Cook Training Course

Lesson 1 • Personal Hygiene and Grooming

Covers handwashing protocols, uniform standards, and illness policies. Sets the baseline for safe food handling throughout the course.

Lesson 2 • Sanitation Procedures and Cleaning

Covers cleaning versus sanitizing, surface protocols, and dishwashing standards. Ensures students maintain a compliant, hygienic workspace.

Lesson 3 • Food Safety and Temperature Control

Teaches danger zone temperatures, safe storage, and cross-contamination prevention. Directly supports every cooking task in later chapters.

Lesson 4 • Professional Conduct in the Kitchen

Defines teamwork, communication, and punctuality expectations in a brigade environment. Builds the professional mindset required for all practical work ahead.

Lesson 1 • Knife Types and Their Uses

Introduces the chef's knife, paring knife, serrated knife, and specialty blades. Connects tool selection to precision and efficiency in food preparation.

Lesson 2 • Safe Knife Handling and Grip

Teaches pinch grip, claw technique, and safe passing methods. Reduces injury risk and builds the foundation for accurate cutting.

Lesson 3 • Cookware and Large Equipment

Covers pots, pans, ovens, and ranges used in commercial kitchens. Prepares students to select and operate equipment correctly in upcoming cooking chapters.

Lesson 4 • Small Equipment and Hand Tools

Introduces peelers, graters, mandolines, and measuring tools. Expands students' ability to execute a wider range of prep tasks accurately.

Lesson 1 • Classical Vegetable Cuts

Covers julienne, brunoise, dice, and chiffonade with precise dimensions. Uniform cuts are essential for consistent cooking times and plate aesthetics.

Lesson 2 • Breaking Down Vegetables and Fruits

Applies cutting techniques to onions, garlic, citrus, and root vegetables. Builds speed and confidence with real ingredients used in later recipes.

Lesson 3 • Butchering Proteins for Prep

Introduces trimming, portioning, and deboning poultry and fish. Prepares students to handle proteins correctly before applying heat in cooking chapters.

Lesson 1 • Derivative and Pan Sauces

Builds on mother sauces to create derivatives and quick pan sauces using fond. Expands sauce repertoire and teaches deglazing and reduction techniques.

Lesson 2 • The Five Mother Sauces

Teaches béchamel, velouté, espagnole, hollandaise, and tomato sauce preparation. These sauces form the basis for hundreds of derivative sauces in professional kitchens.

Lesson 3 • Seasoning and Balancing Flavors

Teaches salt, acid, fat, and heat as tools for flavor balance in sauces and soups. Develops the palate judgment students need for all subsequent cooking.

Lesson 4 • Classic and Contemporary Soups

Covers consommé, cream soups, bisques, and purée soups using stock bases. Connects stock-making skills to finished, platable soup preparations.

Lesson 1 • Roasting and Baking Savory Foods

Teaches oven roasting of meats, poultry, and vegetables with correct temperatures. Connects to stock and sauce skills through pan drippings and resting technique.

Lesson 2 • Sautéing and Pan-Frying

Covers high-heat fat cooking for proteins and vegetables with proper pan control. Builds the most frequently used stovetop skill in professional kitchens.

Lesson 3 • Finishing and Plating Dry-Heat Dishes

Applies sauce, garnish, and plating principles to dry-heat preparations. Bridges cooking technique with professional presentation standards.

Lesson 4 • Deep-Frying and Shallow-Frying

Teaches oil temperature management, breading procedures, and safe frying practices. Produces crisp, properly cooked results while minimizing oil hazards.

Lesson 1 • Braising Meats and Vegetables

Teaches sear-then-braise technique for tough cuts using aromatics and liquid. Develops understanding of collagen conversion and long-cook flavor development.

Lesson 2 • Stewing and Slow Cooking

Covers stew construction with uniform cuts, thickening agents, and long simmering. Builds on braising principles and expands students' repertoire of hearty dishes.

Lesson 3 • Steaming and En Papillote

Teaches direct steam and parchment-packet cooking for vegetables and fish. Preserves nutrients and natural flavors while building gentle cooking skills.

Lesson 4 • Poaching and Simmering

Covers shallow and deep poaching of eggs, fish, and poultry at controlled temperatures. Develops precision in liquid temperature management for delicate proteins.

Lesson 1 • Cooking Vegetables to Order

Covers roasting, sautéing, steaming, and glazing vegetables for service. Builds speed and consistency in producing vegetable sides across multiple methods.

Lesson 2 • Pasta and Noodle Cookery

Covers cooking dried and fresh pasta to al dente and pairing with appropriate sauces. Connects to sauce skills from Chapter 4 for complete dish assembly.

Lesson 3 • Legumes and Dried Beans

Teaches soaking, cooking, and seasoning dried legumes for use in soups and sides. Builds understanding of protein-rich plant ingredients and their cooking behavior.

Lesson 4 • Potatoes and Root Starches

Covers boiling, mashing, roasting, and frying potatoes and other root starches. Develops versatility with the most common starch component on professional menus.

Lesson 1 • Mise en Place and Station Setup

Covers organizing ingredients, tools, and prep lists for efficient service readiness. Translates all prior prep skills into a structured pre-service workflow.

Lesson 2 • Plating for Service Speed

Applies plating standards to high-volume service with consistency and speed. Bridges individual dish quality with the demands of a full service period.

Lesson 3 • Ticket Management and Timing

Covers reading orders, prioritizing tasks, and coordinating timing across stations. Develops the multitasking ability essential for live service performance.

Lesson 4 • Menu Costing and Portion Control

Introduces food cost percentage, portion weights, and waste reduction strategies. Connects cooking skills to the financial accountability expected of professional cooks.