Professional cooks combine creativity with technique and precision to excel at creating a consistent experience for their patrons. They count on their technique and their knowledge of every aspect of cooking to be efficient, and on point in terms of the taste and the outlook of a dish.
They know how to manage the heat at different stages of preparing a dish, they know which ingredients to choose to get a specific texture, and they never mix up the order of adding different things. Cooking is like a dance where one wrong step can ruin the whole performance.
If you love to cook and want to do it professionally, or if you want to learn from scratch, just remember, there will be a lot of unlearning, and relearning to undergo before you can call yourself a pro. Online cooking courses by Hunar can help you. But first, let’s understand why professional training in cooking matters.
Importance of Professional Training in Cooking
Let’s explain this with a simple example. You may be able to drive, or you may have seen your friends, your husband, or your parents drive. But will you or any of them be able to drive a formula 1 car on a racing track? Not unless you are trained to do that, right?
It’s the same with professional cooking. You cannot count on the experience of cooking in a domestic kitchen to excel in a professional kitchen. Unless you are trained professionally, chances are you’ll succumb under the pressure of its extremely demanding environment.
The Difference between Home Cooking and Professional Cooking
The setting, the environment, and the challenges of a professional kitchen do not match those of a home kitchen. We will look at some of the starkest differences between the two.
Skills and technique
Home cooks may use family recipes and tools and techniques borne traditionally. There is room for trial and error. It’s an overall casual endeavor. And it is wonderful.
Professional cooks have to adhere to strict standards. They are responsible for reproducing dishes consistently, at scale. It is a different ball game altogether. They must know their knives, their ovens, and other tools inside out.
Scale and volume
At home, you cook for 3,4,5 people, maybe a dozen if there’s a special occasion. In a professional setting, chefs cook for hundreds of people every day. They might not have to do everything by hand but they are responsible for the taste and standards of every meal served. The scale can be scary if you are uninitiated.
Time and efficiency
You do not have the luxury of making a mistake or wasting a minute of time in a professional setting. You have to multi-task, you should know the most efficient way of getting something done without compromising quality, and you may have to keep at it for the entire day.
Presentation and Aesthetics
From the way you cut your veggies to the way you lay down the garnishes upon a prepared dish, everything is held under the magnifying glass when you are a pro. What’s a bonus in home cooking, is a necessity in a pro setting.
Clearly, cooking at home is a rather comfortable endeavor when compared to being in a professional kitchen. So why should you venture out in the professional culinary world at all?
3 Reasons to be a professional cook
1.Money
Let’s get the monetary aspect out of the way first. The average salary of an entry-level cook in India is Rs 2.8 lakh per annum. If you are better than average and able to climb up through the ranks quickly, you can earn up to Rs 5.2 lakh per annum as a junior-level chef. As you gain seniority and experience, you can earn up to Rs 9.8 lakh per annum. With deep knowledge of different cuisines and flavors and a penchant for leadership, you can earn in the vicinity of Rs 25 lakh per annum as a senior chef.
If you end up starting your own culinary venture, the sky’s the limit. The food business is one of the most profitable if you know what you are doing. Home food delivery businesses are thriving nationwide. That’s a great area for you to explore if you transition to being a professionally trained cook from being a home cook.
2.Opportunity
Skilled cooks are appreciated in every Indian town. If you can bring stability and efficiency in the kitchen, everyone from small restaurants to massive food chains will value you and try to keep you.
There are nearly 1400 openings for cooks on one job-listing site at this moment. With some experience at a professional kitchen, you’ll find it easier to start your own little venture.
3.Growth
We have already discussed the growth journey of a salaried cook. If you have an entrepreneurial spirit in you. If you love cooking. And if you have some people management skills, you can start a culinary venture. If you get it right, the growth will surprise you. Getting it right is very important. You, the owner and the entrepreneur must be a trained cook if you want your venture to succeed.
Start your journey with Hunar Online Cooking Courses
Hunar brings an All-in-one online cooking course which is the perfect spot for you to start your journey as a professional cook. From the comfort of your home, you will learn to prepare a wide variety of Indian, Asian, and Italian dishes. The course will help you develop professional cooking skills and techniques. It will help you build cooking strategies for different amounts of food. Most importantly, you will be certified as a professional cook which will allow you to start a cafe or a restaurant of your own.
