Cooking education in America

The globalisation of food, media food saturation, and the modern drive towards culinary experimentation are just some of the reasons why more people in the western world are interested in learning how to cook. Cooking education has grown over the last couple of decades, both in terms of people who want a formal education to become professional chefs, and those who just want to know how to cook better at home. While fast food and take away pizza are still doing well and attracting a huge market share, there is also an increased tendency in many countries towards healthy eating and education in home cooking (Kochen).

A cooking school is also known as a culinary school, and is devoted to educating people in the art and science of food preparation and cooking. The term 'cooking schools' can refer to either informal classes run by a local chef or formal certificate and degree based institutions. Some cooking schools are associated with working public restaurants, as they have the up to date industry knowledge and facilities that allow students to learn in a real environment. Celebrity chefs on television and the multi-cultural nature of society are two reasons why cooking has received more public attention and cooking education has become an issue in America and England in recent times.

Some of the more famous cooking schools in the United States include 'Baltimore International College', the 'Ivy Tech Community College', 'Manchester Community College' and the 'Culinary Institute of America'. The certification process in these establishments are different from one another, with some providing a degree and others offering both a degree and the certification of the American Culinary Federation (ACF). This is the biggest professional chefs' organisation in the whole of the nation, and membership can be a great start for a young chef who is just out of school. The ACF started in New York and now has over 18,000 members in over 200 schools all over the United States.

The gourmet food industry is helping to educate a lot of people about the intricacies of food preparation, including methods of food selection and refined cooking techniques. The rise of the presence of gourmet food in supermarkets and on TV is helping to ensure the future of professional cooking, and the education in cooking that goes along with it. Going hand in hand with an education in gourmet and international food is an education in food health and nutrition. Good cooking and a balanced diet (Diät) have always gone together, and whether you are a student with an eye on a pro-cooking career, or an amateur who just wants to excel in the kitchen - education is the key.