CULINARY FOUNDATIONS, WEEK ONE

Wow, I actually made it through the first week.  It felt more like two weeks.  So much information is crammed in my head already.  I have to say that going to school is much harder than work.  Here are the highlights of the week:

January 14, 2013

Day one was a "getting to know" day. It started with meeting the  other students in the class and hearing a bit about them. We had already met the Chef at orientation. We did a fire drill and learned the meeting place in case of a fire, a tree in the middle of a parking lot at the next building over.  It was a nice day for a stroll.  We took a tour of the campus and then reviewed the syllabus for the next 6 weeks.  

        
After class, I volunteered to be part of the Boy's Scout Benefit Pastry Team. We discussed what we would be making and assigned teams of two for each pastry item. I am a bit nervous since I have had no actual knowledge related to baking through the school yet.  I will be making 2 kinds of mousse along with assisting with other items. It will be a lot of work for the benefit but I will get the experience of learning to make items in the kitchen before I learn them in class.  Very exciting!

January 15, 2013

Day two we started off at full speed with the professional code of conduct and defining a Chef.  We went into the kitchen for the first time and reviewed safety measures. In class the Chef ask me of all people to start up a food processor that I had never used before in front of the whole class.  Of course he knew I had no experience with this and I failed terribly due to my several safety mistakes, which was the point he was trying to make to the class.  I know that I will always remember this lesson. We then attended a knife demonstration by a Japanese company called Kikuichi who now make professional knifes but used to manufacture Samurai swords.

  

January 16, 2013

Day three we discussed organization in the kitchen (mise en place "meez ahn plahs"), parts of a knife, different kinds of knives, and started discussing recipes. We also talked about the orchid plant that produces vanilla beans. The school has one growing on campus.  We got to see where the orchid is located and the flowers that it blooms. We also learned how it is pollinated to produced vanilla bean. This year was the first time the flowers bloomed on their orchid. Our Chef has been trying different methods to pollinate the orchid flowers and showed us how he has pollinated the blooms so far. Mexico is the only location that the orchid is naturally pollinated by bees. All other locations that the orchid is grown hand pollinate the orchid to produce the beans, making them more expensive to purchase. The word vanilla is derived from a Spanish word meaning little pod.  I guess we will see if the orchid on campus actually starts to produce vanilla beans. 

January 17, 2013

Day four, the last day of class for the week, we were back in the kitchen discussing weights and measurements.  From this lesson I found that I will need to really learn and memorize conversions of different volumes and weights.  I was a little freaked out during this discussion. The Chef assured me that as I use and practice these conversions in the kitchen, these will become second nature.  I, on the other hand, am not quite convinced so I guess we will see if I can actually get a handle on this within the next several weeks.  

One of the materials the Chef was utilizing to demonstrate weights and volume was honey. I asked if he knew what the difference was between bottles labeled "Honey" versus "Clove Honey."  Interestingly enough, it is based on the plant nectar the bee is obtaining. I also learned how the bees collect the nectar and make the honey.  This however will not dissuade me from eating honey as it tastes too good to care.