Learn Practical Skills At Home

Your comprehensive lessons are clear and well-organized; easy to follow, yet challenging and engaging at the same time. Each lesson begins with an introductory note from your instructor, plus a preview outlining the subject matter and study objectives.

Next comes the reading assignment from your textbook, lesson book or supplemental references. Practice exercises help you check and review the key concepts you’ve learned. Then, turn in your open-book exam (available online) for the lesson, whenever YOU are ready.

Enroll online or call 1-800-535-1613 to speak with an Admission Advisor!

Meet Your Instructor

Meredith Statler, chief instructor, has many years of experience catering corporate and other special events, and managing institutional food service operations. She is eager to share her expertise with you in this exciting distance education course.

What You’ll Learn Lesson By Lesson in this Course

Lesson 1, The Basics of Gourmet Cooking

Chefs and restaurants in history; point and nouvelle cuisine; new foods for today’s consumers; sanitation; modern food service operations.

Lesson 2, Nutrition & Recipes

The balanced diet; storing and cooking foods to preserve nutrients; the food guide pyramid; ingredient substitutes and alternatives; package labeling; types of menus; standardized recipes; recipe measurements and conversions; calculating and controlling recipe costs.

Lesson 3, Tools & Equipment

Selecting the right supplies and equipment; hand tools; using knives: slicing, chopping, dicing, mincing, and more; measuring, portioning, processing, and storage devices; cookware; strainers; sieves; ovens; stoves; broilers; grills.

Lesson 4, Kitchen Staples & Dairy Products

Selecting and using herbs and spices; bouquet garni and sachet; salt; spice blends; nuts; using various oils; vinegars; condiments, including relishes, pickles, soy sauce, and ketchup; grinding, brewing, and serving coffees and teas; milk; cream; cultured dairy products; butter; margarine; natural and processed cheeses.

Supplement: Time Management Guide

How to maximize your time, organize yourself, and be more productive and efficient.

Lesson 5, Tricks & Tips: Stocks & Sauces

Heating principles; dry- and most-heat cooking methods; braising; stewing; making stocks; court bouillon; nage; glaze; preparing roux; using thickening agents; finishing methods; sauce families; preparing sauces, gravies, salsa, and relish; compound butters; flavored oils.

Lesson 6, Soups & Meat Cookery

Clear, broth-based, purée, and cream soups; consommés; chowders; bisques; cold soups; soup garnishing; soup service; meat grades; aging, buying, and storing meats; techniques for selecting, preparing, and cooking meats.

Lesson 7, Beef, Veal, Lamb & Pork

Principals of meat cookery; primal and subprimal cuts of beef, veal, lamb, and pork; understanding inspection and grading; butchering procedures; cooking and serving suggestions for beef, veal, lamb, and pork; recipes; broiling, grilling, basting, barbecuing, and roasting techniques.

Lesson 8, Poultry & Game

Identifying and selecting chicken, goose, guinea, pigeon, turkey, and ratites; duck and goose liver; nutritional values; giblets; buying, storing, butchering, and marinating poultry and game; sautéing, roasting, frying, and barbecuing procedures; moist-heat methods for cooking poultry.

Lesson 9, Fish & Eggs

Identifying, buying, storing, and cooking fish and shellfish; fabrication methods; broiling and grilling methods; knowing grades of eggs; whipping egg whites; dry- and most-heat cooking; how to fry, bake, and sauté eggs; crêpes; egg recipes.

Lesson 10, Deep Frying & Vegetable

Equipment and fats for deep-frying; breading and battering foods; frying procedures; greens; gourds and squashes; onions; mushrooms and truffles; stalks; baby vegetables; pods and seeds; mushrooms; roots and tubers; buying, storing, and cooking fresh, preserved, frozen, canned, and dried vegetables; microwaving and puréeing techniques; stir-frying techniques.

Lesson 11, Starches & Salads

Identifying, buying, storing, and cooking potatoes and grains; buying and preparing a variety of gourmet pasta dishes; preparing and filling fresh pasta; selecting and preparing salad greens and salad dressings; bound salads; fruit salads.

Lesson 12, Fruits, Sandwiches, Canapes & Hor d ’oeuvres

Identifying and using berries, citrus, exotics, grapes, melons, pomes, stone fruits, and tropical's; buying and storing fresh, frozen, dried, and preserved fruits; sandwich breads, spreads, and fillings; preparing and presenting cold and hot sandwiches; preparing hors d’oeuvres; sushi.

Lesson 13, Baking & Breads

Types of ingredients: flours, sugars, sweeteners, flavorings, leavening agents, and fats; thickeners; quick breads; yeast breads; the baking process; chocolate; bakeshop tools and equipment; mixing methods; cooling and storing baked goods; rolling-in dough's.

Lesson 14, Pies, Cookies & Cakes

Pies and tarts; crusts; flaky and mealy dough’s; fillings; classic pastries; éclair paste; meringues; cookies; assembling, mixing, decorating, and storing cakes; frostings; baked and stirred custards; soufflés; creams; chiffon; frozen desserts; dessert sauces.

Lesson 15, Banquet Service Fundamentals

French, Russian, and American á la carte and buffet service styles; setting the table correctly: utensils, tablecloths, and napkins; tray loading and carrying procedure; the side towel; banquet service; French service today; serving techniques.

Lesson 16, Banquet Management & Booking

Keys to successful banquet management; catering vs. banquets; business entertaining; procedures for booking functions; staffing; room and setup options; audio-visual and other equipment; planning tips.

Lesson 17, Managing the Function

Preparing, equipping, and staffing for the function; organizing the kitchen, service, and bar staff; serving cocktail and banquet parties and sit-down meals; buffets; meeting rooms; keeping foods hot; banquet check-backs.

Lesson 18, The Banquet Function Sheet

Using policy and function sheets; obtaining information about the function; menu and event planning; types of meals; alcoholic beverage service; scheduling and confirming the arrangements; meeting with the staff; seating plans; checking the details.

Lesson 19, Getting Started in Catering

Do you have what it takes?; apprenticeships; working from home; local regulations; outfitting your kitchen and pantry; the business plan; working with wholesale purveyors; insurance; contracts; hiring employees; menu pricing; estimating quantities; bidding and proposals.

Lesson 20, Success in Catering

Sales and marketing techniques; your niche in the business; accounting fundamentals; job assignments; the schedule; the pack-out checklist; food presentation tips; how to avoid and solve problems; staffing; setup and breakdown; surveys.