What are some things i could do if my school doesnt offer many cooking courses?

Question

ugh, my school sucks. i want to go to a college for a culinary profession but all my school has is home ec. i've still got a few years of high school left but i need some ideas to increase my chances of being accepted into some good colleges? any ideas? thanks btw

Answer 1

you need to contact the culinary schools you think offer good courses and find out what qualifications you will need to be accepted onto them.  Every college, community college, university, further education college etc has a prospectus and that you can either find on the internet or ask them directly to send you one in the mail.

Answer 2

if your school doesnt offer cooking courses...then cook at home! learn from your mom how to cook dal, roti, rice, sabzi!

lol !!!!!!

Answer 3

It depends on how old you are but you could check out local community centres etc and see if they have any short courses in cooking. These should look good on applications to colleges as they will show that you are willing to do stuff outside of the ordinary curriculum.

If you're old enough you could also try getting a job in a local restaurant as something like a kitchen hand.

Answer 4

   I don't know your age of your situation, but my suggestion would be, go to a few restaurants in town, interview a few chefs and get their opinion. A  couple of things may occur, you gain the knowledge you are seeking or better yet you make some new friends, learn about the business before you even go to culinary college.  You might have a job as well.  

    Best of luck.  Hope you have fun

Answer 5

Most of cooking, like anything, is practice, practice, practice.  

1) Follow the advice of the other poster and contact the culinary institute about their requirements for preferred applicants.

2) Try to prepare as many new recipes and a variety of foods as you can (or as your parents will let you).  Do you make Mexican?    Can you cook more than tacos and burritos?  How about paella?  Can you bake bread from scratch?  Cinnamon rolls?  Vegetarian variations on anything?  Can you cook collards or okra?  

3) Keep notes on the recipes that you have tried, and always try to "tweak" them so they are better.  Write and make notes in your recipe books!  Such as: "Use more garlic next time", "Double the topping", "Try with Dill".

4) If you want a "textbook", pick a respected cookbook that is standard, and try  to cook every recipe in the book.  I have an (adult) friend who is cooking her way through the "America's Test Kitchens" cookbook.  For something fancier, you could also try to cook recipes from Gourmet magazine.  The library most likely has copies.

5) Think chemistry.  An acquaintance of mine went to culinary school, and she talked about all of the chemistry in cooking.  At what temperature to egg yolks solidify?  At what temperature do egg whites solidify?  What went wrong when your green beans turned that ugly color of army green, and how can you avoid it next time?  Why do the yolks of my hard boiled eggs turn green?  Try the book "On Food and Cooking" by Harold McGee, or a similar book.    Disclaimer: McGee's book is highly recommended, but I have not read it.

6)Have your friends and family rate each recipe you try.  Ask for a letter grade and constructive criticism.  Keep notes.