Sliced the tip of my thumb off on Tuesday prepping for a catering order. Blood everywhere in the walk-in, had to have my sous drive me to urgent care in the East Bay. 4 stitches and a tetanus shot later I'm back on the line but now I'm scared of the thing. Anyone else have a tool they used to swear by that just betrayed you out of nowhere?
I always figured my hand just got tired faster than other guys... turns out I was choking up too far on the blade. New saucier at our place in Portland watched me break down a case of onions and asked if my knuckles ever hurt. Showed me the pinch grip proper. Felt weird for a week but now I can go through a whole 50 pound bag of spuds without stopping. Anyone else pick up a basic habit late that your first chef never bothered to teach?
I spent 2 years using this expensive All-Clad stainless skillet and could never get a good sear on chicken thighs without them sticking like crazy. Picked up a cheap carbon steel pan from a restaurant supply store in Chicago last month and my first attempt came out perfect with zero sticking. Has anyone else made the switch and found one type of pan just works better for certain foods?
For years I always trimmed steaks and chops clean before hitting the pan. Last month at a BBQ, a buddy who runs a smokehouse asked why I was cutting away the best flavor. He pointed out that fat renders and crisps up, adding texture and taste to the finished dish. Now I leave a good 1/4 inch on and trim after cooking instead. Has anyone else found their pre-cooking habits were just wasted effort?
So I was working a busy Friday night shift at this Italian place in Chicago, right. I had my trusty fish spatula I'd been using for like 2 years straight. It had this rubber handle that looked fine from the outside. Well I'm flipping some calamari and it slips right out of my hand into the 350 degree fryer. I grabbed the tongs to fish it out and the handle was already melting into this goopy mess. The rubber had been cracking on the inside for months and I just never noticed because I never looked close. I had to dump a whole batch of oil and spend 20 minutes cleaning melted rubber off the heating elements. Now I check every tool handle before service starts. How often do you guys replace your spatulas and tongs, or do you just run them until they break?
Bought a cheap lodge for my saute station 3 months ago and it holds heat way better on my home stove. Now I use it for everything from searing scallops to baking cornbread, has anyone else downgraded and been happier?
Pulled 12 hanger steaks for service, half came out buttery tender and the other half chewed like old boots. Same pan, same heat, one was the chain and one was the tail end of the muscle. Anyone else see this split or am I the only one who didn't know the anatomy changes that much?
Every single station was using the same brand of fish sauce, like some kind of unspoken rule. Did anyone else catch that trend at other pop-ups or is it just a BK thing?
Lost another cheap nonstick pan last week at my spot in Austin, flaking right into a customer's order. Switched to carbon steel two months ago and even after a dozen burns it's still better than buying new pans every quarter. Anyone else ditch nonstick for good?
I used to just hit my knives with a honing rod every shift and call it good. Last Saturday I was struggling to get through a case of bell peppers and my wrist was killing me. Next morning I took them to a proper stone and spent 20 minutes on each blade. The difference was insane, I could slice a tomato paper thin without any pressure. Has anyone else noticed a huge jump in speed just from a real sharpening?
Just wrapped up my first Saturday night running the line by myself. 500 covers. I was so focused on keeping up I didn't even realize the number until the ticket machine stopped. Felt like a blur. Then I almost lost a whole tray of marinara right at the end. Kitchen manager just looked at me and said "welcome to the big leagues." Any other young cooks hit a milestone that snuck up on them like that?
Had this debate with the new prep cook last week. He said the machine does a better job at 180 degrees and saves water. I told him hand washing gets those hotel pans cleaner because you can feel the grease. We went back and forth for 10 minutes during cleanup. The head chef finally came over and said he uses both depending on the shift. So what do you guys do at your place? Do you trust the machine or your own two hands for the heavy stuff?
I was making eggs benedict for a Sunday brunch service last week and my hollandaise split right in the blender. I tried adding more butter, then a splash of warm water, then whisking it like crazy. Nothing worked until I realized my metal bowl was still hot from the dishwasher. Swapped to a chilled glass bowl and it came together in 30 seconds flat. Has anyone else wasted time on a simple fix like that?
Same restaurant, same head chef, but the old station had a 4 foot cutting board and now it's a 6 footer with three squeeze bottles per station. Walk-in went from chaos to labeled bins with dates written in marker, what changed?
I was working a Sunday brunch at this spot in Portland. We had a waitlist of 60 people by 10am. I remember the ticket printer just kept going nonstop for at least 2 minutes. I counted 47 tickets before it finally stopped. Never seen anything like it. How do you guys handle brunch rushes without losing your mind? Do you prep ahead or just wing it?
I was working a Friday night in a busy place downtown Portland, tickets piling up. A veteran server named Deb walked by and just said "your proteins are cold before your sauce is done." I stopped and realized she was right I was starting steaks way too early and letting them sit. After that I adjusted my whole order of operations so everything finishes at the same second. Now I swear the tickets come out smoother and the expo line is quieter. Has anyone else had a front of house person drop a weird but useful tip like that?
Bought a $200 Japanese carbon steel knife three months ago and it slipped out of my hand onto the tile floor yesterday, chipped the tip so bad I had to grind it down to a petty knife shape, has anyone else ruined a nice knife in one dumb second?
I used to lose at least one batch of hollandaise every Sunday during the 11am scramble at my spot in Austin. Problem was the heat gun on the steam table would push it right past the danger zone. So I started holding the butter in a separate squeeze bottle and drizzling it into the yolks while I kept the bowl low. Basically I make the base on the flat top with just a little heat then finish it away from the burner. It's not faster but I haven't tossed a single batch in 6 weeks now. Anybody else find a weird workaround for a sauce that always breaks?
Last Saturday we had 87 covers by noon and only two guys on the line. One of my line cooks called in sick at 6 AM and the new kid dropped a full sheet tray of hollandaise on the floor at 9:30. I had to remake 4 quarts mid-rush while still firing eggs and answering expo calls. But the weird part is the money was actually decent, we did $4,200 in sales before 2 PM. Has anyone else had a shift where everything went wrong but the tips still saved the day?
Ngl I always thought meat thermometers were just for beginners or people who cant cook by feel. Then I worked a Friday night at this place in Omaha called The Cattle Exchange and the head chef showed me how he temp checks every single ribeye that comes off the grill. He pulled one that read 128 and let it rest for exactly 4 minutes and it came out medium rare perfect every time. Now I bring my own Thermapen to gigs and use it for thicker cuts. Any other chefs here feel like temping is worth the extra step or am I overthinking this?
I used to always salt my steaks right before throwing them in the pan cause I thought it dried out the surface better, but after reading a post from a chef in Austin I tried salting 40 minutes ahead and the crust came out way better. Has anyone else noticed a big difference in the final texture or am I just imagining things?
I always used hot stock or wine to deglaze pans, but last Tuesday I ran out and used cold tap water on a pork chop pan. The fond came up way cleaner with less scorching, and the sauce had a brighter flavor than usual. Has anyone else tried this or am I late to the party?
This guy I worked under in Portland was adamant that salting pasta water is just for flavor, and he said if your sauce is good enough you don't need it. I laughed it off for like 2 years until I tried his method on a busy Saturday night at the bistro. Sauce was a slow-simmered puttanesca with anchovies and capers, and honestly nobody noticed the difference. Has anyone else tried ditching the salt in the water and actually had it work out?
My buddy opened a place in Denver last year and went all in on induction. I worked the line with him for a solid 6 months and I just can't get behind it. The heat control is too instant, you lose that carryover cooking that makes a pan sauce come together right. Plus every time a pot shifted slightly the burner would cut off, which drove me nuts on a busy Friday night. Gas gives you that visual feedback and the heat stays consistent even if your pan moves a half inch. Anyone else feel like induction is overhyped for real cooking?
Was grabbing breakfast at this old school place on Halsted and overheard one of the cooks telling a new guy to cool his pans down with a wet towel between orders instead of running them under water. Said it keeps the seasoning on carbon steel way longer and stops warping. Tried it in my kitchen last night with my favorite skillet and it actually works. Anyone else do this or got a better method for quick cool downs?