Fire in the Kitchen: Is culinary school worth the expense?

I found a new future hobby this week ““ culinary school attendance.

Fourth-year physiological sciences student Ryan Tong came to teach me a bruschetta recipe that he learned in the Professional Culinary Institute of California a few summers ago. Read about how it turned out here.

One of my goals since starting this column has been to successfully flip a pancake on a pan, like people who can cook do in the movies. At first, culinary school seemed like an ideal hobby for me ““ I would get taught how to cook from a professional and then I could impress house guests by flipping pancakes at random times.

Then I got to thinking. Tong said that the culinary school experience cost thousands of dollars, and he has never reattempted most of the recipes. He learned a lot about which knives to use, as well as some great techniques, but was it really worth it?

I think when I have some time and money to spare, I’ll try culinary school out after all.

Would you ever go to culinary school if you got the chance? Leave a comment below.