Whats more difficult for you; baking or cooking?

[Headless Chicken]

I've found a lot of people in my college are quite divided between the 2, neither more to cooking or to baking. Some, like myself, know a bit of both but swing more to either end. I think of myself more of a baker then a cook.

[Mikeb]

I'm not huge on sweets, breads, etc..., and hardly ever (if ever at all) bake. So I definitely fit into the 'cook' category. I'm definitely alot more comfortable cooking than baking, although the few times I've tried baking the results were decent.

[kuan]

Cooks are bakers who can't do arithmetic

[Mezzaluna]

Cooks are bakers who can't do arithmetic

You got it, Kuan! I can spell and cook, but I can't bake or do math.

[salvatore]

I'm a pastry chef, always have been and always will be i suppose. Funny thing is, i cant cook to save me life (case in point, Mac & Cheese with cut up hot dogs is my cooking masterpiece )

[Nick.Shu]

lemme at it! - i have my favourites, and i cant do maths all that well. But i also like to bake and cook. Currently, im working on a hourly basis and learning quite fast to be flexible as i get as little as 1/2 hour notice as to where i have to work the next day. In the last 3 weeks i have worked at least 14 different sites with differing menus from industrial canteens to 6 course meals for 220 pax.

go the challenge - Per ardua ad astra.

[panini]

I've never met a Pastry chef I didn't like.
I never met a chef who I liked.

[Nicko]

I don't know too many professionals that don't like both.

[panini]

Well the problem seems to be that most pastry chefs are very well liked, have a great sense of humor, generous, unusually good looking etc. Of course there comes a time when the have to wake up!
I must say there is probably not that incredible pressure of the hot chef for there usually alot of mise en place with most desserts. I must say before I left the rat race 12 yrs ago I was asked to bail out the kitchen staff and cant remember a time when I had to rely on the kitchen except for stewarding transportation.
My relations with the hot chefs were either really strong ot very weak and competitive.
BTW it has nothing to do with counting, it's just that pastry and bakers count in dozens and use ingredients that aren't conducive to scaling up or down.

[shroomgirl]

I've always considered pastry chefs exacting...There is a wonderful woman who sells at my mid-week market and brings in 20 or so different cakes/pies every week, all from scratch and all made without measuring! She is amazing and her products are incredibly delicious, I've never had pound cake as good as hers...and I don't like pound cake. So she breaks every preconception I've held about my pastry friends.

[panini]

shroom, after a while you start to understand how your ingredients work, Some formulas require require a 1-2-4-5 standard. Cookies- wet to dry. cake dry-to wet. The advantage we have over hot chefs is that out products are usually more consistant, If you decide you will use a couveture for a recipe it usually come out great. But on the hot side if you decide you are going to use a aged prime, sometimes the quality is a crap shoot.
The fabulous hot chef can take a non code item and creat something wonderful, where if we get in a softer flour for cookies we just suffer with spread and a crappy product. Hot food also give you the oportinity to fool the normal taste buds. There are many times when the chef will sautee something non mreat to give the dish a meat flavor.
Need part time help for the holidays. If your nice and trustworthy you can even stay at the house.

[Pete]

Though I don't mind baking, or spending some time in the pastry department, I would much rather spend my time on the hot line. I find baking to be "too exact of a science" while cooking gives you a little more freedom (of course there are always the exceptions). I also don't really enjoy all the decorating that comes with the pastry world. Give me fire, flames and knives any day over measuring cups, scales and pastry bags!!!!
On the other hand, though, I do love to play with ice creams, sorbets and the like. I love creating frozen desserts, so go figure!!!!

[Nick.Shu]

to be quite honest, i would take me about 6 months (max) to get my pastry ticket and even less if it was an adjunct to my comm cookery qualifications.

And also, i must admit, i am still considering it.

2 trade quals. sounds good huh?

[chrose]

I always loved both. I always tried to move to the pastry side, but because I had the ability on the hot side I was always needed more there. So when I could I worked in the bakery and then got dragged back to the hot side kicking and screaming. I did get some good training on the pastry side so when I ran a bakery I finally got to spend more time there! We also did catering so I had my hands in both, but for a change more on the pastry side. I love both but if I had to lean it would be to baking.

[chef from va]

i enjoy both baking and hot food preperation. i started my time in the kitchen by baking and i would like to evolve my carrer into a bit of both. for now i am still in school and i am a full time grill cook so i just bake when i get the time (not often). i dont know if i prefer one to the other but i guess i will know more in time