LEVEL 1: FOUNDATIONAL SKILLS
These apply to all culinary students. Both Baking & Cookery share these.
1. Safety & Sanitation
- Foodborne illness prevention
- Temperature control
- Cleaning, sanitizing, cross-contamination control
2. Knife Skills
- Grip
- Rock chop
- Slicing, chopping, mincing
- Batonnet, julienne, brunoise, dice sizes
- Butchery basics (for cookery)
3. Equipment Skills
- Ovens, burners, mixers, scales
- Bakeware & cookware identification
- Thermometer use
- Knife selection & sharpening
4. Ingredient Knowledge
- Herbs & spices
- Fats, oils
- Dairy, eggs, flour types
- Produce identification
- Meat cuts
- Sugar types (baking)
LEVEL 2: BAKING & PASTRY SKILL TREE
Baking = Precision, formulas, controlled conditions. Requires scientific consistency, measured accuracy, and repeatability.
A. Baking Science & Theory
- Ratios (flour-fat-sugar-liquid)
- Gluten development vs. tenderness
- Emulsification
- Leavening (chemical, steam, yeast)
B. Dough Skills
- Bread dough mixing & kneading
- Fermentation control
- Proofing
- Shaping & scoring
- Enriched doughs
- Laminated doughs (croissants, puff pastry)
C. Batter Skills
- Creaming method
- Muffin method
- Foaming method
- Reverse creaming
D. Pastry Skills
- Pie & tart dough
- Blind baking
- Pâte à choux
- Pâte sucrée, brisée, sablée
E. Cake & Dessert Skills
- Sponge cakes
- Layering & filling
- Frosting, icing, glazes
- Custards, puddings
- Mousses
F. Chocolate & Sugar Work (advanced)
- Tempering
- Ganache
- Sugar stages (soft ball → hard crack)
G. Decoration & Finishing
- Piping
- Cake decoration
- Garnishes
- Presentation standards
LEVEL 2: COOKERY SKILL TREE
Cookery = Technique, timing, heat control, sensory judgement.
A. Heat & Cooking Methods (core of cookery)
- Dry Heat Methods
- Sautéing
- Pan-frying
- Deep frying
- Grilling
- Broiling
- Roasting
- Baking (savory)
- Moist Heat Methods
- Boiling
- Simmering
- Poaching
- Steaming
- Braising
- Stewing
B. Flavor & Seasoning
- Salt control
- Layering flavors
- Marination
- Aromatics (onion, garlic, herbs)
- Acid balance
C. Stocks, Sauces, & Soups
- Mother sauces (béchamel, velouté, espagnole, tomato, hollandaise)
- Soup foundations (broths, purées, chunks)
- Reduction & concentration
D. Protein Cookery
- Poultry
- Beef
- Pork
- Fish cookery fundamentals
- Seafood handling & sanitation
E. Vegetable & Grain Cookery
- Blanching & shocking
- Roasting vegetables
- Rice and grains
- Pasta cooking
- Legumes
F. Plating & Presentation
- Portion control
- Plate architecture
- Color & texture balance
G. Taste Judgement (Sensory Skills)
- Seasoning adjustments
- Doneness indicators
- Texture analysis
H. Timing & Workflow
- Prep sequencing
- Mise en place discipline
- Multitasking at the stove
- Recovery when things go wrong
LEVEL 3: ADVANCED SPECIALIZATIONS
Optional “Mastery Tracks”.
Baking Masteries:
- Artisan bread
- Advanced cakes
- Chocolate work
- Decorative pastry
- Viennoiserie
Cookery Masteries:
- Butchery
- Dry-aging
- Charcuterie
- International cuisines
- Advanced sauce-making
- Fine dining plating