Practice notes

Phoenix Chef Howard Pierceall has been assessing student chefs during preliminary competition practices at CCAP Arizona kitchens in Tempe for the last few weeks.

Along with Chef Nicole Swartz, Chef Andrea Madrid and CCAP Arizona director Jill Smith, Chef Howard has a few thoughts about techniques and results.

Here are a few things he - and the other chefs! - suggests students consider as part of competition prep:

On omelets:

          "Practice is key, here," Chef Howard says. "You need to shake, shake, shake that      omelet pan. You need to know what it sounds like, feels like - and that all depends on other external factors!

         "Things like: are the eggs cold? Is the butter or oil cold? What about the pan, how hot does it need to be?

         "This," he says, "is why practice is key to the omelet."

On salads:

         "Consistency in cuts is critical," Chef Howard says. "Your dice needs to be the same size, whether it's pepper or tomato or cucumber."

         "Make sure your knives are sharpened," Chef Andrea says. "I can see that some students are having challenges because their knives aren't sharp enough."

         Chef Nicole notes that timing is critical in competition, so students need to develop a keen sense of time in prep work.

         "They also need to be aware of the seasoning in the salad, and really emulsify the dressing."

         "In presentation," Chef Howard says, "you want to remember the 'look' of your dish. In the salad, show off the different colors of the vegetables so people can anticipate the tastes."

Students also need to remember that presentation and tasting plates need to be clean for judging. That means taking a few extra seconds at your station to be certain neither salad nor omelet is "weeping."

Make sure there are a couple of paper or cloth towels available for this task (and Chef Nicole says students want to remember that the salad should be released from its mold before being carried to presentation/tasting tables. "That way, you can check to be sure there's no spill from the dressing."

And one more thing, adds Chef Andrea. 

"Remember: be confident. And if you aren't feeling confident? Pretend you are!"