Brilliant Tricks And Hacks Culinary Arts Students Can Pick From New York Restaurants
Culinary art students have to visit a lot of restaurants as part of their curriculum.
This helps them observe chefs in real time and pick up useful tips from professionals.
New York restaurants chefs have a lot of tricks up their sleeve which come very handy in the kitchen.
Some of these might be new to you but they have been practiced for a long time in the culinary world.
Let us take a look at some of these tips and tricks.
Stay Organized & Clean
In the madness of everything, it is easy to give in to messes.
This can not only hamper your productivity but also affect the quality of the food being served.
Keep essential ingredients at easy reach and seasoning on the side.
Make sure you clean up after each task. If you are done chopping your veggies, discard the remaining bits immediately. Don’t let it spread all over your working space.
Keep separate containers for the good and bad bits. Throw away the trash at regular intervals. If you spill anything, wipe the surface immediately.
Leaving spills and other food waste unattended can affect clean food. Serving unclean food is the biggest mistake you can make.
Take this to heart – clean as you go.
Stop Throwing Away Bacon Fat
There are so many things you can do with leftover bacon fat.
Many people tend to think it gets spoiled easily. If stored properly, bacon fat can last for several months.
- You can use it as a salad dressing by using it to make a vinaigrette.
- Make bland veggies more flavorful by sauteing them in bacon grease. This is useful for leafy and green veggies like spinach.
- Whip up your own mayonnaise. Instead of using normal oil, use bacon grease to give it that smokey, bacon flavor.
- Use it to grill bread. You can take your grilled cheese to the next level with this trick. There are many New York restaurants that are known for their famous ‘bacon flavored grilled cheese’.
Know Your Spices
Spices are used to enhance the taste of food. Every aspiring chef or culinary student should know how to use spices properly.
It can be tricky to figure out how to use them in the beginning. In order to use them effectively you have to know how each one affects the flavor of the food.
Many culinary arts colleges have an entire section devoted to mastering spices.
They even make students do an entire PowerPoint on different spices!
If you are a culinary arts student struggling with similar assignments, don’t worry. You can take the help of online services that provide PowerPoint help for students.
Rubber Bands On Knives For Extra Grip
Are you tired of losing grip on your knives?
Get some spare rubber bands and attach them to the handle.
Chefs in restaurants use this hack all the time especially when their hands get sweaty from a long day of cooking.
Try this hack and see if you get a better grip on your knives.
Cook Eggs In A Double Boiler
The secret to perfectly cooked, soft and buttery eggs?
The low heat of a double boiler prevents the eggs from being too dry.
Many chefs use the double boiler for foods that require gentle cooking in order to preserve their consistency.
Use Mayonnaise To Prevent Fish From Sticking
This tip might seem odd but it works every time.
Coating your fish with a thin layer of mayonnaise will prevent it from sticking to the grill. It works better compared to normal fats like oil.
And don’t worry, you won’t taste the mayonnaise.
So next time you are struggling to scrape the fish off the grill, remember this tip.
Conclusion
Try incorporating these tips in your next cooking session to test them out.
Ask questions during restaurant visits to gain more knowledge. Observe the chefs and note down things that seem different or new.
If you start picking up new tricks early on in your career your cooking will be more efficient and proficient, and soon you’ll become a seasoned chef!
