These are excerpts from the author’s book “Deep,” which contains eight of his small books published in the form of Wisdom Literature covering different aspects of life: Facing troublemakers, dealing with pain, personal financial issues, gastronomy, reading, criticizing, inspiring, and feeling always good to go.

Series 4: Cuisine – Feeling Good.

Week 59: Becoming a Professional Cook  

• Of course, each piece of meat has its own cooking method, but the taste of the meat depends entirely on the chef’s skill. A master chef can bring out the taste of a good piece of meat and conceal the taste of inferior meat through a charming combination of ingredients.

• The most prominent sign you are becoming a professional cook is that you do not feel afraid or hesitant to cook a recipe for the first time because you are confident that the result will be acceptable at the very least.

• Like an architect who knows the shape of a structure from its early design stages, a good chef feels absolutely confident about the taste and appearance of his or her food before preparing the recipe.

• A good chef does not necessarily have to be an expert in raising livestock or growing crops, but he or she must necessarily be familiar with the whereabouts of good meat, vegetables, and spices, and he or she should be an expert in picking them.

• You become a professional cook when you are no longer afraid to go into the kitchen to prepare whatever dish someone requests you, even if it were the first time to try preparing that dish.

• Even a professional chef is not supposed to prepare all dishes of the same quality, but he or she must prepare everything requested from him or her satisfactorily and is not allowed to make obvious mistakes in the dish.

• Every chef has his or her own personal style and behavior while cooking. But if you manage to merge vitality and calm, this will double the impression that you are a professional cook.

• Being a professional cook does not mean that you memorize the ingredients and the way any food in the world is cooked by heart. The important thing is that you know how to deal with every cooking challenge you face, whether with the foods you know or the ones that are new to you.

• For your professional cooking, it suffices to master the dishes that your kitchen specializes in, whether they are many or few. But at least make sure you familiarize yourself with what others offer outside of your kitchen. That will encourage and inspire you in one way or another.

• Becoming a professional cook doesn’t mean that everyone should like your cooking every time. But it is necessary that no connoisseur finds a clear flaw in your cooking at any time.

• If we dare to go beyond the traditional judgments, the professional cook is a title that is sometimes deserved by some talented cooks under the age of ten or a little over. Experience matters, but talent surprises often exceed ages’ expectations amazingly.