I have been cooking for a few years and want to become a great chef. What is the best apporach to learning skills besides cooking, taking classes, and reading cookbooks. I want to learn why certain things go together well...like onion and bacon, or avocado and tomato, or ham and swiss?
2007-01-05 07:23:26 · 8 answers · asked by hulahoops 3 in Food & Drink ➔ Cooking & Recipes
The same way you get to Carnegie Hall, my friend... PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE!!!
taste... try... ask... study...
Best!!!
2007-01-05 07:31:50 · answer #1 · answered by Pianojazzman 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Look on amazon.com in the cooking section. I am NOT suggesting a cookbook. They have so many good books about foods and the science and history behind them. When you understand how foods work, it makes pairings a lot easier. The food science will tell you why onions and bacon complement each other for instance.
A lot of it comes from tradition and the ethnicity of the foods and people having to use whatever was around them.
It's really interesting to learn about.
2007-01-05 07:35:46 · answer #2 · answered by chefgrille 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I would highly recommend a book that I just purchased and am very excited about: Sally Schneider's "The Improvisational Cook." Her perspective is that when a cook knows the basics of several different dishes, it frees him/her to improvise more often with whatever is fresh, available, leftover, etc.
It sounds like you are probably pretty experienced and may know a lot of these basics already, but I think you would still really enjoy her thoughts and possibly be able to make many more connections that a dabbler like I would.
Good luck!
2007-01-06 13:25:54 · answer #3 · answered by Andrea 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Experiment. I have never taken any cooking classes, but have cooked for a living for the last 10 years or so. My family never knows what to expect when I am cooking but they always love the food. Use a lot of fresh herbs. I have an herb garden that I use almost daily.
2007-01-05 07:33:21 · answer #4 · answered by Ryan's mom 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
practice and experiment
practice and experiment
practice and experiment
practice and experiment
great chefs create their own recipes
you can get ideas from cookbooks (especially on techniques) but you have to be creative and try out things on your on - you will make mistakes but you will learn from them
practice and experiment
practice and experiment
practice and experiment
practice and experiment
2007-01-05 07:39:27 · answer #5 · answered by Poutine 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
taste every thing all the time. even things you hate. take notes and think about what you are tasting.
2007-01-05 07:25:41 · answer #6 · answered by marduk D 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Cook for ME !!
2007-01-05 07:41:55 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Take one of my classes
www.yourchefservice.com
2007-01-05 07:30:18 · answer #8 · answered by Ask the Chef 4 · 0⤊ 2⤋