Your Guide to Baking and Pastry School

By Chef Mardav
mardav@hqpublications.com
Culinary Institutes Columnist

Almost every country in the world has some sort of baking tradition. That means you are apt to find baking jobs regardless of where you go. Of course, if you have a baking career in mind, you should start by looking for an excellent baking school.

All Baking Schools Are Not Created Equal

One of the first things to think about - and you don't need a baking class to tell you this - is that not every baking and pastry school is the same. The traditions vary from country to country and even from region to region, and the baking training varies as well.

A Chicago baking school will be somewhat different from a baking school in California, and a baking class in the Philippines will differ from a baking class in Malaysia. That's just common sense.

Once you have completed your baking training and commenced your baking career, you will find that the final month of the year is one of your very busy times. That is true whether you are a professional baker or a home baker.

The Holidays Bring Baking to the Forefront

With Kwanzaa, Chanukah, and Christmas all falling in December, the ovens of the world have to work overtime. The people of Denmark will even tell you that the weather warms up towards the end of that month because of all the baking going on - they call that supposed phenomena "Christmas cake days."

You may have already started your year-end baking with a few dozen batches of cookies to send to friends and family members far away. Here are a few quick tips:

Start with cookies that don't break or crumble easily and don't go stale quickly.
Put your cookie container inside another box that is much larger and fill the extra space with a good, flexible packing material.
Hard cookies such as biscotti and gingersnaps are the best travelers, with shortbreads and sugar cookies coming next.

Finding the Right Baking and Pastry School for You

Of course, before embarking on your baking school education, you should research your schools. Culinary Institutes offers a comprehensive directory of schools across the country - there is sure to be a culinary school near you that offers some of the best baking classes in the Western Hemisphere.

About the Author

Chef Mardav entered the kitchen at the age of seven and now, many years later, is still there. His writings on a variety of subjects have appeared in a wide range of publications. He is also a visual artist whose illustrations have appeared in Europe and the United States.

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