6/28/08

Top Culinary Schools To Become An Executive Chef

Boiling water without burning it may seem like a simple process but in reality there are some individuals who simply do not know their way around the kitchen. They cannot tell you the difference between sauté and broil.

Culinary students who are interested in the top culinary schools must have some background in the kitchen if they hope to become an executive chef one day. They have to know the basics if they want that 'A' on their souffle. It can be a demanding career and one that is tough on the body, mind and ego but for those who have the determination the pay off is extraordinary.

Performing a simple web search of the top culinary schools found in the US reveals several great schools. There are some states that do not offer culinary students the opportunity of attending a world class program.

However, The University of Phoenix does offer a degree in Hospitality and Business Management from their online class schedule. While this may help you run the front of the restaurant it does not take the place of a culinary arts program.

Choosing from among the top culinary schools can be difficult for culinary students. Not everyone is cut out to be a chef. Some people never aspire to learn how to make the dishes served in five star restaurants.

But for those who persevere and learn the tricks of the trade it can be a rewarding career filled with excitement and advancement. It is a dream of a lifetime for those individuals.

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6/26/08

Culinary Colleges To Learn New Skills

It is the sizzle of the steak, the smell of the fresh vegetables and freshly baked bread that brings out the chef in everyone. Some people can handle the heat of the kitchen and go on to make it their life's work, embarking upon a journey of culinary magnificence.

For others it is a home based hobby that occasionally makes them wonder if they have what it takes to become a true chef in every sense of the word. Perhaps these two sets of people are the reason why so many culinary colleges have sprang up around the country.

Are you someone who loves to cook? Well if you are and you plan to attend one of the culinary colleges found throughout the world, then you need to know a few facts. It is difficult to gain admittance into the best culinary schools in the country.

You will have to have an exceptional resume, a high grade point average and a background in the culinary community. The second thing you should know is that it is not going to be easy. Be prepared for hard labor, long hours, studying and leaving your ego at the door.

Yes, it is true that not all food celebrities have received formal training from any one of the culinary colleges found in the world. Some, like Rachel Ray of Food Network, managed to be in the right place at the right time. Others like Gordon Ramsey and Todd English studied to get the respect that they so rightly deserve.

With hard work and practice you can be the next great star of the culinary community.

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6/24/08

Culinary Arts Schools For Better Skills

Culinary arts schools are not for just anyone. It takes a lot of skill, determination and drive to succeed in order to become a successful chef. You have to know more than what it takes to chop an onion or make a dessert.

There is a whole lot more into becoming a successful chef than meets the eye. Culinary students everywhere can tell you this. Before you go applying at different cooking schools in the U.S. you will want to do your research first.

If you have reviewed all of the facts and still want to check into the different culinary arts schools, then you are taking a step in the right direction to becoming a chef. The culinary community always needs new faces and fresh ideas.

One school in particular stands out amongst the crowd. It is the Le Cordon Bleu Culinary School program offered at many different higher learning institutes.

Culinary arts schools are all over the country but you want to invest your time and money wisely. Choose a program that is accredited and nationally recognized for its award winning curriculum.

This is your time to shine and become the world famous chef that you have always dreamed of being. Who knows, once you get your culinary degree, maybe you will be hosting your own reality television series or cooking for famous celebrities and dignitaries?

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6/22/08

Culinary Arts Careers To Meet Your Potential

Have you considered culinary arts careers? There is far more to the culinary community than just chefs. A restaurant is made up of many different people all working together to create a successful enterprise.

Culinary schools in fact, teach about the different positions but it is going to take a drive to succeed on your part if you want to learn the tricks of the trade. If you do not want a full time career, then you can still learn to advance your hobby.

When looking at professional culinary arts careers, you have plenty of choices and opportunities to learn different stations. A station in a kitchen is where a certain dish is prepared. There are meat, sauce, appetizer, vegetable and dessert stations. When you are working at a certain station you are considered to be a line chef.

There is great potential in culinary arts careers. The possibilities are enormous. You may not be interested in pursuing a career in the culinary community, which is fine. Many people take cooking classes just to enjoy their hobby more.

But for a few, the dream is to become an executive chef at a fine restaurant or resort. They want to see their name up in lights and be famous for their cooking abilities. As long as you love what you are doing, then you will be a true success no matter what.

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6/20/08

Culinary Schools To Increase Your Skills

If there is one positive effect that the new reality cooking shows have had, then it is the record number of enrollments in culinary schools. Many of the culinary students are shocked by how different reality is from the "reality television" life.

Many are not prepared to handle the rigors of going to school full time and the sheer volume of terms and skills they must learn. It is not the same fantastic life they see portrayed on television. It takes discipline and hard work to achieve the ranking of chef. You have to know the details if you want to succeed in this fast paced life.

Culinary schools, such as the Le Cordon Bleu Culinary School, are a far cry from the local community center's cooking classes. They offer several different options when it comes to obtaining your culinary degree.

The goal of the school is to get you well versed in customer service, hospitality, accounting as well as different cooking techniques. It is about the whole restaurant and how well it should be managed.

If culinary students want to succeed at any one of the culinary schools found in the country or world, then they have to be dedicated to the task of learning. It is not a walk in the park.

There will be days when it seems that the instructors are out to get you but if you have patience and dedication, then you can be a great success.

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6/18/08

Culinary Arts Training To Become A Chef

A culinary arts training program is a dream for some people. They want to become an executive chef but few culinary students realize the real work that it takes in order to make those dreams a reality.

You have to go where the jobs and the cooking schools in the world are located. You have to work hard and learn many new terms. It takes hard work, discipline and a drive to succeed that some people just may not have. Egos are definitely checked at the door if you want to learn.

If you do not want to go through a formal culinary arts training program, then it is not a problem. Having a culinary degree does not mean that a person can cook and not having one does not mean that you cannot cook.

But there are still terms that you should know in the kitchen, if you are to learn from recipes and cook books. Terms like coddle, poach, chiffonade and julienne can be confusing.

Culinary students enrolled in a culinary arts training school do not know everything there is to know about the culinary community. Who knows? Maybe you will be able to instruct them on a proper chiffonade.

Just make sure that you have fun in the kitchen, otherwise it becomes pointless. There should be a love of cooking involved to create the perfect dish.

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6/16/08

Culinary Programs Training To Increase Knowledge

Breaking into the culinary community is not an easy feat. You are up against some of the brightest chefs in the world and there are plenty of them. Culinary programs can help you only so far.

You have to have the skill, determination and luck to be able to become a world class chef. It takes a spark of ingenuity and a drive for success that others may not have. Only you can make the decision on whether or not you have what it takes to be an executive chef.

Culinary programs do more than just teach you the basics of knife handling and how to make a steak properly. They can prepare you to run your own restaurant someday by teaching you accounting principles, business management and much more.

These are important to learn if you ever want to be your own boss. Of course you still have to know how to cook and bake.

No one ever said that culinary programs at some of the top schools were easy. It is going to take some will power and determination on your part if you want to join the ranks of the best in the culinary community.

There will be long weekends and you may even have to move across the country for that perfect job but in the end it is worth it. You can be an executive chef and enjoy the perks that go along with the job.

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6/14/08

Cooking Vacations Around The World

Are you tired of taking the same family vacation each year to the same spot and always doing the same activities? Maybe this is the year that you and a loved one (i.e. friend or spouse) decide to do something out of the ordinary.

It is time to consider a new and exciting learning experience. It is time to look into some cooking vacations. It is a fantastic way to travel to far off regions and enjoy what the local culinary community has to offer. You should check out www.cooking-vacations.com.

Before getting into what cooking vacations are, it is best to state what they are not. You will not be attending the best culinary school in the country. That is not what these vacations are, nor is it what they are intended to be. You may be traveling in France and Italy, yet you will not be attending Italian cooking schools or French cooking schools that teach formal food preparation.

Owner and creator Lauren Scruncio Birmingham designed the tours with a love of food and travel. You can be part of this experience by booking a vacation at www.cooking-vacations.com.

Cooking vacations may be the best opportunity to truly experience a culture of food and festivities. As the website says, "la dolce vita is not just a special vacation it is a way of life."

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6/12/08

Finding The Best Pizza Place

Pizza place is the first place you want to look for, when you move into a new neighborhood. Hoping the place is as good as other ones you know or else you have to drive all the way back to your old neighborhood, just to get a quality pizza.

Fortunately, I found a gourmet pizza place in my new local area. It is only a couple of blocks away from my new apartment and I like to take the family there once a month or so.

We like the interior decor, with all these Italian artifacts, and wooden tables and courteous service. The owner knows my preferences and always gives me a good table, although I do phone the order before we arrive, so the pizza can be ready a few minutes after we arrive.

To compete against the chain stores, a lot of pizza places offer gourmet pizza, with your choice of toppings. So you do not have to order the exact same pizza every time. You can order a different pizza with your selection of toppings at no extra charge. I tried to order one at the chain stores and they wanted me to pay extra for the service. There was no extra charge at the gourmet pizza store.

In my local pizza place, you can even choose your choice of dough for the pizza. I like the wholemeal version. It tastes better and it is good for you. Every time the family wants a quality pizza, I ring up the gourmet pizza place and inform them of my order and the pizzas are ready by the time we arrive. We make a night of it, as the pizza tastes much better than the home delivered pizza you get from the chain stores.

Although my favourite pizza place does home deliveries, I like to take the family out once in a while.

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6/10/08

Manage Your Diet With Smoothie Recipes

Smoothie recipes can include a wide variety of ingredients, including low calorie and low fat ingredients to maintain your dietary needs. If you see a smoothie recipe and you do not want the mountain of calories, always look for a low calorie version of each of the ingredients.

The best fruit to include in your smoothie are the garden fresh, picked the same day, as they would have all the natural flavours intact. This is why you should have a small garden of your favourite fruit and vegetable plants growing in your yard or a container garden in your home, supplying your family the most natural and garden fresh produce.

If you are restricted for space, you can grow a small number of miniature trees in the yard. Place one or two trees in a sunny area of the yard and you will have plenty of fruit. Visit your local nursery to find the miniature trees supplying your favourite fruit.

There are many challenges in life, especially if you want to maintain your diet. If you are careful not to include any high calorie ingredients in your smoothie, then you should be on target to lose those pounds.

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6/8/08

Toaster Oven Is An Ideal Kitchen Tool

Toaster oven is smaller and more convenient than your regular oven in the kitchen. These small ovens have the added benefit of not heating up the house as a regular oven would.

However, a toaster oven is relatively small, so the amount of food you can cook at any time is limited. You can toast low fat waffles and whole grain bread instead. Toaster ovens are more expensive, however. A decent toaster can cost as little as $20, while a toaster oven can cost many times that amount.

Cleaning a toaster oven is very easy. First, unplug the unit and make sure it is completely cool before cleaning. Cleaning a combo toaster oven is a breeze, a slide out crumb tray stores the crumbs and fat so they can be disposed of easily.

These small ovens have now become ubiquitous cooking appliances. People find that simple meals can be prepared quickly and with great ease. Toaster ovens can also be used as small second ovens for baking and broiling items. Look for a large toaster oven with bread toasting capability.

Toaster ovens are smaller and convenient for the singles and families alike.

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6/6/08

Meet Friends At The Bar

If you live in a fairly good sized town or city, then the odds are that the bar scene is plentiful. You probably have many choices if you want to go out drinking, as to what type of venue you wish to frequent.

Perhaps you enjoy going to karaoke bars and singing the night away or you might enjoy an evening at a sports bar. No matter what type of pub or tavern you choose to wash away the stresses of the day; odds are they are available.

Typically, the bar owner will choose the decor, name, lighting and drink menus to specifically attract a certain demographic. There is however, only so much that can be done to ensure that the type of clientele that was aimed for will actually frequent the place.

This can mean that a singles bar that offers dancing, over a period of time, will become increasingly popular with couples who are looking for a dance bar. But for the most part, if you leave home to go and have drinks at a country and western bar, then you will find those interested in country and western music patronizing the establishment.

Today, you have many choices when you head out to the bar. More and more different types of bars are springing up and offering not only mixed drinks and cocktails to their patrons but also different forms of entertainment.

In establishments with flair bartenders, the bartenders themselves are most often the show. They can be seen tossing the bottles and glasses up in the air and entertaining the crowd. While this may not be your style, it is probably safe to say that there is a bar out there that can keep you entertained and your glass full.

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6/4/08

Performance Drink For A Better Workout

It is widely reported that consuming a performance drink during exercising and athletic exertions can improve a person's endurance and performance. However, there are skeptics who wonder what, if any, benefit there is in buying these energy sports drinks.

The question many people ask is, do I need to spend the extra money on a special electrolyte sports drink or can I just drink plenty of water during my workout?

Researchers are diligent about not including any components in the performance drink that might be called into question by the FDA or sports leagues as a performance enhancing drug. Gatorade was introduced as a result of their years of study and work and is probably the best-known sports beverage on the market.

It is always a wise course of action to consult with your physician or your trainer and get their recommendations of a performance drink that will best enhance your particular body and your type of workout routines.

But, before you run out and buy a whole case of the sport drink they recommend, be sure to buy a couple bottles first to be sure you can handle the taste.

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6/2/08

Reverse Osmosis Water Filters For The Best Clean Drinking Water

For years people have talked about the wonders of the reverse osmosis water filters because they have long been considered to be the best. While it is true that these systems deliver excellent quality water for drinking and cooking, it is also a good thing to gain more overall information about why the reverse osmosis water filter is unique and top-of-the-line.

The pre-filter is typically either a carbon osmosis water filter or a sediment type of drinking water filter. This pre-filtering stage of the reverse osmosis water filters system takes out the larger particulates and contaminates from the water, preparing it to flow to the second filtering stage.

The process utilized by reverse osmosis water filters has been noted by the United States Centers for Disease Control, or CDC, as one of the most efficient and effective procedures for generating good quality drinking water that is safe and good tasting.

The CDC is very much concerned with reducing the spread of disease and because so many diseases can be spread though contaminated water, this is a very important issue.

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