These 18 Culinary School Recipes Will Save You $40,000 in Tuition
Culinary school can do wonders for those looking to break into the world of professional cooking—but with some programs costing upwards of $40,000, it's also way more expensive than working your way up from the dishwashing station. So we're saving you the trouble, and sharing the most common culinary school recipes in our archive. To sweeten the deal, we also asked senior food editor Dawn Perry (a culinary school graduate herself!) to spill a few secrets about each one. Ready to get schooled?
Danny Kim1/16Roast Beef Stock
The first thing you'll learn—after tying your neckerchief in a crisp knot and sharpening your knives, of course—is how to make a hearty, intensely flavored stock. Veal, beef, and chicken stock are used most frequently in culinary school kitchens.
Perry says the mark of a good stock is a gelatinous texture when cool. How to achieve that? It's all about the bones. The key to a rich, flavorful stock (and, in turn, beautiful sauces) is hearty bones full of gelatin.
2/16Blender Hollandaise
Once you master stocks, you'll build on them with the five classic, or "mother," sauces: béchamel, Espagnole, hollandaise, tomate, and velouté. Put down the whisk and save yourself the sore forearm: This hollandaise is made in a blender. Even the pros use shortcuts (this recipe is from Le Bernardin chef Eric Ripert).
3/16Ricotta Omelets
Many culinary schools have entire units dedicated to the art of cooking eggs. Topping the list is the perfect, pale omelet. Some kitchens still use this dish as the benchmark of line cooks' technique, but here's a secret: Once you leave culinary school, it's up to you how dark, pale, runny, or firm you make it.
Christina Holmes4/16Mini Herbed Pommes Anna
When you roast potatoes in culinary school, they'll have to first be "turned," or whittled down into smooth little football-shaped torpedoes—a technique that may or may not have eluded the writer of this article, requiring extra tutoring sessions before class each day. You'll also mash them, purée them, and layer thin slices into a delicate casserole called pommes Anna. The key to a perfect **pommes Anna, says Perry, is seasoning as you go, and leaving edges exposed to crisp up in the oven.
Photo by Romulo Yanes11/16Pan-Roasted Brined Pork Chop
Pork chops are tricky: Overcook them and you're dealing with tough, gray meat. Be sure to get that pan plenty hot, or the pork will cook through before the crust colors. What's "plenty hot"? Crank the burner to high, says Perry, then reduce it slightly when you add the pork. The hardest part? Resisting the urge to peek or move it until it becomes crisp and golden.
Christopher Testani12/16Salt-and-Pepper Steak
This recipe is nothing fancy—just some salt and pepper and a grill—and that's exactly the point. In culinary school, you'll perfect the art of cooking a steak to temperature. Learn the difference between a rare, medium-rare, medium, and well-done steak, and you'll never waste a good cut of meat again. And don't discount that salt and pepper: A simple, straightforward recipe like this requires, as our chefs used to say, "seasoning to perfection."
Photo by Chelsie Craig, Food Styling by Kate Buckens13/16Red Wine-Braised Short Ribs
These get cooked low and slow, with plenty of wine (there's always a jug close at hand, but beware: Your instructors will know if you take a nip) and that homemade stock. The secret? Searing the short ribs first builds flavor into the sauce.
Once you master the braising technique—searing, then cooking, covered, in liquid—you'll be able to turn any tough cut of meat into a meltingly tender showstopper.
15/16Kouign-Amann
