Can You Get Through Culinary School Without Getting Yelled at by Gordon Ramsay?

By: Jennifer Post
Estimated Completion Time
4 min
Can You Get Through Culinary School Without Getting Yelled at by Gordon Ramsay?
Image: Vizerskaya/E+/Getty Images

About This Quiz

Culinary school is no joke. At the Culinary Institute of America, each class starts off with six weeks of intense "academic classes." This is where you will learn how to identify produce in the grocery store based on looks and characteristics alone, how your body tastes and enjoys food, how culinary math differs from what you might already know, and how to stay safe in a kitchen environment. Once you get past all of that, you enter meat and seafood identification and fabrication classes (two separate classes, mind you) followed by three levels of knife skills classes.

If you're already exhausted, did we mention that you're in class from 6 a.m. until 3 or 4 p.m.? Then once your classes are over, you get to go back to your dorm room, wash your gross chef whites (oh yeah, you have to wear chef whites to kitchen classes) and practice your knot skills on your kitchen towels with twine, followed by other homework. If you make it to bed before midnight, you're lucky and probably doing something wrong.

It's no wonder that people come out of culinary school as intense as Gordon Ramsay! Can you make it through culinary school without him yelling at you? Let's find out!

What is mise en place?
“Everything in its place.”
It’s like, having all of your ingredients prepared.
“Missing pieces”
Getting everything you need out on your cutting board

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What is umami?
The fifth taste
A sauce
What mushrooms taste like
Basically means savoriness that you find from mushrooms, soy sauce, etc.

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When identifying napa cabbage, what should you look for?
Lime green leaves with deep, white veins
Long iceberg lettuce
Dense green leaves
Mostly white leaves with green at the end, in an oval shape

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What is a boning knife used for?
Breaking down cattle and other animals, as well as fish
Taking the scales off of a fish
Taking leftover meat off the bones of animals
Getting as close to the bone of animals and fish as possible to increase yield

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What is the difference between stock and broth?
Stock uses just bones, broth uses bones and meat.
There is no difference.
Stock uses just bones, broth uses just meat.
Stock is just the bones and vegetables, broth is seasoned and soup like.

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What would be your best class in culinary school?
Restaurant management
Wine tasting
Meat identification and fabrication
Nutrition

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How often do you sharpen your knives?
I hone everyday, sharpen every few weeks.
I hone everyone once in a while.
Every Friday
Every two weeks, like clockwork

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What skill did you perfect in Knife Skills 1?
Tournet
Dice
Julienne
Chiffonade

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How many towels do you go through in one class (one day)?
Two
Five
One
Three

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What knife do you use most often?
Chef's knife
Serrated knife
Paring knife
Cleaver

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Would you say your are more of a morning person or a night person?
I can be whatever I need to be based on what I'm doing.
Night
Late morning
Morning for sure

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What kind of leader are you?
A good mix of good cop, bad cop
I don't consider myself a leader.
I'm more of the assistant to the leader type.
I'm not here to make friends.

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Do you enjoy having a social life?
It's nice, but the kitchen staff is my social life.
Yes! Can't live without it.
I would definitely miss hanging out with my friends.
I make time for it when I need to.

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Who is your favorite television chef?
Giada DiLaurentiis
Pioneer Woman
Ina Garten
Bobby Flay

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What is your favorite meal to make for family and friends?
Homemade pasta with lamb ragu
A continental breakfast
Baked four-cheese macaroni and cheese with garlic toast
Sirloin steak and roasted vegetables

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What was your best subject in high school?
Math
English
Science
History

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How do you handle criticism, constructive or not?
I listen, and learn from it.
I cry.
I take it into consideration.
It rolls right off my shoulders.

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How often do you like to vacation?
Once every few years
Every month
One long weekend here and there
When I can

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What is your favorite kitchen tool?
My knife
Microwave
A good cutting board
Meat thermometer

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What is the purpose of a Maître d'Hôtel butter?
To add even more flavor to seared meat
To greet people at the door
To keep meat and fish moist
To use up scraps of herbs and garlic

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What would be your favorite part of culinary school?
Mastering a certain type of cuisine
Eating the food we make
Perfecting my knife skills
Going abroad for my externship

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Would you do the restaurant management track?
Nah, I belong in the kitchen.
Not if it takes longer
Maybe! I'm still considering my options.
Absolutely!

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What is your favorite late night food to eat?
Cheesy pasta
Burritos
I prefer not to eat late at night.
Grilled cheese

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What time do you prefer to wake up in the morning?
I'm usually up and ready by 7 a.m.
Around 9 a.m.
Between 7 and 8 a.m.
6 a.m. sharp

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Do you drink coffee?
Too much
I prefer tea.
Strong and black
All day

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How often did you parents yell at you as a kid?
Sometimes. I can be stubborn.
Every day
Only when I was being especially bad
Not much really! I was a good kid.

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What is your current job level?
CEO
Assistant
Entry level
Manager

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What is your ideal date?
Local watering hole and drinks
Fast food dinner and drive-in movie
My family's restaurant
Coffee

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Do you like to bake?
I don't prefer it, but I can do it if needed.
Not really
Yes! Doesn't always come out right, but I enjoy it.
I love it, and I like to think I'm pretty good at it.

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What is your strongest skill?
Attention to detail
Taking my time
Perseverance
Patience

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You Got: