# Butter and salt... maybe i'm just too nieve...



## sweetjames (Dec 26, 2007)

today was veggie day in my intro class.
each group of two blanched and shocked a particular veg, and then everyone labeled the pan for the rest of the class to taste.
as if no one has ever tasted broccolli, cauliflower, pea pods, etc.
there were some in there like kale, swiss chard, brussle sprouts, that some haven't tried. 

anyway, i blanched and shocked mine, then when everyone was ready(after the other things we did) we warmed them up in a sautee pan with clarified butter, and then seasoned them in the sautee pan.
i thought that would be enough, but then when they were in holding the pan the professor asked me if i'd buttered and seasoned them for the serving, which i hadn't. so i hit them with some more clarified butter and seasoning.
later when we were all eating them, the professor said "some of you didn't season your veggies". "Who?", we asked.
then she named the veg my group had.
i don't know if she is just so used to over salted resturant food or what, but i kinda thought maybe if the idea of the exercise was to taste the veggies, we should TASTE THE VEGGIES, not the veggies loaded up with salt and butter. 

i tried a small portion of everyones veggies, and needless to say, i felt like **** all day because i'm not used to consuming so much butter! everything just tasted like mushy buttery salt!

i know from being in/around the industry for the last 8 years of my life, that it is standard practice to season and butter the veg on the line and in banquet plate ups, but doesn't it seem like we should have been made to taste them raw, then cooked without any additives, so we can learn and understand the true flavor profile of the product? 

what do you guys think?


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## jbd (Mar 17, 2008)

That is exactly how it should be---especially in a school setting.

The wrinkle though for the chef/cook is to figure out what level of flavoring/seasoning to add to satisfy the customer. My own family will serve as an example of this problem. Myself and two of my sisters prefer most veggies without any seasoning or flavorings. My mother and the other sisters and brothers want the butter and salt.


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## boar_d_laze (Feb 13, 2008)

I think there are quite a few good reasons you're taking the class instead of teaching it. Two among at least several score of the most glaring are: You not only do not know how to hit the appropriate seasoning level, you don't yet understand that there is an appropriate seasoning level which is not subject to your personal taste.

BDL
(ex-pro)


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## blueicus (Mar 16, 2005)

I have to agree with BDL (as if it's a bad thing  ). There will always be some disagreement between teacher and student but firstly why are you taking an intro course if you have so much experience? Secondly, I think an open mind is essential to being a good student and a key to success... if you're going to reject everyone else's opinion out of hand then what's the point of taking the class, to feel superior to everyone else you're working with?


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## lizabu (Jun 17, 2008)

I get what you're saying. When I first started I was surprised by how much salt & pepper goes in to everything. I was always underdoing it, worried I might overseason it and you can't really fix that but then I began to trust my instincts and my tastebuds. What you're going for is the perfect seasoning so the diner doesn't have to add anything to their plate when it reaches them. Many times as a home cook we underseason to allow for people to add their own salt & pepper at the table. The butter can take some getting used to as well, especially if your used to eating a lower fat diet. Trust your teacher. They will have the best idea of what is expected of you.


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## reparon73 (Sep 20, 2008)

don't panic. first off: be sure your veg is slightly underdone. When they hit the sautee pan w the warm butter, they will not fall to molecules. Chill out, when your veggies R in the sizzling (BUT NOT BURNT) butter pinch salt+ white pepper. No strict rules. Drain appropiatly. You'll be fine


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## dannyt223 (Oct 7, 2008)

I agree with you completely on that. It seems like everything these days are just over-seasoned with salt and butter. Sometimes less is more though and if you want to use the vegetables for there taste then thats what you should do. Don't ruin them with butter and salt. But I wasn't there and there may have been another purpose to the class. Maybe he was just tired of eating bland veggies or something like that

Dan


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## reparon73 (Sep 20, 2008)

BDL is right btw, but when I went to college, we had an awesome Enlish guy,- was head chef for London Hilton for several years. Anyways no matter how much seasoning u used, he always stated that yor thing is underseasoned. Groupwisely we were thinking of buying him a 20 kg bag of salt, when graduated. :beer:


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## tessa (Sep 9, 2007)

I had a tutor like that earlier this year

where are you from Reparon that you measure in metric


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## reparon73 (Sep 20, 2008)

Sometimes even I don't know. Obviously Hungarian, but got my culinary degree downunder. Which is sometimes funny and confusing. For instance statements like first/second language sometimes make no sence at all. A lot of terms I can't recall in Hungarian, and vica-versa. Anyways, in Nz+ Oz we use the metric. Stone aged yank measurements drive me nuts pretty often:lol:.


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## tessa (Sep 9, 2007)

are you in NZ or OZ Im in NZ in auckland 

sorry for hijacking the thread


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## reparon73 (Sep 20, 2008)

In NZ, Christchurch, stuck here till early Nov, than want to move up somewhere to the North Island, or West Coast. I really had a good guees than, with the mussels, they HAD to be from here!!!!:bounce:
me sorry too for bombing thread.


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## tessa (Sep 9, 2007)

woooohoooooo another kiwi (does happy dance)


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## reparon73 (Sep 20, 2008)

Than U mighven know some of the guys, who where in charge, like Stan Tawa, Hugh Wall, Neill Mcguiness, Bruce Guild, Marcus Brown. CPIT btw.:bounce:


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## tessa (Sep 9, 2007)

i origninaly studied at ATI now AUT and this year i have been studying at NSIA 
as a patisserie chef and am going back next year to get my Dip culinary arts 
It was at NSIA in my 3rd semester( where my chef tutor just loved all the salt and would often comment that i didnt add enough


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## reparon73 (Sep 20, 2008)

pls reply to [email protected],- so we do not hassle the butter+salt guys, also I've got truckloads of questions, especially if you are good at pastry,- and I'm sure you are.:roll:

i mean [email protected]. But still the underscore doesn't appear. Thought it was typing error, but no. And even didn't drink that much:lol:


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## greg (Dec 8, 1999)

I would recommend not posting your e-mail address in the forum. Feel free to use the private messaging system for that type of thing.


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## thatkid_tiny (Oct 23, 2007)

Personally, I think that it all depends on personal preferences. Some people like to drown their veggies in salt and butter, others a light sprinkle. However, your professor like many sous chefs in a kitchen have to consider the customers prefereces. So perhaps your professor is just trying to balance out the veg, butter, and salt flavors as evenly as possible. but since cooking is an art, no two dishes made by two different people should be the same. =]


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## d.c. (Nov 2, 2008)

One of the hardest lessons I had to unlearn when I went to culinary school was my use (or lack thereof) of salt. 

I come from a family that doesn't use much salt due to dietary/medical conerns. Most of our meals are typically prepared sodium free ... so it was a challenge to attend culianry school and to learn how to properly use salt. 

BDL has the right of it. You have to learn how to season to restaurant standards and not to personal taste. 

As far as feeling down for the rest of the day, you really need to develop a thicker skin. 

My group was once chewed out with our plating of spaghetti with Marinara sauce. We plated the spaghetti and topped it with sauce, grated Parmesan cheese, and chopped parsley. The chef instructor yelled at us for not thoroughly mixing the spaghetti with the sauce prior to garnishing it. Never mind the fact that he didn't do this in the demo ... and never mind the fact that a reporter from the local paper was present and her photographer chose THAT MOMENT to take a picture of my group. 

Come the next day, my group was in the local paper with a caption about how the chef had reamed us for an unsaisfactory plate production. 

If you let a little thing like seasoning bother you for the rest of the day, imagine how you'll feel if you overcook a side dish, underbake a bread product, curdle your eggs while making Bearnaise sauce etc.

You have got to learn how to take things in stride otherwise you'll fall apart on the line.


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## ellen alfafara (Nov 17, 2008)

taste buds differ from person to person. what you did was right, though it just seems like your teacher has a stronger preference. it's best to season veggies lightly, then just let the diners add whatever seasoning they want to suit their taste. hope this helped answer. tnx.


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