want an opinion on this that is not trying to sell me something.
Sincerely,
Sally
Dear Sally,
We think that if they love to cook and are good friends by all mean buy them. You can buy a great 9 pc. set online for about $500. If that is to much All-Clad has other sets like the Emerilware set that is just as good. A 14 Pc. online for about $300. For more information on All- Clad and to read more about what we think visit or Product Review page. We hope this helps and if you have any other questions on the please let us know.
Sincerely,
Chef Chat Cafe

Help with Mallowmars

Chef Chat Cafe I am having a really hard time trying to figure out how do a recipe. Maybe you can help me out. I was trying to figure out how to make Mallowmars but can't seem to get the recipe right. I would really like to learn how to make them only because you can't find them all year long. I appreciate any help that you can give me.
Dear Motman77,
Thank you for the interesting question. To make your own in the summer, well it would be fun but you may have some problems with keeping them at there best. The reason they do not make them in the summer as we found is in the shipping. To cold in the truck, when they hit the store the cookie on the bottom will become soggy, to hot, well that's just a mess! So if you make them be careful of the temp. you keep them at.
The best and easiest way we feel to make them is buy a plain vanilla wafer cookie, your favorite marshmallow, and a good bar of chocolate. For the chocolate, to make it even easier you can buy a coating chocolate that you do not have to temper.
For how to make them;
First pre-heat your oven to 350 and on a tray with wax paper place one cookie topped with one, or half a marshmallow, ad place in the oven for about five minutes. This will help everything stick together. Let this cool and place just the cookie bottom in the melted chocolate, and let that cool. Once that has cooled now comes the fun. Place the cookie on a wire rack with wax paper under the rack on a tray. Spoon or pour the melted chocolate over and let cool. You can repeat the last step to create a thicker shell on the out side. We hope this helps, and if you have anymore questions on this please let us know.
Sincerely,
Chef Chat Cafe 6/13/07

Help with my grill

My grill is a mess!! I have a good grill but I have trouble keeping it clean. I clean it with a grill cleaner and some times the cleaner does not come off all the way and the next time I cook on it the food tastes bad. If I do not clean it like that the grates get caked with food and starts fires. What do I do ?
S
Dear S,
You are making this harder than it is. The best things to do first "is to step away from the cleaners". They have a possibility to leave a film on the grates and make your food taste just like the spray. Second, if your food is leaving little treats behind let the grill do the work. What I mean is leave the grill on for about 10 minutes and cook off those tid-bits. When you use the grill the next time let it heat up for about 15 minutes. When the grill is hot those little tid-bits will be cooked enough so all you have to do is is brush the grill with a wire brush, and wipe with a little oil to help the grates become like a non-stick pan.
Let us know if this works for you and if you have anymore questions on this, let us know.
Sincerely,
Chef Chat Cafe 6/7/07

Wooden cutting boards

I received a wooden bamboo cutting board as a birthday gift. What kinds of food is best to cut on it? Should I have a separate one for meat? What should I consider when using the cutting board, cleaning it to keep it food-safe and in good condition?
Dear Yvonne,
The best type of food to use your cutting board with is almost any food. I say almost because bamboo is a type of board that really does not take on smells like from an onion. Foods not to use is chicken or beef or some type of food that carries some type of bacteria. If you do wash the board ASAP with a good soap and a little water. If the board starts to smell wash the board well and rub with a lemon and add a good amount of salt at let sit for a few hours and wash again. You may need to oil the board to prevent splitting. Use a mineral oil and let sit to be absorbed. Bamboo does not really need that much oil so just wipe off the extra. Let us know if this helps or if you have any more questions on this.
Sincerely,
Chef Chat Cafe 5/23/07

Grill marks

I need to know how to make grill marks on my chicken without burning the chicken.
Dear ry,
It is easy to get grill Marks on your chicken. First you need a good hot grill. Second you will need to add a little oil to your seasoned chicken. The oil will help prevent sticking. Third thing is the hardest for most people "Leave it alone". When the chicken becomes slightly loose on the grill turn it half way to the left or right. This will make those nice X marks on the chicken. When that mark is nice and golden flip the chicken and do the same. After that the chicken should be done let it rest for about five minutes and enjoy.
Sincerely,
Chef Chat Cafe 5/19/05