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So You Want to Go to Culinary School

Emily Co — Tue, 02 Nov 2010 08:00:00 PDT

Graduate schools are a great way to switch careers or advance the one you have. I talked about the most common reasons to get a grad degree, and my new school series will give you a quick glimpse of what options are out there.

Think you have what it takes to be the next Anthony Bourdain? Well, why not start off where he did, at the Culinary Institute of America, a cooking school that's based in New York. As a graduate, you'll be part of the school's elite alumni network, which boasts of Alinea's Grant Achatz, Chipotle CEO Steven Ells, Iron Chef's Cat Cora, and the list goes on. Jennifer Purcell, one of the associate deans at the CIA, told me more about the famous culinary school.

SavvySugar: What can a typical student expect to experience at the CIA?

Jennifer Purcell: A class day may start at 7 a.m. and end around 1:30 p.m., and that’s for a kitchen course. [Expect to] stand on your feet and cook, and kitchens are warm! They can be long days, but we also have sit-down lectures, courses and classes, but the bulk of our coursework is culinary. You’re in the kitchens, and repetition is key, because it’s how you build your skills. The classes are sequential so your building blocks of starting with basics and you build on those throughout the program until you end up in the CIA's four public restaurants. The whole experience is to synthesize all of your training and put it into action in a live restaurant.

To find out about the common misconceptions people have of cooking schools, read on!

Guess Who Said It?

FitSugar — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 14:30:00 PDT

Which well-known chef said this?

"My parents were into macrobiotic cooking - vegetarian, nondairy, whole grains, no red meat. I started cooking when I was 10 because I just couldn't eat that stuff."

How Would You Spend $1000 on Your Health???

FitSugar — Thu, 21 Jun 2007 07:30:00 PDT

Source

Today is your lucky day. Someone just walked up and handed you $1000 - the catch though is that you have to spend it on your health. So I want to know...

Bethenny Frankel: Natural Chef to the Stars

FitSugar — Wed, 14 Mar 2007 04:00:00 PDT

What do Paris Hilton, Alicia Silverstone and Mariska Hargitay (from TV's Law & Order) all have in common? The answer would be Bethenny Frankel a natural food chef of the stars.

Bethenny believes that a person's diet is like a "bank account." You want to eat a balanced diet, but you don't want to restrict yourself either. It's fine to try a bit of everything. It's when you eat all of everything that can get you into trouble. She healthily believes in moderation.

After watching this video clip, you will know that Bethenny is into healthy bodies and chocolate, but she doesn't have a great opinion of the ultra slim size zero body.

Celebrity Video, Bethenny Frankel Talks Lindsay And Nicole - Awesome video clips here

Want to know some healthy tips from celebs like Paris Hilton, Randy Jackson, and Alicia Silverstone? Then

Healthy Tip #1: Don't eat everything on your plate.

Paris and Nicky Hilton try to be as healthy as possible (Bethenny has known them since they were kids). What keeps them so slim is this little trick: they never finish all the food on their plate. Some would say this is wasteful, but overeating is a big problem with people. We often eat more food just because it's in front of us.

Healthy Tip #2: Load Up on Veggies.

Mariska Hargitay loves Mediterranean foods with lots of flavor. Vegetables offer a variety of different tastes and textures, and can be easily flavored with fresh herbs and spices. Veggies are just so healthy for you, you really can't go wrong with them.

Healthy Tip #3: Use Fresh Ingredients for Flavor.

Randy Jackson went through gastric bypass surgery in 2003. He dropped over 100 pounds, and had to change his eating habits to keep up with his new body. He's a huge fan of southern foods, so he uses fresh spices and ingredients to give those foods the flavor he craves.

Healthy Tip #4: Simply Substitute.

The Hogans are an all-American family, loving the types of food you get at fast food joints. In order to eat the high-fat foods they loved, Bethenny would just substitute healthier ingredients. She'd use olive oil instead of butter, and low-sugar maple syrup in place of real sugar. Your taste buds won't notice the difference much, but your body will.

Healthy Tip #5: Don't Be Afraid to Experiment.

Alicia Silverstone is a committed vegan, believing whole-heartedly in not consuming any animal products. When you don't eat meat, dairy products, or eggs, you've got to get a little creative in your meal-making. Alicia wasn't afraid to experiment with new ingredients like tofu, tempeh, and seitan to make mock-foods such as veggie "chicken" burgers.

Flippin' Mario Toy

YumSugar — Wed, 27 Dec 2006 16:46:12 PST

In case your week needed a little bit more cheer, I'd like to present you with the Mario Batali Wind Up toy. Just turn the switch and watch him flip spaghetti and meatballs in one hand, shake a bottle in another while gliding across your countertop! I'm not sure exactly why or when he licensed his likeness for this funny little toy, but I sure am thrilled. I only wish I had known about this before Christmas as it would have made a great joke gift for quite a few foodies on my list. The Mario Batali Wind Up toy will set you back $14.95.

Link Time: Top Chef Masters Season 4 Lineup Announced

Susannah Chen — Fri, 25 May 2012 09:53:05 PDT

Top Chef Masters announces its season four lineup - Eater
Meet bottarga, known as the poor man's caviar - Food52
Frito-Lay releases gluten-free chips - Delish
See a magician pour beer from an iPad - Grub Street NY
This $295 burger's got a diamond-encrusted toothpick - Zagat
50 new ways to cook chicken - HuffPost Food
Get to know all of the country's regional BBQ sauces - The FN Dish

Sip on This: Strawberry Mojito

Zelana Montminy — Fri, 25 May 2012 11:00:10 PDT

Toasting at happy hour doesn't have to mean drinking a ton of calories. To reduce added sugars, chef Travis London uses fresh fruit to sweeten his drinks. The strawberries in his healthier mojito not only add flavor but antioxidants too. Learn how to make this refreshingly light cocktail, then print out the recipe and get ready to muddle.

18 Tot-Friendly Burgers to Kick Off Grilling Season

Rebecca M Gruber — Fri, 25 May 2012 10:50:44 PDT

Patty-cake, patty-cake! We're not talking about sweet cakes here, but the juicy patties that come fresh off the grill onto a waiting bun. With this being National Burger Month, and the unofficial start of grilling season kicking off this weekend, we turned to some of our favorite kiddie chefs for their takes on the ever-popular burger. With input from Weelicious, Jessica Seinfeld, Annabel Karmel, and Cooking With My Kid, here are 18 recipes to try with your tots during the Summer grilling season!

What Makes Chili Chili?

Sara Yoo — Fri, 25 May 2012 11:15:25 PDT

Recently, reader Blanca123 raised some interesting questions when responding to our recipe for President Obama's chili:

"Kindly explain why you call this pitifully flavored 'meat one-pot' a chili . . . Where's the heat? No cayenne, red pepper flakes or even hot sauce, much less real fresh chiles? Turmeric? Why?"

She sure got us thinking about what are the intrinsic elements of a true pot of chili. At its most basic level, the slow-simmered one-pot dish contains meat, tomatoes, and some form of heat (chiles, chili powder, hot sauce, etc.), but as most fierce chili chefs will tell you, the secret's in the sauce: everyone has his or her own magical blend.

Traditional Texas-style chili is also known as chili con carne: a blend of meat, tomatoes, and chiles, but strictly free of one ingredient. As devout Texas chili adherents like to say, "If you know beans about chili, you know chili ain't got no beans." Chili beans (that is, chili con carne with beans) is also a perfectly acceptable dish, but don't omit that key second word. However, whether in the Lone Star State or elsewhere, beans often show up in chili recipes and were used historically when meat was expensive or scarce.

So we want to hear from you: beans or no beans? Does it need to be three-alarm heat or can it still be parked at the station? Can it still carry the lofty title when made with white beans? What makes chili . . . well, chili?

Meet Your Top Chef Masters!

Katie Sweeney — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 11:02:31 PST

With only five competitors left on Top Chef All-Stars, it's only natural that Bravo get the public excited for what's to come next with the franchise: Top Chef Masters season three! This time Kelly Choi is out and she's been replaced by the hunky Australian chef Curtis Stone. Also gone from the judge's table? James Rayner and Gael Greene. They've been replaced by former Gourmet editor in chief Ruth Reichl; James Oseland is the only remaining judge from the previous two seasons. Although the cast of participants lacks some big names, I'm excited simply for the new lineup on the critics' panel. Here you'll learn which chefs will participate and find out a little more about them.

Photo courtesy of Bravo