| How to Become a Chef Posted: 29 Dec 2019 12:00 AM PST You might decide to become a chef because you enjoy cooking and like to experiment in the kitchen. While it's a demanding career, it can also be very satisfying if it's something you love. Start building the cooking skills you need to become a chef by practicing at home, getting a restaurant job, and getting feedback from others. Then, pursue training to be a chef, either at school or under the guidance of a mentor. Finally, get a job at a restaurant and work your way up to the role of chef. [Edit]Developing Your Cooking Skills - Practice cooking at home to build your skills. Pick recipes that you find appealing, then make them yourself. As you get better at cooking, try recipes that include new skills that you haven't yet tried. Don't be afraid to experiment with recipes to make them your own.[1]
- Play around with different types of cuisine to see what fits your style and taste. For example, you might make Italian food one night, Mexican food the next night, then your own twist on hamburgers.
- Experiment with food to create your own recipes. Part of the fun of being a chef is making your own special dishes. Once you're familiar with common ingredients, start playing around with recipes to make them your own. Take risks so you can create something totally new![2]
- Start by making changes to an existing recipe to make something different. Then, try mixing ingredients without following a recipe.
- Some of your creations will be a success, while others might be inedible. This is normal, so don't give up!
- Cook for other people to get feedback on your meals. While it's scary to open yourself up to criticism, feedback can help you grow as a chef. Make food for people as often as you can, then ask them what they liked or didn't like about your dishes. Incorporate the feedback that makes sense to you.[3]
- If you can, serve your food to people who enjoy the type of cuisine you like to make. They'll be able to provide a better opinion. For instance, let's say you enjoy making Indian food. You'll get better feedback from someone who enjoys Indian food.
- Watch other chefs to learn their techniques. You can learn a lot from watching others. Watch cooking shows and online tutorials to see how other chefs work. Additionally, observe chefs or chefs-in-training who you know. Try to learn from the way they work.[4]
- Don't worry about copying the way someone does something. You want to have your own style! However, it helps to watch how they perform certain skills and how they get creative with ingredients.
- Get a job at a restaurant to build your skills and resume. While it would be awesome to start out as a chef, it takes time to work your way up the career ladder. Start with a low-level restaurant job that will help you learn the skills you need. Apply for any restaurant jobs that you see advertised locally.[5]
- Your first restaurant job probably won't be prestigious, but everyone starts at the bottom. You'll likely work as a line cook. This will help you learn the skills you need to move up the career ladder and eventually become a chef.
[Edit]Training to Be a Chef - Enroll in a culinary arts program for a comprehensive education. While attending a culinary school isn't required for chefs, it may help you get a job. Most culinary programs offer a broad education in nutrition, sanitary food preparation techniques, butchery, pastry making, and other basic cooking knowledge. Research culinary programs, then apply to your top 3-5 choices.[6]
- Programs are offered at trade or vocational schools, colleges, and culinary institutes. You may be able to earn a certificate in culinary arts from a trade or vocational school in 6-9 months. If you want an associate's degree in culinary arts from a community college, expect your program to take about 2 years. Additionally, you can earn a 4-year bachelor's degree in culinary arts from a college, university, or culinary institute.
- Look for a program that offers classes in business, management, and human resources if you think you might open up your own restaurant someday.
- Train at home if you plan to be a self-taught chef. While going to a culinary school helps you learn the skills you need, you might choose to teach yourself what you need to know. Practice cooking in your own kitchen every day. Cook meals for your family or host events in your home to get more practice. Push yourself out of your comfort zone to help you learn the skills you need.[7]
- Volunteer to cook for parties and events if people buy the ingredients for your recipes.
- Use online tutorials and cookbooks to learn new skills.
- Find an internship at a restaurant to build your resume. While an internship isn't very glamorous, it can open up doors to the job you want. Contact local restaurants to ask about available internships. If you can't find one, ask a local chef or restaurant owner if they'd consider taking you on as a short-term intern. During this time, watch the chef, sous chef, and line cooks to learn new skills. Additionally, follow all of the instructions they give you exactly.[8]
- Some culinary arts schools have relationships with local restaurants that offer internships for students.
- Your internship will likely be unpaid. However, treat it like a regular job so you can get a good reference when you apply for jobs.
- Get a certification if you focus on a particular area. Typically, you don't need any certifications to be a chef. However, you might choose to get one if you have a specialization that you plan to pursue. If you've trained in a particular area, take a certification test to help you strengthen your resume.[9]
- For instance, you might get certified as a master pastry chef, a decorator, or a sous chef.
- If you have the required education and experience, you can take a certification test through the Research Chefs Association, the American Culinary Federation, the Culinary Institute of America, and the United States Personal Chef Association.
[Edit]Working Your Way up to Chef - Apply for entry-level kitchen positions at local restaurants. When you're starting your restaurant career, be open to any position that comes your way. Look for jobs in local restaurants, then send them your application, cover letter, and resume. Send out several applications at once to increase your chances of getting a job.[10]
- You might start as a kitchen assistant or garde manger, which is the person who prepares appetizers, soups, and cold dishes. The next step up is line cook, then sous chef, which is the position directly under the head chef. Finally, you might become the head chef of a restaurant.
- If you've previously worked in a kitchen, you'll likely be able to get a better job than someone who's just starting out.
- Network with other chefs and restaurant owners to build connections. Connections might help you move up the career ladder faster. Talk to other chefs, meet restaurant owners, and attend industry events to interact with others in your field. This will help you build relationships with people who might help your career.[11]
- When you're at an event with served food, ask to talk to the chef.
- Talk to the people you meet during trainings.
- Move restaurants to build your skills and get better positions. Don't expect to spend your entire career at the same restaurant. Instead, you'll probably have to switch restaurants to continue your rise up the career ladder. Be on the constant lookout for new positions, and apply for jobs that will help you reach your goal of becoming a chef.[12]
- For instance, if you're currently working as a line cook, apply for sous chef jobs at other local restaurants.
- Take a job as a sous chef to learn the skills to be a head chef. A sous chef works directly under a head chef, which helps you build your skills and your resume. Look for a job as a sous chef after you become a line cook. Plan to work in this position for at least 1-3 years before you rise up to a head chef position.[13]
- Typically, you'll already have the knowledge and skills necessary to be a chef when you take a sous chef position. However, you might not have the kitchen experience and level of expertise to be a head chef yet, which you'll get as a sous chef.
- Rise to the position of head chef when a position is available. After you've reached the position of sous chef, look for opportunities to become head chef. Keep track of restaurant openings and the career paths of the head chefs in your area. Network to meet potential job contacts who might help you get your own kitchen. When a job opens up, reach out to the restaurant owner or hiring manager and offer to show them your skills.[14]
- It might take several years for you to become a head chef.
- Making friends in the restaurant industry is the best way to get your work noticed. Be nice to everyone you meet because you never know who could help you get to your ultimate goal of being a chef.
[Edit]Sample Cover Letter - Check out culinary programs at the community colleges in your area. More and more schools are offering night classes, certificate programs, and full culinary degrees.
- Be nice to everyone in the kitchen. The dishwashers, waitstaff, and guests you meet today may be opening the hot new fusion restaurant tomorrow.
- Don't be afraid to experiment in the kitchen! You might have some failures, but you'll also learn new skills.
- Have multiple people sample your dishes. What tastes right to you may be too spicy or salty for some.
- Some culinary schools don't require kitchen experience, so don't feel like you can't pursue a career as a chef if you haven't worked in a restaurant.[15]
[Edit]Warnings - Use caution when handling knives because it's easy to cut yourself.
- You'll likely work long hours as a chef, which will probably include holidays and weekends. This might not be a big deal if you love your job, but it might be hard if you don't enjoy working as a chef.
[Edit]References [Edit]Quick Summary |
| How to Open a Champagne Bottle with a Sword Posted: 28 Dec 2019 04:00 PM PST Amaze everyone at your next social function by opening a bottle of champagne (or any sparkling wine) with a sword. This technique is also known as "sabering" or "sabrage." Teaching yourself to "behead" a bottle of champagne isn't hard, but takes a little practice (and several bottles of cheap bubbly) to perfect. [Edit]Setting Up Your Equipment and Space - Understand the nature of glass champagne bottle. The key to opening a champagne bottle with a sword is the pressure in the bottle.
- Because of the way champagne is packaged, the carbon dioxide creates roughly 35 pounds of force pushing against the cork at all times.
- Glass is brittle. That means that it breaks instead of bending when it is damaged.
- Scoring the surface of the glass bottle will cause it to crack, and the force inside will cause the collar of the bottle and the cork to fly off.[1]
- Buy several bottles of champagne. You will likely not get this right on the first try, so you will need backup bottles. This trick even works on cheap champagne though, so there's no need to splurge on your practice bottles.
- Sparkling wine also works well.
- In general, French and Spanish champagne tends to come in thicker bottles than American champagne. It may also be more expensive. Thicker glass works better than thin, but if you're operating on a budget, American champagne will also work.
- This trick typically takes half to a full a case to master. Plan on making at least a $30 investment to learn (6 x $5 bottles). Practice with inexpensive, corked sparkling wine. Note that some inexpensive bottles are cheaply made from inferior glass, which can lead to a higher rate of breakage and are therefore riskier to work with.
- Get a sword. It doesn't have to be terribly sharp. Really, any sturdy knife will work. Of course, a sword is the most dramatic and flashy!
- The best knives and swords for sabrage are thick and sturdy. The sides should be as flat (parallel to each other) as possible.
- You may want to practice with a sturdy kitchen knife before investing in a fancy sword.
- Keep your eye out in thrift stores, yard sales, and estate sales, and you could find a sword for a reasonable price.
- You can find champagne swords made specifically for this purpose online. [2]
- Chill the champagne. The colder the neck of the bottle is, the better.
- You may want to chill the neck in a bucket of ice water right before sabering.
- Be very careful not to shake the champagne.
- Don't chill it in the freezer. You'll ruin the flavor, and it could explode. [3]
- Find an open space. Outside is best. This trick is going to create flying objects and spill champagne, so unless you are in an open indoor area like a gymnasium, outside is your best option.
- Some saberers have reported that the cork flies as far as twenty feet, so give yourself plenty of room.
- Be sure that the guests you are trying to impress with this trick have a safe haven away from flying corks.
- Prepare the bottle. Wipe away any moisture on the bottle. Remove the foil and wire basket from the top of the bottle. Keep your thumb over the cork as you do this. There is a chance that simply removing the wire will cause the cork to fly out.
[Edit]Holding the Bottle - Locate one of the seams on the bottle. This is where the two halves of the bottle join together. It's the weakest part of the bottle, so it's where you're going to focus your attention.
- Hold the bottle at a 30 degree angle with the seam facing upward. The cork should be higher than the bottom of the bottle. Be sure to point the cork in a direction where it will not hit anyone or anything. The angle doesn't have to be very precise.
- Hold the bottle with your non-dominant hand. Grip the bottle firmly at the base. Put all of your fingers except your thumb beneath the bottle (on the opposite side from the seam) out of the way of the sword. The bottle should rest on your fingers while your thumb stabilizes it. [4]
- Your sword will not come anywhere near the base, so your fingers will be safe down here.
- Put your thumb in the indentation at the bottom of the bottle. This will help you stabilize the bottle without putting your thumb in danger.
- Once your thumb is in place, practice holding your fingers closer together or farther apart.
- Choose the method of holding the bottle that feels both secure and safe. [5]
[Edit]Sabering the Bottle - Rest the blade of the sword on the neck of the bottle. The dull edge of the blade should face the cork. Hold the blade flat against the bottle.
- This trick also works if you use the sharp or cutting edge of the sword, but it can damage your sword.
- Using the cutting edge of a sword can also increase the chances that you don't get a clean cut.
- Locate the annulus of the bottle. This is the ring around the top, which you will be aiming for with the back of the sword.
- Notice the point of the annulus where it connects with the seam of the bottle. This is the weakest point on the bottle.
- Practice sliding from the base of the bottle to the annulus. Before attempting this grand gesture, it will help for you to get a feel for the motion.[6]
- You could also try putting the sword down and practicing the motion with just your hand.
- Slide the knife down the vertical seam and hit the annulus. Do this using a single firm, confident stroke.[7] The bottle should break cleanly and the cork should go flying. If done correctly, the bottle will break cleanly. Make sure you follow through with the motion — that is, don't halt your arm when you hit the annulus. Continue moving your arm forward, following the trajectory of the cork.
- You will get the best, cleanest results by following the seam.[8]
- If you don't use enough force or you pause, the trick won't work.
- If you find that your first attempt doesn't work, you should go back to practicing. Be sure that you can move your hand (without the sword) quickly and assuredly.
- Inspect the neck of the glass for shards. Wipe it off carefully with a cloth if necessary. Be careful not to push shards of glass into the bottle.
- The pressure inside that sent the cork and top of the bottle flying will likely have prevented any shards from falling into the bottle, but you can never be too careful. [9]
- Pour and enjoy! Be sure to double check the glass of champagne for shards of glass.
- It's also a good idea to locate the annulus and cork at this point. Be careful not to step on it, and only pick it up by the edge that isn't broken.
.
[Edit]Warnings - Screw-top sparkling wine (like Andre brand) will not work.
- If you'd love to include Champagne sabering in your next event but you're too afraid to give it a go, there are official Champagne sabering experts who can be hired for your event. Look for a person who is officially trained by the "La Confrerie du Sabre d'Or". This person may even be able to show you how to do it.
- If your first try doesn't work, be aware that the agitation of the first swipe will cause the wine to "spew" more when you are successful. Multiple attempts to behead a bottle will contribute to a messy break (and an undrinkable bottle).
- Non-carbonated wine will not work. The pressure inside the bottle is part of what makes this work.
- The "beheaded" portion of the bottle has a very sharp glass edge. Be very careful picking it up.
- Throw away any incorrectly beheaded bottles. Do not drink from any bottles that break messily. A correctly beheaded bottle has a single, clean break (which is still sharp, but not shattered).
[Edit]Things You'll Need - A well-chilled bottle of champagne or sparkling wine sealed with a cork
- A large knife or sword that has a squared back edge
- Ample space to send the cork and bottleneck flying (about 20 feet)
[Edit]Related wikiHows [Edit]References [Edit]Quick Summary |
| How to Fix a Broken Nail Posted: 28 Dec 2019 08:00 AM PST The next time your nail breaks, don't panic. There are several tricks you can use to fix the damage. It is painful to break a nail, but your fashion doesn't need to suffer too! Never let an occasion be spoiled again by a broken nail. [Edit]Mending the Nail - Wash your hands or feet. Before you can fix the nail, you need to make sure that your hands are clean and free of oils.
- Use warm water and soap to wash your hands or feet. Dry well with a clean towel.
- Wash and dry carefully to avoid accidentally snagging the torn nail and making matters worse.
- Cut a strip of nail mending material.[1] If you have a special nail mending kit, use the fibrous paper in the kit and cut a section large enough to cover the nail and wrap under the tip.
- If you do not have a nail mending kit, you can cut a piece of material out of a tea bag. This is the most common substitution, and it works quite well.
- If you do not have nail mending paper or tea bags in your house, you could also try handkerchief linen or coffee filters.
- At minimum, the material must be large enough to cover the entire break. The material should ideally be large enough to cover the entire nail with enough excess.[2]
- Attach the mending material. Apply a small dot of super glue or nail glue to your nail and use the applicator tip to swirl the glue around gently until it covers the entire nail. Use tweezers to place the cut material onto the nail over the glue.
- If using a nail mending kit, use the nail mender liquid in the kit instead of glue and apply it using the brush applicator inside the kit.
- Use tweezers to smooth out any bumps or wrinkles in the material. The material should be as smooth as possible.
- If necessary, use small nail scissors or regular scissors to trim away excess material.
- Wrap the material over the top of the nail. Pinch your tweezers over the material at the top of the nail, folding it down and under so that it sticks to the underside of your nail.[3]
- If the material has not gotten any adhesive on it yet, you may need to apply a small dot of glue or mending liquid to make it stick to the underside of the nail.
- This measure provides extra balance and protection to the broken nail.
- Apply another layer of glue over the material. Put another drop of glue onto the material covering the nail and spread it around using the applicator tip. Create as smooth of a layer as possible.
- Nail mending liquid can also be used instead of super glue or nail glue.
- Trim and buff. If you have a buffing stone, carefully buff the nail after the glue dries. Use the smoothing side first, then the polishing side.
- For the better results, rub the buffing stone in a single direction instead of rubbing it back and forth.
- Apply a top coat over the entire nail. Apply a layer of top coat or nail strengthener to the damaged nail in order to balance it out and provide an added, final layer of protection.
- It is advisable to let the adhesive dry overnight before doing this step to avoid creating bubbles or uneven patches.
- If desired, you can apply nail polish over the nail once the top coat dries.[4]
[Edit]Using a Temporary Repair - Trim a small piece of clear tape down to size. Use scissors to carefully cut a small piece of tape that is just barely bigger than the size of the tear.
- To make it easier to cut the tape without having to peel the tape off the scissor blades, use small nail scissors or sewing scissors. If you're using larger scissors, trim the tape using the tip of the blades.
- Choose a single-sided tape with a mild adhesive. Consider "magic" tape, gift wrap tape, multitask tape, or other transparent office tapes. Avoid strong tapes like electrical tape.
- Cover the entire tear with the tape.[5] Stick the center of the tape over the center of the break. Press down firmly to adhere. Then, using the tip of an unbroken nail, glide the lengths of the tape on either side so that they cover the tear from end to end.
- Make sure that both broken sides are lined up evenly before applying the tape.
- Use firm, even pressure to secure the tape in place.
- Rub the tape on in the direction of the tear, never against it. Rubbing in the opposite direction could cause the nail to peel up further.
- Trim off any excess tape. If the piece of tape you applied to your nail is slightly too large, use nail or sewing scissors to snip away any excess.
- Make sure that the ends of the tape are flat against the nail.
- You could also use the tips of standard size scissors to cut the tape if you do not have small scissors.[6]
- Fix the nail as soon as possible. Even though this fix will suffice for emergency nail care, it is by no means a permanent solution. You will need to adhere the nail back into place using a stronger adhesive and a more thorough application.
- Take special precaution, in the meantime, to avoid snagging the tape or the nail beneath.
- Proceed with caution during tape removal. As you peel the tape off, peel the tape off in the direction of the tear, not against it.
[Edit]Applying Nail Glue - Wash your hands or feet. Before you can fix the nail, you need to make sure that your hands are clean and free of oils.
- Use warm water and soap to wash your hands or feet. Dry well with a clean towel.
- Wash and dry carefully to avoid accidentally snagging the torn nail and making matters worse.
- Soak the detached nail in warm water. If the tip of your nail broke off completely and you want to reattach it, soak the broken tip in warm water until it feels pliable again.
- If your nail is still attached or still pliable, disregard this step.
- Apply nail glue to the torn nail. Gently press the tube of nail glue until a small bead of glue comes out. Grab this bead with a toothpick and spread it over one side of the broken nail, creating a thin coat of adhesive.
- If you do not have nail glue, use super glue. In general, a glue containing cyanoacrylate will form the strongest bond.
- Do not touch the glue with your fingers for any reason.
- Press the nail into place. Use the tip of the toothpick to ease the broken portion of the nail back into place. Press down on the nail with firm, even pressure, using the side of the toothpick.
- Again, it is important to avoid getting glue directly on your fingers.
- Apply pressure for at least 1 minute to ensure that the nail adheres properly.
- Wipe off excess glue. Before the glue finishes drying completely, dip a cotton swab or cotton ball in nail polish remover and run the soaked cotton along the sides of your nail bed. This should get any excess glue off your skin.
- You may need to scrub a bit to get the glue off.
- Make sure to apply nail polish remover on any part of your skin you got glue on.
- Smooth the repaired area. After the glue has finished drying, file the nail to look even. Use the rough side of an emery board or nail file to file down the rough, exposed edge of the tear.
- Move the file in one direction, not back and forth. To minimize the risk of further damage, move in the direction of the break, not against it.
- Work slowly to prevent yourself from causing additional damage.
- Apply a protective top coat when dry. Once the broken nail seems smooth again, protect it by applying a coat of nail strengthener or protective top coat over the entire nail. Let the nail dry completely.
[Edit]Repairing a Detached Nail - Remove the detached nail. When a nail or a portion of the nail gets completely ripped from the nail bed, you may need to remove the nail in order to treat the injury. Use nail scissors to carefully snip away any portion that is partially attached and lift the nail out using tweezers.
- Untreated nails can lead to infections or ulcers if you have one of these diseases.
- By removing the nail, you allow yourself better access to the injured nail bed beneath. As a result, you might be able to reduce the risk of infection by treating the area better.
- Alternatively, you could leave the detached nail in place and clean around it. Doing so is harder, but possible. The detached nail will fall off on its own once new nail grows in its place.
- Stop the bleeding. Depending on how severe the detachment was, your nail bed may be bleeding a lot. Before you can continue treatment, stop the bleeding by applying pressure to the injury.
- When possible, use medical gauze or sterile cotton pads. Place the cloth or pad directly over the injury and press firmly for several minutes. Use even pressure.
- Trim down any remaining nail. Use nail clippers or sharp nail scissors to cut away any jagged or sharp edges. You should do this regardless of whether you removed the detached nail or left it in place to prevent further catching and tearing.
- Contact your doctor and have her trim your nail if it is too painful, or if you are not comfortable doing so yourself.
- Soak your foot or hand in cold water. Immediately after you trim the nail, soak the damaged nail bed in a bowl of cold water for 20 minutes.
- The water should be cold enough to soothe and numb the area.
- Soaking your toe or finger in cold water helps regulate blood flow in that area of your body.
- Soak your foot or hand in salt water. After using the cold water treatment, switch to a treatment of warm water and salt.
- Mix 1 tsp of salt into 4 cups of warm water.
- Let your damaged finger or toe soak in the salt water for 20 minutes. The salt water helps prevent infection.
- Repeat this procedure two or three times daily for the first three days.
- Pat dry using a clean, soft cotton cloth.
- Apply an antibiotic ointment. To further speed up the healing process and reduce the risk of infection, use your fingers or a clean cotton swab to gently rub a layer of antibiotic ointment over the entire area.[7]
- Make sure that your hands are clean as you handle the injury.
- Cover the nail bed until a new nail grows in. Wrap an adhesive bandage over the damaged nail to prevent further snagging and reduce the risk of infection.
- Keep the bandage over your nail bed until enough new nail has grown in to cover the entire nail bed.
- Change your bandage each time you soak or clean the wound. Make sure that the wound is dry each time you change the bandage. If the bandage gets wet, change it too.
- To speed up nail growth, you can apply petroleum jelly to your nail and cover it with a non-stick bandage.[8]
- Monitor the injury for infection. Watch for signs of infection each time you change the bandage. This is especially important during the first 72 hours, but you should continue to check until enough nail grows in to cover the exposed nail bed.
- Signs of possible infection include: fever, redness, increased heat to the injury, pain, tenderness, swelling, or puss.
- If you suspect that an infection has set in, schedule an appointment with your doctor.
[Edit]Related wikiHows [Edit]References
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