GRILL SERGEANTS. Marines learn in the kitchen at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY.

Goodbye, Parris Island, hello French cooking techniques. Earlier this year, a troop of 11 Marines enlisted in a different kind of boot camp. Their new commander was Phillip Crispo, a chef instructor at the Culinary Institute of America.

During the five weeks of grueling training in the kitchen, the Marines, who already cook for a living, were put to the test in an intense environment. “The 16 years I that I've done it, I thought I knew how to cook, until I got to this school,” Gunnery Sgt. Reynaldo Miranda told the Associated Press. “Then the rude awakening came.”

The Marines hunkered down in chef's whites and toques, learning advanced techniques for searing, soups, stocks, knife skills, and even menu planning. This experience will be added onto their own real-life experience, which includes some very tough conditions, such as cutting oil barrels in half for barbecue, Afghanistan-style.

After taking these classes, the Marines earned a ProChef Level I certification, and took some impressive recipes back to the troops, such as Chicken Breast Provencal, a one-pan meal that takes 30 minutes from start to finish, and Flounder Meuniere, which creates its own sauce while being sautéed in lemon and butter.

The American troops in the field eat MREs (meals ready to eat), which usually consist of meals like penne pasta or ribs. The mess halls of today serve traditional family restaurant fare, and have been improving greatly over the last few years. The days when military food was the butt of jokes are pretty much over, though the image of chipped beef on toast is enduring.