The basics of starch as a thickening agent in sauces; Brief science of culinary thickeners; Describes the proper use and application of cornstarch, flour, tapioca flour, arrowroot, and potato starch.
The World of Culinary Thickeners
Egg Cookery 101: The Complete Guide to Professional Techniques
The egg is the ultimate culinary paradox: it is the simplest ingredient in the pantry, yet it remains the most difficult to truly master. To the casual cook, it is merely breakfast, but to the…
From Prep to Plate: A Guide to Professional Vegetable Techniques
Let’s Be Real: Culinary School Isn’t Just About the Meat Anymore For a long time, the traditional path through culinary school felt like a non-stop rotation of "Meat 101." You learned how to sear a…
Plating
Plating is both an art and a science. Chefs must explore their creativity and play with color and texture while placing foods to create a visual appeal.
Making the Best Dressings & Dips From Scratch
What you need to learn from this post What are the differences between the four varieties of dressings? How do you prepare vinaigrettes and emulsions? What are various common dips and how do you prepare…
4 Reasons You Need to Learn How to Make Salads RIGHT (with recipes)
In an era of foams, fermentations, and global fusion, classic salads might seem basic—but for culinary students, learning to make them well is foundational. Classic salads teach essential skills that extend far beyond the bowl, shaping how future chefs understand balance, technique, and discipline.
Learn to Love: Soup
There are two basic kinds of soup: clear soups and thick soups. Clear soups include flavored stocks, broths, and consommes. Examples include chicken noodle soup, minestrone (a tomato-based vegetable soup), and onion soup. Thick soups…
Senate Bean Soup
The recipe for the longest continually present menu item available to US Senators: Senate Bean Soup. A little history and how to make it….
Knife Skill Recipes
There are a couple of recipes that rely on your skill with a knife and they are EXCELLENT ways to practice handling a chef’s knife. Give these a try!
Three of the Five: Mother Sauces
The word “sauce” comes from the French word that means “a relish to make food more appetizing.” All types of sauces are important in cooking. A good sauce adds flavor, moisture, richness, color, and visual appeal. Sauces should complement food, not disguise it. You can also use sauces as a contrasting flavor. For example, the sweetness of roosted pork goes well with a Dijon sauce (a brown sauce with Dijon mustard). Sauces come in many forms and are made in many ways – gravy, salsa, fruit coulis, pan sauces. All of these fall into the broad category of sauces.