How to become a chef?

last SG · 2008-10-31T02:09:47+00:00

I am not hoping to become a chef, I hope to make delicious makan.Am now for settling in thailand for a year or two.Pick up the language and hopefully take up...

Maith SG

Well,except of course by going to Shatec..is there any other way?

wonderamazement SG

various Diploma programs lo... then work part time during holidays in the F&B line.

corebooster SG

to be frank.

its not the paper which makes u a chef

its your culinary skills, your connections and your attitude towards cooking.

if u really want to be a chef, work as a sous chef and build ur way up the cooking world.

read up on all kinds of cusine. increase your knowledge about food, the preparation, the cooking, the display.

read up on biology(food science), learn about food and nutritions. the psycology of diners,

youyayu SG

stephen chow god of cookery school

limpper SG

learn how to fry an egg first loh.

ben1406 SG

1) go work part time in a kitchen 1st to see whether you like the hours and the heat.

2) read read read... spend money on books to understand more about food. and what i'm trying to hint to you is not to buy jamie oliver's and stuff like that. learn about the different kinds of cuisines.

3) go to chef school, trust me.. in the next 5 years, it will be papers that other chefs will look for. not so much in singapore, but everyone else in the world is doing it. so go to school. trust me, i'm working as a chef in Canada. and here, you will be pass over for a promotion easily if you didn't go to chef school. and mind you, i do my own hiring and firing. =)

4) if you have the money, study overseas. france, canada and the usa are three great options. if you don't have those options, i guess shatec will be fine.. i don't know much about that school, never been there.

5) if you studied overseas, work aboard for a lil before heading back to singapore.

seyKai SG

1) go work part time in a kitchen 1st to see whether you like the hours and the heat.

5) if you studied overseas, work aboard for a lil before heading back to singapore.

How do you read to be a chef?

Its a matter of understanding food - I would eat and understand taste

ben1406 SG

How do you read to be a chef?

Its a matter of understanding food - I would eat and understand taste

you read to learn about your classics then go on and cook it. understanding taste is very important don't get me wrong. but for a new cook, please.. go learn your damm classics and understand what culinary is all about 1st before even cooking.

a chef is not one who can only cook, but one that trains, leads, plans and understand what food is really about. i have great cooks but most of them will never be chefs.

youyayu SG

ITE?

seyKai SG

a chef is not one who can only cook, but one that trains, leads, plans and understand what food is really about. i have great cooks but most of them will never be chefs.

I do understand that paper qualification is important

being a chef is all about taste and understanding food

too bad - taste bud is something cannot be taught by books and I firmly believe its inborn or form at very young age

ben1406 SG

thats where you are wrong.. yes food is the most important aspect of being a chef. chef in french means head. a chef leads, a chef plans, a chef write menus, a chef hires. it's not just cooking. you can be the best cook in the world, but without leadership your kitchen will fail.

yeah, the 80s - late 90s you can get away without a culinary dip / deg. today, try even getting into a top restaurant in north america without a cert.

taste buds cannot be changed but by reading and understanding how certain veg, fruit is grown you will get a basic understanding on how to pair or match it. reading by far is a very important aspect in a chef growing.

yes, taste every thing you cook and eat but reading about it is just as important. you are not going to understand a certain cuisine just by eating it. being a chef is not just to understand the taste, you also need to understand the dish.

viciouskitty74 SG

You dont have to buy all the books. Libraries has plenty to research on

ben1406 SG

You dont have to buy all the books. Libraries has plenty to research on

oh for sure.. ! libraries are great if you are in singapore.

seyKai SG

yes, u learn to lead. but what is the main function of a chef? matching food is a matter of understanding taste. all the others can be taught except taste bud

skythewood SG

dude....

cooking is an art form...

you have to study it the way people study music or painting or designing.

like a building designmer, knowing how to do it is not enough, you must be able to lead others and show them how to do it...

a chef working in the kitchen is not enough. you will need helpers to help you and lead them to come up with the dishes for a meal.

viciouskitty74 SG

oh for sure.. ! libraries are great if you are in singapore.

Canadian Library or US libraries does not stock as much recipe books? I saw at Santa Ana California they have shelfs of recipe books and most looks so new.

For varieties though, Singapore libraries do have more recipe books on different cuisines, in english or mandarin. The Madarin cook books from Taiwan covers japanese cooking quite well.

seyKai SG

dude....

cooking is an art form...

you have to study it the way people study music or painting or designing.

like a building designmer, knowing how to do it is not enough, you must be able to lead others and show them how to do it...

a chef working in the kitchen is not enough. you will need helpers to help you and lead them to come up with the dishes for a meal.

yes, cooking is an art and some became great chef. just like painters, some tried their best and yet their best art pieces are neglected

ben1406 SG

yes, u learn to lead. but what is the main function of a chef? matching food is a matter of understanding taste. all the others can be taught except taste bud

yes, matching food ! writing menus. but what if your company is a cooperation ? ie: hard rock cafe ? the chef doesn't write a menu, the chef doesn't pair anything. it comes from the cooperate executive chef. he needs to jolly well know how to lead.

a chef is nothing without his understanding of food for sure. but if you can't manage too, you will never be a chef. taste buds can't be thought, that is why chefs read to understand food.

i have a shellfish allergy, i taste it but i don't eat it. funny how then i got a write up on a shellfish fish of mine in a food zine. also funny how i won a bronze medal in a culinary competition showcasing shellfish. you don't need a superb taste bud to know how to cook. just understand your food.

if it all lies down to having a great taste bud to be a good chef, alot of chefs will be out of a job.

ben1406 SG

dude....

cooking is an art form...

you have to study it the way people study music or painting or designing.

like a building designmer, knowing how to do it is not enough, you must be able to lead others and show them how to do it...

a chef working in the kitchen is not enough. you will need helpers to help you and lead them to come up with the dishes for a meal.

without your cooks, dishwashers and servers... a chef is nothing.

ben1406 SG

yes, cooking is an art and some became great chef. just like painters, some tried their best and yet their best art pieces are neglected

I see cooking as more as a craft. Poetry is an art form. I'm sorry, but noodles spun into towers and designs on plates with different colored sauces do not equal art.