Category: Culinary

Proteins What are they

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The word protein comes from a Greek word mean “that holds the first place.” They consist of chains of amino acids of lengths, shapes, compositions and different functions and distinct. Proteins are the main structural components and functional cells of the body: enzymes, transport molecules for blood and cell membranes, hair, nails, etc.. It is therefore mandatory to consume more than enough to maintain good health.

There are 22 amino acids 9 are therefore recognized as being essential: Valine, Leucine, Isoleucine, Threonine, Methionine, Phenylalanine, Tryptophan, Histidine, Lysine, which all come from animal protein.

The other amino acids (that our bodies can synthesize) conditionally indispensable, cystine, cysteine, tyrosine, taurine, glycine, arginine, glutamine, proline, alanine, serine, asparagine, aspartic acid and glutamic acid that `there are more special in nature and in plants.

It is mainly in the liver that amino acids not used are transformed into urea, ammonia and uric acid. Urea is a neutral molecule and is easily excreted in urine. In consequence, ammonia and uric acid, when produced in excess, can have adverse health effects: toxicity, acidity, excretion of other alkaline minerals.

There are a number of factors that determine whether the amino acids are used in the synthesis of new proteins or are to be burned to provide energy

1. The law of all or nothing All the amino acids necessary for the elaboration of `given protein must be present at the same time and in sufficient quantity in the same cell. As the essential amino acids can not be stored,those who are not used immediately in the synthesis are either oxydised to produce energy or converted into carbohydrates or fat.
2. A sufficient energy intake: For the synthesis of proteins to take place under optimum conditions, carbohydrates or lipids present in the diet should provide enough energy for the production of ATP
3. Nitrogen balance: There is talk of positive nitrogen balance when the rate of protein synthesis is higher than the rate of degradation and destruction (which is normal in growing children and pregnant women). It is also positive when the tissue grow back or to heal, a result of an illness or injury. A positive nitrogen balance still indicates that the amount of protein entering the tissue is higher than the amount that is degraded or used to produce energy savings.
4. Hormonal regulation: Certain hormones called anabolic hormone accelerates protein synthesis and growth. The effects of these hormones vary continuously throughout life.

Craft Your Cooking Skills At A Culinary Institute

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A dash of hard work and a pinch of talent are what make the perfect recipe for a successful culinary institute student. Individuals who go to a school to study culinary arts are looking for a career in a fast-paced environment. There are culinary arts schools all over the world that offer programs to prepare students for a profession that revolves around the kitchen. While studying the art of cooking, students will learn different techniques and skills that will be useful in their career. There are a variety of different programs available to students, as well as different specialties within culinary arts to choose from. Each specialty has unique techniques and skills necessary for the job.

In a typical restaurant kitchen there is an order of authority according to the specific type of chef and their specialty. The highest-ranking chef is an executive chef. This chef is responsible for planning and preparing the food that is to be served in the restaurant. A few of the job duties include devising a menu, ensuring the food quality is up to standard and deciding how much food is needed. In training to become an executive chef, students will learn about food preparation and managing a staff.

In addition, restaurants also have sous-chefs who are often times directly supervised by an executive chef. Sous-chefs assist executive chefs in many of the daily restaurant duties, such as planning the menu and requesting kitchen and food supplies. They are also responsible for teaching new techniques to the kitchen staff, as well as supervising other kitchen workers such as specialty chefs and cooks. While studying at a culinary institute, future sous-chefs learn different techniques for cooking, as well as teaching skills.

There are also specialty chefs that work in a kitchen. These chefs can specialize in anything from appetizers and pastries to poultry and fish. These chefs prepare complete meals, as well as decorative food trays, and they also prepare the food for presentation to customers by providing garnishes. Specialty chefs also help to supervise cooks and other kitchen staff. While studying at a culinary arts school, specialty chefs learn about all different aspects of cooking and often times decide their specific specialty while in school.

Lastly, there are also cooks who are part of the professional kitchen staff. Typically cooks do the grunt-work in regards to the cooking in a kitchen. They prepare and cook complete meals and supervise others who are on staff and help in the kitchen. Often times, executive chefs and sous-chefs will begin their career as a cook. It is one of the first stepping-stones to a successful career once a student graduates from a culinary institute.

While students are preparing for the real world and aspiring to become professional chefs, they will learn about all different aspects of cooking. First, students will learn the proper technique to cooking certain foods. They will also learn what ingredients compliment one another. One part of cooking that is often times overlooked but a very important part of the cooking process is food safety. Students will learn how to prepare food safely, as well as the proper cooking temperatures for different types of foods. Another important aspect to cooking is the nutritional benefits and health aspect of recipes and various foods. Students need to know what is in the food they are preparing and how it can affect people with certain health risks.

As a student at a culinary institute, individuals will learn all about these important aspects of cooking, as well as fine tune the cooking skills they already possess.

Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Cooking

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Even the most experienced master chef is always willing to learn new things about the culinary arts. Knowing the right methods and techniques could turn ordinary or bland meals into spectacular feasts you will be remembered for. Gather as many tips and suggestions as you can as a means to improve your cooking.

In order to get the most out of your selection of spices, you should store them out of the light and heat. Exposing spices to heat, humidity, and light will shorten their lifespan. Store spices in a dark, cool location to keep them flavorful and fresher for longer. Your culinary preparations will taste better if your spices are fresh.

A great tip for using cooking oil is to ensure you pour it onto the sides of the pan, rather than directly in the pan’s center, so that it will be sufficiently heated upon reaching the food. Using this method can help you to boost the flavor of foods.

To make your French fries crispier, let the raw potatoes soak for about half an hour in cold water prior to frying. When your potatoes soak up cold fluids, their fibers are reinforced. This means that they will hold up better to the heat necessary for the frying process.

Nearly any recipe benefits from using fresh ingredients rather than the frozen or dried version. The more fresh ingredients you use in your cooking, the better your dishes will be. Fresh ingredients have more flavor, and are less costly than frozen and canned ingredients.

When you store flour, sugar or any type of baking mixes, always use airtight containers. Avoid exposure to moisture and insects by sealing food in airtight containers. Almost every store has some form of them, and they are usually inexpensive.

Lowering your oil amounts when cooking can help you have a healthier diet and lose weight. These products contain a lot of unnecessary fat. Nonstick cooking sprays are a great substitute which ends up giving you the same result except in a healthy way, as opposed to the oil which is unhealthy.

It is fairly easy to dry tomatoes yourself. Dry your own by slicing ripe tomatoes 1/2″ thick, or cut Romas in half, lengthwise. You should place them on cooling rack, and salt them lightly with the cut side up. Put a cookie sheet underneath the cooling rack and then set the pair in an oven heated to 190 degrees. Leave for as many as ten hours. The dried tomatoes can be put in plastic bags and frozen. Dried tomatoes could also be put in a jar with fresh herbs and topped up with olive oil. Dried tomatoes should be stored within the refrigerator and used within two weeks.

Make sure you thoroughly clean your utensils before starting to cook. Any residual food matter missed during washing can spoil the dish you intend to cook. This could lead to problems from bacteria being spread.

When cooking, it is always a good idea to get a little creative. Sometimes its okay to deviate from following a recipe step-by-step. Change up the recipe until you perfect your own variation. That type of cooking finesse make a genuine cook!

To give your pasta some added zip, save the water you use to boil the pasta. Use about a fourth of a cup for this tip. Put in some of the water when you mix the pasta and the sauce. The pasta water contains starch, which will give your sauce a thick creaminess.

When you are sauteing a food, make sure you do not add too much to the pan. The moisture that the extra food volume adds will cause the food to steam, which means it won’t be as crispy as intended. Also, make sure that this is done at a temperature that is low.

See to it that your herbs are stored in a dry, cool and dark area. Exposure to light, heat and humidity can cause them to lose a lot of their flavor very fast. In this location, the spices are exposed to heat that will cause their flavors to dissipate.

History of Buffets, Infusions Restaurant and The Okanagan College Culinary Arts Buffets

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It was the 18th century, and in France the modern day buffet was developed which soon spread across Europe. Serving a meal to oneself has a long and interesting history, but the original term buffet referred to the sideboard where all the various types of food was served, although, eventually this style of eating was converted to modern day buffets.

The second half of the 19th century, especially in the English speaking world, buffets became extremely popular for meals. Lunch, or an informal luncheon which was originally a very light meal that was consumed between breakfast and dinner, and often replacing dinners. Buffets came in two styles of a meal, and started at the fashionable hour of “One O’Clock”. The “buffet” luncheon, and at which time the dining guests would stand while they eat their meal, or the luncheon served at small tables where the dining guests would be seated.

All buffet food must be eaten with a fork or a spoon, and the knife was strictly forbidden at these “buffet” lunches. The essentials of a -buffet- luncheon are covered by these following dishes. All types of beverages including coffee, tea, punch or chocolate which was poured from urns, or brought from a pantry on trays in filled cups. Hot entres of various types which was served on a platter or from a chafing dish, and preceded by hot bouillon. Cold entres such as salads, lobster, salmon, shrimp, crab, potatoes, chicken, and served with heavy dressings. Hot rolls, and sandwiches that were wafer-cut in size such as tomato and lettuce, ham, and many others. Plus desserts such as small cakes and pastries.

Buffets are very popular with people today, because, it offers plenty of food variety at a reasonable price. People with large appetites can feed themselves without waiting for their food to be served. Especially families with children, this is often a very important point when dining out. Buffets are definitely a nice dining alternative to conventional restaurants, because people can get the foods they want in the quantities they like. People can create their own dishes with more meat, less vegetables and fewer side dishes, plus creating salads with appealing ingredients that they enjoy. Buffets offer people the opportunity to try new types of food that they would not order off a menu in a restaurant.

Infusions Restaurant at the Okanagan College hosts several buffets every year, and the last “buffet” was held a week after their Okanagan Wine Festival Gourmet Dinner which attracted a sellout crowd of over 80 dining guests. Guests were treated to a “Five Course” gourmet dinner with special Okanagan Valley wines to accompany each course.

The Okanagan College Culinary Arts Buffet was prepared with the special talents of the new, up and coming future chefs of your favorite restaurants, cruise ships, hotels, ski and golf resorts, all directed and instructed by World Class Chefs. The buffet included fresh meats, poultry, seafood of all types, and of course Okanagan Valley fresh vegetables and fruits.

Infusions and the Okanagan College Culinary Arts Bakery had a spectacular dessert buffet for this special night with freshly made gourmet desserts, and with a delicious assortment of as many freshly made Pastries, Cakes, and Chocolate Confections as a person could possibly eat after the meal.

The Culinary Arts buffet offered a HUGH selection of seafood and seafood platters that were served at the buffet from Sushi Rolls, Dim Sum, Salmon, Coulibiac of Halibut to Shark and Lobster. Dishes containing Gratin of Potatoes & Yams, many types of Pasta with Grilled and Glazed Vegetables, and of course the Roast Beef and Beef Tenderloin, and ALL for $15.00!

For tourists, visitors or people in the Kelowna area and the Okanagan Valley who missed this “Spectacular Feast”, there will be another buffet held in early December at Okanagan College’s Infusions Restaurant.

Infusions Restaurant is run by future culinary chefs in the Culinary Arts program at Okanagan College with instruction from World Class Chefs, and the restaurant offers their dining guests a chance to experience fine gourmet dining at very reasonable prices. James Murray is a successful writer and online Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and Search Engine Marketing (SEM) expert providing valuable tips and advice for those interested in seo and sem strategies. His numerous articles found on the Internet, provide useful and factual seo and sem information and insight. Some of his websites are : http://www.seo-worldwide.net , http://www.atclickbank.com , http://www.website-submissions-worldwide.com

Celebrity Chefs Lead Stellar Culinary Careers

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Charismatic and creative chefs have impacted culture since the 1880s, when France’s Antoine Carme rose to stardom as chef for Napoleon and European royalty. Less than a century later, American Julia Child recreated the world’s understanding of French Cuisine through her cookbooks and television appearances, paving the way for a slew of celebrity chefs in the 1990s and into the next century.

Celebrity chefs earned their fame by starting with culinary school degrees or cooking in their parents’ kitchens. Some supplement culinary school or formal culinary education with natural talent and magnetic personalities to earn public success. Celebrity chefs and their cooking wisdom are available everywhere including a television network devoted entirely to culinary arts and shelves of cookbooks at the local bookstore.

Julia Child: American Chef Turns French

Julia Child, born in 1912 in Pasadena, California, got her start in cooking in the late 1940s after a career in advertising and public relations. Already a graduate of Smith College, she enrolled in Le Cordon Bleu culinary school when her husband was assigned a job in Paris. She later opened a cooking school, L’Ecole des Trois Gourmandes, and published the famous cookbook, Mastering the Art of French Cooking with two colleagues from Le Cordon Bleu. Child became one of American’s first celebrity chefs and enjoyed a long career of television appearances, teaching, and writing.

Rocco DiSpirito: Reality Cooking

New York’s Rocco DiSpirito is one of celebrity chefdom’s best educated stars. He enrolled in the Culinary Institute of America at age 16, where he earned a culinary school degree with honors. He later studied at the Jardin de Cygne in Paris, and spent two years studying regional French food and wine. Rocco rounded out his culinary education with a business degree from Boston University. DiSpirito is known for his fusion of French and Asian styles, and he has opened several popular restaurants. His television credits include the reality show The Restaurant and selling Rocco Cookware on QVC.

Bobby Flay: Natural Culinary Talent

Bobby Flay began his culinary career at age 17, when he was hired at Joe Allen’s restaurant in Manhattan. Allen was so impressed with Flay’s cooking abilities that he paid for Flay’s culinary education at the French Culinary Institute. After receiving his culinary school degree, Flay became famous for his unique blends of Spanish and American cuisines. Flay owns four restaurants, including Bolo in New York, and appears regularly on the Food Network and the Early Show on CBS.

Emeril Lagasse: Kickin’ Cooking up a Notch

Known for popularizing Cajun and Creole cooking, Emeril Lagasse first learned about cooking from his mother as a young boy in Massachusetts. He received his culinary school degree from Johnson and Wales University, and worked as head chef at Commander’s Palace in New Orleans before opening his own restaurants there and in other U.S. cities. He also is a famous TV personality, getting his start in 1993 on the Food Network. The word “bam” has become synonymous with his name.

Nigella Lawson: Writing Her Culinary Career

Unlike most celebrity chefs, Nigella Lawson began her culinary career as a food writer. She earned a language degree from Lady Margaret Hall in Oxford, England and got a job writing a restaurant column for Spectator. She now writes for several major culinary publications, including Gourmet and Bon Appetit, has published a number of bestselling cookbooks based on her motto, “To achieve maximum pleasure through minimum effort.” Today, she hosts several successful TV cooking shows such as Nigella Bites.

Jamie Oliver: Life-Long (and Naked) Chef

Jamie Oliver began his culinary training at age eight in his parents’ popular pub in England. He worked on his culinary education at Westminster Catering College through age sixteen, and he got his celebrity break when he appeared on a documentary about the British caf in which he was working. Television producers called him in the next morning, and he began starring in the enormously successful Naked Chef. He has since written several Naked Chef books, taken his live cooking show on the road, and opened a popular not-for-profit restaurant. Jamie’s dedication to public service and to making culinary education accessible has won him many fans.

Wolfgang Puck: Charismatic Culinary Talent

Originally from Austria, Wolfgang Puck was one of the first super chefs to establish a cooking empire. His interest in cooking was first sparked by his mother, a hotel chef. Puck received his culinary education as an apprentice in the master kitchens of top French restaurants in Europe. His charismatic personality and cooking talent led to television appearances, popular cookbooks, and wildly successful business ventures. Spago, his famous Los Angeles-based restaurant, revolutionized California pizza with its menu of gourmet toppings.

Gordon Ramsay: Villain Chef or Hero Helper?

England’s Gordon Ramsay has become one of the most notorious villains of celebrity chefdom, known for both his outstanding cooking skills and abrasive personality. His soccer career was cut short with an injury at age fifteen. He began cooking four years later, working with top chefs in London and Paris before becoming head chef at Aubergine in 1993. Ramsay’s infamy has spread to the U.S. in his reality television show Hell’s Kitchen. His culinary career continues to flourish with new restaurants and another television series where he provides on-the-spot culinary education to struggling restaurant owners.

Rachael Ray: Much More Than 30 Minutes of Fame

Culinary entrepreneur Rachel Ray began cooking at her mother’s side as a toddler. Her family owned and worked in restaurants in the northeastern United States. Ray learned about gourmet foods working at the candy counter and the fresh food department at Macy’s. She opened a prestigious gourmet food market in New York but left to pursue a culinary career in the Adirondacks. She managed restaurants and taught her “30-Minute Meals” cooking classes, which catapulted her to fame when she was featured on the local news. Ray now is the author of New York Times bestselling cookbooks, publishes her own magazine, and appears regularly on television.

Sources:

“Rocco DiSpirito,” About.com
BobbyFlay.com
“Julia Child,” Chef2Chef
“Emeril Lagasse,” Emerils.com
Every Day with Rachel Ray
“Jamie Oliver,” Food Network
“Rachel Ray,” Food Network
“Rocco DiSpirito,” Food Network
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“Jeff Smith,” Seattle Times
“Bobby Flay,” Star Chefs
“Julia Child,” Star Chefs
“Nigella Lawson,” Style Network
“Celebrity Chefs,” Travel-Quest
“Celebrity Chefs,” USA Today
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“Bobby Flay,” Wikipedia
“Emeril Lagasse,” Wikipedia
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