If you're a passionate foodie, you know that chefs are the ones to thank for creating delicious meals. Chefs work with different types of ingredients, flavors, condiments, and herbs to create unique combinations that make a meal stand out. To become an excellent chef, you need to have an excellent palate or sense of taste. This means tasting food as you cook, adjusting recipes as you go, and using your palate to determine which flavors work best together.
In addition to cooking skills, chefs must also be able to lead a team, manage inventory, deal with suppliers, and understand the finances of their workplace. If you're looking to become a professional food taster, you should know that it's not an easy job. Food tasters are responsible for testing food prepared by another person in order to check safety and certain characteristics. They may need to perform several rounds of testing to ensure that a product meets the highest standards.
Food tasters must also be familiar with local ingredients and know how to use them in recipes. The Schwan Food Company, based in Marshall, Minnesota, offers paid flavor tests for people who live near their headquarters. Food tasters can also advance to positions of greater responsibility within their company, such as quality control manager. As food tourism continues to grow, there will be a high demand for food tasters who can offer a unique guest experience.
Although graduating from culinary school may improve your chances of becoming a food taster, it's not an official prerequisite and you can succeed in this profession even without formal education. However, it's important to note that these jobs require hard work, odd hours and creativity, along with enduring criticism from customers and restaurants alike. Food tasters must be able to identify even minor changes in taste, texture, or smell.
