Guest Post :: How to Learn to Be a Great Cook without Going to Culinary School

April 24, 2013


I am so excited to share today's post with y'all! It's about food, which we all know is my favorite topic. I'm pretty positive 90% of my thoughts are about what I want to cook! So read, enjoy what Bridget wrote, and leave her some comment love!!

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Did you dream of becoming a famous chef when you were a child? Or did you just watch your mom cooking delicious meals for your family with envy, wishing you could become as good a cook as she was? Even if you didn't go to culinary school because you decided to pursue an alternative career path, there is still hope for you to become an amazing chef. You may not be a top chef at a restaurant in Paris, but you can still become the star of your own kitchen.
Here are a few tips for how you can learn to be a great cook without going to culinary school:

Go To a Weekend Cooking Retreat
You can get a taste of culinary school by attending a weekend cooking retreat. There are renowned cooking programs all around the world that offer you intensive training in only a weekend or a short period like a few days or a few weeks. You can learn from top chefs while also enjoying a fabulous vacation.

There are weekend cooking programs to suit whatever your needs may be -- with different styles of cooking emphasized, designed for different levels of cooks, and for different price points to meet different budgets.

Use the Internet to Your Advantage
The Internet has become the great equalizer. If you want to learn it, you can find the information on the Internet. You can find recipes, information about cooking techniques and concepts, and video tutorials. You can get everything that you would get in a hands-on class online except the feel of your instructor's hands on yours to guide your knife technique.

Most information that you will need is free, but you can choose to pay for premium content to suit your needs. Otherwise, you have a virtual encyclopedia in blogs, recipe websites, YouTube, Pinterest and more.

Don't Be Afraid to Take Risks
To make an omelet, you have to break a few eggs, and to learn how to do great things in the kitchen, you have to take a lot of risks -- and make a lot of mistakes. By taking risks and experimenting in the kitchen, you will learn the fundamentals and discover new techniques. You may even create new recipes that your family will love. The key is to have fun and to put yourself out there. You may make mistakes, but you'll also learn from them.

Practice, Practice, Practice
The best cooks all had to learn how to boil an egg at one point. They didn't get to where they were without practice, and neither will you. Spend as much time as you can practicing. Cook for yourself and your family every night. Invite friends over and cook for them.  Create delicious dishes to bring in to work, to bring to parties, or to bring to your children's school. Take advantage of every opportunity you have to cook, experiment and have fun and you'll find that you become an amazing cook in no time.

Culinary school is a great way to learn how to become a great chef fast. But if you didn't get a chance to go to culinary school, you don't have to give up on your dream of becoming a great cook for yourself and for your family. Use these tips to help you learn how to be the best you can be in the kitchen.
How did you learn to cook? Do you consider yourself to be a great cook? Share your experiences in the comments!

About the Author:
Bridget Sandorford is a freelance food and culinary writer, where recently she’s been researching culinary arts schools in Louisiana. In her spare time, she enjoys biking, painting and working on her first cookbook.