The course is going well and there is lots to learn. Homework every night and projects to complete. Chef likes to review our reading homework to ensure that we don't forget about key points in each chapter and to answer any questions we might have. Really, it's her way of telling us that this information will be on a test and that it is also important for the the kitchen... when we get there.
Chapters two and three are very important. As chefs we need to know and identify the various tools that we will be using in the kitchen. We need to know what each pot and pan is used for and which tools work best for the type of food we are cooking. The other day one of the ladies in my class mentioned that she used her steel (a tool used for truing and maintaining knife edges) to sharpen her knife. The steel came with the knife in one package so she thought it was a sharpener. I told her that that's not what it's used for and explained what it was used for. Chef mentioned the steel in our review today and we both looked at each other and had a good laugh.
While reviewing the chapter on basic principles of cooking and food science, Chef could not believe that there is mention of how to boil water. Note: the boiling point of water is 122 degrees F. There are people out there who do not know how to boil water and these people do know who they are. ;-) It's the person who said to me that adding salt would make the water boil sooner.
At the school there is an Advanced Cooking Class and another Cooking Basics Class in session running along side our class. We get to see them at work and taste some of their creations. The kitchen is behind glass so it makes it easy for us to see them working in the kitchen. Today we had the opportunity of tasting a plates ~ cow cheeks over barley risotto with mushrooms and pearl onions. The cow cheeks were so tender and the barley risotto was infused with such great flavour. I've never thought about using barley to make risotto. It was so good, that it will surely be on my list of things to make.
We watched the documentary Food Inc. during the last hour of class today. It's not for the faint stomach. Lots of truths in this documentary that will make you think about where you purchase your food and questions you might want to ask before you do. In this documentary there is a story of a little boy who became ill and then died after eating contaminated (E. coli) hamburger meat. His parents rallied to get the laws change about food industry practices. Kevin's Law was proposed legislation that would have given the U.S. Department of Agriculture to close down plants that produce contaminated meat. If you want to know more about Kevin's Law go to the following websites http://www.foodborneillness.org/ and
http://www.takepart.com/news/2010/03/02/make-our-food-safe. Watching Food Inc. today shows clearly that sanitation and safety in food is critical to our well-being.
As we get ready for the kitchen we were measured for uniforms today. White jackets, checkered pants, apron, hats and scarfs. Another step closer to getting in to the kitchen!
No reading tonight. However, Chef did say that if we wanted to read something because we needed to, we could read Chapter 6 (Nutrition). There is plenty of homework and studying to do this weekend. I need to get started on my country and it's food project, study for a test on sanitation and safety for this Monday and bring information related to the food industry as a result of watching Food Inc. today.
Thursday is my Friday. No school tomorrow.
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