As a prospective student considering a career in the culinary field, it’s worthwhile to know the skills you’ll learn through a Commercial Cookery Course. With the demand for skilled chefs and cooks at an all-time high, now’s the time to prepare for your future career and learn the skills necessary to work in a restaurant or start your own catering business.
Here are some of the essential skills you’ll learn in a commercial cookery course:
1. Basic Culinary Skills
a. Knife Skills
What could be more important for a chef than knowing how to use their tools correctly? There are some basic knife skills and techniques that you will learn through a commercial cookery course, including holding a knife the right way, the right knife to use, how to slice, dice, mince, bias slice, julienne cut, wedges, chiffonade and more. Knowing how to cut a piece of produce correctly will improve the taste and presentation of the food you prepare.
b. Measuring Ingredients
For a chef, all of the dishes they create must be consistent every time they make it. That’s what keeps customers coming back for more. A common myth believes that “real chefs don’t measure”, but in reality, if a chef wants their dish to look and taste great consistently, they will always use the right tools to measure their ingredients.
c. Temperature Control
Ever ordered a medium rare steak and received one that is almost well done or completely rare? It sure can put a damper on your lovely evening! A good chef understands the right temperatures to cook things at, what will cook faster on the grill and when to add ingredients and seasoning to yield the best taste.
d. Cooking Techniques
What is the difference between broiling and braising something? Is grilling the same as roasting? What foods should be steamed, and what should be boiled? You will learn all the different ways of cooking an ingredient in a commercial cookery course.
e. Kitchen safety and hygiene
Perhaps even more important than the taste and look of the food is the conditions it is prepared in. No customer will return to a place that does not prioritise the hygiene and cleanliness of their place, no matter how good the food is. Unhygienic kitchen conditions and food handling practices can lead to bacteria growth and violate food safety regulations, which can cause your restaurant to be sealed.
2. Food Preparation Skills
a. Menu Planning
Did you know that planning a menu is another skill you’ll learn through this course? Creating the right menu is crucial to create a successful and profitable restaurant, You will learn menu engineering techniques such as menu design, menu psychology and pricing strategies, innovation and cost control. You will also learn how to cater to customers with different dietary requirements, such as vegetarian or vegan, gluten or dairy free or those with different types of food allergies.
b. Food Costing and Budgeting
Part of making a restaurant profitable is ensuring your costs don’t exceed your profits. You will learn how to control costs, budget for ingredients and tools and use seasonal produce to minimise costs.
c. Preparing Stocks, Sauces and Soups
Anyone who has ever worked in a restaurant knows that many of the ingredients that come together to create the final dish are prepared beforehand and stored safely in cold storage. This includes stocks, sauces, chopped vegetables and meats, and even the bases for soups. You will learn how to prepare ingredients beforehand and store them properly.
d. Preparing Meats, Poultry and Seafood
Another skill you will learn is how to butcher and prepare different types and cuts of meats, poultry, game and seafood. These skills will help you select and inspect meats for freshness, texture and flavour and handle them safely.
e. Vegetables and Fruit Preparation
Vegetables and fruit form crucial parts of many dishes, and preparing them the right way will not only enhance their flavour and texture but will ensure their nutritional value is preserved. You will learn about the seasonality of produce, creating creative menu items using these ingredients and how to use a single vegetable or fruit in multiple dishes to use its versatility.
3. Baking and Pastry Skills
a. Types of Flours and Their Uses
Buckwheat flour is worlds apart from almond flour in texture, taste and the way you need to work it to create a dough. Knowing what different types of flours are used for will help you use the right one for the right recipe. You will also learn how to mix, knead and shape different types of dough.
b. Baking Ingredients and Their Uses
Baking ingredients such as flour, butter, eggs, sugar and yeast have different characteristics that affect the texture, flavour and appearance of baked goods. Knowing how ingredients work separately and together will help you create new, more innovative recipes to appeal to your customers.
c. Presentation
Another skill you will learn in a commercial cookery course is how to decorate your desserts to enhance their visual appeal. Frosting, piping, glazing, and making fondant are all skills you’ll learn through this course.
4. Plating and Presentation Skills
You know the saying, “People Eat with Their Eyes First”. A well-presented, visually appealing dish will impact your customers’ dining experience. Through a commercial cookery course, you will learn how to plate your food, what to add as garnishes, food styling techniques and why less is sometimes more when it comes to decoration.
5. Management Skills
Finally, you will also learn how to work within a team, how to lead a kitchen, customer service skills, time management and organisation, inventory and stock management and financial management. These are the skills that will make your restaurant, catering business, hotel kitchen or other food service establishment a success.
Enrolling in a hospitality course after you finish your commercial cookery course will give you the soft skills you require to become a chef in a top hotel chain or run your own restaurant. It is a combination of culinary skills, innovation and people skills that will help you succeed in this competitive and rewarding career. Get started on making your dreams come true and enrol in a SIT30821 Certificate III in Commercial Cookery course today!