Academy of Pastry and Culinary Arts

It’s the battle of the sexes revisited. And the battlefield is the kitchen. So, the question that interests us all. Men or women, who are better cooks? Feminists will declare that it’s women who dominate the kitchen, and men would definitely beg to differ. So, what’s the verdict, who wins ? Let’s do a case study. Historians believe that most of the cuisines in most of the cultures in the world have been developed by women. Infact, there’s no arguing the fact that women have always dominated the kitchen area of the house, in most middle class and lower income households since ages. So much so, that in some cultures, men entering the kitchen to cook, is looked down upon. Even in countries like India, may it be a South Indian, Bengali, Rajasthani , Marathi and various other cuisines...women have played a major role in their creation. In the modern era, too this trend continues and women, in maximum households  spend a major part of their daily routines toiling in the kitchen prepa

Who’s a gourmet ? In layman terms, a ‘foodie’. Someone exclaimed that there is no love sincerer than  the love for food and a gourmet would agree. Period. In fact, foodie or not, eating and cooking form a major part of our daily routine. Go to any household and this is one subject that rules the roost. The mornings begin with ‘What to cook for breakfast’ , the noons are followed by deciding the menu for lunch and the nights, are of course, time for some awesome dinner after a hard day’s work.   In the earlier times, in most middle class households, it was the women of the house who decided upon the menu and they were the one ruled the kitchen. Studies reveal, that in most cultures, women have played a major role in crafting the cuisines. And we need not explain why. However, in the modern era, men and by that I mean the general population of men too are showing interest in the occupation of cooking. Earlier, men cooked, yes, no disputing that ….but they were basically khans

I always wanted to learn cooking. My first teacher was my mother. Whenever I saw my mother toil in the kitchen, I knew this is what I wanted to do. Those were the 90s I am talking about. My mother was a out of the world cook. Even dad was a good cook. Infact all my family members are great cooks. And the best part is they can cook not only Indian, but cuisines from different parts of the country as well as the world. For instance, my dad could cook awesome Bangladeshi as well as South Indian cuisines. My mother’s continental food and their taste cannot be explained in words. Then there is one of my cousin who can cook best Sri Lankan dishes. Well...I can go on for the it’s a long list. However, in the modern times, one doesn’t have to rely on recipe books or family members in order to learn cooking. One can learn cooking from various culinary schools that have become quite a craze in the past few years. The top 10 culinary schools in Thrissur cater to the needs of the peopl

Being a working woman, it is but anyone’s guess that what type of cook I must be. One of my uncles told me that my cuisines  resembled  a ‘railway catering’ type of cooking. Those were my teens. And now I am a woman in my early 30s. And proud to announce that my cooking has improved…. I mean I’d like to believe so ! When I was in my early 20s, Cooking was one art i avoided. I loved eating, but cooking ?! Nah!!  Then I saw my mother cooking  in the kitchen like anything and making some out of the world, delicious food and that did inspire me. So, with courage in my heart and spirits in my soul, I set off. I could make some snacks as I have already told, but I decided to do something big and decided to make ‘Pulao’ . I started by having mother by my side. I asked her how to make a dish as delectable like hers and she guided me through the whole process. I did cook and the pulao was made, and everything was well. Only thing...it was not as delicious as my mother’s pulao. What

Cooking, most people think as an easy process, but this is one discipline or art or whatever you wanna call it, that requires the hand of an expert. Cooking is one art that has got commercialised of late. Cooking , however has always existed ever since the beginning of civilisation. Cooking , in the earlier times was done in fire made out of friction between two stones. The fire created was used to cook food. Cooking is one art that became more evolved with time. Cooking in the earlier times, was more of a household affair and one discipline where the women folk dominated. However, India, always had the custom of male cooks known as the khansamas who could cook some fabulous food. Though illiterate, these great cooks worked in the houses of royal and aristocratic families. The culinary night classes in Bhopal , are perfect example of culinary schools created to satiate the extra needs of the people. These culinary schools are such that people belonging to all strata of society

Cooking is something that most of the people think of to be an easy process. But, the fact of the matter is that cooking is a complex procedure that requires lot of physical and mental stamina. Cooking, if looked with a wide perspective is a violent process for it involves lot of grinding, pounding, and mixing. There is also mental stamina involved for one has to think about lot of factors such as the amount of heat flow, amount of spices, the type of spices , amount of salt etc. and decide upon number of factors to make the foods tasty and presentable. Now, in the present era, one need not learn cooking at home , but can learn cooking from the master chefs at various culinary schools and that too at reasonable and cost effective prices. The top culinary schools are such that the people can learn cooking from the chefs who are expert in the art of cooking. These culinary schools are such that the latest courses are available here and also, the people can choose from several co

Culinary schools are a new concept in India. Culinary, according to many people is  a new phenomenon . But, the fact of the matter is that our country that is India, always had the rich tradition of khansamas who were cooks in the rich families and could cook some amazing food.The royal cooks or the khansamas were these people who were capable of making some delicious food. The khansamas were thoroughly home bred and illiterate in nature, but still when it came to cooking they could cook some amazing food. In the present times, there are many culinary schools where the latest techniques of cooking are taught along with the old world cooking traditions. The culinary schools today, cater to the needs of the masses as well as those belonging to the upper middle class people. The culinary schools in Bangalore , for instance , are such that they cater to the needs of the general population. These schools are often visited by chefs who are a master in the craft of cooking and culina

Life is made up of lovely moments. And it is a well known fact that nothing is more enjoyable than the time spent with your dear buddies. I’d like to share one such experience when me and my pals went for an outdoor picnic. I was in high school those days and it was during those days that when me and my girl pals decided to have an outing. We settled for the park near our house as we had the permission to organise picnics there. So, everything was decided, right from the  time ,date, venue and the food. Talking about food , it was decided that we will cook the food right at the picnic spot and hence had to bring the ingredients right from home. The day arrived and we set off. After the regular gossiping and we set on to cook. Now, everything was brought, but the only problem …..we hadn’t decided on the menu and almost everyone brought the regular ingredients  like lentils, rice, salt etc. The food cooked was kedgeree. And eating lot of  hot kedgeree in hot summer afternoon wa