A glimpse into the culinary field.

Famous chefs, their tools, their creations

Georges- Auguste Escoffier

Escoffier is known as the father of twentieth century cooking. His two main contributions were the simplification of classical cooking and the reorganization of the kitchen.

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The simplification of classical cuisine and the classical menuBefore Escoffier’s simplification of classical cuisine, banquet menus were extremely elaborate courses, the focus was on quantity, each course containing at least 20 dishes. Escoffier took this “general confusion” as he called it and turned it into something more simplistic and orderly. He thought that one or two superior dishes that were simplistic in nature were better than ten mediocre ones. The reorganization of the kitchenThis was an important achievement that helped to restructure and simplify the way the kitchen was run. It is a method that is still used in many kitchens today. Escoffier divided the kitchen into stations or departments. The departments were divided based on what type of food they produced. Within each station there would be a chef in charge, the chef in charge would be responsible for any food entering or exiting the station, as well as any assistants they might have had. The following slide will show the different positions within Escoffier’s system.

Cited from 1. Dornenburg

Stations Within the Kitchen

Executive chef – The executive chef is the one in charge of the kitchen. This chef oversees everything and is responsible for all aspects pertaining to food. They are responsible for menu planning, creating new recipes, purchasing, costing and many

other things. Sous Chef – This chef is in charge of staff supervision within the kitchen, the sous chef

is also in charge of production. Station Chefs- Station chefs are in charge of certain areas of production. Here are some

examples of important station chefs:Sauce chef or saucier- the individual who runs this station is usually the next most

important under the head and sous chefs. This chef prepare sauces stews and hot hors d’oeuvres.

Fish cook or poissonier- this chef is in charge of preparing fish dishes.Vegetable cook or entremetier- this chef s in charge of preparing vegetables, eggs,

starches and soups. Roast Cook or rotisseur – this chef prepares roasted and braised meats, this chef also

prepares the sauces and gravies that accompany these meats. Pantry chef or garhe menger- this chef is responsible for cold items like salads and

dressings.Pastry Chef or patissier- this chef is in charge of preparing desserts and pastry itemsCited from 2. Gisslen

The knife is one of the most important tools that a chef can own. The following chart shows a selection of knives and what they are used for.

Thomas Keller

Tomas Keller’s restaurant the French Laundry is rated among the top five in the Top 50 Restaurants of the world. It has a three star rating in the Michelin Guide making Thomas Keller one of the two chefs in the world to own two three star Michelin Guide restaurants, an achievement envied by chefs all around the world.

The French Laundry is not your everyday restaurant, tasting menus are around $250 and meals can cost around a thousand dollars. The food though is not your everyday fair. Keller produces elaborate tasting menus that will have your taste buds screaming in ecstasy, an average meal takes around three or four hours.

Thomas Keller is a modern day American chef who has achieved great status within the culinary field.

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Want to make something a little more complicated then your average mac and

cheese or chocolate chip cookies? Try these S’more Brownies!

IngredientsCrust: 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted 1 1/2 cups crushed graham cracker crumbs 2 tablespoons sugar and a Pinch fine salt Brownie:8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter 4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped 1 cup packed light brown sugar 3/4 cup white sugar 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract 1/2 teaspoon fine salt 4 large cold eggs 1 cup all-purpose flour Topping: 4 cups large marshmallows

DirectionsPosition a rack in the lower third of the oven and heat oven to 325 degrees F. Line an 8 by-8-inch square baking pan

with foil so it hangs over the edges by about 1 inch. For the crust: Lightly butter the foil with some of the melted butter. Stir the rest of the butter together with the

crumbs, sugar, and salt in a medium bowl. Press the crumb mixture evenly over the bottom of the pan. Bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the brownie. Put the butter and chocolate in a medium microwave safe bowl. Melt in the microwave on 75 percent power for 2 minutes. Stir, and microwave again until completely melted, about 2 minutes more. Alternatively, put the butter and chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Bring a saucepan filled with 1 inch or so of water to a very slow simmer; set the bowl on the pan without touching the water. Stir occasionally until melted. Stir the light brown and white sugars, vanilla and salt into the melted chocolate. Add the eggs and beat vigorously to make a thick and glossy batter. Add the flour and stir until just incorporated.

Pour batter into the prepared pan. Bake until the top is crispy and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out mostly clean, with a few crumbs, about 40 to 45 minutes.

Remove from the oven and carefully position a rack about 6 inches from the broiler and preheat on low. Layer marshmallows across the top and toast under the broiler until golden, (keep an eye on it, it can go quick), about 2 minutes. Cool on a rack, gently removing the brownies from the pan using the aluminum flaps. Carefully separate any marshmallow from the foil and fold away. Cut into 12 (2-inch) squares.

This recipe was taken from foodnetwork.com

CitationsDornenburg, Andrew and Karen Page. Becoming a Chef, Revised Edition. New Jersey:

John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 2003.Gisslen, Wayne. Professional Cooking for Canadian Chefs, Fifth Edition. New York: John

Wiley & Sons, Inc. 2003.

All pictures for the “olden day chefs” photomontage were taken from:• www.lysator.liu.se/nanny/guilds/chefs/kitchen.gif• www.linternaute.com• www.coquinaria.nl• www.chipsbooks.com• www.nytimes.com

All pictures for the “modern day chefs” photomontage were taken from:• www.jamieoliver.com/tv/happy-days-naked-chef• www.gordonramsay.com/corporate/products/books/• www.foodnetwork.com

The colour scheme throughout this project is very bright, lots of colours on all the slides. This is to show that the culinary industry is a very vibrant industry. Foods come in all textures, sizes and colours and with a little bit of creativity magic can be created.