Do you like to cook? Have you ever thought about a career in the culinary arts?

If so, did you know that science and technical skills can help you progress in your career? Below, we’ll outline the top scientific and technical skills you can use for a career in the culinary arts.

Culinary Arts Science and Tech Skills

Believe it or not, food, nutrition, and cooking are all closely related to science. Master the following skills, and you can turn your passion for food into a profitable career.

Once you’ve acquired these skills, you will also have to include them in a compelling resume. For inspiration, you can check out this chef resume example to learn all the ingredients needed to cook up a good opening career objective for chefs.

Accurate Measuring

Measuring ingredients is a part of cooking - you know this. But have you ever thought about the importance of measuring your ingredients properly?

Common measurements in cooking include weight and volume. You need to know the proper tools for measuring each. Use a kitchen scale to accurately gauge weight; this is more accurate than measuring by volume when baking.

When measuring volume, remember that dry measures and liquid measures require different measuring tools. Yes, they hold the same volume, but dry measuring cups allow you to level the ingredients with a flat-edged knife, while liquid measuring cups prevent spills. Both of these innovations result in more consistency across recipes.

Finally, you need to know how to convert recipe measurements from one form to another. For example, imagine you are cutting a recipe in half. How many tablespoons equal half of one-fourth of a cup, for example?

Or maybe you are an American preparing a recipe from somewhere else in the world. You may need to convert liters to fluid ounces or grams to ounces, for instance. 

Technical Writing

When you hear the term “technical writing,” you might think of instruction manuals or scientific texts. But recipe writing is a form of technical writing as well.

Technical writing, by definition, provides instructions to the reader. But like many technical documents, recipes follow a strict format. This allows readers to easily recognize and follow the directions from one recipe to another.

Chemistry

Chemistry is integral to cooking. How so? Consider a few examples.

  • Applying heat to food produces an endothermic reaction - one that absorbs heat. This chemical reaction causes chemical and structural changes in the food items - thus producing the flavors and textures we love.
  • One such chemical reaction is called a Maillard reaction. This is “a chemical reaction between amino acids and reducing sugars that gives browned food its distinctive flavor.”
  • Chemistry is especially essential in baking. Not only does the heat of the oven produce chemical reactions, but specific ratios of certain ingredients (such as baking soda or baking powder) are needed to produce the desired results.
  • PH - specifically, acidity - is also integral to how food tastes. According to Food & Wine, for example, a dish that is “just missing something” may need the “brightness” of an acid, such as citrus juice or vinegar.

When a culinary artist has a keen understanding of the chemical components of the foods they create, they will be better able to make new recipes and have success in the test kitchen.

Nutrition

Nutrition is often a separate field of study from culinary arts. The former focuses on the intersection of biology and chemistry, while the latter considers the taste, texture, and presentation of what is eaten.

But in practice, the two are often more intimately linked than this. For example, a celebrity chef might be asked to construct a meal plan for an individual that marries specific nutritional requirements to the delectable enjoyment of food.

Even in the world at large, many people pay attention to specific nutritional needs - and many niche and chain restaurants are beginning to cater to these preferences.

When might a chef require a deep understanding of nutrition? Consider these real-world examples:

  • A chef is asked to create a tasty protein-rich shake or salad bowl for a vegan or vegetarian restaurant.
  • A chef is commissioned to develop promotional recipes that utilize dairy-free milks and cheeses or vegan meat substitutes.
  • A restaurant chain focuses on specific consumer diets, such as the paleo diet.
  • A chef has the task of creating an all-in-one nutritional bar or supplement that utilizes limited available ingredients or caters to dietary intolerances.
  • During a shortage, culinary professionals are asked to source an important product - like infant formula - from the ingredients available despite supply chain issues.

In these and in other situations, a keen understanding of nutrition - how food interacts with the human body - is vital.

Key Takeaways

Scientific and technical skills are vital to success in a culinary arts career. If you can master the accurate measuring of ingredients, technical recipe writing, food chemistry, and nutrition, you could be on your way to a very interesting and rewarding career!