Valentina,
Do you ask questions and wait for them to answer as well?
Jae Gruber
I make eye contact, ask if they heard the instruction and ask if there are any questions
Ray,
You make a very good point! There are many ways to do the same thing, but following the direction of your Chef instructor or your Chef employer is always the right thing to do.
Jae Gruber
Said,
The cause and effect examples are extremely important! When students understand the "why" behind direction given by the Chef instructor, it makes it much more likely that they will do their best to perform well. Particularly if they realize what problems may occur if they do not follow instructions!
Jae Gruber
Using industry-specific and real life examples as part of our lecture and production of the day and illustrating how directions might have/have not been followed might lead to problem/opportunity. Another method I use while teaching is the cause-effect relating to certain scenarios.
I teach them that while tere are many ways to make some of the recipes I teach. the only one that is correct is the one your chef is showing you and not followong his direction could lead to your firing
Brenda,
A very good point! The smallest detail can affect the end result. If students have never seen the particular dish or baked product in the past, they may not know what it is supposed to look like. Visual and taste comparisons of correctly prepared and incorrectly prepared items is helpful.
Jae Gruber
I totally agree with this technique because quite often when you explain why things are done in a certain way students still don't believe a little detail will make a major difference. So by demonstrating wrong vs right they grasp the technique right away.
Michael ,
Every short cut that leads to a mistake is, indeed, a teachable moment!
Jae Gruber
I stress the importance of folloing directions from the chef they are working for. Make them come to production with their notes and i ask a student to tell me what the procedure is for the item A they are producing.Then I ask another student if that is correct. Sometimes it takes 2 or more students to describe it properly.
There is no doubt that the majority of culinary students love to eat food. With that said, following directions in technique directly effects the outcome of the product. If the student creates errors during the process, the end result is inedible. If the student can't eat the final product they become disappointed. I will evaluate where they went wrong and express the value of following directions. They can try again to suceed and the food is the reward.
one example is with a hollandaise sauce. when students cut corners and the sauce breaks. Not only is that a perfect opportunity to preach follow the recipe, but also, how to fix the broken hollandaise sauce.
jonathan,
This is an excellent idea as it helps the student to be more engaged in the process and responsible for the outcome. Thank you for sharing!
Jae Gruber
Nicholas ,
This is a great best practice. Instructors can provide many different perspectives on techniques from the standpoint of class preparation, "holding on the line" preparation, modern interpretation and how something looks and tastes when something goes wrong.
Jae Gruber
I have given the students the recipe with ingredients but no directions and have had them take down directions as i was doing the demo. Then the can write down the sutble things we do as chefs to put a dish together
As an example I take a single formula (recipe) and prepare it using two different techniques or methods to demonstrate that the sequence of directions in preparation can alter the outcome drastically.
Kristina ,
Other instructors have also mentioned showing mistakes and how to fix those mistakes. It is a wonderful "best practice" as it shows the reasoning behind following directions and the science behind cooking, while still giving a remedy for the occassions when outcomes are not ideal.
Jae Gruber
Andrew,
Sometimes students do not fully grasp the purpose behind techniques and following directions until they witness a bad outcome. Making the mistake for them, so to speak, in demo can really drive home the point of your instruction.
Jae Gruber
Gwen,
I completely agree! If the student executes production well every single time, they will never know what happens when they make a mistake or learn a possible "fix" for the situation.
Jae Gruber
Sometimes it is just as important to let them make a mistake and then walk them through where the mistake happened.
