As a chef, you always have to be innovative when it comes to your dishes.
Not only are your diners expecting something new from you, but you also have to give them a surprise from time to time.
This way, you keep their loyal interest and gain more clients.
However, it is difficult to always be inspired as your day-to-day duties will sap some of your inspiration away.
The busy restaurant kitchen atmosphere will drain some of the creative juices out of you.
The Reliable Cookbook It is not that difficult to look for things that will inspire you to create innovative dishes.
For one, you can make use of cookbooks.
Instead of focusing on the usual French and Italian cuisine though, why not go more ethnic and take a look at Chinese cuisine and Indian cuisines? The traditional cuisines coming from other Asian countries such as Cambodia and Korea are also interesting.
The most important thing though if you are going to use the recipes of another cuisine is to incorporate your own personal cooking style into the new dish.
This way, you are not merely cooking what was in the cookbook, but, in a way, you are making it as your own new dish.
The Use of New Ingredients If tying out new recipes is not what you have in mind, then you can always find your inspiration in the ingredients that you have not used before.
For example, you are more comfortable cooking chicken and pork but want to try something new.
Then why not try beef or lamb as this will surely be a new ingredient to work with? It will be a trial and error especially since you have to perfect a new cooking skill, but, in time, you will perfect the skill.
Who knows, you just might create a new signature dish that is totally your own.
You could also try using new herbs and spices in your regular dishes.
The new ingredients will certainly spice up your old dishes and transform them into something new, maybe something even more delicious than the original one.
Know the Trends Another way of getting inspiration to create innovative dishes is to know what the current food trends are.
Right now, Korean-inspired dishes are the craze, especially in food trucks, so why not capitalize on this trend, too? You can add a touch of the Korean cuisine into your regular dishes.
For example, you can spice up your hotdog on a bun dish by adding some kimchi into it.
Not only will the kimchi add a whole lot of flavors to the traditional hotdog on a bun, but it will also add texture, too.
There are always new food trends in the food and restaurant industry, so it would do you a lot of good if you read up on them.
Enjoy and Love Your Job If there is one thing that can kill the inspiration to create something new and innovative is that it is boredom and exhaustion.
It is unlikely for a bored and tired chef to come up with a new dish.
For this reason, taking a break away from the hustle and bustle of the restaurant kitchen is a must.
Take your loved ones with you, have a mini weekend getaway, drink in the sights and sounds of a new atmosphere, simply relax and forget about work for a while, and have fun.
It is in having fun that chefs find their inspiration, so be sure to enjoy your time away from the kitchen.
This will not only refresh your tired mind and body, but this will also open you up to new ideas.
Who knows, you just might find your inspiration from looking at the waterfalls and create a unique waterfall of melted chocolate for dessert.