Started cooking 2 yrs ago. Everything via YT. No better teacher out there imo. Has everything to get going and great content from all over the world. Everyone loves my food and keeps coming back for more. I find baking to be more technical and have the hardest time with dough of all things so far. Really what you need is 1. Passion/interest, 2. YT and internet for recipes and technique, 3. Persistence, 4. Repetition, 5. Ingredients, 6. Place to prep and cook. I’ve made hundreds of different items over 2 yrs and exploring different foods is the journey for me. Pasties de Nata is an early example of something I made which most places don’t carry by me. Thanks to YT I can try all kinds of ethnicities and delights from all over the world!
I think the best thing to cook when youre first starting out is eggs. They are super simple but also require paying attention to what youre cooking, timing, effective seasoning, moisture management, heat management, etc. Especially scrambled eggs, one of the easiest to make but probably the hardest to make appetizing. Cooking over easy or sunny side up eggs is pretty educational too. Its all things you naturally learn on your own the more often you cook them.
Heat levels and timing…and not just “8 minutes”…because maybe it’s throw on hot and be hot for 6 and turn off heat to cool for the last two minutes…those two things are the most important things to the basics of cooking. Flavor, seasoning and palette interaction are secondary but the serious part of growth.
And eggs can become an art. As a long time chef I promise you I've worked with folks who didn't know how to properly boil an egg without getting a green layer on the yolk. If.you can master eggs in all forms.. you can master the other mixtures of protein strands , fats, and liquid.. which is roughly 90% of professional cooking.
@@justinhaase8825 yes. Residual cooking is all importent. If you pull a protein off at med rare.. by the time it had rested and reaches the table it's medium. Always factor the residual heat. The number one way people over cook turkeys is by pulling them at 165 .. a 20 lb turkey will continue to rise in temp for a half hour after you have pulled it. Pull your bird at 155.. let it rest for 30 minutes.. it will be the proper 165 and juicy when it hit the table. Temp rise stablises and protein strands have relaxed.
I started cooking when I was 8, because my mom didn’t cook at all and constantly bought us frozen food/McDonalds. I would look at the ingredients on the back of the frozen food, find as many as I can in the kitchen and try and put it together. Fast forward to today and I could read a recipe once and freestyle everything else. Cooking is an essential skill to have.
He nailed it on the culinary school debt thing. When the 2008ish recession hit, I lost my job in 2009. I was a programmer, and I was burned out on office life. I had however had a "side gig" baking at home and bringing bread into my coworkers (bake in the morning, bread deliveries when I walked in on second shift). Well, when they let me go, I decided a "new start" and went to culinary school. Awesome time, learned my shit, graduated. However, barely two years into the industry, 37 years old with a wife and two kids...I couldn't afford bills much less paying back loans. So, back into the office I went, and out of the culinary industry. I still miss it.
It's crazy how low the pay is for hands-on jobs like culinary work whereas pseudo-intellectual work (no offense meant BTW) such as programming is paid much better. We live in an odd world.
I worked my way up from dishwasher when I was 16. Became executive chef at 26, went onto take an exect job at a gold club in guatemela after learning some Spanish then boom covid hit, back home working as the chef at the first restaurant I ever started at as a dishwasher at 34. That's a pretty cool feeling.
the best way to learn how to cook is to ask the chef a question right after you both do blow in the bathroom together. one question at a time, every 20 mins.
I'm 48 and never cooked AT ALL until 2 years ago when we entered the Pandemic. All our restaurants were closed for dining anyway, so I figured I may as well try it. Originally I did everything just by watching TH-cam (my favorite channels are Food Wishes and Chef Jean Pierre) but I also did Home Chef kits for a while too. I would just think of something that I wanted to eat and then watch videos for how it's made. Shepherd's Pie, Meatloaf, Creamed Spinach, Trout Almandine, Grilled Salmon, Enchiladas, Tuna Caserole, and so on. Once you've made a few dishes you kind of pick up some basic skills and understandings of techniques as well as flavor/ingredient combinations and you can just improvise from there. I was really amazed at how good the food was, and so was my wife. We used to dine out or pick up take out meals almost every day. Now it's more of a special weekend thing we do. The meals at home are fresh and delicious and we are also saving a ton of money.
@@yousef3375 - I never said my wife can't cook. She's actually very talented and before I picked up skills of my own she would be the only one to cook in our house. But she is also very busy with her career and other pursuits, and since I'm not a misogynist prick, I don't demand her to do such stuff. I only said that we were used to regularly dining out and eating take out (both a lovely benefit of the Western World). Your ignorance of so-called western culture is tragic, but it is your creepy concept of women that any reasonable humans will find most repulsive.
Obesse people tend to eat outside alot and are "too busy" but that means there to lazy and want to eat a burger and then zap... 20 years later your obesse, change today so your stronger tomorow
Started cooking when I was 16 years old at a French restaurant in Massachusetts. I was hired as a dishwasher but the Chef who had been brought over from France took me under his wing and taught me to cook. It was a great life lesson that I cherish. Unfortunately the chef suffered a massive heart attack and returned to France. His replacement was not so nice and I got fired after we had a fight over water residue in a pan He threw the pan at me and I lost my temper and my desire to work as a chef.
When I was in college, I had a summer job as a cook at a bar and grill. I had no experience in that world. Something about it unlocked my ability to cook, and to this day, I'm confused by people that say that they can't cook. I think what they actually mean is that they have never genuinely tried to cook.
yea i find u just need to follow a recipe and be very careful, measure ingredients, time the cooking and practice to perfect the maneuvers, the food i cook usually looks kinda bad but i don't care about esthetics, just care to reach that spot i like in taste
One of the greatest shows on Food Network was "Good Eats" because it taught the science behind cooking, beyond just recipes. It taught me how to cook 😊
👍 I like Good Eats because the videos are well edited to get you thru all the steps in 3 to 5 minutes. Too many cooking shows make you watch 20 minutes of washing, peeling & chopping. Alton Brown has ingredients already chopped & ready to assemble.
I learned to cook when I was 12 because I had to cook in order to eat. My parents would come home on Saturday morning and go to the grocery store and buy groceries for me and do a few things around the house and then they would leave again on Sunday afternoon. I had to take care of myself, I had to grow up really fast and obviously didn't have much of a childhood. I survived though. I am now 38 years old, married with 2 kids of my own and I can tell you that they've never had to cook or take of themselves the way I had to. As a father I never wanted my kids to have to grow up the way I did but when I really think about it, maybe I've done to much for them, I Don't know. I want them to be as capable and hard working and successful as I am but not go through the struggle like I had to. Life's a journey and I wouldn't be who I am today if I had an easy childhood, but my question is can you be independent and successful and strong without going through all the struggle? Can you have one without the other?
If you allow your children incompetent in the name of preventing their suffering or struggling, they'll eventually (and justifiably) hate you for it. Your job is not to make your children comfortable, it is to prepare them for a harsh world. It you don't teach them lessons, the world will (and the world doesn't give a shit about your kids).
Don't be so hard on yourself. They will have their own struggles later on. Enjoy taking care of them while they are young. Have them help you in the kitchen. Kids should be kids
Semi retired executive Chef with 30+ years experience. The best way to learn is to work with a good Chef. There are 3 Executive Chefs who worked for me over the years currently running kitchens and kicking ass.
@@billorourke7152 that's this guy's advice for learning how to cook LOL, he never actually explained any strategies, or any basic recipes, or techniques or anything. I mean, didn't you hear him at the beginning, watch it again, he has a problem with [unnamed] labor laws and then goes on a 10 minute bender about how you should go get exploited by a restaurant as a child for your labor. Absolutely insane take bro, Rogan has lost the game.
I learned to cook for myself mostly by just being cheap and cooking for myself. Once ya figure out what done feels like, and how to prep stuff it comes together much easier. Im far from a chef but can make some solid grub.
yep if u have a huge appetite like me then the amount of money you save is crazy .. 6 burgers & a lb of fries for the price of 1 burger and a few oz of fries eating out
my mother left my father right before I graduated around 91 ..they didn't get along too well .. One of the first things I learned to cook was cornbread in the black iron pan , in the oven..now i put onions in it sometimes .. great with the rice & beans & veg crock pot soup I make these days ..
How is it cheap? If you cook, you control the diet quality and you put time and effort which is in short supply in modern times. I appreciate who learn to cook, healthier option and in the process if it costs less to prepare then so be it. 🙂
I’m now turning 19 and I’ve worked in restaurants since I’ve been 14 been a really rough journey but I’m in a very very nice place now that makes me feel appreciated. Anyone can cook just hard to start out in the industry. I’ve seen a lot of people fail and end up leaving the food industry cause it isn’t for everyone. For the people who want to do and have the fire to cook DO IT. Anyone can cook but it’s hard to master it. I’m still learning every single day. I’m still young and have a lot more environments to go through. Would love to run a restaurant one day. Terrified but excited. I know I’ll be ready eventually and for that I’m excited for. Any young cooks reading this right now go follow your passion. (Honestly anyone not just cooks) it’s a rough road though cause there’s a lot of challenges you have to go through between fucking up, getting fired, needing to leave, having people on your ass, everything. In the end it’s worth it though because I love food and I love making food. It’s just a great staple in everyone every day life that you don’t get to appreciate until your behind a line with a screen full of orders and having to sweat over a flat top and stove. Anywho have a great life 🙂
I don't know about anywhere else but in the Netherlands we have these meal packages with veggies and instructions (and they tell you which meat and carb source to get), and they were extremely helpful in learning how to cook. It's basically like Hello Fresh but affordable, meals come in at 3-7 bucks per serving. TH-cam has been another fantastic source of information, I don't really like recipe books but watching people put a recipe together works really well for me.
Those dont teach you how to cook dude. Thats no different than heating up a frozen dinner and just following the directions on the back. That doesnt translate to you cooking well.
@@jonathansoko1085 I disagree. For someone who doesn’t know how to cook, you still learn something from cooking with completely prepared ingredients. I learned the traditional way but know a lot of guys who used such methods to get comfortable cooking before venturing into other recipes, and experimenting on their own
There is just some sort of magic that happens in a restaurant where everyone knows their place and what they're doing, and things are going smoothly. It's sort of like being on a sports team on a winning streak. The feeling is amazing.
I think cooking is the one skill everybody says they wish they would take the time to learn, yet only a few actually take that time. Nothing is better than a meal you cooked yourself.
I went to culinary school for 4 months and dropped out. 2 years later I was a head chef running my own kitchen in the winter and a jr sues/chef de parti in the summer. School isn't always the right path.
@@Dave_of_Mordor The only reason one would go to school is for a piece of paper that says "i'm qualified" to employers. If you put in the hard work and are dedicated to your craft, you can learn much more way faster than if you went to school and become just as successful (or more so) as those chumps that spend thousands on schooling. Different strokes for different folks though. Some people can't teach themselves things and some can.
I started working with a le cordan blu chef when I was 14. He treated me just like it was culinary school.. learning stocks, preps, proteins before working up to sauces. By the time I was 18 I was running the wheel.. by my 20s I had run kitchens all over the u.s... at 40 I was running all the food and teaching basic culinary as a work study at a very high end private university.. and I never went to culinary school. Lol. You can still very much work your way up from dishwasher if you love it.
There are a few basic rules of cooking that gave me success. 1. Taste everything as much as possible. 2. Even cutting means even cooking. 3. Get a meat thermometer and know how to use it. 4. Keep your knives sharp. 5. Don't fear the failures and learn from them instead.
I just realised, there could be a little uncovered gem of content for Rogan here. As a former bartender, I'd love it if he was to get a real expert bartender/mixologist to just come on and either talk about the art of making drinks - or even make some for Joe himself. We get to see a long form masterclass for free. EDIT: The reason I think it would be great is because I know personally things about mixing drinks that people always find fascinating.
He could get that Tipsy Bartender guy that's been around on the internet for a while. He seems like a cool and funny dude and I bet he and Joe could have a great conversation.
My advice though starting out is start with Italian, there's plenty of tutorial videos online, and Italian recipes that are traditional tend to be very cheap and very easy, and frequently much faster than what you would expect. adding the fact that Italian food might very well be the best on the planet, and it's an incredibly strong base to start from, and in reality the core of Italian cooking is a small handful of key techniques which are repeated with slight variations throughout all of it, and mastering those core components will give you the tools needed to expand into dozens of other cuisines.
I love it man, 20+ hard years and counting.. ahhh the good days of hazing... Some places were abusive, some kept it fun, but all kitchens were a learning ground.. back when young hopefuls could learn a skill that was still behind a curtain and you had to earn respect before you were even allowed to look at what they were doing... Let alone have a chef De partie come along side and explain the why of everything.. the deliberate intention of every single step... More young men would be great in this world if only they'd spend a year in kitchen. This thing of ours. I love it.
Love this take. I worked in kitchens very briefly, about a year now and I know it’s not for me. I’m just not made for this world. And that’s fine! But I’ll forever be thankful for the great times, the laughs, all the things I learned, all the new foods I tried. The best thing the kitchen gave me, as someone who had previously worked in consulting firms and have as many degrees as you can imagine, it gave me CONFIDENCE. Leadership. Accountability for myself. Structure, strictness, discipline and grit. I’ll forever be thankful for that, even if food just isn’t my passion.
I’ve been cooking since I was 7 years old starting by grilling and smoking with my dad. Grilling and smoking is an awesome way to learn time temperature and technique. I started out making the bbq sauces while learning how to operate the grill and smoker etc. I quickly mastered making sauces and I highly advise others to learn that first because the techniques carry over into everything else. I’m 32 now and the best way to learn how to cook is to cook often and try new things and techniques often. You’ll eventually reach a point where nothing scares you and you can confidently approach a new technique with confidence because the skills carry over. Taking a class can be fun but you can learn on your own at home and just look up recipes or technique videos here on TH-cam.
I learned how to cook from scratch by my mother and grandmother involving me in the process of their home cooked meals as a kid. I work full time as a residential construction worker and I come home and cook my families meals. My girlfriend of 13 yrs can cook but she likes mine better and I enjoy cooking.
I learned how to cook naturally growing up. Being home alone a lot and having been a lifter all my life, you have to have variety of flavors or you'll die of repetitive foods/dull flavors. Now I'm an excellent home cook. Whenever I cook in front of new girlfriends siblings or relatives, they assume I'm gay because I can cook and they can't. I'm assuming in reality it's them being jealous because what women doesn't like a man that can cook great meals?
The best way to learn to cook for me, I can guarantee everyone can do is ask either your grandma or auntie in your home. It’s the best way to learn to cook and appreciate what your eat.
Currently I do find the older generation is who has wisdom in the kitchen. It won't be that way in a few decades haha. I am always shocked how few of my peers cook regularly for themselves
My mother had me in the kitchen as a small child making home made egg noodles, chicken & dumplings, roasts, baking cakes...I thought she was teaching me math with all of the fractions following recipes. My father was a meat cutter and taught me a lot about cutting and trimming meat. How to cut up a chicken. He loved BBQ & Smoking. These days I use TH-cam to find anything I didn't learn from my parents.
I started out as a Kitchen Porter, made sure my time keeping was good, became reliable and then I started showing interest in what the chefs where cooking, what’s in it, how do they make it etc etc. enquired about that I want to move up in the ladder. My chance came and then I was half prep chef and half kitchen Porter. Then when a new kitchen Porter started, I was full time doing prep chef and then eventually I became a chef. This took about 2-3years, from kitchen Porter to chef
My old man showed me how to use the BBQ when I was a kid but I didn't learn how to really cool until I was 18, got a job as a dishwasher in a packed out Italian restaurant and used every second I could spare watching the chef's and cooks create the dishes and come up with specials on the fly, also picking their brains when ever we were on the milk crates having a smoke or beer after the shift was done
Started as a dishwasher, my head chef worked at Michelin star restaurants. I asked him to peel potatoes and little by little I would cook bacon and do small prep jobs. One thing after another I would buy books and read them after work. They didn’t require me to do that but I had a passion for cooking. My Food and beverage director and head chef guided me even though they are very demanding intense people. But I remained humble and that gave me new opportunities in the kitchen. From being chef de partie of breakfast to now being a banquet captain serving hundreds of people on a daily basis. For us in the food and beverage industry it is our home, our co workers become family and the kitchen becomes the only place we feel safe. It’s not for everyone, it’s hard, long hours and most of us deal with depression. But it is freedom through discipline. I would encourage anyone who wants to cook professionally to just start from the bottom. The dishwasher is probably the most integral part of the kitchen and is no less than the head chef. You can achieve anything you put your mind to.
I learned to cook way before I went to culinary school. Which was very obvious to the chefs I learned under. Culinary school mainly helped sharpen my skills and gave me a big appreciation for good food.
Never heard of the guest before, but man that childhood story of his career start was pretty interesting, almost like in a movie especially w that french chef character lol! I also could appreciate how vividly he remembered all the things he did during that time leading up to his career as a chef. I never found my passion career but i like to imagine if i had as a child i would have remembered those memories as vividly!
Really cool of him to share his experiences. Grew up in restaraunts and I have always had massive respect for well run establishments. I will say, the best food is made in the home.
A chef is a manager. How much chicken to buy for the week is way more important than a garnish, if you want to last more than a year. If you can find a establishment to work under bonus, if not try the military. They have a paid training program, plus you will learn to work hard.
I didn’t know the first thing about cooking when I became a dishwasher. The chef at my first restaurant liked my work ethic and slowly started taking me out of the pit to show me basic knife skills so I could help with prep. 10 years later I accumulated experience in 6 different kitchens and was a sous chef for a few years at a flagship restaurant in a luxury boutique hotel/resort. I saw so many people come and go from culinary school. They had skill, but couldn’t hang with the pace or deal with the heat that is commercial restaurant. Now with TH-cam, anyone anywhere can learn how to cook if they apply themselves. I only cook at home now. I had to get out of the industry because I destroyed my life with alcohol, Xanax, and cocaine.
I went to and dropped out of culinary school, learn to make soups it teaches you everything you need to know about cooking. Make cream based, stew, vegan, vegetarian, with noodles, etc you'll get you're experiences. Another thing to remember is no recipe turns out perfect the first time regardless of how talented you are, it's do and adjus together and over again no matter what level you're at.
Preppy Kitchen is the best cooking channel there is I think, he really shows you how to cook through the entire process and gives little tips and tricks.
Steak. Reverse sear. It teaches via trial and error, how long to cook in an oven based on mass and timing the engagement of the pan vs the removal from oven. As well as that, seasoning, basting in butter, etc. Then try curry.
If you can't take a class or find a cooking job, the best way is to learn some recipes, learn why you use certain methods instead of others, then just experiment with new things. Add some cinnamon to your chicken soup. Add some salt and pepper to your ice cream. You'll probably have to eat some pretty nasty things at first, but you'll learn from your mistakes. I started with Alton Brown's Good Eats, and there's some great TH-cam channels, like Binging with Babish, that cover the basics. Also, my sister bought me a beginners cookbook when I was a kid. It went through the basics of what are the essential tools, what's the difference between dicing, chopping, and mincing, how and why to sear meats, how to roast meat and keep it juicy, etc. No recipes that I can remember, just basic skills. It made me really excited about cooking. Edit: oh, and signing up for meal kit services like hello fresh or home chef are really helpful too. You get exposed to recipes and ingredients you never considered before.
@@mohamedorayith4626 oh, gosh, I wish I remembered! I'm not sure what I did with it. I'll look into it, but there's a whole bunch of similar books you can buy, and they even have recipes in them.
@@mohamedorayith4626 Hello! I couldn't find the book, and I can't remember what it was called but I did find one on Google books called Cooking Basics by Idiot's Guides. It's pretty similar, but it goes into much more detail. I would suggest you give that one a try. Good luck! 😀
I have never been to Culinary Arts School. I worked Fast Food starting when I was 16 and moved into a Restaurant environment within 10 years as a Prep Cook (best Job in the place) and eventually onto the Fryers and then onto the Grills. The hands-on experience is what taught me everything. That being said, I couldn't handle the "Yes Chef" environment. I will never work in an upscale Restaurant, and I am fine with that, Give me a greasy cafe with a counter-top where customers can chat with me all day and I will make wonders. I am more of a Guy Fieri than a Mario Bertolli.
@@Gusthecatinlondon honestly when it comes to skills each station has its own thing to learn, however I think Prep is the most important. As a line cook doing broiler, I can't say I learned how to "cook"! Well yes maybe, if we're talking strictly about cooking to a desired doness, but not to make a dish from scratch. Haha fact of the matter is half of the work is done for you by the prep team. My meats that I slapped onto the grill, including burgers, steaks, chicken, seafood, etc, were all miranaded by the prep team. I just mainly focused on time and temperature and assembling a plate accordingly, but of course that's not a skill to be taken lightly too. Same as my Fry guy he's not the one miranading his meats or breading them, or making his own fries, he just fry stuff until golden brown and assemble his sandwiches and plates. All the sauces we use are prepped by the prep team. Again the skill you learn most here is Time and Temperature, which each item has its own. On the line I think the Stir fry station probably learns the most. Sure their sauces are probably premade, but I think it involves the most technique to get it done properly, for instance achieving Wok Hei. Again, I think prepping is the best.
The #1 rule people who "cant cook" need to learn is: Always watch what you're cooking. Cooking is easy. Just follow the instructions. People who burn stuff always walk away and get distracted by something
Anyone can learn how to cook. Culinary school taught me the fundamentals and technical skills but it was cooking at home that exercised my creativity and flexibilty. I loved cooking grilled cheeses and fried rice because of how wildly open-ended they are. I would rummage through my pantry and fridge for anything suitable. That made me realize that it's not about what you use but how to use them. I think what you really need to learn how to cook is curiousity and attentiveness. When you have those, i feel like you have the drive to experiment and challenge yourself and also the ability to understand how you're influencing the dish. Yeaaaaah.
Cooking is very rewarding. You can make exactly what you want and don't really need to complicate things. I make like 20-30 minutes meals and it's sometimes easier than getting fast food. Making something that tastes great and the smell of cooking is pleasant in the house.
I’m planning on going to culinary school because no one in my family knows how to cook and the restaurants I’ve worked at dont really teach you anything and all you really end up learning is the hard work involved so culinary seems like the best option for me But I hear this guy out saying you should work in kitchens, but then he tells the story of growing up cooking and being taken under great chefs wings at 14 etc. I feel like a lot of great chefs say don’t go to culinary school yet a lot of the time they came up through ridiculously lucky circumstances
My cooking lessons started at home , on a solid fuel cooker . We had to do our own cooking as there were no cafes or resteraunts in the town , the nearest were over 40 miles away & with no car , and a single return bus service to the nearest big town , home made , everything was the order of the day , from bread , to cakes , cookies , preserves , etc . I'm most thankful to my mum , for getting me to help with these chores , as I've totally changed what I was taught , to include spices etc , which mum and G-ma didn't use . Since I left home , I've worked in several resteraunts , and taken notice of what was used , how it was used , and then taught myself the medicinal side of the herbs and spices used , which has kept me out of the clutches of MD's , most of my life , and helped me to educate family members . To cite Morticia Addams , " Wednesday , play with your food" . It's worth the exploration , as going by the aromas of the ingredients , I've yet to generate an inedible meal . Good Health to All , ❤️💐👍 Namaste 🙏👍❤️
Only good thing about culinary school is it gets ur foot in the door , went for 6 months in Al and then 3mnths paid internship in new orleans turned into 3 yrs at commanders palace , in new orleans they LOVE students !! I trained alot of ppl some that couldn't even speak English def miss it , great experience !
During covid...the wife and I got very lucky. She had just ordered 6 mo prior to the first cruise ship being quarantine a this huge bamboo sushi/sticky rice kit. I always buy bulk so I had yeast...flour... While she never mastered the roll we experimented and didnt miss out on any take out food...she did asian and I did pizza/subs kinda stuff. Now we are fatter but thats ok we have more to cuddle..
Gen X here. Started out with eggs, toast, and oatmeal. Then proceeded with Ramen Noodles, KD, and Campbell Soup by following directions. Quantim leap came by watching Michael Smith Chef at Home series that taught the cooking basics. That is how I came to be a home cook.
I learned simply by playing around my whole life in the kitchen. Along with improvisation, to go with all of the cookbooks and online recipes I've accumulated over the years, it's pretty hard to not become a great chef/cook. The best judge of a great maker of food is the people who are actually eating it. Ditch the gourmet shit, the best food is elevated, healthy dishes you can eat at home that actually taste good.
Totally agree with that comment. It's not difficult the more you do it,then make it your own. If you follow a recipe to the letter you will get what's on the the recipe. People complicate it and pay fortunes for it. I'm a Michelin chef in my kitchen 👍
I’ve taught myself to cook and I couldn’t cook anything before. Now I can bake bread, do pastry and can cook most things. The thing is I love food and if you love eating, then it’s not hard. I’ve read a lot of cooking books and watched countless videos. I think we are lucky in the sense that we have a much greater access to information. There is a video or a book or an online recipe about every food that we can imagine. It’s about wanting it and practicing it until you reach that level.
I’ve been cooking for 14 years. Worked my way up from busboy and dishwasher to where I am now. It’s definitely one of the last meritocracies left. I’ve learned more one the line than I ever would have in culinary school. Though, I’ve found that to some places, it does give you that edge (whether or not you deserve it or are better) because of that qualification.
Daniel Holzman nails it on so many areas. If you're passionate about something, nothing will stop you from succeeding. School is good. But certainly not the end all be all as their marketing groups would tell you. Look at all the greats in almost any industry and look at their education... Almost none of them went to or graduated from college and go on to dominate their industry..... Musk. Gates. Tarrantino. Holzman.... And I know PLENTY of people who are epic cooks and never went to culinary school. Great advice: start your own place and work your ass off....
Cooks and chefs. Try being a cook in the military. Served 24 years and my proudest day was as a chief cook in Afghanistan and part of my duties was as a contract manager for a food service contract delivered by a civilian contractor. With this I had my military chefs. We supported the boys in the field. The troops complained constantly about the contractors and were heard saying its better in the forward bases. The contractor was offended so I arranged a line tour. My boys without notice had for Sunday dinner laid on a spread from saved and scrounged items a extra twist to roast beef dinner. They had fresh bread and local vegetables in a buffet made for a king. The contractor had no idea how to match the dedication and care these young men put into feeding their buddies. Want to see a real chef look in the nearest military to you.
I was aviation, and a trick for any active duty troops is to Take care of your cooks, supply, and S1 clerks lol we used to take Cooks for rides in the black hawks and we used to get hooked up when in the field. we were doing this in Garrison. so we would be state side taking our cooks for rides.
I love cooking…. I learned hands on from working in kitchens in college. I think everyone should work in food in their life. I’m also finding nowadays that cooking for one can be very expensive.
This is a yes and no. You need to build a house on a good foundation. That foundation can be going to a good culinary school, but if it comes through training at a restaurant you need to learn from good people. I know a lot of people who say they have 10-20-30 years experience but it was all bad experience learning through shitty chefs. Where you work matters.
I have watched on and off for a few years. I appreciate the way you interview people you agree or disagree with. I pray that the cancel culture releases your jugular quickly and leave you with no real damage. Your pretty tough but they are dck heads for sure. 💚
1:15 this is my opinion about learning how to play and make music too. Lots of similarities between the two- in symbolism anyway. Combining and mixing textures, tastes, colors, presentation. Lots of similar concepts.
There is a huge difference between being a chef and being a cook. A chef knows how to run a kitchen but a cook knows how to make the food taste good. Generally people are going to be good at one or the other. If you are good at both then you will be very successful in the hospitality industry.
Being on an apprentice has always been the best way in so many occupations.. Colleges are a waste of time. Of course, college is beneficial for some high-tech positions. All you’re doing is making the professors extremely rich! I’m pretty sure they could care less about you. Forget the masses, personalized training has always been a gift, IMO Hands-on, in the heat of the fire “so to speak“
I’m going to save you 8:39 minutes of your time. The best way to learn how to cook is to cook, then cook some more, continue cooking for the rest of your life and you’ll be better every day.
I cooked professionally for decades. I know plenty of people who showed up every day to cook and cook some more that didn't know simple things. One day the rice cooker broke and the "chef" in charge had no idea what to do or how we can get rice ready for service. Had to show my culinary boss how to cook freaking jasmine rice. This is just one example.
@ yes!!! That’s my point too. Cook, first you have to suck, eventually time and experience, you might not become a Michelin Star chef, but you’ll be able to cook something that makes you feel proud of yourself.
The best way to learn is to cook from about age 8 with your cajun father that was born in 1938. Along with your grandmother from Southern Louisiana, and your grandmother on the other side from Germany. Along with the man your German grandmother married who was from Macedonia and who's family started restaurants and coney Islands fro. NYC, to Toronto, to Detroit, to Flint Michigan. Learning to hunt and fish and cook from your garden since middle school. Loving to cook from a young age. Working in a bakery all through high school and working in the kitchen at the country club is a really good way to learn. Useing all of your time and money for new recipes and new kitchen gear. That's how I think cooks are born.
The best way to learn to cook is to cook yourself. Follow recipes, mix it up. And I'm gonna be honest its not difficult, the hours are long yes. But it's just heating food and putting it on a plate.. people hype chefs up and pay them shitloads when it's not rocket science.
“Anyone can cook.” (Chef Gusteau)
hah one of the classics
What a smart man
Not my wife jk
Made my day. 😂✊
Classic Quote.
Started cooking 2 yrs ago. Everything via YT. No better teacher out there imo. Has everything to get going and great content from all over the world. Everyone loves my food and keeps coming back for more. I find baking to be more technical and have the hardest time with dough of all things so far. Really what you need is 1. Passion/interest, 2. YT and internet for recipes and technique, 3. Persistence, 4. Repetition, 5. Ingredients, 6. Place to prep and cook. I’ve made hundreds of different items over 2 yrs and exploring different foods is the journey for me. Pasties de Nata is an early example of something I made which most places don’t carry by me. Thanks to YT I can try all kinds of ethnicities and delights from all over the world!
It’s crazy how much there is to learn on YT
Great to hear that ! Feel free to check out my cooking videos ;-)
2 YEARS AGO!! What your mummy cooked for you before that!?!? Wow
Same buzz here, one of the main things is don't be afraid to fail
@@suedenim6590 Sue that's quite enough
I think the best thing to cook when youre first starting out is eggs. They are super simple but also require paying attention to what youre cooking, timing, effective seasoning, moisture management, heat management, etc. Especially scrambled eggs, one of the easiest to make but probably the hardest to make appetizing. Cooking over easy or sunny side up eggs is pretty educational too. Its all things you naturally learn on your own the more often you cook them.
Yes! I've been telling people this for years.
Heat levels and timing…and not just “8 minutes”…because maybe it’s throw on hot and be hot for 6 and turn off heat to cool for the last two minutes…those two things are the most important things to the basics of cooking. Flavor, seasoning and palette interaction are secondary but the serious part of growth.
And eggs can become an art. As a long time chef I promise you I've worked with folks who didn't know how to properly boil an egg without getting a green layer on the yolk. If.you can master eggs in all forms.. you can master the other mixtures of protein strands , fats, and liquid.. which is roughly 90% of professional cooking.
@@justinhaase8825 yes. Residual cooking is all importent. If you pull a protein off at med rare.. by the time it had rested and reaches the table it's medium. Always factor the residual heat. The number one way people over cook turkeys is by pulling them at 165 .. a 20 lb turkey will continue to rise in temp for a half hour after you have pulled it. Pull your bird at 155.. let it rest for 30 minutes.. it will be the proper 165 and juicy when it hit the table. Temp rise stablises and protein strands have relaxed.
What if you don’t like eggs?????
I started cooking when I was 8, because my mom didn’t cook at all and constantly bought us frozen food/McDonalds. I would look at the ingredients on the back of the frozen food, find as many as I can in the kitchen and try and put it together. Fast forward to today and I could read a recipe once and freestyle everything else. Cooking is an essential skill to have.
Same except I started when I was 7
TH-cam has been a life saver for me when it comes to cooking
Same here
Relatable.
Same here. Fast food and processed food from a young age will make you learn to cook early
He nailed it on the culinary school debt thing. When the 2008ish recession hit, I lost my job in 2009. I was a programmer, and I was burned out on office life. I had however had a "side gig" baking at home and bringing bread into my coworkers (bake in the morning, bread deliveries when I walked in on second shift). Well, when they let me go, I decided a "new start" and went to culinary school. Awesome time, learned my shit, graduated. However, barely two years into the industry, 37 years old with a wife and two kids...I couldn't afford bills much less paying back loans. So, back into the office I went, and out of the culinary industry.
I still miss it.
That's a really inspiring story. Thank you so much for sharing that! I needed to hear just that right now.
Have you heard of trap kitchen LA? Many people do the same thing, cook from home and sell food.
Do cooking on the tube
Bringing bread into your coworkers? That sounds odd, they must have been very open minded! HR probably would have a meltdown over that
It's crazy how low the pay is for hands-on jobs like culinary work whereas pseudo-intellectual work (no offense meant BTW) such as programming is paid much better. We live in an odd world.
I worked my way up from dishwasher when I was 16. Became executive chef at 26, went onto take an exect job at a gold club in guatemela after learning some Spanish then boom covid hit, back home working as the chef at the first restaurant I ever started at as a dishwasher at 34. That's a pretty cool feeling.
making 17 an hour
You're not a doctor. You cook food, something mostly done throughout the world by stay-at-home women. Get over yourself.
@@Sunsets330 Who hurt you?
@@DaDennyH everyone and they've personally accomplished nothing on their own. Why else would they act like that?
@@Sunsets330 learn to code
the best way to learn how to cook is to ask the chef a question right after you both do blow in the bathroom together. one question at a time, every 20 mins.
That sounds like every chef I have ever known lol.
yep, i remember the time as a cook and seeing the sniffers for the first time
I have tons of cookbooks, but TH-cam videos have been by far more helpful to me.
Binging with Babish is a gem
Same, just watched a Japanese fried rice video that helped me realize I need new pans.
Well it's visual based.
I'm 48 and never cooked AT ALL until 2 years ago when we entered the Pandemic. All our restaurants were closed for dining anyway, so I figured I may as well try it. Originally I did everything just by watching TH-cam (my favorite channels are Food Wishes and Chef Jean Pierre) but I also did Home Chef kits for a while too. I would just think of something that I wanted to eat and then watch videos for how it's made. Shepherd's Pie, Meatloaf, Creamed Spinach, Trout Almandine, Grilled Salmon, Enchiladas, Tuna Caserole, and so on. Once you've made a few dishes you kind of pick up some basic skills and understandings of techniques as well as flavor/ingredient combinations and you can just improvise from there. I was really amazed at how good the food was, and so was my wife. We used to dine out or pick up take out meals almost every day. Now it's more of a special weekend thing we do. The meals at home are fresh and delicious and we are also saving a ton of money.
Divorce your wife ASAP. What kind of women doesn’t know how to cook? The state of western women is hilarious
@@yousef3375 - I never said my wife can't cook. She's actually very talented and before I picked up skills of my own she would be the only one to cook in our house. But she is also very busy with her career and other pursuits, and since I'm not a misogynist prick, I don't demand her to do such stuff. I only said that we were used to regularly dining out and eating take out (both a lovely benefit of the Western World). Your ignorance of so-called western culture is tragic, but it is your creepy concept of women that any reasonable humans will find most repulsive.
@@yousef3375 Says the single guy lmao
just get free training/apprenticeship like this amazing chef guy on JRE
Obesse people tend to eat outside alot and are "too busy" but that means there to lazy and want to eat a burger and then zap... 20 years later your obesse, change today so your stronger tomorow
Started cooking when I was 16 years old at a French restaurant in Massachusetts. I was hired as a dishwasher but the Chef who had been brought over from France took me under his wing and taught me to cook. It was a great life lesson that I cherish. Unfortunately the chef suffered a massive heart attack and returned to France. His replacement was not so nice and I got fired after we had a fight over water residue in a pan He threw the pan at me and I lost my temper and my desire to work as a chef.
ya dun goofed up
teachers make and break students
what restraunt
@@jonathanwright8802 Che Dryefus
Maybe that’s good thing? I’ve worked in the restaurant industry as FOH, the chefs and cooks work long hours for little pay.
When I was in college, I had a summer job as a cook at a bar and grill. I had no experience in that world. Something about it unlocked my ability to cook, and to this day, I'm confused by people that say that they can't cook. I think what they actually mean is that they have never genuinely tried to cook.
Hard agree. Im no chef but cooking comes easy. It's really not that difficult. You just have to put work in...
i genuinly tried to cook.... & i cant cook
@@Niekomojo then you didn't t try
yea i find u just need to follow a recipe and be very careful, measure ingredients, time the cooking and practice to perfect the maneuvers, the food i cook usually looks kinda bad but i don't care about esthetics, just care to reach that spot i like in taste
Did this guy really take almost 10 minutes to NOT explain how to learn to cook and just tell stories about yo do free child labor? this is click bait!
One of the greatest shows on Food Network was "Good Eats" because it taught the science behind cooking, beyond just recipes. It taught me how to cook 😊
Do you mean Serious Eats by Kenji Lopez?
I love that show! It's where I got my start, and it made cooking fun and interesting!
I love watching America's Test Kitchen for the same reasons. They really break down why a recipe works.
Took the word out of my mouth
👍 I like Good Eats because the videos are well edited to get you thru all the steps in 3 to 5 minutes. Too many cooking shows make you watch 20 minutes of washing, peeling & chopping. Alton Brown has ingredients already chopped & ready to assemble.
This is true in all professions, One year of on the job experience is worth 4 years of schooling.
Except for theorist or mathematician…
When Joe has these chefs on the podcast, he really grills them with questions.
Bam!
😂😂
dad
Jo , youre still there. Lol
Love the sizle.
I learned to cook when I was 12 because I had to cook in order to eat. My parents would come home on Saturday morning and go to the grocery store and buy groceries for me and do a few things around the house and then they would leave again on Sunday afternoon. I had to take care of myself, I had to grow up really fast and obviously didn't have much of a childhood. I survived though. I am now 38 years old, married with 2 kids of my own and I can tell you that they've never had to cook or take of themselves the way I had to. As a father I never wanted my kids to have to grow up the way I did but when I really think about it, maybe I've done to much for them, I Don't know. I want them to be as capable and hard working and successful as I am but not go through the struggle like I had to. Life's a journey and I wouldn't be who I am today if I had an easy childhood, but my question is can you be independent and successful and strong without going through all the struggle? Can you have one without the other?
If you allow your children incompetent in the name of preventing their suffering or struggling, they'll eventually (and justifiably) hate you for it. Your job is not to make your children comfortable, it is to prepare them for a harsh world. It you don't teach them lessons, the world will (and the world doesn't give a shit about your kids).
Military kid?
The answer is no. However, you can still put them through a struggle without putting them through YOUR struggle.
Don't be so hard on yourself. They will have their own struggles later on. Enjoy taking care of them while they are young. Have them help you in the kitchen. Kids should be kids
The struggle can itself be an important part of growing up, depending on the person.
Semi retired executive Chef with 30+ years experience. The best way to learn is to work with a good Chef. There are 3 Executive Chefs who worked for me over the years currently running kitchens and kicking ass.
Woof. Thats a rough life, my guy. Props.
I learned from my family
do free child labor as a teenager -joe rogan wtf
@@p.chuckmoralesesquire3965 wtf does that mean?
@@billorourke7152 that's this guy's advice for learning how to cook LOL, he never actually explained any strategies, or any basic recipes, or techniques or anything. I mean, didn't you hear him at the beginning, watch it again, he has a problem with [unnamed] labor laws and then goes on a 10 minute bender about how you should go get exploited by a restaurant as a child for your labor. Absolutely insane take bro, Rogan has lost the game.
I learned to cook for myself mostly by just being cheap and cooking for myself. Once ya figure out what done feels like, and how to prep stuff it comes together much easier. Im far from a chef but can make some solid grub.
Fucking same, I refuse to pay what restaurants in my city charge for a decent burger. I don't care for going out to most restaurants these days.
@@Pontif11 the worst part of making burgers at home is resisting making them all the time because they taste so friggen good.
yep if u have a huge appetite like me then the amount of money you save is crazy .. 6 burgers & a lb of fries for the price of 1 burger and a few oz of fries eating out
my mother left my father right before I graduated around 91 ..they didn't get along too well .. One of the first things I learned to cook was cornbread in the black iron pan , in the oven..now i put onions in it sometimes .. great with the rice & beans & veg crock pot soup I make these days ..
How is it cheap?
If you cook, you control the diet quality and you put time and effort which is in short supply in modern times.
I appreciate who learn to cook, healthier option and in the process if it costs less to prepare then so be it. 🙂
1) Think of something you want to eat
2) Research online how to cook it (cross referencing, of course)
3) Attempt it
And look up the syllabus if you want to know what culinary school is like
I’m now turning 19 and I’ve worked in restaurants since I’ve been 14 been a really rough journey but I’m in a very very nice place now that makes me feel appreciated. Anyone can cook just hard to start out in the industry. I’ve seen a lot of people fail and end up leaving the food industry cause it isn’t for everyone. For the people who want to do and have the fire to cook DO IT. Anyone can cook but it’s hard to master it. I’m still learning every single day. I’m still young and have a lot more environments to go through. Would love to run a restaurant one day. Terrified but excited. I know I’ll be ready eventually and for that I’m excited for. Any young cooks reading this right now go follow your passion. (Honestly anyone not just cooks) it’s a rough road though cause there’s a lot of challenges you have to go through between fucking up, getting fired, needing to leave, having people on your ass, everything. In the end it’s worth it though because I love food and I love making food. It’s just a great staple in everyone every day life that you don’t get to appreciate until your behind a line with a screen full of orders and having to sweat over a flat top and stove. Anywho have a great life 🙂
I don't know about anywhere else but in the Netherlands we have these meal packages with veggies and instructions (and they tell you which meat and carb source to get), and they were extremely helpful in learning how to cook. It's basically like Hello Fresh but affordable, meals come in at 3-7 bucks per serving.
TH-cam has been another fantastic source of information, I don't really like recipe books but watching people put a recipe together works really well for me.
Those dont teach you how to cook dude. Thats no different than heating up a frozen dinner and just following the directions on the back. That doesnt translate to you cooking well.
@@jonathansoko1085 that's funny cus this dude literally just told you the opposite :)
I had those meal packages it was called Mom (smiling). Its wonderful that its available for you.. enjoy!
@@jonathansoko1085 I disagree. For someone who doesn’t know how to cook, you still learn something from cooking with completely prepared ingredients. I learned the traditional way but know a lot of guys who used such methods to get comfortable cooking before venturing into other recipes, and experimenting on their own
@@pookz3067 Youre wrong now move on
There is just some sort of magic that happens in a restaurant where everyone knows their place and what they're doing, and things are going smoothly. It's sort of like being on a sports team on a winning streak. The feeling is amazing.
Musicians call it being "in the pocket"
I think cooking is the one skill everybody says they wish they would take the time to learn, yet only a few actually take that time. Nothing is better than a meal you cooked yourself.
I went to culinary school for 4 months and dropped out. 2 years later I was a head chef running my own kitchen in the winter and a jr sues/chef de parti in the summer. School isn't always the right path.
for idiots it is tho
@@Niekomojo idk man...most who go are doing financially well. i think...i really don't know the statistic. just telling you what i see around me
@@Dave_of_Mordor The only reason one would go to school is for a piece of paper that says "i'm qualified" to employers. If you put in the hard work and are dedicated to your craft, you can learn much more way faster than if you went to school and become just as successful (or more so) as those chumps that spend thousands on schooling. Different strokes for different folks though. Some people can't teach themselves things and some can.
I started working with a le cordan blu chef when I was 14. He treated me just like it was culinary school.. learning stocks, preps, proteins before working up to sauces. By the time I was 18 I was running the wheel.. by my 20s I had run kitchens all over the u.s... at 40 I was running all the food and teaching basic culinary as a work study at a very high end private university.. and I never went to culinary school. Lol. You can still very much work your way up from dishwasher if you love it.
Let’s not forget Harambe in these times
RIP
Dicks out
dicks out 4ever
Hey thanks Buddy!
I went from a dishwasher to becoming a chef , absolutely no schooling whatsoever. Hands on, and books will get you far .
How did you pick the restaurant you wanted to work for?
There are a few basic rules of cooking that gave me success. 1. Taste everything as much as possible. 2. Even cutting means even cooking. 3. Get a meat thermometer and know how to use it. 4. Keep your knives sharp. 5. Don't fear the failures and learn from them instead.
I just realised, there could be a little uncovered gem of content for Rogan here. As a former bartender, I'd love it if he was to get a real expert bartender/mixologist to just come on and either talk about the art of making drinks - or even make some for Joe himself. We get to see a long form masterclass for free.
EDIT:
The reason I think it would be great is because I know personally things about mixing drinks that people always find fascinating.
Would be dope
He could get that Tipsy Bartender guy that's been around on the internet for a while. He seems like a cool and funny dude and I bet he and Joe could have a great conversation.
Mixology... Gfy you get ppl drunk
History of drinks and the names for some would be good too. Like "Slippery Nipple" "Alabama Slammer" "Sex on The Beach". ... Why the name?
@@llewodcm20 Self aggrandizement really knows no bounds.
What a great conversation! I love his stories about how he became a chef. Great JRE!
My advice though starting out is start with Italian, there's plenty of tutorial videos online, and Italian recipes that are traditional tend to be very cheap and very easy, and frequently much faster than what you would expect. adding the fact that Italian food might very well be the best on the planet, and it's an incredibly strong base to start from, and in reality the core of Italian cooking is a small handful of key techniques which are repeated with slight variations throughout all of it, and mastering those core components will give you the tools needed to expand into dozens of other cuisines.
I love it man, 20+ hard years and counting.. ahhh the good days of hazing... Some places were abusive, some kept it fun, but all kitchens were a learning ground.. back when young hopefuls could learn a skill that was still behind a curtain and you had to earn respect before you were even allowed to look at what they were doing... Let alone have a chef De partie come along side and explain the why of everything.. the deliberate intention of every single step... More young men would be great in this world if only they'd spend a year in kitchen. This thing of ours. I love it.
@MMT don't get me wrong... I agree with you 100% I just happen to still have some great memories from that time despite the ugly side of things...
Love this take. I worked in kitchens very briefly, about a year now and I know it’s not for me. I’m just not made for this world. And that’s fine! But I’ll forever be thankful for the great times, the laughs, all the things I learned, all the new foods I tried. The best thing the kitchen gave me, as someone who had previously worked in consulting firms and have as many degrees as you can imagine, it gave me CONFIDENCE. Leadership. Accountability for myself. Structure, strictness, discipline and grit. I’ll forever be thankful for that, even if food just isn’t my passion.
TH-cam is better than any cooking tv show. You'll learn a lot and can actually see techniques vs a cookbook.
If you can follow an instruction manual for anything whether its to fix an engine or build some Ikea furniture, you can cook. It's as simple as that.
I’ve been cooking since I was 7 years old starting by grilling and smoking with my dad. Grilling and smoking is an awesome way to learn time temperature and technique. I started out making the bbq sauces while learning how to operate the grill and smoker etc. I quickly mastered making sauces and I highly advise others to learn that first because the techniques carry over into everything else. I’m 32 now and the best way to learn how to cook is to cook often and try new things and techniques often. You’ll eventually reach a point where nothing scares you and you can confidently approach a new technique with confidence because the skills carry over. Taking a class can be fun but you can learn on your own at home and just look up recipes or technique videos here on TH-cam.
I learned how to cook from scratch by my mother and grandmother involving me in the process of their home cooked meals as a kid. I work full time as a residential construction worker and I come home and cook my families meals. My girlfriend of 13 yrs can cook but she likes mine better and I enjoy cooking.
@sese🔞 seriously 😳
You sound like a strong Chad.
I learned how to cook naturally growing up. Being home alone a lot and having been a lifter all my life, you have to have variety of flavors or you'll die of repetitive foods/dull flavors.
Now I'm an excellent home cook. Whenever I cook in front of new girlfriends siblings or relatives, they assume I'm gay because I can cook and they can't. I'm assuming in reality it's them being jealous because what women doesn't like a man that can cook great meals?
Absolute menace
You work full time in construction and YOU have to cook when you come home??
I'm 34, I only started learning to cook recently. I've recently made my first chicken soup/stock/gravy, hash brown.
The best way to learn to cook for me, I can guarantee everyone can do is ask either your grandma or auntie in your home. It’s the best way to learn to cook and appreciate what your eat.
What about your mom ? You literally skipped the number 1 person in your home 🤣
Sorry my man, but mom can be a hit or miss. Not in the dirty way 😂
Currently I do find the older generation is who has wisdom in the kitchen. It won't be that way in a few decades haha. I am always shocked how few of my peers cook regularly for themselves
they dont knolw how to cook anything except for meth tho
My mom doesn’t cook period, my grandma does but seasons her food like a 👱🏻♀️👩🏻🦰👱🏼🧑🏻🦰👦🏻👧🏻 person, so I had to learn on my own😂
My mother had me in the kitchen as a small child making home made egg noodles, chicken & dumplings, roasts, baking cakes...I thought she was teaching me math with all of the fractions following recipes. My father was a meat cutter and taught me a lot about cutting and trimming meat. How to cut up a chicken. He loved BBQ & Smoking. These days I use TH-cam to find anything I didn't learn from my parents.
Been cooking for living 8 years now . Biggest tip I can give people fresh and quality ingredients will take your cooking game up 5 levels
I started out as a Kitchen Porter, made sure my time keeping was good, became reliable and then I started showing interest in what the chefs where cooking, what’s in it, how do they make it etc etc. enquired about that I want to move up in the ladder. My chance came and then I was half prep chef and half kitchen Porter. Then when a new kitchen Porter started, I was full time doing prep chef and then eventually I became a chef. This took about 2-3years, from kitchen Porter to chef
My old man showed me how to use the BBQ when I was a kid but I didn't learn how to really cool until I was 18, got a job as a dishwasher in a packed out Italian restaurant and used every second I could spare watching the chef's and cooks create the dishes and come up with specials on the fly, also picking their brains when ever we were on the milk crates having a smoke or beer after the shift was done
Started as a dishwasher, my head chef worked at Michelin star restaurants. I asked him to peel potatoes and little by little I would cook bacon and do small prep jobs. One thing after another I would buy books and read them after work. They didn’t require me to do that but I had a passion for cooking. My Food and beverage director and head chef guided me even though they are very demanding intense people. But I remained humble and that gave me new opportunities in the kitchen. From being chef de partie of breakfast to now being a banquet captain serving hundreds of people on a daily basis. For us in the food and beverage industry it is our home, our co workers become family and the kitchen becomes the only place we feel safe. It’s not for everyone, it’s hard, long hours and most of us deal with depression. But it is freedom through discipline. I would encourage anyone who wants to cook professionally to just start from the bottom. The dishwasher is probably the most integral part of the kitchen and is no less than the head chef. You can achieve anything you put your mind to.
Joe needs to get Putin on his show, seems there's a lot to be talked about
What?
NEVER APOLOGIZE AGAIN! love from Western NY conservative/independent...
Experience and willingness to keep learning is the key.No shortcuts to great cooking.
I learned to cook way before I went to culinary school. Which was very obvious to the chefs I learned under. Culinary school mainly helped sharpen my skills and gave me a big appreciation for good food.
Never heard of the guest before, but man that childhood story of his career start was pretty interesting, almost like in a movie especially w that french chef character lol! I also could appreciate how vividly he remembered all the things he did during that time leading up to his career as a chef. I never found my passion career but i like to imagine if i had as a child i would have remembered those memories as vividly!
The French chef he was talking about was Eric Ripert, one of Bourdain's best friends.
Really cool of him to share his experiences. Grew up in restaraunts and I have always had massive respect for well run establishments.
I will say, the best food is made in the home.
A chef is a manager. How much chicken to buy for the week is way more important than a garnish, if you want to last more than a year. If you can find a establishment to work under bonus, if not try the military. They have a paid training program, plus you will learn to work hard.
I didn’t know the first thing about cooking when I became a dishwasher. The chef at my first restaurant liked my work ethic and slowly started taking me out of the pit to show me basic knife skills so I could help with prep. 10 years later I accumulated experience in 6 different kitchens and was a sous chef for a few years at a flagship restaurant in a luxury boutique hotel/resort. I saw so many people come and go from culinary school. They had skill, but couldn’t hang with the pace or deal with the heat that is commercial restaurant. Now with TH-cam, anyone anywhere can learn how to cook if they apply themselves. I only cook at home now. I had to get out of the industry because I destroyed my life with alcohol, Xanax, and cocaine.
Best way: Follow the recipes, then improvise!
Or get a woman so she can do it, it’s her job.
Learn the rules, break the rules, make the rules
Adam Ragusea's videos helped me greatly. Very practical.
Been in a kitchen for 30 years. I still study food, everyday I find something new to learn. It becomes an obsession.
imagine being a forgetful person and trying so hard to learn
Start as a dishwasher like all the rest of the greats!
I went to and dropped out of culinary school, learn to make soups it teaches you everything you need to know about cooking. Make cream based, stew, vegan, vegetarian, with noodles, etc you'll get you're experiences. Another thing to remember is no recipe turns out perfect the first time regardless of how talented you are, it's do and adjus together and over again no matter what level you're at.
Preppy Kitchen is the best cooking channel there is I think, he really shows you how to cook through the entire process and gives little tips and tricks.
Cooking food requires patience and it's a great stress reliever 🙂
I would say being a chef is one of the most stressful jobs tho imo
Steak. Reverse sear. It teaches via trial and error, how long to cook in an oven based on mass and timing the engagement of the pan vs the removal from oven. As well as that, seasoning, basting in butter, etc.
Then try curry.
If you can't take a class or find a cooking job, the best way is to learn some recipes, learn why you use certain methods instead of others, then just experiment with new things. Add some cinnamon to your chicken soup. Add some salt and pepper to your ice cream. You'll probably have to eat some pretty nasty things at first, but you'll learn from your mistakes. I started with Alton Brown's Good Eats, and there's some great TH-cam channels, like Binging with Babish, that cover the basics. Also, my sister bought me a beginners cookbook when I was a kid. It went through the basics of what are the essential tools, what's the difference between dicing, chopping, and mincing, how and why to sear meats, how to roast meat and keep it juicy, etc. No recipes that I can remember, just basic skills. It made me really excited about cooking.
Edit: oh, and signing up for meal kit services like hello fresh or home chef are really helpful too. You get exposed to recipes and ingredients you never considered before.
Wait so what’s the book called please?
Book name plz?
@@mohamedorayith4626 oh, gosh, I wish I remembered! I'm not sure what I did with it. I'll look into it, but there's a whole bunch of similar books you can buy, and they even have recipes in them.
@@mohamedorayith4626 Hello! I couldn't find the book, and I can't remember what it was called but I did find one on Google books called Cooking Basics by Idiot's Guides. It's pretty similar, but it goes into much more detail. I would suggest you give that one a try. Good luck! 😀
I have never been to Culinary Arts School. I worked Fast Food starting when I was 16 and moved into a Restaurant environment within 10 years as a Prep Cook (best Job in the place) and eventually onto the Fryers and then onto the Grills. The hands-on experience is what taught me everything. That being said, I couldn't handle the "Yes Chef" environment. I will never work in an upscale Restaurant, and I am fine with that, Give me a greasy cafe with a counter-top where customers can chat with me all day and I will make wonders. I am more of a Guy Fieri than a Mario Bertolli.
Mario *Batali*.......it proves your point even better, love it 😆
Thanks for sharing this mate. I'm curious...which position taught you the most in terms of skills ?
@@Gusthecatinlondon honestly when it comes to skills each station has its own thing to learn, however I think Prep is the most important. As a line cook doing broiler, I can't say I learned how to "cook"! Well yes maybe, if we're talking strictly about cooking to a desired doness, but not to make a dish from scratch. Haha fact of the matter is half of the work is done for you by the prep team. My meats that I slapped onto the grill, including burgers, steaks, chicken, seafood, etc, were all miranaded by the prep team. I just mainly focused on time and temperature and assembling a plate accordingly, but of course that's not a skill to be taken lightly too. Same as my Fry guy he's not the one miranading his meats or breading them, or making his own fries, he just fry stuff until golden brown and assemble his sandwiches and plates. All the sauces we use are prepped by the prep team. Again the skill you learn most here is Time and Temperature, which each item has its own.
On the line I think the Stir fry station probably learns the most. Sure their sauces are probably premade, but I think it involves the most technique to get it done properly, for instance achieving Wok Hei.
Again, I think prepping is the best.
The #1 rule people who "cant cook" need to learn is: Always watch what you're cooking.
Cooking is easy. Just follow the instructions.
People who burn stuff always walk away and get distracted by something
Anyone can learn how to cook. Culinary school taught me the fundamentals and technical skills but it was cooking at home that exercised my creativity and flexibilty. I loved cooking grilled cheeses and fried rice because of how wildly open-ended they are. I would rummage through my pantry and fridge for anything suitable. That made me realize that it's not about what you use but how to use them. I think what you really need to learn how to cook is curiousity and attentiveness. When you have those, i feel like you have the drive to experiment and challenge yourself and also the ability to understand how you're influencing the dish. Yeaaaaah.
I learned to cook esp the past 2 years during covid. Been learning a lot from making Blue Apron and Hellofresh meals
If you are creative you can apply it to anything. Creativity is essential in the kitchen period.
Cooking is very rewarding. You can make exactly what you want and don't really need to complicate things. I make like 20-30 minutes meals and it's sometimes easier than getting fast food. Making something that tastes great and the smell of cooking is pleasant in the house.
Cooking is Fun... Doing all the clean up and dishes is not. That's why I got married. Dishes are woman's work!
@@penknight8532 😂😂😂
I’m planning on going to culinary school because no one in my family knows how to cook and the restaurants I’ve worked at dont really teach you anything and all you really end up learning is the hard work involved so culinary seems like the best option for me
But I hear this guy out saying you should work in kitchens, but then he tells the story of growing up cooking and being taken under great chefs wings at 14 etc.
I feel like a lot of great chefs say don’t go to culinary school yet a lot of the time they came up through ridiculously lucky circumstances
My cooking lessons started at home , on a solid fuel cooker . We had to do our own cooking as there were no cafes or resteraunts in the town , the nearest were over 40 miles away & with no car , and a single return bus service to the nearest big town , home made , everything was the order of the day , from bread , to cakes , cookies , preserves , etc .
I'm most thankful to my mum , for getting me to help with these chores , as I've totally changed what I was taught , to include spices etc , which mum and G-ma didn't use .
Since I left home , I've worked in several resteraunts , and taken notice of what was used , how it was used , and then taught myself the medicinal side of the herbs and spices used , which has kept me out of the clutches of MD's , most of my life , and helped me to educate family members .
To cite Morticia Addams , " Wednesday , play with your food" . It's worth the exploration , as going by the aromas of the ingredients , I've yet to generate an inedible meal .
Good Health to All , ❤️💐👍
Namaste 🙏👍❤️
Start with cereal, work your way up to the microwave to.
Or just get a woman so she can do her job.
Only good thing about culinary school is it gets ur foot in the door , went for 6 months in Al and then 3mnths paid internship in new orleans turned into 3 yrs at commanders palace , in new orleans they LOVE students !! I trained alot of ppl some that couldn't even speak English def miss it , great experience !
During covid...the wife and I got very lucky. She had just ordered 6 mo prior to the first cruise ship being quarantine a this huge bamboo sushi/sticky rice kit. I always buy bulk so I had yeast...flour...
While she never mastered the roll we experimented and didnt miss out on any take out food...she did asian and I did pizza/subs kinda stuff. Now we are fatter but thats ok we have more to cuddle..
🤣
Gen X here. Started out with eggs, toast, and oatmeal. Then proceeded with Ramen Noodles, KD, and Campbell Soup by following directions. Quantim leap came by watching Michael Smith Chef at Home series that taught the cooking basics. That is how I came to be a home cook.
I learned simply by playing around my whole life in the kitchen. Along with improvisation, to go with all of the cookbooks and online recipes I've accumulated over the years, it's pretty hard to not become a great chef/cook. The best judge of a great maker of food is the people who are actually eating it. Ditch the gourmet shit, the best food is elevated, healthy dishes you can eat at home that actually taste good.
Totally agree with that comment. It's not difficult the more you do it,then make it your own. If you follow a recipe to the letter you will get what's on the the recipe. People complicate it and pay fortunes for it. I'm a Michelin chef in my kitchen 👍
I’ve taught myself to cook and I couldn’t cook anything before. Now I can bake bread, do pastry and can cook most things. The thing is I love food and if you love eating, then it’s not hard. I’ve read a lot of cooking books and watched countless videos. I think we are lucky in the sense that we have a much greater access to information. There is a video or a book or an online recipe about every food that we can imagine. It’s about wanting it and practicing it until you reach that level.
I started watching Alton Brown.
Never really stopped cooking after
I’ve been cooking for 14 years. Worked my way up from busboy and dishwasher to where I am now. It’s definitely one of the last meritocracies left. I’ve learned more one the line than I ever would have in culinary school. Though, I’ve found that to some places, it does give you that edge (whether or not you deserve it or are better) because of that qualification.
Man, cooking is one of the few things that’s therapeutic/relaxing to me 😂
You're cooking humans?
@@BigSnipp No, meth…
Culinary school….nah. Practice makes perfect. Put heart into your dishes and cook everyday.
Daniel Holzman nails it on so many areas. If you're passionate about something, nothing will stop you from succeeding. School is good. But certainly not the end all be all as their marketing groups would tell you. Look at all the greats in almost any industry and look at their education... Almost none of them went to or graduated from college and go on to dominate their industry..... Musk. Gates. Tarrantino. Holzman....
And I know PLENTY of people who are epic cooks and never went to culinary school. Great advice: start your own place and work your ass off....
Joe should have never apologized.
Usually my go to foods are just combinations of some meat, veggies, seasoning, and some basic carb maybe
Cooks and chefs. Try being a cook in the military. Served 24 years and my proudest day was as a chief cook in Afghanistan and part of my duties was as a contract manager for a food service contract delivered by a civilian contractor. With this I had my military chefs. We supported the boys in the field. The troops complained constantly about the contractors and were heard saying its better in the forward bases. The contractor was offended so I arranged a line tour. My boys without notice had for Sunday dinner laid on a spread from saved and scrounged items a extra twist to roast beef dinner. They had fresh bread and local vegetables in a buffet made for a king. The contractor had no idea how to match the dedication and care these young men put into feeding their buddies. Want to see a real chef look in the nearest military to you.
heck yea brother!!!!
I was aviation, and a trick for any active duty troops is to Take care of your cooks, supply, and S1 clerks lol we used to take Cooks for rides in the black hawks and we used to get hooked up when in the field. we were doing this in Garrison. so we would be state side taking our cooks for rides.
I love cooking…. I learned hands on from working in kitchens in college. I think everyone should work in food in their life. I’m also finding nowadays that cooking for one can be very expensive.
This is a yes and no. You need to build a house on a good foundation. That foundation can be going to a good culinary school, but if it comes through training at a restaurant you need to learn from good people. I know a lot of people who say they have 10-20-30 years experience but it was all bad experience learning through shitty chefs. Where you work matters.
Every Joe Rogan Podcast.
Joe: So what is your opinion on this subject.
Guest: well, I was talking to my friend the other day
I have watched on and off for a few years. I appreciate the way you interview people you agree or disagree with. I pray that the cancel culture releases your jugular quickly and leave you with no real damage. Your pretty tough but they are dck heads for sure. 💚
1:15 this is my opinion about learning how to play and make music too. Lots of similarities between the two- in symbolism anyway. Combining and mixing textures, tastes, colors, presentation. Lots of similar concepts.
There is a huge difference between being a chef and being a cook. A chef knows how to run a kitchen but a cook knows how to make the food taste good. Generally people are going to be good at one or the other. If you are good at both then you will be very successful in the hospitality industry.
Alex Jones was right
I like how there’s literally every topic you could think of in at least one joe Rogan video lol
“What you get by achieving your goals is not as important as what you become by achieving your goals.”
- Zig Ziglar
Being on an apprentice has always been the best way in so many occupations..
Colleges are a waste of time. Of course, college is beneficial for some high-tech positions.
All you’re doing is making the professors extremely rich! I’m pretty sure they could care less about you. Forget the masses, personalized training has always been a gift, IMO
Hands-on, in the heat of the fire “so to speak“
The best way to cook cancel culture is to be the biggest and greatest podcaster in the world and eat elk twice a day.
I’m going to save you 8:39 minutes of your time. The best way to learn how to cook is to cook, then cook some more, continue cooking for the rest of your life and you’ll be better every day.
I cooked professionally for decades. I know plenty of people who showed up every day to cook and cook some more that didn't know simple things. One day the rice cooker broke and the "chef" in charge had no idea what to do or how we can get rice ready for service. Had to show my culinary boss how to cook freaking jasmine rice. This is just one example.
@ using a rice cooker is not cooking. The machine does it for you.
@@gprz843 I know. That was my point. Any "chef" should know multiple ways to make rice.
@ yes!!! That’s my point too. Cook, first you have to suck, eventually time and experience, you might not become a Michelin Star chef, but you’ll be able to cook something that makes you feel proud of yourself.
Great chefs were here long before culinary school
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The best way to learn is to cook from about age 8 with your cajun father that was born in 1938. Along with your grandmother from Southern Louisiana, and your grandmother on the other side from Germany. Along with the man your German grandmother married who was from Macedonia and who's family started restaurants and coney Islands fro. NYC, to Toronto, to Detroit, to Flint Michigan. Learning to hunt and fish and cook from your garden since middle school. Loving to cook from a young age. Working in a bakery all through high school and working in the kitchen at the country club is a really good way to learn. Useing all of your time and money for new recipes and new kitchen gear.
That's how I think cooks are born.
Learn fundamentals instead of recipes and you will be able to cook almost anything.
How do you learn fundaments without cooking or without cooking recipes?
I was fortunate to take culinary arts class in high school. Learned all the mother sauces. I found it to be a great foundation.
Jesus saves. Love you guys.
Cleaned thousands of calamari at Mangia in midtown for a solid year of my life in the 90s. Cooking is learned in the kitchen.
The best way to learn to cook is to cook yourself. Follow recipes, mix it up. And I'm gonna be honest its not difficult, the hours are long yes. But it's just heating food and putting it on a plate.. people hype chefs up and pay them shitloads when it's not rocket science.
Rocket science is just writing numbers and equations on some paper.. what’s the big deal