June 2014 - Chefs Resources

10 Useful Tips to Become a Professional Chef

Posted On: June 23, 2014 by ChefsResources

Monday June 23, 2014

Whether you wish to be a Professional Chef in South Africa or in some other part of the globe, there are a few essential attributes that are required for an aspiring chef to possess. Possessing world class Chef Training classes go hand in hand with the qualities that a Professional Chef is looked upon to own. Thus, to make our opinion more clear, mentioned below are 10 useful tips and advices that will pave a successful path to become an unbeaten chef.

1. Passion

Passion is among the top most important quality that one needs to possess if he/she desires to be a Professional Chef. Just taking chef classes will not better one’s position if he/she lacks the obsession for food preparation. Starting from internationally renowned recipes to locally known dishes there are a lot of techniques that one needs to pay attention to while expertly preparing meals, selecting food and creating menus. Thus, lacking interest and fervour for it will turn everything boring and dull.

2. Creativity

Creativity is an attribute that will not only enhance food preparation but is also needed to experiment with various cooking techniques and ingredients. It is only due to creativity that many renowned chefs have come up with a number of delectable dishes. To offer a never before dining experience one should always be ready to try something outside the box.

3. Business Sense

No matter from where one has undergone his/her Chef Training, to climb the ladder of success he/she should be gifted with business sense. It will be this factor that will help expand the zone and establish you as a well known chef. One should know how to run a cost effective restaurant along with offering mouth watering dishes.

4. Multitasking

A good chef is one who can swiftly arrange his/her cooking items and blend them accordingly. While preparing dishes for restaurants and hotels, a number of tasks need to be carried along at the same time. Thus multitasking is an essential talent to posses.

5. Team Player

An efficient and cooperative chef will always understand that he is part of a larger food preparation team which needs to work harmoniously so that everything gets prepared at the right time. Lacking such a spirit can cause moral & production problems and you may never be in a position to win others and attain success.

6. Attention for Details

Cooking is just like science. To prepare the finest dish, each ingredient and amount has a role to play in enhancing its taste. So, one needs an eye for each detail. Moreover, while experimenting, he/she should know which ingredient can create magic and result in a new taste.

7. Practice

It requires a lot of practice to present the best dish. One has to practice so much so that he/she gets used to the techniques so that they remain in finger tips while taking any order.

8. Quick Decision

To be a professional chef one should as well possess the ability for quick thinking. This becomes especially handy when any sort of crisis or problem arises. Moreover, to maintain customer satisfaction, timely decisions play an imperative role in this industry.

9. Commitment to Quality

To seek out the finest ingredients and to make use of the best techniques to cook the best dish possible, commitment for quality is a must and where there is quality, success will surely follow.

10. Handle Criticism

There is no field in which one does not have to face criticism and this is true in the culinary industry as well. It is not possible that every customer will love what you prepare, but being able to accept that with a positive attitude will push you towards success.

The FOG Tank – Degrease, Decarbonize Pans

The FOG Tank is a heated soak tank that safely and easily cleans metal cookware and kitchen equipment. The thermostatically controlled, stainless steel FOG Tank is fully insulated, and safely cleans all types of metal, including aluminum. FOG is an acronym for Fat, Oil, and Grease, and the FOG Tank removes these substances (along with carbon buildup) from kitchen equipment through the use of the safe and proprietary Tiger Carbon Remover Powder, an environmentally safe cleaning agent that is non-toxic and completely safe for humans.

For a successful commercial kitchen, having clean equipment is a necessity, not an option. But cleaning using traditional methods can be expensive, time consuming, and wasteful. With the FOG Tank, commercial kitchens in restaurants, hotels, casinos, schools, and more, can save money, increase staff productivity, and reduce their carbon footprint. The FOG Tank’s Tiger Carbon Remover Powder cleans equipment with little scrubbing, eliminating daily work for a kitchen’s stewarding department by 3 or more hours. Since the cleaning solution in the tank lasts a full thirty days, the FOG tank also lowers energy bills and water usage by eliminating the need to continuously fill and heat 3-compartment sinks.

With only 5 simple steps, anyone can use the FOG Tank. So how does it work? First fill the FOG Tank, then add the Tiger Carbon Remover Powder, and then load the tank with your dirty pots, pans, vent hood filters, etc. After the FOG Tank is loaded just close the lid and let it work! Once the tank has run through its cycle, simply rinse off any loose or softened fragments, and your equipment will look brand new.

The FOG Tank comes in four different sizes (25, 40, 80, and 120 gallons) to fit any size kitchen, from a small bakery to a huge hotel and casino. To find out why this product is the top choice for companies like In-n-Out Burger, Hyatt Hotels, The Venetian, and Texas Road House, or to sign up for a Risk Free Trial period, visit www.fogtank.com.

About Hyginix

The FOG Tank® is developed by Hyginix, a company dedicated to developing environmentally friendly advanced cleaning solutions that provide sanitary, operational, and financial benefits to the restaurant, bakery, and food service industries. Hyginix LLC is a woman-owned business with corporate headquarters in San Diego, CA and a prestigious customer base throughout the USA.

To answer your question, we recommend using gloves when removing cookware from the FOG Tank because the tank reaches a temperate of 185*F. However, the chemicals are non-caustic, non-toxic, fully biodegradable, and completely safe for humans!

watch the video again…can you or can’t you handle the wares after cleaning with your bear hands?? One shot shows a person pulling things out with bare skin hands, the other shows a person handling the wares with heavy duty rubberized gloves up to their elbows…It’s reminicent of Judge Doom dipping a toon in “The Dip” on Who Framed Roger Rabbit….all that is missing is Jessica Rabbit screaming in the back ground 🙂