True story! You get to top spots in the C-CAP scholarship competition darn near exactly the same way you reach Carnegie Hall!
That's right. The answer is - you can recite this in unison, students! - Yes! Practice. Practice. Practice.
This year, according to C-CAP Arizona's director Jill Smith, early competition practices show that many students planning to compete need to improve their knife skills significantly.
"Their cuts show a real lack of practiced skills," she notes. That indicates a need for both individual and directed practice with all types of cuts, from mince to batons.
Remember, practice doing your cuts slowly, using the best knife you have (that is, right size, sharpened, right weight), and measure your cuts if you aren't certain. Don't worry about speed - you'll develop it as you gain confidence.
Jill also notes that it's clear students have been practicing making omelets. Students need to remember that omelets for competition can be either two or three eggs, depending upon the size of the pan.
Omelets can be "shaped up" after they're on the plate, as long as hands are gloved.
A few other tips:
· Organize.
· Wipe your board clean after each task, but do not sanitize with each wipe. If you do, your food will taste like sanitizer.
· Have one tool and only one vegetable (or food product) on your board at any time.
· Taste! Taste your food, taste your friend's food - taste as you go and taste as you complete a dish!
· Make sure your presentation is neat, clean and not sloppy in any way. This means you must check every part of your plate and food!
Finally, remember, cooking in this competition is a combination of both passion and technique. It really shows in your completed dish when you believe cooking is fun!
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