Inform the students in the outside world, if the chef shows you how they want it done, you better follow the directions. Start learning to copy the demos now.
Devon,
It is true that when students go on externships and into the work world, they will need to duplicate a dish or a plate presentation exactly the same every time. Requiring students to replicate the demo, rather than imparting their own creativity to the demo, can help to solidify the concept of duplication and consistency.
Jae Gruber
Paul,
You make a very excellent point! It is beneficial for instructors to guide students in proper note taking, whether it be writing out notes completely or whether using shortened terms. It is also helpful for instructors to start teaching students terms that are used in the profession: 86, order/fire, in the window, and so forth.
Jae Gruber
I agree with Van. The students need to learn to follow what their chef is instructing them to do. Listening is an important skill in the kitchen and one that is invaluable in a good cook.
I feel that while lecture is important for a general idea of what we are doing, the best way for my students to learn the importance of following directions is to show them different outcomes of the same product. Whether it is making meringue, piping, or mixing bread dough, when I do my demo, I show the correct way in addition to several other incorrect ways, including the predominant mistakes I see from past students.
It also helps to have a blank outline of a recipe to fill out. That way they get use to the correct layout of a formal recipe.
When demoing emulsion sauces, mayo and hollandaise. I will have the class study the recipe for homework and the next day I will demo both recipe. I will do both corectly and then I will do it incorectly. I will also fix the broken emulsion. I will show how having all your mise en place together is very important. We discus the importants of falling the steps to be successful.
I started with allowing the students to make a recipe that i gave them, but not instilling how important following the directions is. Then i would take all the students results and discuss why this dish came out better than that dish and then had each student remake the dish and strictly follow the recipes to see the different results.
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
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
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
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.
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.
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
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
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
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
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.
David,
What an interesting approach! A bit of reverse psychology, if you will. Thank you for sharing!
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.
