How To Learn How To Be A Chef

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Are you lot a budding Jamie or Nigella? Has MasterChef inspired you to cook up exotic culinary creations?

If you're an aspiring chef, nosotros've got the perfect recipe for you. In this commodity, we explore what the task involves, what skills and qualifications you need, and how to become a chef.

'Apprenticeships, diplomas and on-the-job training are all ways to become a chef'

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What is a chef?

Chefs set up, cook and present food.

Whereas the kind of cooking yous might accept done at home is about designing a plate of food, professional cooking is "a product line", to borrow the words of MasterChef'southward 2009 winner, Mat Follas.

These chefs-de-partie are calculation sauces before the

meal is served

In a professional person kitchen at a eating place or hotel, food is served to hundreds of diners every dark. Instead of a single chef being responsible for the entire dish, the job is divided upwardly into teams to get the chore done efficiently.

This makes the professional person kitchen a hierarchical identify, and there are several ranks of chef:

A commis chef works on a particular area of nutrient grooming, eg sauces, vegetables, roasting.
A chef de partie is in charge of one of these areas.
The caput chef'due south second-in-command is called the sous chef, and they straight much of the work in the kitchen.
As the boss of the kitchen, the head chef oversees all the kitchen activity, including coming upwardly with the carte du jour. They besides have overall responsibility for the food.

As if things weren't complicate enough, some kitchens have even more than ranks in between (like a inferior chef de partie, of all things).

What does a chef do?

This depends on the rank, but the tasks and responsibilities of a chef include:

Cleaning and preparing vegetables and salads.
Preparing meat and fish for cooking.
Cooking food to a strict deadline to make sure the food is served on time.
Presenting food attractively.
Understanding and keeping to food safety standards and laws.
Making sure portion sizes are consistent.
Finding and ordering ingredients (stock) at the best price and quality, and checking it when it arrives.
Inspecting the kitchen to make sure it is efficient and safety.
Coming upward with the menu.

What qualifications exercise I demand to exist a chef?

You lot don't demand any formal qualifications to begin training equally a chef. As always, we recommend GCSE English and maths at grade C/4 or above. As well as showing you have basic numeracy and literacy, this will broaden the apprenticeships, grooming and qualifications you can utilise for – either now or subsequently in your career.

There's no unmarried set of chef qualifications you demand to become chef. At that place are several routes you tin can take once you've left school or higher:

Start an apprenticeship.
Report for a diploma or similar qualification.
Utilize to piece of work in a kitchen.

Training on the job

Working part-fourth dimension in a kitchen while you're at school

could be a great way to proceeds experience

Co-ordinate to 2009 MasterChef champ Mat Follas, the best way to become a successful chef is to "go and knock on the dorsum door of a eatery and get on with it".

If you'd like to try out working in a kitchen, this is something you could consider as a part-time or summer job. This will give you experience to put on your CV and assistance you proceeds further work if you're serious about condign a chef.

Just while this is a good way to proceeds experience, it doesn't guarantee you formal preparation or qualifications.

Qualifications

NVQ diplomas in professional person cooking are available at levels 1 to 3, and y'all'll gain chef qualifications in topics such as:

Food grooming
Food hygiene
Food service
Pastry

At level three, you lot may get-go to proceeds formal feel in the kitchen, larder and in working with pastry.

Apprenticeships

An apprenticeship is a paid job with grooming and study.

You'll spend near of your fourth dimension in the kitchen, training with your more experienced colleagues, and also be given time to work towards chef qualifications such as NVQs.

Chef and kitchen qualifications are currently offered at intermediate and advanced levels – that means you'll come out with qualifications equivalent to four GCSEs. According to the government, apprenticeships are available in roles such as:

Kitchen assistant.
Craft chef.
Commis chef.
Chef de partie.
Sous chef.

Some chef apprenticeships don't require whatever formal qualifications – non even GCSEs – although whatsoever qualifications you take will help your awarding.

What skills does a chef need?

Chefs need to be able to piece of work together in a team -

similar these happy chaps!

Demonstrating these skills volition help your application, and you'll also develop them on the job:

Client service.
Teamwork.
Communication.
Time direction and adept organisational skills.
The ability to work under pressure.

Creativity and leadership are also of import attributes to develop during your career if you aspire to be a caput chef.

Y'all also need to be make clean and aware of hygiene – no chef wants a trainee turning up to their kitchen with greasy hair and dingy fingernails.

Working in a kitchen tin can be physically demanding, gruelling work – you may have to lug around heavy items, and weather condition are often hot and humid. The hours tin be long, and you'll often work at unsociable times – particularly belatedly into the evening.

How much does a chef earn?

A chef salary varies widely depending on their level.

Trainee chefs can expect to start on around £thirteen,000. With experience, yous could be earning £18,000 to £25,000, while a head chef might earn £fifty,000 or more.

Now you lot know how to go a chef, check out other careers in hospitality, leisure and tourism.

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Image credits

Lead image via Pexels

Chefs-de-partie via Flickr

Immature chefs via Flickr

Chef team via US Defense

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