Great cooks and chefs can make anything. Sometimes, all it takes is a quick taste for them to know the ingredients used in a dish. Others might even deduce the skill of another cook by looking at the state of their kitchen. These are skills that great chefs pick up over time. Some may think that what they do is easy. But the hard work they have put into their craft is no laughing matter.
Like any other experts, these now-great chefs used to be novices and apprentices. They also had a hard time doing even the simplest of tasks. With enough practice and experience, they are what and who they are today because of it.
And if you want to be a great chef with your own Michelin-starred restaurant, you have to get over every problem that a chef has to deal with. One obstacle would be to deal with recipes or cuisines that are not your specialty.
Get Out of Your Comfort Zone
A great chef should be able to create any dish they choose. Yes, there are those who are experts in specific cuisines and dishes. But if you want to become a great chef, you have to get out of your comfort zone and work with recipes and ingredients you have never tried before.
If you are only starting your career in cooking, then this should be easy for you. The less you know about something, the better it will be for you to understand how to cook it. Because once your mind is fixed on doing things in a specific way, then the harder it will be for you to adopt new cooking techniques or use different ingredients.
Familiarize Yourself with the Culture
When dealing with a new dish, you should familiarize yourself with its origin and culture. For example, India is a hotpot of spices and ingredients. This is why you can see an abundance of different recipes on how to do even the simplest of dishes.
Curry dishes are widely popular and are easy to do. But if you want to take it a step further, why not introduce other ingredients like infused olive oil, which you can get from Utah? Or, add in different meat to enhance the curry dish’s texture.
Learn from Another Expert
Sometimes, you have to learn from the wisdom of another chef. And if it means passing down the history and culture of a specific dish, they may happily do so. You need to learn from an expert hands-on and in-person instead of just watching a tutorial on YouTube or reading a cookbook.
Some chefs like the ones in Japan are the only ones in their field. These chefs deal with rare and unique dishes like Fugu and Sashimi. If you can manage to get ahold of them and teach you their ways, then you can better understand how you can prepare their cuisine.
Cooking things that are not your specialty can be hard. But, you should not take it as an obstacle. Think of it as a new learning experience. Because every time you learn a new dish or use a new ingredient, the better chef you will be.
