ChefDirectory.info offers various links to cooking, foods, chefs, gourmet, cookware, cooking recipe, cooking magazines, cooking techniques, cooking safety, restautant, wild foods, chats and forums about cooking and more.

Chef Whites and Clothing

June 4th, 2011 4:55 am

There is a massive range of quality chef wear on offer for the professional chef. For example, you can get chefs aprons in a classic styles and different lengths. From butchers stripe aprons to extra length waist aprons Chef works supply the highest quality hardwearing chefs clothing and uniforms. All their chef’s aprons are available in plain white cotton or Teflon coated polycotton.The chef has their apron but they now need to get the jacket to help complete the uniform. All the chef jackets provided by Chef works are made to withstand the demands of a busy kitchen. There is a fantastic choice from traditional chef’s whites, executive styles and unisex designs made using the latest high tech breathable fabrics.

Take the Chef works CoolVent chef jacket which has revolutionised kitchen wear. The CoolVent fabric draws heat and moisture away from the body while tiny vents allow cool air to circulate keeping the chef cool and dry in the heat of the kitchen. With kitchen clothing like this on offer all chefs can stand the heat of the kitchen. They also provide chef jackets in Egyptian cotton and polycotton to suit all styles. Although a chef’s jacket is a practical garment they are also stylish and thoughtfully designed to keep the chef comfortable at all times. Knowing that some chefs are on show due to modern restaurant design the chef jackets can be bought which are durable and smart.

In addition to the chef jacket and apron a chef needs practical and versatile chef’s trousers Chef works chef trousers offer comfort and protection for the modern chef. A chef can choose from traditional chef’s trousers, cargo trousers or even Better Built Baggies. All their trousers are smart, comfortable and practical built to survive even the demands of the toughest kitchen environment. So for the restaurant clothing that will make a chef look, feel and perform to their best then the place to visit is Nextday Catering Equipment.

3 Steps to Start a Rewarding Chef Career

June 19th, 2010 8:14 am

Tom Colicchio taught himself to cook by studying the cooking manuals of Jacques Pepin. Mario Batali worked as a dishwasher at a New Jersey
pizza parlor. Emeril Lagasse learned the art of pastry at a local Portuguese bakery.Everyone has to start somewhere.If you’re thinking about starting a culinary career, but aren’t quite sure how to make it to the ranks of Top Chef, look no further. We’ve broken down the culinary ladder into three basic rungs that, with the right training, you’ll be able to climb. Check it out:

Step #1: Enroll in Culinary School
It takes a lot to be a chef. Chefs have to know how to sear a piece of tuna, sauté fresh asparagus, and reduce a sauce down to perfection-sometimes all at once. In addition, they must know how to oversee an entire kitchen staff, handle knives without losing any fingers, and keep the refrigerator at the right temperature so the meat doesn’t spoil and the desserts don’t freeze.

To learn all of this (and a few other tricks that come in handy), most chefs start their career by going to culinary school. There, you’ll get the hands-on experience you need to make your way around the kitchen.

Step #2: Get Some Experience Under Your Belt
Despite what the reality shows say, no one graduates from culinary school and becomes the next Gordon Ramsay. First, you have to prove that you can hold your own in front of a char grill on a busy Friday night.

When you graduate culinary school, use the connections you made their to find a position as a chef de partie, also known as a station chef or line cook. Yes, it will be grueling and consist of long hours, but it’s a great way to get the experience you need. Many restaurants rotate their line employees through different stations, which allow you to perfect your skills and handle any complicated order that comes your way.

Step #3: Work Your Way Up
Once you feel confident in your culinary skills, what’s next? There’s a variety of positions underneath the executive chef that will allow you to climb the culinary ladder.

Expediters work to coordinate all the different entrees and ensure that they come out on time. (They’re sort of like an orchestra conductor, but of the kitchen.) Head cooks oversee and supervise the other workers on the line. And Sous chefs are second-in-command to the executive chef, ordering inventory, helping with menu creation, and running the kitchen in the chef’s absence.

Any of these positions will give you the leadership and management experience you need to eventually become an executive chef yourself.

Ready to get started?
Find out more about culinary schools and programs on this culinary degree programs page.