Day fifty six

A courtesy of

Is food an art or craft?

Last day of classes for this week! It feels like Friday.

Math was easy - we learned ratios. What it is and how to use. Really simple. The good example is pie dough 3:2:1 (3 parts of flour, 2 parts of fat, and 1 part of water). What you should be careful is to check is it by weight or by volume. For this example for dough the ratio is by weight (for bakeshop is usually by weight). Ratio can use volume or weight, but never mixed.

Gastronomy was again, very provocative. We talk about human being, what makes us happy, what role food are playing in our lives (except for feeding to live). Is food a craft or an art? There is no single answer. First you need to cook food and this is probably craft. You should possess

Day fifty five

A courtesy of

What can affect purchasing decision?

Back to classes. Even though today is Wednesday, we have our schedule moved for one day ahead due to Good Friday (regardless that in California this is not a state holiday). Tomorrow will be Friday for me.

Campus this week is crazy. One group graduated last Friday, but we have two groups returning from an externship and three new groups of students. Lunch are is packed with people, parking lot is full. Also it was an open house today.

So, what did I learned today?

Math, we are moving forward every day. Today was about purchasing decision. There are always many choices and we should be able to make the right one based on our operations. Let's say cloves - we have choice to buy

Day fifty four

Today's plate

What is the most technically difficult method of cooking?

Second day in the kitchen this week. Today it was all about dry heat cooking method - sauté. The menu was sautéed chicken breast with fine herb sauce, fresh egg pasta, and vegetables Jardiniere.

This menu looks really simple, however the most difficult method is saute. This is due to many things. The first thing is that you have to manage heat really carefully. If it's too high chicken will have grainy texture. If it's too low, instead of saute you will boil it. The next point is to determine doneness of the product. You do not want to overcook it, and in case of chicken undercook is not an option at all. Also,

Day fifty three

What are the different types of stew?

Kitchen again. It was an interesting day, even the Chef made remark. More time we have, more we fall behind schedule. That suppose to be quite easy day, and still we were 20 minute late...

The theme for today was fricassee. Fricassee is a stewing method of cooking. What is the difference between braise and stew? Right, stew is the small pieces, fully submerged in cooking liquid. Usually done on the top of the stove.

How many types of stew can you think about? There are quite a few. Ragout is

Day fifty two

A courtesy of

Why there is a trans fats in milk?

TGIF! This is great day - Friday. By the end of week really tired and looking forward for two days off. The next week schedule is moved one day ahead. Because of Good Friday we will have classes from Monday to Thursday and kitchen will be Monday and Tuesday.

Today was the second day of liberal art classes for this week. Math, gastronomy, and nutrition.

Math we got excel form to calculate recipe cost. The form is great, however there are so many small details you should remember, otherwise you won't be able to get result. The next homework we suppose to send by e-mail filled out form. Will figure this later.

Gastronomy today was

Day fifty one

A courtesy of

What is authentic food?

The liberal art classes again. It was usual set: math, gastronomy, nutrition, and first year experience.

At math we have moved forward and started recipe costing. Probably we had a recipe with a large number of ingredients, therefore it was a lot of work to do all calculations. The home work for tomorrow was alike. A recipe with 15 ingredients, almost all of them have different unit and purchasing unit, so have to convert one into another. That was fun, indeed.

At gastronomy we had interesting conversation about authenticity. What does it mean to be authentic in terms of food?

Day fifty

Today's plate: short ribs, polenta, roasted vegetables, and
braised endive

What is the difference between braising and stewing?

Today chef promised us the most relaxing day in the kitchen since the beginning of our study and he was right. It was really relaxing. The menue was braised short ribs, soft polenta, braised belgian endive, and roasted vegetables.

Even though braising and stewing are look similar, there are a few technical differences. Braising is considered to be a combination cooking method, because you sear main item first and then you cook it partially submerged in a cooking liquid, so the bottom is cooked in a liquid and the top by steam created in a covered cooking vessel. Also for braising we use portion size pieces, while for stewing bite size. Braising usually done