Were You Trained or Did You Self Learn To Cook (Poll)

[flyinglentris]

There's an option missing. I learnt to cook from my dear old mum and thereafter my first wife. Not really self taught but neither was I "trained".

I've added 'Taught By Parents or Spouse'.

 

[karadekoolaid]

I like the way one of the cooks on ATK defined it (paraphrasing): "If I'm in charge of the kitchen, I'm the chef. If someone else is in charge, I'm a cook. At home, I'm the chef, but here (meaning the studio kitchen) I'm a cook."

Yes, I can also relate to that. Chef, in French, is THE BOSS. So if you´re totally in charge of everything which goes on in the kitchen, then I suppose you´re the chef.
When I started cooking seriously ( and doing the occasional event, or course) people used to call me "Chef"; and I corrected them.
After about 20 events/courses, i just gave up, because I´m a cook. I´ve done 4 or 5 big events where i was billed as "Executive Chef", and to be honest, it made me giggle.
Why? Because my younger brother really was an executive chef, managing up to 800 people a day. I stood there and watched him once. No bloody way could I ever do that!

 

[caseydog]

Yes, I can also relate to that. Chef, in French, is THE BOSS. So if you´re totally in charge of everything which goes on in the kitchen, then I suppose you´re the chef.
When I started cooking seriously ( and doing the occasional event, or course) people used to call me "Chef"; and I corrected them.
After about 20 events/courses, i just gave up, because I´m a cook. I´ve done 4 or 5 big events where i was billed as "Executive Chef", and to be honest, it made me giggle.
Why? Because my younger brother really was an executive chef, managing up to 800 people a day. I stood there and watched him once. No bloody way could I ever do that!

I consider myself a pretty good cook, and in my kitchen, I am sometimes (jokingly) Chef Caseydog! But, I wouldn't last a day in a restaurant kitchen. First, my knife skills are SLOW. Multitasking is not one of my talents. Plus, I don't speak Spanish (a requirement in Texas restaurant kitchens).

CD

 

[TastyReuben]

I consider myself a pretty good cook, and in my kitchen, I am sometimes (jokingly) Chef Caseydog! But, I wouldn't last a day in a restaurant kitchen. First, my knife skills are SLOW. Multitasking is not one of my talents. Plus, I don't speak Spanish (a requirement in Texas restaurant kitchens).

CD

People will tell me sometimes, "You're such a good cook, you should open a restaurant!"

My response is always, "Are you insane?! You do realize who you're talking to, right?"

 

[FowlersFreeTime]

I consider myself a pretty good cook, and in my kitchen, I am sometimes (jokingly) Chef Caseydog! But, I wouldn't last a day in a restaurant kitchen. First, my knife skills are SLOW. Multitasking is not one of my talents. Plus, I don't speak Spanish (a requirement in Texas restaurant kitchens).

CD

Regarding the text I highlighted, I truly wish these skills were among those my mother taught me, but they were not. I think properly trained culinary staff practice knife skills, kitchen/ingredient preparation & organization, and time management until its muscle memory. To me, that separates the home cook from the trained chef.

 

[garlichead]

Regarding the text I highlighted, I truly wish these skills were among those my mother taught me, but they were not. I think properly trained culinary staff practice knife skills, kitchen/ingredient preparation & organization, and time management until its muscle memory. To me, that separates the home cook from the trained chef.

It's not that easy, it takes years of apprenticeship (3-5 minimum) in a good kitchen trained by talented chefs to be at a high level in a professional kitchen. Most kitchen people have a wide range of skill from almost none to very good and many cooks never reach a level where they could survive in a very busy kitchen where food is dispatched and processed mostly by skill and from scratch as opposed to bringing in product that is mostly ready to cook, that's a totally different kitchen experience. My experience in a professional kitchens tells me a good home cook can easily end up being a great chef as opposed to some culinary grads that seriously should do something else in life and stay away from a kitchen. What I'm trying to say is there's lots of kitchen staff that don't have a clue. But that's my take on it.

 

[Herbie]

Mainly I learnt from my mum. A little from school (we did 'nutrition' rather than 'cooking'). I also learnt about spices from a Pakistani friend, and Chinese cooking techniques from a Chinese friend.

Of course, a fair bit of self learning too.

 

[Morning Glory]

I've added 'Taught By Parents or Spouse'.

No spouse (grrr...that marriage assumption again!) but I did get taught by my partner(s) and also some friends over the years. Also, the poll is single choice and for many its more than one answer.