What Chef Uniform, Knife, and Books Do I Need To Start Culinary School?
In addition to culinary school costs like tuition and room and board, most students have to come equipped with a few key kitchen essentials when they walk through the doors for the first time. Like any college-level or vocational training, culinary school comes with its own list of requirements. In some cases, the school will provide these materials; in others, you will be given a list of items and textbooks you’ll need to purchase.
Pots/Pans
The school might provide the materials you work on at school, but you’ll still want cooking tools for use at home. The staples include a saucepan, saute pan, and stockpot. Avoid buying them in sets, which tend to be lower in quality. It’s perfectly acceptable to build a mismatched set as you go.
Knives
Your knife set will most likely go with you wherever you are. For chefs, they come in cutlery cases that allow you to carry your knives to and from school. You can expect them to include things like a chef knife, boning knife, paring knife, and cleaver, among others.
Comfortable Shoes
Non-slip, rubber-soled shoes (think Crocs) are a favorite among chefs. Because chefs are often on their feet for eight or more hours a day, working in a fast-paced and dangerous setting where spills happen every few minutes, it’s important to have shoes that can stand up to the task. This is one area where you don’t want to skimp.
Uniform/Hat
Cooking uniforms tend to be comfortable, durable, and easily washed. They are usually black or white double-breasted jackets made of durable and fire-resistant cotton. These may come with a school logo and be required by the school itself.
Textbooks/Cookbooks
Although you’ll probably do a lot more hands-on training than book learning, you will still find that some reading materials are required. As is the case with uniforms, these may need to be purchased through the school.
Student materials tend to be well-used and well-worn by the time you graduate, so put some time and effort into choosing the right ones for you. You can buy inexpensive materials now and expect to replace them upon graduation, or you can splurge for higher-level materials now in hopes that they will carry you through culinary school and into your first years as a professional cook or chef.
Either way, you can expect only to be as good as the tools you work with, so be sure to research before you buy.
Is A Culinary Career Right For Me?
- What Happened to All the For-Profit Culinary Schools
- Culinary Careers and Hollywood Fame
- Cooking for Business or Pleasure
- Give the Gift of Cooking Classes
- What It Takes To Become An Executive Chef
- Which Hospitality Management Jobs Pay the Best
- Interview with Top Ten Pastry Chef in America Mary Cech
- 10 Things To Consider Before Getting Into The Culinary Industry
STEVEN NGOMANE
Hi
I am very long time experienced chef I am working at Klaserie Sands River Camp as a Head Chef and Food and Beverage Manager,I want to open my Culinary school in my location in South Africa
I need some equipment, how will going to help?
Kind Regards
Steven
Noel Kanyemba
Hie Steven
Did you manage to open your culinary school yet? I would please if you did can you help out with a model I would love to open one for my location in Zimbabwe as well.