Calling BG cooks/chefs: Looking to transition in to cooking for a living [HALP]

[Fhloston]

Hey guys,

so I'm currently working in a hospital's warehouse. Been there four years, been in the medical supply chain field for 7 years. Really getting burned out in this field and I don't have any aspirations to move higher in it. Also been working graveyard these past four years, and that's taking its toll.

After I got married I discovered I really love to cook. (Wife works evenings and gets home before I leave, so I had to learn to cook or starve pretty much.) I always find myself experimenting w/new recipes and can easily spend an hour or two on Youtube watching people cook. I really feel like this is something I would enjoy doing for a living, but I am wondering where to start. Some questions I have...

Culinary school worth it?
Average starting pay for entry level?
What places to look for work at? (I have heard hotels and such but I'm sure they want people w/experience)

I have leadership skills from 7 yrs of doing what I do, but not in a kitchen. Other than that, I have nothing to bring to the table, other than that I love cooking. I make $15/hr at my job, so I know I'll take a pay cut. I would love working locally though, since my job is 40 mins away and I spend about $65/week in gas. (Small car.) What say you, BG chefs?

[scrockstar]

Culinary school is about the worse thing you could do.

Usually the best thing to do would be to get any entry position in a good restaurant kitchen (i.e. washing dishes / helping prep) however be prepared to work for minimum wage for awhile.

[Stumblingdrunk]

Working in the food service industry is high stress low reward. Try something part time before making any big decisions.

[godlytarutaru]

I was a Chef for 15 years, mostly at country clubs. I personally loved it, but you have to know what you're getting into if you choose this career. If you are getting into fine dining (as it sounds you're interested in) the hours and working conditions can be brutal, especially around the holidays. I generally averaged about 100 hours a week, my sous chefs around 90 and my cooks 60-70 during busy times. The conditions in a commercial kitchen are also extremely stressful, hot, and challenging. Also for the most part until it is your kitchen to run there is very little in the way of expressing your creativity. It is mostly repetition, assembling and cooking someone elses vision.

Now with the disclaimer out of the way, I think the positives far outweigh the negatives. The challenge itself is its own reward. You can't beat the pride you get when you really push yourself to the limit and come out on top. The pay isn't bad to start, and once you're running the kitchen it can actually be decent. Pay varies a lot by region so it's hard to give you an accurate number, but as an example, in 2001 as executive chef, my salary was 72,500/yr which at the time was about double a mid level teachers job. Fast food jobs were about 7 an hr, and I paid my prep cooks 11 and my top line cooks 15-16/hr.

As far as where to try to get a start, I'd suggest a hotel or a country club. They're more entry level friendly. As far as cooking school, it can be incredibly helpful, but be aware that there are very few cooking schools that will get you into more than an entry level position. PCI CIA CCI and a couple others will get you a start in a better position, but wether or not these are worth it really depends on the time/money you're willing to invest in school.

[MikeRobi]

I've been in the cooking industry for the past 6 years or so. I'm going to make statements based purely on my experience in the field, and they are not to be considered absolute. What to expect:

Just like most art forms, expect to be thoroughly abused, exploited, and under-appreciated. You really need to marry this profession unconditionally for it to do anything worthwhile for you. A lot of military servicemen do really well in this field because of it's chain of command, camaraderie, and dedication even (and usually most times) in the face of overwhelming odds.

How to "make it" in this field: Know the tastes and community of a given area, know you own culinary philosophy, and engage the two successfully. It takes keen insight and incredible ability. How often does it work? 50 percent of most restaurants bomb in the first year. You have to lose money to get ahead in the long run; most new restaurants post losses in the first 3 to 5 years.

Still want to dive on in? You have two options:

(1) Start of with no experience, and subject yourself to the lowest ranks of any kitchen that will take you in. Shadow everyone. Learn dishes, techniques, and the rhythm of the line. Pray that your hungry attitude will result in the embrace of the chefs as you move on, from chef to chef, kitchen to kitche, until you amass enough knowledge of the industry to go it on your own with a few partners (sous chefs). Keep in mind, you will work with felons, drug dealers, sociopaths, I mean you will encounter creatures that could not function in other forms of society -- or could, and simply chose not to. You'll also work alongside elitist textbook paper chefs that will marginalize and trivialize at any given chance. Occasionally, you'll work with some of the coolest people on the planet. You'll be surrounded in food, alcohol, and waitresses, so the core of your moral center will be tested at all times. It can be a fun, self destructive period of your life that will fill you with stories you'll wish to keep hidden from most human beings.

(2) Start of with no experience, and sink tens of thousands of dollars into a traditional culinary academic institution. If you come from a wealthy family, they should not encourage this as you will waste a lot of money in something with risky returns in the field of arts, when you could be fleecing nations from Wall Street or fleecing citizens' rights in the court of law. If you don't come from a wealthy family, they should not encourage you to do this unless you truly love it, because you will be in student loan debt (unless you are savvy and can score some scholarships and whatnot) towards something that will physically and emotionally run you through the wringer. It's like starting a farm; very few people do it for profit.

Listen to me, please. You're having fun in your kitchen, cooking for your wife and your friends? Stay there and keep your peace of mind intact. I'm looking to get out of this field because my body is just banged up from it and the hours are rubbish... not to mention, I make 12 an hour. That is disgusting. You already have your own kitchen; you have your own lab. I am telling you, you can do just about anything most restaurants do in your own kitchen. You just need squeeze bottles, paint brushes, an emulsion blender, so on, so forth. Fancy ingredients and micro-greens are nearly impossible to find in supermarkets, but if you know anyone in the industry (or don't and just ask to purchase some), you can use their foodservice supplier.

So yes, my advice to you is to explore your passion of cooking through your own terms at your own home. And if you need any cooking tips, advice, techniques, search out those rare chefs that are more than happy to share their secrets with you. I'm one of them.

If you still have any questions, I can't encourage you enough to read "So You Want To Be A Chef?", a chapter in Anthony Bourdain's "Kitchen Confidential". Hate the man now if you like, but this book is gospel.

[godlytarutaru]

I have to second MikeRobi's suggestion. If you haven't read it, get Kitchen Confidential as soon as you can. It's by far the most accurate look into the reality of working in a commercial kitchen that I've seen.

[SamanosukeShiva]

I agree with what godlytarutaru said about culinary school.

I've been working in the restaurant industry as well for almost 6 years now. I love it, and it's hard work, long hours and mediocre pays. Culinary school is extremely expensive, lots of people say it's not worth it but I disagree. By the time I entered culinary school I was already working in a restaurant as a cook for over 2 years. I went to school by day, and work in a restaurant in the afternoon. Culinary school's worth is depending entirely on yourself, if you don't fuck around in school and give it your 110%, it's worth it. In culinary school, you don't only learn to cook, but it's also your first chance at networking. Before I even finished my culinary program I was already offered a job because of good words my friends and instructors put in for me.

My advice if you decide to go to culinary school:
-Pick a reputable school, or at least find out if the instructors are experienced. (I was fortunate enough to have a certified master baker as one of my instructor, the experience was incredibly valuable)
-Don't fuck around in school
-Don't be a dick, you never know your future job could come from the asshole you sit next to.

also, since you are already working in hospital, being a cook in a hospital is not bad of a choice for starter, though it really doesn't have any room for creativity and you'll be bored as fuck.

[Plow]

I agree that much like most fields, as long as you apply yourself culinary school is a good idea. There's sooooo many things to learn about how food works.

[The Stig]

Not sure if this can be classified as advice but here's my take on it:

You may like to watch people cook on youtube. Now in those circumstances you're watching people cook either at home or in a controlled environment.

Have you seen your usual chef programs? More specifically, Gordon Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares and/or other similar programs where the reality of it is shown (ok, some might have been staged for dramatic reasons but still).

It's sometimes extreme (the given scenarios in the shows) I know, but while I enjoy watching these programs (I enjoy learning about the food and watching people cook) I don't think I have the balls to be a chef or work in a place where it's constantly busy and orders are given to be drill sergeant style.

Just a thought.

[SamanosukeShiva]

[Cream Soda]

Bumping so I don't have to make a new thread.

I cook my chicken in bulk, then eat throughout the week. Any tips on keeping it fresh in the fridge and/or freezer? Could I remarinate or something? or leave sitting in soy sauce, so it's not dry as shit when I either microwave it or throw it back on the skillet?

[SamanosukeShiva]

How long before you usually go through an entire batch? Breast or leg/thigh?

You could only cook the chicken about 80% and freeze and basically finish the cooking right before you're going to eat. Microwave does a pretty good job at drying out a piece of chicken, but since it cooks and heats up the inside of the chicken first, it's actually pretty good cooking method if you do it this way. But you have to cool down the chicken and freeze it very fast after cooking so it does not stay the temperature danger zone for too long (41F-140F), because you'll run the risk of getting salmonella. Though I really don't recommend it if you keep it more than 4 days.

[Cream Soda]

I'll cook for about 5-6 days worth at a time

[SamanosukeShiva]

You could also make pulled chicken and freeze it with the sauce, will last you through the week in freezer np, and it's really foolproof if you're worrying about the chicken drying out. You could mix and change up the sauces, BBQ, vinaigrette, etc.

[Jicent]

Is there any need to cook the chicken in bulk? Honestly, I would freeze it raw and cook what you are going to eat that day. Unless you do dishes like chicken adobo, which cooks the chicken in vinegar and soy, I wouldn't recommend cooking it in bulk at all.

[Cream Soda]

Is there any need to cook the chicken in bulk? Honestly, I would freeze it raw and cook what you are going to eat that day. Unless you do dishes like chicken adobo, which cooks the chicken in vinegar and soy, I wouldn't recommend cooking it in bulk at all.

Honestly, just don't have time to thaw the shit out every day. I leave for class at 7am. Don't walk in the door till 8pm+ 4 days a week. When I get home, just wanna cook it and get it over with. If I get a small enough thing of chicken, and know I'm going to eat chicken 3-4 days in a row. I'll just leave the shit in the fridge and cook day by day, but if I don't think I'll be able to cook it all/eat it all before it goes bad, then prefer to just cook in bulk

[SamanosukeShiva]

you know you want to
http://yeswecook.com/wp-content/uplo...lledchick2.jpg

[Nirokun!]

Unless you do dishes like chicken adobo, which cooks the chicken in vinegar and soy, I wouldn't recommend cooking it in bulk at all.

I was going to say this. lol The acid/salt content helps preserve the chicken so it lasts longer!

[Cream Soda]

I pretty much use Lawry's seasoning (Equiv of Adobo to blacks); then I'll use a sauce of choice whether it be a marinade, soy sauce, teriyaki sauce, Sriracha, etc; but it all gets drowned in Lawry's

[Nirokun!]

You say that like I don't use Lawry's/McCormick's Season All. lol Adobo, the one we're talking about, is the Filipino method of stewing meat with salt/vinegar/garlic (and possibly bay leaf? my family doesn't use it). The salt/vinegar preserve the food, the longish cooking makes it tender. I know there's another kind of Adobo (Goya seasoning?), but it's not the same. If you like the taste of Lawry's, you should be able to use it, just lower the soy sauce amount, but your end product won't be as brown.