Although I am a Culinary Instructor, I continue to work in the industry part time so that I can keep up with what is going on in "the real world". I have the opportunity to spend time with, as I tell my students "the hiring chefs" and over and over I hear from them that the major problem with culinary students is that "they do not possess the ability to follow simple instruction". Culinary students want to change everything because they "like it better this way". I let them know that I understand that they are creative and that they are artists but most important when they go work in an established country club, hotel or restaurant they were not hired to change things but to execute the chefs menu and game plan. I let them know they will change no recipes in my class and if they do it will be reflected in their grade. I tell them you do it here you loose a few points but when you do it in the industry you loose your job! To those who chose not to listen I tell them to keep their resume updated!
When I demo recipes in the Kitchen I like to show them the right steps to make the recipe. But if I can show them what kind of mistakes they might do , helps them even more. For example, I will demo a Hollandaise sauce and the I will break it so they can see what it looks like. I also show them how to fix it. I tell my students all the time, you will make mistakes but it is what you know that will help you fix it.
Joseph,
I believe it is important for students to taste the instructors demo, their own work and the work of other students in a guided discussion format. In this way, they can compare and contrast textures and flavors, rather than simply eating their own food or just "eating to eat", without an associated learning component.
Jae Gruber
As a Baking and Pastry instructor as I demo I explain step by step exactly what I'm doing and why a perfect example is the creaming method. I will make the mix curdle on purpose to show themthe importance of adding liquids in stages.
Joseph,
This is a very important lesson! If a student always sees an ideal outcome, they may have a sense of failure when they make a mistake. Certainly no one wants their students to feel like failures, but rather learn what a product looks like when it is not executed properly and most important, how to make sure that mistake does not happen in the future.
Jae Gruber
I do that when I have them make bread, I purposely will overscale or kill off the yeast and see if they understand what happens if directions are not followed
In our Course students are supplied with a text book to utilize, I find that students want to branch out and make changes as they are cooking. As a training exercise I have them watch a demo, then try to reproduce the techniques and procedures they had observed. Ultimately we sit and taste each dish and do a discussion on what they learned most seem to grasp that directions are critical to follow in the kitchen, not so much as a written recipe but how the chef has instructed them to prepare the dish according to their specifications.
Anne,
It is indeed just as important for students to see mistakes, so that they know how to correct it. It is okay for instructors to show their "human" side as well. If instructors are able to make a mistake, move on and correct the mistake it can actually enhance a students positive perception of that instructor.
Jae Gruber
AS a Pastry Chef, I always have to express the importance of following directions. In Pastry, the need for accurate measurements are a must. i explain to them that a its kind of like a chemistry class. Often, I will have a control group and then groups to purposely mix up a formula to see what the outcomes would be. I also give a formula that has a first line "read through entire formula before beginnning and a last line reading "do not do this formula."
Both seem to get their attention quickly.
David,
What an interesting approach! A bit of reverse psychology, if you will. Thank you for sharing!
Jae Gruber
I think it is important for the students to see a mistake such as a broken mayo, as then you can also demonstrate how to fix it. It is easier to explain to students what happened and how to prevent the same thing from happening to them if they can look right at what went wrong. Also it isn't a bad thing for the students to see that we as instructors aren't perfect 100% of the time. That as a professional we all still work on improving our skills and learning new techniques. I believe that this helps to encourage our students to do the same.
Megan,
Students definitely do need to follow what their instructor tells them to do; different types of personalities may require different approaches and some students may simply require more explanation as to "why" they are being told to do something.
Jae Gruber
Dorothy,
Giving a students a visual of a product made wrong is often equally as important as showing them a product that is made correctly. Great idea!
Jae Gruber
Karen,
Though many individuals taking this course have mentioned a similar process, I do not think it can be emphasized enough how important this step is as it relates to teaching organization and mise en place.
Jae Gruber
Bernard,
You are absolutely right! By connecting food and labor cost scenarios to following a recipe, you are truly underscoring that it is not only about the taste and appearance of the product, but it also affects the bottom line.
Jae Gruber
The method I usually use is how by following the term mise en place in preparing the recipe will result in the product being done correctly. By not following directions it will have an impact on your food cost and labor cost.
I try to first, ensure that all of my students understand the directions. Many of them expect to learn by using the recipe as they go along (cooking and reading at the same time). This is no way to understand/absorb the directions or the technical elements that are within the directions.
Pursuant to making sure that my students understand the directions before we begin, I make it very clear what material I expect students to be familiar with before class starts. I have been backing this up by sprinkling pop-quizzes into the start of class.
I hope that I'm emphasizing the importance of directions, and attempting to show students how preparedness relates to success and learning.
Jeremy,
This is a very good idea. I have had students submit recipes for contests that I had to help them correct and rewrite. I wonder if culinary educators put enough emphasis on how to write a recipe? Perhaps more focus in this area would help students analyze recipes that they see in books, magazines or on the internet? Thoughts?
Jae Gruber
Courtney,
Giving tips, tricks and even demoing how a mistake can be made - and then potentially corrected - these are all great teaching tools. Students need to know why the incorrect way is the wrong way and often a visual aid, rather than just mentioning it, is the most effective way to present the material.
Jae Gruber
david,
I like the idea of demoing correctly and incorrectly - and seeing if the students catch it! That is the true test to see if they have done their homework AND if they are paying attention! Good thoughts.
Jae Gruber
