Is An Online Cooking School Right For You?
If you love cooking and want to turn your passion into a career, you should think about enrolling in an online cooking school. Online programs enable you to learn cooking from the comfort and convenience of your home. You'll be able to keep your job and enjoy the freedom of taking classes and studying according to your own schedule.
Levels Of Study
Online degrees are normally offered at diploma, associate, bachelors and masters level. Moreover, according to your interest and current expertise, some cooking schools allow you to choose the level that you want to enroll in e.g. beginner, intermediate or advanced.
Course Requirements:
Depending on your school and level of study, some courses have some prerequisites whereas others ask for no prior knowledge or related training. To get a degree, most schools require you to complete a certain level of credit hours by taking up some core courses and some electives.
Program Curriculum
Online cooking program curriculum is designed in such a way that you move from basic cooking techniques to the more complex ones. You'll learn to develop menus for different occasions and prepare and serve food. Besides foundation culinary training, there are so many cuisine options that different schools enable you to specialize in. These include Asian, Mediterranean, Thai, Chinese, Latin and American. The cooking techniques and strategies are illustrated with detailed cooking videos. You'll typically be provided with textbooks and study guides and required to take regular tests and a final exam. Therefore, to give you the right blend of skills, emphasis is placed on both theoretical and practical knowledge. Considering the large number of online cooking schools that you can find around the country, there is a great variation in the courses offered.
To give you a general idea we've listed some example courses that you can expect to find at cooking/culinary schools:
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Essential skills
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Safety and sanitation
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Product identification
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Grade manager
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Modern culinary technique
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Nutrition and Sensory Evaluation
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Classical French Cuisine
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American Regional Cuisine
Important Skills:
If you want to excel in a cooking school and become a 'great' chef later, there are some skills or qualities that you should possess or try to develop over time. These include but are not restricted to:
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Creativity
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Time management skills
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Manual dexterity
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Good sense of smell and taste
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Leadership skills
Employment Prospects
A degree in culinary arts prepares you to work in industries like:
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Restaurants and other eating places
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Special food services
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Traveler accommodation
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Grocery stores
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Other amusement and recreation industries
A degree in cooking is likely to enhance your chances of finding a good job. According to Bureau of Labor Statistics, in 2012, chefs and head cooks earned $22.39 hourly and $46,570 annually. Alternatively you can use your skills, get some finance and decide to start your own business venture.