Knife skills are one of the most important competencies you will learn as a Culinary Student. It is particularly important to have a good understanding of knife skills to help ensure safety in the kitchen and the best final result. In addition to strong knife skills, it is important to have a good quality knife….
Author: The Discriminating Chef
The Ultimate Chef Ruler
The Culinary Student’s Cheat Sheet! Whether you’re in secondary or post-secondary school, this is the ULTIMATE learning tool. It provides the most comprehensive and useful information available and is European made to exacting standards with tempered stainless steel and non-toxic ink. The UCR features precise cutting and modelling guides for: classic vegetable cuts, culinary facts and…
The Science of Cooking
This post was written with ideas from “The Complete Book of Knife Skills” by Jeffrey Elliot and James P. DeWan. There are various publications that discuss many key points to help the aspiring cook or foodie master the skills a good chef possesses. Today, we are going to dive deeper into understanding The Science of…
What Does it Take to be a Good Cook?
What does it take to be a good cook or chef? I’m sure we’ve asked ourselves this many times in life. What does it take to be a good student? A good soccer player? A good pianist? The answer is simple and one we’ve been told repeatedly over our lives: practice makes perfect. When we’re…
A Very Yummy Christmas!
It’s the most wonderful time of the year and it’s time to start baking (if you haven’t already done so)! Enjoy some quality time with the kids and make some of their favorite treats to celebrate the Holidays! Mickey’s Santa Hat Cookie Puzzle Does this mean it’s finally acceptable to play with our food? White…
The Bend Test
Have you ever wondered how two knives can look so similar but be so different in quality? The Bend Test video was made to clearly show you the different steel qualities knives can have. The two knives used for The Bend Test: Steel formula X30 Cr13 Steel formula X50CrMoV15 All video clips are property of…
Forget Pumpkin Spice, Gingerbread Everything!
December is just around the corner! No really, it’s December tomorrow! Hard to believe we were just drinking our Pumpkin Spice Lattes and participating in fun Fall activities! It’s time for the Pumpkin Spice to move on over because Winter’s favorite flavor is moving in…GINGERBREAD! Gingerbread Cake Cookies Classic Gingerbread Cake Gingerbread Pancakes Gingerbread Cupcakes
Part 2: Crafting the Perfect Knife
The Final Outcome To truly test the quality of a piece of chocolate, it is recommended to take a bite and really taste it. A chocolate confection can be very attractive to the eye yet disappoint in its taste and quality. Believe it or not, the same principle applies to knives (just without the tasting)!…
Part 1: Crafting the Perfect Knife
How the Perfect Knife is just like the Best Chocolate You’ve Ever Had Written by Canada Cutlery Inc. (CCI) For CCI, crafting the perfect knife is a lot like the process of making the best chocolate. As one of the main ingredients, it is essential to only get cocoa from the best trees found in…
Are You Whisking the Best Way You Can Be?
Video Credit: America’s Test Kitchen From America’s Test Kitchen: We’ve noticed that different cooks seem to favor different motions when using a whisk. Some prefer side-to-side strokes, others use circular stirring, and others like the looping action of beating that takes the whisk up and out of the bowl. That got us wondering: Is any one…
A Guide to Hosting the Tastiest American Thanksgiving
It’s never too early to start brainstorming and planning what you will be cooking up on Thanksgiving! We are helping you find the tastiest appetizers and dishes to make when you host your family and friends this year! Roasted Pumpkin Seeds Roasted Squash and Carrot Soup Roasted Red Potatoes Roasted Green Beans with Cranberries and…
The Ultimate Baker Ruler
The Problem: You’re in your baking lab and you’re asked to caramelize your sugar. What do you bring the temperature to? You can’t seem to remember! What do you do next? Should you pull out your phone to Google it? Or get your textbook to look it up? Both these options seem unsanitary. WHAT DO YOU…
Tools for The Discriminating Chef 