• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

The Cook's Pyjamas

  • Home
  • Start Here
  • Work With Me
    • Contact Me
    • Disclosure Policy
    • Privacy Policy
  • Recipe Index
    • All the Recipes
    • Kitchen Basics
    • Breakfast
    • Main Meals
    • Salads
    • Soup
    • Side Dishes
    • Slow Cooker
    • 30 Minute Meals
    • Meals From The Freezer
    • Take-out Fake-Out
    • Recipes That Use Leftovers
    • Dessert
    • Baking
    • Snacks
    • Miscellaneous Bits & Pieces
    • Thermomix
    • Preserving the Harvest
  • Resource Library

Wholefood & Natural Foods Chef Training Program – Week 1

August 26, 2013 by tania 6 Comments

Last Updated: January 22, 2018

  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • Yummly
  • Mix
Wholefood & Natural Foods Chef Training Program

I have just finished the first week of the Wholefood & Natural Foods Chef Training Program. Thirteen of us have enrolled, heralding from as far afield as Canada, New Zealand and Queensland. There are also quite a few of us from Perth.

Wholefood & Natural Foods Chef Training Program

As the course is concerned with the premise of learning to cook nourishing, real food, much of the last week has been devoted to examining such subjects as the definition of real food, diet paradigms from Ayurveda to Paleo, the importance of good fats (yes there is such a thing and it is not the ones you think) in our diets, and macro and micro nutrients. Along the way we have also considered different types of cookware and the basic of food hygiene and safety.

Then there was the Maths in the Kitchen unit. There is a reason I did not pursue Maths at University. I am not that good at it. Maths in the Kitchen teaches the ability to cost out a recipe and also scale it to suit the number of people you a trying to feed. For example: If garlic costs $9/kg, a bulb of garlic weighs 80g, and each bulb contains 8 cloves, how much will one clove of garlic cost? All this before lunch.

Wholefood & Natural Foods Chef Training Program

On the upside we did learn to make ghee. I always thought ghee came in a green tin and was useful in Indian cooking. Turns out ghee is so much more than that. Ghee is pure butter fat. Butter contains water, milk solids and fat. If the butter is heated slowly over a low flame, the water evaporates and the milk solids start to caramelise and separate out from the fat. Once the milk solids are strained off, you are left with this fantastic golden fat that smells strongly of caramel. Yum!

Wholefood & Natural Foods Chef Training Program

On Friday the real cooking started. We looked at the role of herbs and spices in the development of flavour. We were split into smaller groups of two to make an exciting array of spice mixes, pestos and laksa paste. It was interesting that with the same recipe, two different groups could produce such completely different taste profiles in their finished dishes. The really hard work (not) was having to taste everything and compare it all.

Wholefood & Natural Foods Chef Training Program

It has been an interesting week. A tantalising look at what is to come. I can’t wait.

Filed Under: Natural Chef Training Course Tagged With: chef training, cooking course, wholefood

Previous Post: « How To Make Instant Porridge
Next Post: Wholefood & Natural Foods Chef Training Program – Week 2 »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Eha

    August 27, 2013 at 1:24 pm

    What a very interesting post for a foodie who is passionate about the healthy and natural. Hope to get more from this particular course ๐Ÿ™‚ ! Oh, have made my own ghee for quite a few decades . . . methinks quite different from the ones one can buy!!

    Reply
    • tania

      August 27, 2013 at 7:23 pm

      I am hoping to update through the course, workloads permitting ๐Ÿ™‚ I am astounded at the difference in homemade ghee. The flavour from cooking with it is amazing. Will never buy pre-made again.

      Reply
  2. celia

    August 28, 2013 at 3:29 am

    Sounds like you’re having a wonderful time, Tania! Homemade ghee is something else isn’t it? The ghee Pepe Saya is making at the moment is pretty amazing too.. ๐Ÿ™‚

    Reply
    • tania

      August 28, 2013 at 8:21 am

      So far so good Celia. Homemade ghee has kinda blown my mind. I cooked some tempeh in it the other day and The Princess asked why I had used maple syrup. It has a lovely sweetish edge you don’t get from the one in the tin. Unfortunately Pepe Saya butter is difficult to source here so I can only imagine the ghee is unobtainable. Will have to have a hunt and see.

      Reply
  3. Mel @ The cook's notebook

    August 28, 2013 at 7:36 am

    Is this Jude Blereau’s course?? It’s one I desperately want to do one day. Can’t wait to read more about it. LOVE the name of your blog – came across it as you posted the comment before one of mine on Amanda’s fabulous Lambs’ Ears & Honey blog. Look forward to reading more ๐Ÿ™‚

    Reply
    • tania

      August 28, 2013 at 7:41 am

      Yes Mel, that’s the one. Sorry need to put the link in ๐Ÿ™‚ I’ve been wanting to do it since she started them but this year the stars happily aligned. Thanks for your lovely comments.

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Photo of the site owner, Tania.
Hi! I'm Tania!
I love using easy kitchen hacks to simplify my meal making, reduce my cooking time and put healthy meals on the table in a snap. Let me show you how I do it.

Find Meal Times A Burden?

Join My Free Challenge Now.
9 Days. 9 Tips.
A Lifetime of Stress Free Meals.




Latest Posts

thumbnail image showing cropped collage of healthy freezer meals

13 Healthy Meals That Freeze Well

Thumbnail image of a loaf of 5 minute artisan bread.

Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day – The Only Recipe You Need

The Most Amazingly Delicious Quick Fish Curry. A simple fish curry recipe for a busy night.

A Quick and Easy Fish Curry in Just 30 Minutes

Footer

Search

Archives

Categories

Copyright The Cook's Pyjamas © 2021 ยท