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Skills Needed to Become a Chef

In the world of the culinary arts, many people wonder what it takes to become a chef. Some people think that you need a degree or certificate from a certified school of the culinary arts to become a chef, much like a doctor or a lawyer needs a license to practice their professions. This is not the case. Without a formal education, you can still become a great chef of the culinary arts. Listed below are some skills that you will need to know in order to become a chef.

Exposure- During the lives of someone who wishes to become a chef, at some point they have had to have some type of exposure in the culinary arts. On the road to becoming a great chef, this skill is very essential. This exposure may come from any where, whether it is from the house cook or even from parents. The interest in taking on the culinary arts to become a chef, are opened up by the exposure of that particular person. Gaining knowledge of cooking basics and a goal of where they want to take their cooking level is also received from the exposure.

Passion- One cannot expect that the interest and exposure are enough to become a chef in the culinary arts. Now the skill of passion comes into play. Without passion there is no desire and very little interest. You need to have a passion for the taste of fine foods and cuisine. You need to visualize the effects of the culinary arts both in body and spirit. By arranging the same dish with different flavors, a chef can manipulate the way people feel about food. At the core of every dish that you make lies the passion that was involved in its’ creation. Without the passion for what you are doing, you can never make a truly delicious dish.

Curiosity- There is a line between creating a great recipe and following a great recipe. This is where we separate the cooks from the chefs. Just about any one can follow a recipe which allows us to cook, but a chef, they are the one that creates the great recipe. Without this piece of knowledge there is nothing to create. Exploring new and different ideas is where the chef excels in order to create a great dish. The willingness to explore the ideas and answer the questions of ‘what would this taste like”, makes this a skill to become a great chef.

Going against the ideals of society and creating new and exciting dishes are enabled by curiosity. Using the latest cooking techniques and tools with new flavors will keep people guessing about the dish. The value of food goes beyond the stomach. This something that every chef knows. The value of the food is affected by the soul.

Training- In order to become a great chef there is always training. This skill can be done at home just as easily as joining a culinary arts school.

Discernment- Discernment is the most important skill needed to become a chef. Being able to discern whether a dish has a favorable or unfavorable taste is what makes a chef great. Being able to go beyond the basic tastes such as sour, salty, bitter, hot, and sweet, the chef thinks of the many combinations they way an artist thinks of the many different shades of colors. When people eat a dish, they can usually point out that something is lacking. A chef however, can pinpoint the exact ingredient to make the most out of the recipe. This skill may take years to master, or can be innate to some people.