Garde Manger & What Chefs Must Know

By Jennifer Marie Anderson


If you spend ample amounts of time preparing chilled platters and the like, chances are that you may consider yourself a garde manger chef. A garde manger, in simplest terms, is an environment in which cooler foods are prepared without the presence of heat. Even though the heat in question will not be so easily seen, there's no question that effort is still required. To become the best you can be, as far as garde manger cooking is concerned, culinary students should consider these ideas.

In this day and age, it's easy to see that the garde manger is seen as an entry level position into cooking careers. These are the areas in which salads and other small platters can be created without much experience, meaning that it is great for those who are simply trying to get their feet wet. With that said, though, being a garde manger chef can actually prove to be quite intricate as time goes on. You may be curious as to what exactly this means.

Of course, as you become more skilled in cooking, you may find yourself utilizing older products to create newer meals. For example, chicken left over from last night's dinner may be cut well and tossed into a broth in order to create soup. This idea of re-purposing, albeit with cooler products, is one that can be associated with a garde manger chef's copious responsibilities. If you can make the most of what you have, your abilities will only grow from that point.

If you'd like to understand the more complex aspects of a garde manger chef's job, you should consider the aesthetics aspects of the job. For example, if there is a social event that requires appetizers, it wouldn't be out of the question for various cheeses to be served in a well-composed platter. What if there is an upcoming wedding that requires a cake with the finest decorations? Elements like flowers made of icing will not only be set in place but made with quality intact.

As you can see, working within a garde manager takes quite a bit of responsibility. There are various duties that must be taken into consideration, some of them undeniably more important than others. Focus on all of these, for the future, and you'll start to see why a job like this is the perfect entry for budding culinary specialists. If you like it enough, who's to say that you cannot spend more time crafting your skills in this particular realm?




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