What Culinary School DIDN'T Teach Me

I've been out of school for a year and a half now, and still come across something every once in a while that I really can't believe I don't know how to make or do.  The really surprising part: They are COMMON things.  Don't get me wrong...Culinary school was amazing.  I'd love to be a "professional student" and go to Culinary school for the rest of my life.  BUT- I participated in the "Fast Track Program" which condensed the traditional two years of schooling into an action-packed, intense, 5-hours-a-day-of-nothing-but-cooking program that only lasted 9 months.  Therefore, they had to choose the best of the best, the most useful, most well-known recipes to teach us and had to weed out the "fluff."  For all of my readers who haven't gone to Culinary school, you should enjoy this.


1.  I know how to make homemade Chocolate Eclairs from scratch.......but I have no clue how to make Sugar Cookies.

2. I could make homemade Ice Creams and Sorbets all day with my hands tied behind my back.....but I would have to scour the internet for a Chocolate Cake recipe.

3.  I can make a loaf of Brioche or a Challah Braid with my eyes closed........but I have never made Cinnamon Rolls.

4.  I can make Duck Confit or Stuffed Quail for a crowd...........but this past Thanksgiving was my first real experience cooking a Turkey.

5.  I have no problem putting together Beef Wellingtons or Braised Short Ribs......but I'd scratch my head if you asked me to locate the Sirloin or Flank Steak on a cow.

6. I know how to make just about every sauce under the sun.......but I had to figure out for myself how to make Pesto.

7.  I was taught how to make Vichyssoise (a cold Potato Leek soup) and Borscht (a cold, Ukranian Beet soup)...............but I had to turn to FoodNetwork.com  to learn how to make a Tomato Basil Soup.

8.  In school, I made tiny delicate Blinis topped with Smoked Salmon and Dill......but I've never made or even eaten a Crepe.

9.  I know how to MAKE Mozzarella cheese..........but until I messed up a batch of White Queso Dip on Cinco de Mayo, I had no idea that some cheeses simply don't melt.  At all. 

10. I could carve a Swan out of ice, butcher a whole Pig, fillet a 40 pound Salmon, or make an Ice Cream bowl out of egg whites..........but I still manage to mess up White Rice every time I try to cook it.

So there.  Do you feel better about yourself????  :)


Cheers,

The Chef Next Door