Once I heard a theory that one can be a good cook, but can’t be a good chef…
A good cook is someone who simply can cook good food at home. You probably know someone in your family who cooks delicious meals and that one could be you as well. This skill is gained over time with a lot of practice, and by following certain guidelines. Probably you follow your grandma’s recipes which work just fine.
Someone else said that being a good cook means you are good in following recipes. I agree with that, especially when it comes to baking. However, to me a good cook is someone who can also cook tasty meals with whatever ingredients are available, without following a recipe. This is possible when you know the basics, and you have had some practice. This is what I am trying to teach on this page.
Let’s focus now, on what being a good chef means. A GOOD chef should obviously be a good cook and know the basics of cooking. On top of that, he needs to be fast and organised. In order to be fast, you need to be organised. This is the key in performing well as a chef.
There are good-chefs and just-chefs. The truth is that, in order to keep your employment as a chef, it’s enough to be fast. Your employer will be satisfied if you’re fast and efficient. It’s ok if you’re not the best cook, you just need to follow the restaurant’s recipes. Being a chef is not always about perfection, and this is not something you should focus on. It’s rather being time-efficient.
Home cooking on the other hand should be rustic, not perfect like at a Michelin-star restaurant. What makes you fast and time-efficient, is something that chefs call mise-en-place. Mise-en-place is French for: everything in its place. So when cooking begins, you have everything prepared. It also means general organisation in your kitchen, your fridge, and shelves. When you have everything in order, then work runs smoothly.
I hope that you now see that, in order to become a master of your kitchen, you don’t have to be an amazing cook; you need to become a good chef, and that is easier and faster than becoming a very good cook. Get to know the basics, have some practice, and try to be organised. Speed will come with time.