First-year Culinary Arts students practice the finer points of egg-making
Culinary Arts students learned how to cook eggs seven different ways
From protecting the integrity of a yolk to managing heat on a stove or how to best transfer the final product to a plate, Chef Omar Laaraj spent nearly an hour this week explaining the best practices for cooking eggs.
Though an egg may seem like a simple ingredient, Chef Laaraj said his Culinary Arts students must focus on fine details to be successful.
There is a difference, Laaraj explained. For instance, he highlighted how the inside of an omelette will continue to cook from the time it is transferred from the kitchen to the customer and how to avoid serving an overcooked omelette. He also explained why cooks must avoid overseasoning eggs.
“It’s always better to underseason them,” Laaraj said. “A customer can always add seasoning, but you can’t take it away.”
The lesson began earlier this week in the classroom with the instructor and students reviewing these types of details. When they moved to the kitchen on Wednesday, Laaraj demonstrated how to cook eggs seven different ways: sunny-side up, over-easy, scrambled, poached, in a rolled and folded omelette, and in a frittata.
The students listened and asked questions before taking their turn in the kitchen. By next week, the practice will be over and they will be given two quizzes: a written quiz and a light-work quiz, the latter of which will require them to cook eggs using the seven techniques.
Later this school year, first-year Culinary Arts students will have an opportunity to cook for the staff and other students when the cafeteria serves breakfast for lunch. They’ll bake French toast and waffles, but made-to-order eggs will be a major part of that real-life experience.
“This is one of the best lessons in our class,” Laaraj said. “There are so many techniques and skills involved in making something as simple as eggs.”
