Selecting cooking school classes is really a matter of personal choice. While some culinary schools offer broad educations that cover a lot of basic courses, specializing in one particular area or another will require some careful course selection skills. To begin, determine the kind of techniques that you want to acquire.
While it makes a lot of sense for classically trained chefs to sign up for French cuisine techniques, bakers may not gain a lot of valuable information from learning how to make Hollandaise sauce. Thus, classes should be chosen according to the degree in sight. Those wishing to take culinary courses for some general cooking tips, may have a broader selection of cooking school classes available.
Basic cooking school classes include saucier courses, meat carving, general pastry, and technique-based courses. Often, these main courses are included in a core curriculum. More advanced culinary students may want to select courses that are more technical in nature. This is possible by selecting classes that are cuisine specific. Some choices include French pastry, Italian cuisine, and Swiss confection courses.
Before selecting any cooking school classes, take the time to review the coursework. Speaking with a professor prior to enrolling in a course is a great way to determine whether or not a particular course is right for you. Many professors are more than happy to hand out a syllabus to prospective students.
Another way to find great cooking classes is to speak with current or former students. Ask these students what their experience with a particular instructor was like. If you are considering online courses, try and find a review forum. Often, online students will share thoughts pertaining to courses with new students.
Doing a bit of background research on a course instructor is another way to find out about a cooking class. Instructors that have many years of field and teaching experience are often the best teachers. Also, you may want to visit a facility prior to taking a class. Unless you are enrolled in a full-time culinary program, the location of a class may be important.
Many cooking classes are held in facilities that are less than adequate, while others are held in actual culinary schools. If environment is important to you, then take a close look at the facility that you will be using. Lastly, determine whether or not the cooking school classes you are considering are beginner-friendly. Some culinary classes may sound wonderful, but could be extremely frustrating for new cooks.
