Chef Certification Basics - Entering The World Of Professional Cooking

It is very rare to see a working chef that doesn't have a degree in the cooking field. These chefs study at cooking schools to learn the skills associated with working in a kitchen. They then work their way up through the world of cooking or start their own restaurant. Before a chef even begins to work in a kitchen though, they first need to obtain their chef certification.

A chef certification is exactly what it sounds like: a degree or certificate that entitles the student to work as a chef. Unlike other fields, it isn't necessarily mandatory, but it is highly beneficial. This little piece of paper proves to potential employers and restaurant owners that the individual has trained as a professional chef. Those with the degree know that they have a better chance at landing a high profile job than those individuals who decided to skip cooking school.

The American Culinary Federation offers a different type of chef certification for working cooks and those just out of school. An individual who goes this route can receive their piece of paper, without first attending school. Anyone who wants to take the tests to receive the chef certification can do so as long as they fill out the application and pay the fees to take the test.

This program forces the chef to showcase or highlight their skills in the kitchen. A trained instructor will show the individual the things they need to do and then grade that person as they do them. The day of the test the test taker will work in a real life kitchen, showing the instructor their skills. They'll be asked to do basic things such as chopping vegetables, peeling fruits and filleting a bone. Then they'll move on to more difficult things such as creating a stock or recipe from scratch under the watchful eye of the instructor. Those that meet a minimum score from the instructor will receive their chef certification documents in the mail.

Not everyone who attempts to get chef certification through the American Culinary Federation have a diploma and not all who have a diploma get certified. Often times an individual only picks one because both will show that they have the skills needed to work as a chef. Restaurants know that applicants with one type of certification are far better because they already know the ins and outs of working in a kitchen. That makes them a more valuable applicant.