Train To Be A Baker

Free Teacher And Student Resources

Harvard University offers a free Science and Cooking course on EdX.org with the option to pay a small fee to receive a verified certificate upon completion of the course. By taking this course, youll learn:

• The chemical and physical principles that underlie everyday cooking and haute cuisine techniques.
• How chefs can use enzymes to make foods that would otherwise be impossible.
• How to use the scientific method to learn how a recipe works, and find ways you could improve it.
• How to think like a chef AND a scientist.

Is It Hard To Become A Baker

Frankly saying, baking is not an easy peasy job to be done. That is to say, working as a baker can be challenging and physically demanding. Commonly, you will be working in a hot, dusty environment, making it far from ideal if you suffer from allergies.

Besides, it can be nerve-racking if you have giant orders to meet. If you go freelance, you have to handle all the stresses that come with starting a small business from scratch, including a lack of stable income.

But you love baking, in it? And as long as you know how to bake, life is sure to be sweet! So, Im sure youll beat the stress with the whisk.

Dragon User On A Mac It May Finally Be Time To Buy A Pc

To say 2020 has been unpredictable is an understatement. One thing we all knew, however, was that Apple was planning to replace Intel chips in all Macs over the course of a two-year period. They announced this back in June and confidently claimed the first Apple Silicon machines would arrive before year end. Well, that day has come: new MacBook Air, MacBook Pro and Mac mini models have landed sporting the new M1 chip.

While this could represent a huge leap forward for the Mac platform, its significantly problematic for any Mac users of Dragon dictation software.

As we all know, Nuance discontinued Dragon for the Mac platform back in 2018. Most people have been getting by with using their old copy or had made the leap to running the Windows version via a Parallels virtual machine or similar. With these new chips, both of these options may have hit a brick wall.

Thats because Apples M1 chip is based on ARM architecture, similar to the processors you will find in your iPhone or iPad. This is hugely beneficial for Apple they get to take all of their chip manufacturing in-house, not relying on Intel or anyone else for supply or making progressive leaps forward in speed or efficiency. For years, razor-thin Apple devices have been hampered by Intels hot, power-hungry chips. With M1 , that all changes. Apple can now make strides in both speed and battery life.

This leaves Mac users with two options:

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Baker Career Video Transcript

The aroma of fresh baked bread, cakes, and pastries is just one of the job benefits that bakers get to enjoy every day. From large-scale manufacturing bakeries to small retail shops, bakers work in environments that offer delicious scents. Bakers must become familiar with ingredients measuring, weighing and combining them, and checking their quality. They use time and speed controls for mixers, blending machines, steam kettles, and ovens.

Bakers must follow instructions closely and stay on schedule to ensure products are properly baked and fresh when served or packaged. Commercial bakers work in manufacturing facilitieslarge-scale commercial bakeriesthat produce breads and pastries, often at high speeds. They use large, automated machines, such as commercial mixers, ovens, and conveyors. They must carefully follow instructions for production schedules and recipes.

Retail bakers work primarily in grocery stores and specialty shops. They may take orders from customers, prepare goods to order, and produce a wide variety of flavors and sizes. Most retail bakers also clean their own work area and equipment and unload supplies. Long-term on-the-job training is the most common path to becoming a baker. Some bakers learn their trade through apprenticeships or by attending technical or culinary school for 1-2 years.

Consider Attending A Culinary Or Technical School

You might have perfected some recipes of your own, but a culinary or technical school can teach you valuable skills to improve your baking abilities and hone your craft. Courses cover topics on nutrition and health, diverse cuisines, proper culinary techniques, kitchen management and recipe calculations. While attending culinary or technical school is not a requirement, it can help you develop more sophisticated culinary skills. Those looking to open their own bakery may want to consider pursuing an associate degree in baking and pastry arts.

Typically, a culinary or technical school education takes between one to two years to complete, depending on the depth of the program and whether you attend full- or part-time.

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Important Qualities For Bakers

Communication skills. Bakers, especially retail bakers, must have good communication skills in order to deal effectively with customers.

Detail oriented. Bakers must closely monitor their products in the oven to keep them from burning. They also should have an eye for detail because many pastries and cakes require intricate decorations.

Math skills. Bakers must possess basic math skills, especially knowledge of fractions, in order to precisely mix recipes, weigh ingredients, or adjust mixes.

Physical stamina. Bakers stand on their feet for extended periods while they prepare dough, monitor baking, or package baked goods.

Physical strength. Bakers should be able to lift and carry heavy bags of flour and other ingredients, which may weigh up to 50 pounds.

Finish High School Or Equivalent

You may not need a diploma to do a bakers work, but if you are considering culinary or pastry school, most vocational schools will require that you obtain the equivalent of a high school diploma to start a program. Additionally, if your high school offers an elective that would allow you exposure to any baking or nutrition, take advantage of having this opportunity to begin building your skillset.

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How To Become A Baker

This article was co-authored by Mathew Rice. Mathew Rice has worked in restaurant pastry kitchens across the country since the late 1990’s, and currently owns Pink Door Cookies in Nashville. His creations have been featured in Food & Wine, Bon Appetit, and Martha Stewart Weddings. In 2016, Eater named Mathew one of the top 18 chefs to follow on Instagram. In 2018, he appeared in season 18 of the Food Network’s Beat Bobby Flay and won his episode.wikiHow marks an article as reader-approved once it receives enough positive feedback. In this case, 89% of readers who voted found the article helpful, earning it our reader-approved status. This article has been viewed 196,005 times.

A baker bakes breads, pastries, pies, cakes, cookies, tarts, and other baked goods by combining raw ingredients according to recipes. Though the traditional idea of a baker is somebody who works in his own bakery and caters to a local market, nowadays, bakers may also work in specialty shops or restaurants where they produce smaller quantities for consumption at the location itself, or in manufacturing positions where they oversee the production of large quantities of goods for distribution. Becoming a baker involves enrolling in a training program at a supermarket, or apprenticing with a craft baker to gain practical experience. If you want to know how to become a baker, see Step 1 to get started.

New To Dictation Beginners Start Here Interview With Spa Girls Podcast

Well, this was fun. I recently had the pleasure of being invited onto the SPA Girls Podcast where I spoke with Wendy Vella and Shar Barratt abould all things dictation-related. What was especially interesting about this chat was the angle both Wendy and Shar are self-confessed novices when it comes to dictation, so this was a great opportunity to really go over the basics from a beginners perspective.

Listen to the Podcast episode HERE:

You dont have to be a beginner, though we also talked about lots of other topics including the merits of Dragon Anywhere, the issues facing Mac users since their version was discontinued and whether Dragon can successfully tame Wendy and Shars New Zealand accents .

Thanks, SPA Girls!

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Words In A Day New Podcast Interview With Writer On The Road

Its been 18 months since I was first interviewed by Melinda Hammond for her Writer on the Road podcast. Since then, she has thoroughly embraced dictation. Not only does she use Dragon pretty much anywhere , she is churning out astonishing word counts. While most people would be ecstatic at 2,000-3,000 words in a session of dictation, Mel is able to hit as much as 10,000 words in a single day while embracing the great outdoors and her active lifestyle.

I was thrilled to recently catch up with Mel again and talk about what has happened since out last chat, including the options for Mac users now the software has been discontinued for that platform and a refresher on how to get started with dictation and build it into your daily writing workflow. You can listen to the podcast episode here:

In this episode, we talk about:

• Boosting your workflow

Dragon 13 Premium Discontinued Nuance Recommends Upgrading To Professional Individual 15

Nuance is officially dropping support for Dragon 13 Premium in the New Year. For a product that was released in 2014 and has been updated twice since , thats no big surprise however, it continues to be sold online so unless you have a very specific need for it, nobody should buy a new copy now. Ive also heard some anecdotal rumblings from several users that 13 Premium has had some reliability issues following some recent Windows 10 updates. Heres Nuances statement:

Dragon Premium is being discontinued.

With the new, simplified configuration of Dragon desktop solutions, Dragon Premium 13 will be discontinued and withdrawn from the market. Because customers purchasing Dragon Premium 13 own a perpetual license to the solution, they may continue using it. However, Nuance will no longer provide support or updates for the solution after January 1, 2019. Additionally, patches or upgrades that individual consumers or organizations apply to computers running these solutions could potentially cause the solutions to stop functioning or function in an unintended manner.

Nuances reference to the new, simplified configuration of Dragon desktop solutions signifies that the Dragon Professional Individual branding will remain consistent across both the PC and Mac products. This means the Dragon NaturallySpeaking name will finally bite the dust after 21 years no bad thing, given the confusion the different names for these similar products can cause.

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On The Job Training And Volunteering

There are no set formal academic or training requirements to become a baker. Therefore, gaining qualifications is not the only route into the role. However, some employers may stipulate that basic qualifications are required, e.g. GCSE maths, English and food technology. Baking is very competitive, so having relevant qualifications will help individuals stand out from others.

There may be an opportunity to work in a bakery in shops, supermarkets, bakeries or factories and learn on the job by shadowing more senior bakers. There are also opportunities to attend relevant baking training courses whilst working in a relevant field, such as catering. On-the-job training can lead to becoming a baker with the right experience, training and supervision.

There is no substitute for practical experience. Volunteering can also help individuals understand what is involved in being a baker and help them build their knowledge and skills. Charities and community kitchens may provide practical experience. There is information on volunteering and local opportunities on Do-IT, NCVO and Volunteering Matters.

Having any work experience relevant to baking can be beneficial, e.g. catering, and can help an individual work towards becoming a baker. Even amateur community courses and cookery schools covering different aspects of baking can count.

Work Environment For Bakers

Bakers hold about 193,400 jobs. The largest employers of bakers are as follows:

The work can be stressful because bakers follow time-sensitive baking procedures and often work under strict deadlines. For example, bakers must follow daily production schedules to bake products in sufficient quantities while maintaining consistent quality. In manufacturing facilities, they often work with other production workers, such as helpers and maintenance staff, so that equipment is cleaned and ready.

Bakers are exposed to high temperatures when working around hot ovens. They stand for hours at a time while observing the baking process, making the dough, or cleaning the baking equipment.

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Riding The Rails With Bernie

New South Wales resident, Bernie Baker, is not your ordinary Australian. He is a true-blue Aussie character, locomotive driver and self-professed trainiac. He is also a below the knee amputee and the face of one of the highest-rating series on the Discovery Channel – Railroad Australia.

From a young age, Bernie was destined to ride the rails. Its in my blood and has been since I was born, Bernie said.

My dad was a train driver and my grand mum used to work on the buffet car on the trains

I remember we used to live in a railway house, in country Victoria, that backed up onto the railway line and as a child my dad would set me up on the fence to see the trains. I was a goner, he said.

Bernies career as a train driver started three days after Christmas in 1982 with Southern Shorthaul Railroad . With Dad being a loco driver meant I was hanging around at the Geelong depot to photograph the locomotives and so train crews got to know me – So, youre Jack Bakers lad? They would say which would be followed by an offer to ride on a loco, Bernie said.

For Bernie, driving trains is not just a job, it is his passion as well. A passion that saw him climbing trees and poles to photograph trains, all in the name of getting a better angle or something a little different.

When Bernie got the final OK from his doctor, he eased back in to work as an Administration Officer and just months later he got the news he has been waiting for.

Technical Or Culinary School

To improve your craft and learn more technique, you can enrol to a technical or culinary school. It will help you to spot your niche as a baker. These programs usually last from 1 to 2 years. They will educate you in nutrition, health, and mathematics, among other related topics.

If you feel like this is the best path for you, look into programs in your area that offer an excellent financial package. Also, If you wish to be a high-end pastry chef, for instance, then you should get coached at the best program you can afford. This kind of work is highly specialised, and extra training will give you the edge you need to get noticed and hired.

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Licenses Certifications And Registrations

Employers may require candidates to obtain certification in food safety procedures. Check with your state or local health department for certification information.

Optional certification may demonstrate a level of competence and experience that makes candidates more attractive to employers.

For example, Retail Bakers of America offers certification for several levels of competence, with a focus on topics such as baking sanitation, management, retail sales, and staff training. Those who wish to become certified must satisfy requirements for education and experience before taking an exam. Other organizations may offer credentials for specific skills, such as the American Culinary Federations pastry chef certifications.

Training Courses To Become A Baker

Learning does not stop with experience or once someone becomes qualified. Attending relevant training courses and having additional certifications can help bakers enter the profession, enhance their employability and give them a competitive edge. Many colleges and accredited private training providers can provide baking training courses.

Some examples of relevant courses that may be useful for bakers include:

• Food preparation and service.

• Sourdough baking.

Professional bodies and trade associations, such as the British Society of Baking, the Federation of Bakers and the Craft Bakers Association can also advise on reputable training courses. Some also provide events to help individuals become bakers, giving them the means to continue their professional development.

The type of training required will depend on what employers are looking for and the areas and products in which bakers specialise. It is worth looking at several job advertisements to identify the training courses required for specific baker roles and other training needed for specialist baked goods. Jobs are on websites, such as GOV.UK find a job service, Indeed, LinkedIn, Caterer.com, Foodmanjobs, YourFoodJob.com and other job sites.

If bakers have more relevant training and competence , it will open up more opportunities. Refresher training will also be required, as it is a legal requirement under health and safety and food hygiene legislation and keeps knowledge and skills up to date.

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Where Do Bakers Work

Bakers can work for commercial and retail companies in a variety of establishments, such as :

• Factories, i.e. food manufacturing facilities and plant bakeries.
• Shops, i.e. bakeries, confectioners, speciality and other retailers.
• Supermarkets, i.e. in-store bakeries.
• Their own home .

Working in bakery environments can be challenging, as a lot is happening. They are hot and humid environments, and bakers will likely have to wear a uniform. Having on extra clothing can make working conditions even more difficult.

Some bakeries may be more demanding than others, particularly where large quantities of different baked goods are produced, e.g. plant bakeries. The working environment in bakeries is similar, but there will be differences depending on the businesss size, nature and products. For example, there is likely to be more complex baking equipment and machinery in a food manufacturing facility compared to a small artisan bakery.