Bake A Licious

6 SKILLS A CHEF/BAKER SHOULD HAVE

1. Understanding of Mise en Place

The most successful Chefs in the industry usually know that the process of baking requires careful timing and organization, so having your baking station prepared with everything you’ll need – including all the tools and pre-measured ingredients is vital.

2. Clear Team Communication

Along with mastering working with yeasted doughs and piping straight lines, communication is a skill great Chef should possess. Whether you’re mixing dough for early morning croissants or putting the finishing touches on petit fours, you need to be able to communicate with your team members. “Teamwork is dream work, and you need to have one eye and one ear on everyone else in the space at all times.”

3. Attention to Detail

As you may already know, baking is more of a science than cooking. Precise measurements and temperatures are key to achieving that perfect golden caramel or delicate cake crumb.

4. Creativity with Flavor and Texture

Good Chefs stick with the classics. Great Chefs are curious, experimenting with new flavor combinations and techniques. Not all of these experiments will end up on the winning side, but successful Chefs can see these fumbles as learning experiences rather than failures.

5. Excellent Hand-Eye Coordination

Top Chefs make shaping a seamless boule and rolling out flaky croissants look almost effortless. However, don’t think these are easy skills to master – they require advanced coordination and a thorough understanding of textures.

6. Patience Under Pressure

We can’t stress this enough: baking is a well-planned process and every step is important. That means cutting corners can lead to subpar results.