Heating up

As week four begins I am shocked at how quickly the previous three weeks of culinary school have flown by and how much ground we've covered in such a short time.  It's been a whirlwind of soups and sauces and knife skills (oh my).  And after we begin to master one skill or recipe, we start over again with the same but slightly different one.  My mind is full of measurements and methods and variations of all the projects.  

As we move forward I am becoming extremely thankful for the luxury of being able to repeat repeat repeat.  That's one of the primary differences between a robust home cook and a full time culinary student - the luxury of repeating the same project until you get it right.  Or really the luxury to get the project wrong and then learn why or how to make it better.  I'm also having a whole new appreciation for the expression 'if you can't handle the heat, get out of the kitchen.'  Life in a professional kitchen is not for the faint of heart.  And while sometimes I'm screaming with fear inside my head, on the outside I keep telling myself to be brave and press onward.  I mean, what's really the worst that could happen other than scalding myself with 300° caramel or stabbing myself with my razor sharp 10 inch knife?

In all seriousness though I am finding my natural proclivity towards organization, detail and living with considered intentions are serving me well.  In fact some of my key take-aways so far are; do not put off something you can do now for later; clean as you go; be respectful of your tools; and above all organization and efficiency are your best friends.  These lessons apply beyond the kitchen...I just hope my husband can get on board with the new military precision efficiency being implemented around the house. 

Other fun thoughts I wanted to share.  Did you know butter consists of fat, water and milk solid - that's it - and if you remove the water and milk solids by heating (water evaporates) and then separating (milk solid will sink to the bottom) you are left with pure, clear, solid-fat clarified butter.  Think about that the next time you're dousing that lobster claw!  You can infuse almost any liquid (milk, water, liquor, etc) by heating it with an ingredient (vanilla, nutmeg, lemon zest, etc) then covering and allowing to steep.  Think of that the next time you have a tea party!  Making a delicious soup is easier than you think - sweat aromatics (cook sliced onion, leek or garlic in butter or oil until soft), add ingredient (any vegetable!) and stock, cook and then puree or blend until smooth and adjust seasoning.  Enjoy!