Son interested in culinary career. Mom needs help

[Damuc]

My 16 year old son has been interested in being a chef since about the age of 2. He is in a pre-culinary class for a year and has another year of it before going to a culinary school. He has a school picked out. I want to know what "tools" my son will need in the future as I plan on getting them for him as "gifts" through out the years.

Any help?

Damuc

[benadeutsch]

knives, fish spatulas, honing steels, sharpening stones in various grits, books, namely: Kitchen Confidential (Bourdain), El Bulli Cookbook (Albert, Ferran Adria and Julie Soler), The Making of a Chef (Michael Ruhlman) On Food And Cooking (Harold McGee).

[ChefJen]

books books books

Oh and let him cook you dinner!

Take him Grocery Shopping let him buy groceries for a meal!

[FishinChef]

I want to know what "tools" my son will need in the future as I plan on getting them for him as "gifts" through out the years.

Any help?

Damuc

Best thing you can do is encourage him to get a job in the business. Somewhere that he can get dirty and see if he really wants to make a career out of it.

[fooddude]

Best thing you can do is encourage him to get a job in the business. Somewhere that he can get dirty and see if he really wants to make a career out of it

I couldnt agree more....He will also be way more prepared for culinary school and he will soon find out and tell you what tools/toys he wants/needs.

[lebelage]

He needs Ma Gastronmie by Fernand Point.
There are very few things I would say one needs... this is in the top 5.

[Cora]

my son is going. his passion for cooking is paramount. the drive to learn. a yearning to succeed. A mothers love to support him.......

if you need to talk....i am here.

[cewall]

The El Bulli books are a bit unfair. I'm sure this mother loves her son, but 300 bucks a pop is a bit out there. I'd recommend, like lebelage, Ma Gastronomie and I'd add another fundamentals book, like Professional Chef by the CIA.

[BlakeA]

I'd add

On food and cooking - harold mcgee

[chefintraining]

Ditto on the job thing! As for books, can't forget Escoffier, can we? I sure as hell know I don't pull it out everytime I want to cook something, but just having gone through it a time our two is one of the best things you can do if you're just getting started in the biz. Also, On Cooking, The Professional Chef (CIA), or Professional Cooking (LCB, Gisslen) are great references. As for knives and tools, see what he needs or gets from whichever school he chooses before going out spending money.

[HKDave]

His school will have a specific list of tools incoming students will need, so that'll be a good starting point for gifts. Ditto for textbooks - the school will almost certainly require one of the 3 books chefintraining mentions above, so you might as well get the right one. No need to get more than one of those. They're not cheap.

For additional reading for a culinary student, I'd agree with upthread recommendations for "Kitchen Confidential" and "On Food and Cooking", and I'd add Dornenburg and Page's "Culinary Artistry".

The best thing you can do for him now isn't to buy him anything, it's to make sure that he spends time working in a commercial kitchen - even as a dishwasher - before he goes to school.

[bear]

Oh yes, Dave has hit the nail on the head, do some dishpiggiing, then he will appreciate what a KP means to a kitchen, if you dont look after your KP they wont look after you,"Bob can I get some pans?" "yes chef, commin up" (what Bob wants for lunch or dinner,Bob gets within reason), there are some as*holes out there who have a high turnover of KP's!!(I wonder why), lookafter your "underwater ceramics technician" and you will be ok.
If you must buy something to help, try Larousse Gastronomique, The International Confectioner, George Orwells Down and Out in London and Paris, as mentioned La Repetoire( Escoffier started out as a dishwasher), how about a set of Victorinox knives by Forstner, Microban 10"cooks knife, Steel, pastry knife(serrated), filleting knife, paring knife(straight), peeler rosewood handle, palette knife 1 lge 1 smll, Boning knife(full blade), parisienne cutters lge med smll, some piping tubes(plastic are fine,if good), cutters plain & fluted, or you could just go with the schools recomondation, Sabatier are v.good but pricey.
Or you could make him work for his knives, which will lead to apreciation.

[Max_Xavier]

I say ya beat the crap out of him until he agrees to choose a different career. a career that has a higher pay rate, better hours, that offers more respect to the common employee and is physically easier on the body.

Once he accomplishes this, then encourage him to throw regular dinner parties with his friends to release the need to cook and impress his friends with culinary artistry.

as for what tools he'll need.... all of the above that are already stated. even at home, having the right equipment in never overkill.
and a few afterwork, evening and/or weekend culinary cooking classes can build up the knowledge he won't get from the books. as long as they don't interfere with his other job or college classes.

[lebelage]

"I say ya beat the crap out of him until he agrees to choose a different career. a career that has a higher pay rate, better hours, that offers more respect to the common employee and is physically easier on the body.

Once he accomplishes this, then encourage him to throw regular dinner parties with his friends to release the need to cook and impress his friends with culinary artistry."

Well.... after Fernand Point's book I would put that at #2.
Mama don't let yer babies grow up to be.....line cooks...

[FishinChef]

I say ya beat the crap out of him until he agrees to choose a different career. a career that has a higher pay rate, better hours, that offers more respect to the common employee and is physically easier on the body.

Good advice