It’s time to crack the seal on this blog and delete the Hello World post! Today I’ll give you some background on where I currently stand in the culinary program and as a chef.
I have almost completed the first block (1/2 semester) at UVU. I had the baking class for the first block, and I have learned volumes. (Plus, I made more baked goods in those six weeks than I did in my entire life before that. Seriously, no exaggeration.) I have picked up a number of very handy tips that I will cover in future posts.
This thought struck me today as I gathered ingredients for an experimental white chocolate mint cookie: food really is a science. I know it may seem obvious, but think about the depths to which this statement goes. To be a good baker, you have to be a chemist, a physicist, and sometimes even a botanist! You are chemically altering multiple substances, and you have to know the unique properties of each one. (Have you ever poured salt right on top of yeast when you’re mixing dough? Don’t ever do that again! Yeast no-likey salt!) You are applying measured amounts of heat and steam to cause controlled inflation and expansion. You are dealing with bacteria and microorganisms at every turn. And all of these have an effect on the finished product. My teacher’s knowledge of the physical makeup of the wheat plant alone is enough to send my mind reeling!
This is why the kitchen is so thrilling to me. It is always a new experiment. There is always more to learn. And the very best part above all others? You can eat the results! Well, unless you really screw them up. But when you get it right, you end up with the most delicious, mouth-watering products that you can possibly imagine. How many scientists can say that? Suck it, biochemists. (Well, I suppose there are scientists that specialize in synthetic flavor production. But I’m still bitter over the whole “grape flavoring” incident, so I can’t give them any props right now).
This is why I’m into food. I daresay that’s why you’re into food, even if you haven’t put it into words yet. Foodies are lovers of adventure and exploration, which ties in well to the sciences. But foodies differ from the rest of the science-bunch because they expect more from their chosen trade. It must not only be intellectually stimulating, it has to taste good, too.