c/chefs

Used leftover pickle juice in my chicken brine and got a weirdly good crust

I had a jar of dill pickle juice from a catering gig and decided to use it as the base for a chicken brine overnight. The next day, the skin came out of the oven way crispier than usual, almost like it had been fried. Anyone know why the acidity might do that, or have other weird brine liquids that worked?

Pro tip: I started adding a pinch of sugar to my tomato sauce three years ago after a dinner rush in Chicago. It cuts the acid without tasting sweet.

A line cook in Atlanta told me to always add a splash of vinegar to my braising liquid.

He said it would make the meat more tender, but I thought it would just make it taste sour. I tried it on a big batch of short ribs last week, using just a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar. The meat fell apart way better than usual, and the sauce wasn't sour at all. Has anyone else tried this trick with different kinds of vinegar?

Rant: My first head chef in Boston told me to always sear a steak cold from the fridge.

He swore it gave a better crust, and I did it that way for years. I finally tried letting a ribeye sit out for 45 minutes last week, and the cook was so much more even from edge to center. That old advice cost me a lot of poorly cooked medium-rare steaks over time. Has anyone else had a kitchen rule they followed that turned out to be totally wrong?

A prep cook in Seattle taught me something about salt

I was working a pop-up event a few years back, and this prep cook, Maria, was seasoning a huge batch of soup base. She told me, 'Taste it with a piece of the main vegetable, not just a spoon.' I tried it with a bit of potato, and the flavor was totally different. Has anyone else found a simple tasting trick that changed how you season a dish?

I finally understood why my hollandaise kept breaking every Sunday brunch.

Had a crazy busy week at the bistro. Did 200 covers on Friday alone. My sauce would split every single time I tried to batch it for service. My old chef in Denver always said 'low and slow' but I was rushing. Thursday, I tried holding the bowl over a pot of water that was just steaming, not boiling. Whisked for a solid seven minutes straight. It held perfectly for three hours on the line. Turns out I was just using too much heat. Anyone have a different method for keeping it stable during a long rush?

Just tossed $150 worth of 'gourmet' black garlic that never fermented right

I followed the recipe exactly but my humidity controller failed halfway through, leaving me with a sticky, sour mess. Anyone have a reliable brand for those temp/humidity boxes they'd actually trust?

My walk-in freezer gave up the ghost during the Saturday dinner rush

The compressor blew out last weekend, right as we were hitting peak service. We lost about $800 worth of proteins before we could get a rental unit in. I had to pivot the entire specials board to feature whatever we could salvage from the lowboys. Has anyone else had to completely rewrite a menu on the fly like that?

PSA: My first real kitchen fire was in a Denver hotel during a wedding rush

Honestly, I grabbed the nearest sheet pan and slammed it over the flaming saute pan, which cut the oxygen and saved the dish. Anyone else have a go-to method for grease fires that doesn't involve a fire extinguisher?

Tried a 72 hour short rib braise and it turned to mush

Honestly, I followed a recipe from a chef I respect that said to go low and slow for three days at 140F. I had it in a sous vide bath the whole time. When I pulled the bags, the meat just fell apart into a grainy paste, no texture at all. I lost about $120 worth of product. I think the connective tissue broke down way too much. Has anyone else pushed a braise this long and actually gotten a good result, or is there a better time and temp for that kind of cut?

PSA: I had to pick between a gas or electric oven for the new spot in Albany

The landlord gave me the option to install either a gas or electric oven in our new kitchen space. I went with gas because I need that instant heat control for sauces and searing. It cost about $800 more upfront for the line and unit, but after two weeks of service, my risottos are way more consistent. Anyone else had to make this call and regret it or love it?

Rant: My old kitchen used a $30 plastic mandoline, the new one has a proper Benriner

The difference in prep time and consistent cuts for a 50lb bag of potatoes is night and day, and I'm not going back. Anyone else have a tool upgrade that felt like a total game changer?

I thought my prep list was solid until a Tuesday lunch rush in Austin

We got slammed with a 40 top walk in plus our regulars, and I was short on diced mirepoix for the soup of the day. My sous chef, Marco, had to stop his own station to help me catch up, which threw off the whole line. It taught me to always double my prep estimates for that specific soup on days the convention center is busy. How do you guys adjust your prep for unexpected volume?

Remember when a broken walk-in meant a whole day of moving product? That happened to us back in 2012.

Shoutout to the guy who told me to just buy the damn mandoline slicer

I was stuck between a cheap $30 model and a $150 professional one for prepping veg. Went with the expensive Benriner and it cut my prep time for a 50-pound case of potatoes in half. Anyone have tips for keeping the blade sharp?

Rant: My hollandaise went from broken mess to perfect in under a minute after I changed one thing

Two weeks ago, I was making brunch for 30 at a pop-up and my hollandaise split three times in a row. I was whisking over a double boiler like always. My sous chef, Gina, told me to pull the bowl off the heat and just whisk in a single ice cube. I thought she was nuts, but it came back together in about 45 seconds. The cold shock just worked. Has anyone else got a weird fix for a broken sauce that actually works?

Vent: I bought a $300 'professional' mandoline slicer that's been a total waste.

I was convinced I needed it for perfect, uniform cuts after seeing it in a kitchen supply catalog, but it's awkward to clean and the safety guard is useless. I've gone back to my $40 Benriner for everything from potatoes to cucumbers. Anyone have a mandoline they actually love that doesn't feel like a hazard?

Warning: I just burned a whole batch of bechamel trying to rush it

I was making a big batch for a catering job yesterday and got impatient. I cranked the heat to medium-high to speed it up, stirring with a whisk. It went from smooth to lumpy and scorched in about 90 seconds. Today, I did the same amount on low heat with a flat wooden spoon, taking a full 15 minutes, and it was perfect. Anyone else have a simple sauce that always punishes you for rushing?

Had a line cook ask me why we salt the pasta water before it boils.

I always just said 'it's tradition' or 'it seasons the pasta'. Decided to actually test it. Boiled two pots side by side, one salted cold, one salted at a rolling boil. The cold salted water took forever to come up to temp, like 4 extra minutes. The pasta from the boiling salted pot tasted way more seasoned. So now I tell my crew to wait for the boil. Anyone else run into this or am I just late to the party?

Tried a cold ferment on my pizza dough for 5 days instead of 2

I was making my usual batch for the food truck and let it sit in the walk-in from Monday to Friday. The dough was so much easier to shape and had these tiny bubbles all over the crust when it baked. It tasted way more complex, almost a little sour but in a good way. Has anyone else pushed a cold ferment this long and noticed a big change?

Trying to get a perfect clear consommé took me four days of simmering and straining, not the afternoon I planned.

Had a customer ask for a 'medium rare' salad in Portland last summer

I was working the line at a busy bistro when a guest flagged me down. He pointed at his Caesar and said, 'This lettuce is too cooked, I need it more medium rare.' I had to explain that lettuce doesn't cook like steak, it's just cold and crisp. He looked so confused and asked if we could at least warm it up a little. Has anyone else gotten a request that just made you stop and blink?

Just lost a whole case of lemons to a bad cooler seal

It was a full 40-pound case, about $60 down the drain. The gasket on my lowboy looked fine, but it wasn't sealing right and I didn't catch the temp creep. Anyone have a good brand for replacement seals they trust?

Overheard a line cook call our new plating 'pretentious'

I was walking past the dish pit and heard one of the guys say our new scallop dish looked like a 'tiny garden for rich people'. It made me stop and really look at the plate. Are we sometimes overcomposing just to impress other chefs instead of making food people actually want to eat?

PSA: I had to choose between a classic demi-glace and a quick red wine reduction for a big party.

I was prepping for a 50-person event and time was tight. I went with the reduction, using two bottles of a decent Cabernet, and honestly, the flavor was great and saved me hours. Has anyone else faced a similar time vs. tradition call on a sauce?