culinary arts Laboratory Rules

A Typical Culinary Arts School Curriculum

While prospective students are normally very eager to start their schooling, few have any idea what a culinary arts school curriculum looks like. Here is a look into what the actual courses are and what type of things may be taught in them. Of course each school teaches their own specific classes but this is a generalized look at what they may be like.

Learn about the types of classes available in a culinary arts school.

Professional culinary arts school start their programs with a course in culinary fundamentals. Knife skills are at the first and foremost of these. Before beginning school, each culinary student will need to buy a knife set and in this fundamental class, they will learn how to use them properly. Though this seems simple on its face, there’s more to it than meets the eye. During this course, schools also want to improve a student’s palette until they can discern the complex tastes they’ll be creating throughout their education.

Then it comes time to put those fundamentals into practice by learning various types of dry-heat cooking. Typical techniques in this type of class will include grilling, frying, roasting and sautéing. Students use these four cooking methods to prepare starches, meats and vegetables properly. Students will then experiment with poaching, steaming, stewing and braising, known as moist heat methods, which are in high demand for those looking for healthy cooking techniques.

After these basics are taught, schools tend to vary a bit in their next steps but traditionally they will teach additional techniques for maximizing the flavors and textures of vegetables and grains. Learning these skills will be helpful when students look for careers since many restaurants offer fresh, seasonal menus. During this same time, students will learn the basic staples of breakfast, lunch and brunch including popular sandwiches, egg dishes and griddle items.

Get an in depth look at a culinary arts school curriculum.

After the basics, students learn the more advanced skills that will be required for a commercial kitchen and restaurant environment. Included in these skills is learning how to multitask and time a meal so that it will all come together seamlessly in the often frantic environment of the commercial kitchen. Students also learn different cuisines at this time, normally beginning with French. The remainder of a culinary arts school curriculum varies greatly depending on the school, but pastry and dessert creation is usually part of it, along with courses which attempt to bring out a student’s creativity and ability to turn a group of ingredients into a meal without the benefit of a recipe. After these courses, students will go on to practice their skills at a local business which is typically a hotel or restaurant.
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