Stella Culinary School

Mar 30 2021 744
Stella Culinary School Podcast artwork

The Stella Culinary School Podcast is our flagship audio series that started it all. Originally known as "The Free Culinary School Podcast," this ongoing series starts with the most basic skills, with each episode building on the next as your knowledge grows. Hosted by Jacob Burton, Executive Chef of The Cedar House Sport Hotel and Stella Restaurant, this podcast strives to replicate the same lectures that a student would receive at top culinary schools around the world.

As Chef Jacob puts it, "This is the most important content that we produce here at Stella Culinary. The only difference between an amateur cook and a professional cook is their deep understanding of the science and technique that makes great food possible."

This podcast was created to give its listeners a firm understanding of basic and advanced cooking techniques, with a focus on food science.

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SCS 075 | Choosing Knives, Grills, BBQs & Smokers!

Mar 30 2021 63 mins  
In this episode of The Stella Culinary School Podcast, picking out knives, and what to consider when purchasing a smoker, BBQ, or grill this summer. And YES, by popular demand, this episode now has time stamps! INTRODUCTION 00:00:00 - My Standard Charming Introduction. A Must Watch! SEGMENT ONE - WHAT KNIVES DO YOU NEED? 00:02:07 - What knives should you buy? 00:04:10 - Carbon Stee

SCS 074 | Hydrocolloids - A Practical Approach

Mar 19 2021 82 mins  
The practical use of hydrocolloids are discussed, including Xanthan Gum, Lecithin, Agar Agar, and meat glue (transglutaminase). We talk about how these items can help you solve traditional kitchen problems, while not becoming the focus of a dish. Mentioned In This Episode Greek Salad Homework Assignment - https://youtu.be/3uVnAMEdu5A Food Science Videos on Gelatin & Agar - https://

SCS 073 | Greek Salad Challenge, Dissecting A Dish's Flavor Structure, & Searing Scallops

Mar 12 2021 75 mins  
In this episode, I lay out the "Greek Salad Challenge" as a homework assignment. The purpose of this challenge is to drill knife skills, and work on creating baseline seasonings through balancing fat, acid and salt. We then carry this concept over into a lesson on how I would recreate the flavor of a hollandaise sauce if all I had was a recipe and had never tasted hollandaise befor

SCS 072 | Acing A Chef Tryout & Banquet Style Execution

Mar 05 2021 73 mins  
In this episode, we discuss how to ace a chef tryout when applying for a leadership position in a professional kitchen, and how to successfully execute for a large group or banquet. In the questions and comment section, I answer Robert's question on how to execute 10 steaks at once when cooking for family and friends, and Fran's question on how long his home made sausage will last

SCS 071 | Leaving Your Career for Chefdom, Food Safety, How Fat Affects Bread Dough

Feb 26 2021 86 mins  
In this episode, Chef Jacob discusses things you should consider if you plan on leaving your career to become a chef, some potential food safety issues with reheating and holding food, and then a break down on how exactly fat affects the flavor and texture of your bread dough. This episode of the podcast is brought to you by Chef Jacob's Culinary Boot Camp and F-STEP Curriculum, yo

SCS 070 | Combi Ovens for Precision Cooking, Execution, and Holding

Feb 19 2021 77 mins  
The combi oven saga continues, with a deep dive into why I bought two more Anova Combi ovens for my professional kitchen, how we are using it to streamline our kitchen execution, and how this translates into the home cooking environment. Topics discuss include: Holding and executing eggs for a busy brunch service, including how to execute a perfect eggs benedict from start to finis

SCS 069 | Prepping for Execution, Designing Balanced Menus, Live Listener Discussion

Feb 15 2021 110 mins  
In this live episode of the Stella Culinary School Podcast, we begin with a discussion on how I like to prep on my days off to make mid-week cooking execution fast and efficient. I then answer questions on food & wine pairings, how chefs create balance in their menus, and how the pandemic has affected the United States restaurant scene. Audio only version of this podcast can be fou

SCS 068 | Gnocchi by Feel + Anova Combi-Oven Review

Feb 05 2021 86 mins  
In this episode, I give a step by step breakdown of how to make gnocchi by feel, instead of using a recipe, whether it's potato, ricotta, or pumpkin. Then I review Anova's new Combi Oven, also known to the nerd's as the APO (Anova Precision Cooker). There's a lot to like, but a few things that can be improved upon as well. Is it worth $600? You've gotta listen to find out ... that'

SCS 067 | Food Writers Are Parasites + Tender Stir Fried Meats!

Jan 29 2021 106 mins  
This episode goes off the rails quite a bit, but still turned out great, which I know you expect nothing less. We really hit our flow about 28 minutes in, once I figured out that the comments, ONCE AGAIN, were not loading properly! In this episode, we talk: About crypto currencies and how it will affect restaurant profit margins in the future. The biggest mistake people make when d

SCS 066 | Why Grandma's Beef Stroganoff Sucked!

Jan 22 2021 82 mins  
In this episode, we get the ball rolling with an update on the pressure cooked ribs experiment, where I went wrong, and how I scrambled to fix the issue to still get a delicious dinner on the table. Then I give you an epic breakdown of how to create the best beef stroganoff ever, without using a recipe, by shooting the entire dish through the F-STEP lens. I walk you through the pro