I'm at the halfway mark with my internship, it's hard to believe that 6 weeks have passed by already. On the whole, I've really enjoyed my time at the Test Kitchen. I love the fact that I cook and taste all day. In fact, sometimes I want to brush my teeth after work to get all the different flavors out of my mouth!
Surprisingly, I haven't had to worry about gaining extra poundage even though I'm working with food all day. I think it's because I have actual tastes, or bites, of things and never sit down for a real meal. The interns never go out to lunch, we just snack and munch all day. All the calories we taste seem to offset the lack of the real meal, plus we stand and walk all day, burning a lot of energy. The first week there my feet were protesting every night, but now I've gotten used to it and enjoy being so active. Thankfully I won't leave my internship looking like all I've been doing is eating!
The main thing that I didn't expect was that a lot of what I learned at culinary school wasn't useful here. Because of my training in classical French cuisine, it was a big change to come to a kitchen where the focus is on traditional American recipes, not fancy plating or sauces. I've learned that mise en place is even more essential here, because any mistakes really jeopardize the testing process and can skew the results. It's also refreshing to have a well-stocked kitchen full of gadgets and appliances, and being encouraged to use them! While I appreciated the back-to-basics approach of LCB Paris in terms of tools, it's great to be back in gadget-land.
There are unglamorous parts of being an intern- you help wash dishes sometimes, unload groceries, do a lot of cleaning, and sometimes end up in the back alley for hours at a time, watching the Webers and tending to the grills. But most days I cook, taste, and talk to people who are even crazier about food than I am. In the past month and a half, I've made so many different foods that I can't even begin to list it all. There are also foods that I would rather not ever see again- it's hard to stand the smell of a dish after you've tasted it 15 times in the period of 3 days.
A great perk of the kitchen is being able to take home the food we prepare. Typically, after a recipe is prepared and tasted, it is put out for the rest of the kitchen and staff to eat or take home. Some days I leave with a shopping bag full of delicious food, ready to eat for dinner or to go into the freezer for a rainy day. The boyfriend is usually the lucky recipient of the food, as my palate yearns for fruit & vegetables for dinner after a long day cooking complicated recipes.
I think that one of the things I like most about the environment is the merging of food and writing. I've expressed before that I don't think I'm cut out to be on the line in a restaurant, but I love to analyze and write about food instead. The Test Kitchen seems to give people a unique opportunity to do that- I don't know of another place that gives cooks such great opportunities to do both.
(And to answer those unspoken questions: yes, I've worked with the test cooks you see on TV; no, I haven't cooked with Chris Kimball yet, and no, I won't be on TV (no filming going on right now- I'd be too nervous anyway!)).
Bon appétit!
Yes, watch out for men in bow ties! (Like Tucker Carlson). They scare the beejeesus out of me.
Posted by: David | October 31, 2006 at 09:17 AM
Hi there- I love your blog and actually came across it in my search for food writing opportunities. I would love to ask you more about your internship if you would be willing to share.
Thanks lots and keep up the good work!
-julia gulia
Posted by: Julia | November 16, 2006 at 09:29 AM