"Pete C." wrote:
> Ed Pawlowski wrote:
>
> > "SteveB" <toquerville@zionvistas> wrote in message
> >news
> > > How would you define a cook?
>
> > > I think it is someone who prepares food who:
>
> > > will try new things.
> > > will accept failure.
> > > is adventurous.
> > > is flexible.
> > > is creative.
>
> > > I don't think it's someone who's been to school and can cook a creme
> > > brule.
>
> > > Steve
>
> > Nice attributes, but I don't think most are needed. �I know plenty of people
> > that cook out of necessity. �I know people that accepted a job as "cook" in
> > a restaurant and did the chores but did not give a damn about trying
> > anything new, cared not about failure, and were not at all creative or
> > adventurous. �As for flexibility, only to the point that when the boss asked
> > "can you work next Wednesday?" they would say yes. �They cooked food for the
> > customers, got paid, went home and ordered pizza. �They still carried the
> > title "cook"
>
> > There are people that do have all of the attributes you describe and have a
> > genuine interest in learning and expanding the culinary experience. �I don't
> > know what title to give them, but cook, IMO, is not the right one.
>
> Chef vs. cook perhaps? Chef developing recipes vs. cook following them?

Cooks develop recipes, chefs have nothing to do with recipes other
than pricing out ingredients and curtailing the use of particular
pricey items... the chef's responsiblity is to develop a list of
suppliers, to negotiate prices, to dictate portion size, and to make
substitutions such as powdered milk and eggs for fresh... in reality
the chef is the scrooge of the kitchen, a chef's main responsibility
is to manage the operation so that the establishment turns a profit.
A chef needs to have a good head for business, not cooking... cooking
doesn't require a lot of thinking, it's a talent, like a
cabinetmaker... any pinhead can be taught to frame houses but to be a
cabinetmaker one needs to be born with the innate ability... it's like
no one taught Micheal Angelo how to paint.. a cook is like Micheal
Angelo, a chef is like the Pope.