Last Tuesday I was slicing up some fennel for a special and got too comfortable with the guard. I figured I had been using the same mandoline since culinary school so I could push it without looking. Three slices later I took a nice chunk out of my thumb right before the dinner rush. Had to have my sous finish the prep while I wrapped it up and got back on the line one-handed. Anyone else have a tool they got cocky with after years of use?
I overheard a line cook at a spot in Portland last week saying brining fixes everything from dry chicken to bland pork. But in my 12 years of working kitchens, I've seen brining turn perfectly good proteins into salty sponges. I think it's just a crutch for people who don't trust their heat control. For example, I get better results just patting a chicken dry, salting it, and letting it sit 30 minutes before cooking. Anyone else think brining gets overhyped in pro kitchens?
He said I was pulling out too much moisture before the heat could act, so I tried salting right at the start of the sear on a ribeye at the restaurant last Tuesday. The crust was way better and the inside stayed juicier. Anyone else had a similar wake up call on timing?
I always thought mandolines were just another gadget taking up space, but after slicing 40 pounds of potatoes for a gratin last week by hand and ruining my wrist for 2 days, I grabbed a plastic $20 one from a restaurant supply store in Austin. It sliced through all of them in under an hour with zero pain. Has anyone else held out on a tool and regretted waiting?
I was working a brunch event at the Marriott downtown and somehow the handle gave out while I was refilling scrambled eggs, sending it crashing right by table 7. How do you even prep for something like that with a straight face?
I swear the produce I got from Sysco 5 years ago was way fresher than what they're sending now, but maybe I just didn't know any better back then. Anyone else notice a real difference in ingredient quality lately or is it just me getting older and more annoying lol?
Was at a stage in Portland last month and the sous chef watched me for 5 seconds, then said 'you're grinding the edge off with that angle'. He showed me how to do 15 degrees instead of my usual 20 and my knife glides through tomatoes now. Anyone else have a basic skill they realized they were messing up for years?
I worked at a place in Portland last month where the head chef yelled at a kid for scrubbing a cast iron with soap. He said it destroys the seasoning forever. Three years ago I actually tested this side by side at home with two identical pans. I washed one with mild soap and hot water every use, and the other I just wiped out. After 6 months the soap-washed pan had a better non-stick surface and no off flavors. The wiped-only pan smelled like old bacon fat and had sticky spots. So is the no-soap rule just tradition or have other people actually tested this?
Everyone raves about that fish spatula, but after two years in a busy Omaha kitchen, the handle cracked on me mid-shift. Meanwhile my old Dexter offset has been going strong for 6 years with the same blade. Am I the only one who thinks expensive gear doesn't always mean better?
Started a new line cook gig last month and this older guy kept insisting I needed to salt steaks way ahead of time to draw out moisture. First Saturday dinner rush I tried his method on a ribeye and it came out dry and tough. The chef on expo saw me tossing the plate and just said 'next time season it right before it hits the pan.' Has anyone else run into that old wives' tale about pre-salting?
I thought I was seasoned enough to handle anything, but that number caught me off guard and I had to call for backup on the grill station. Has anyone else had a line count that made them realize their prep system isn't cutting it?
Honestly, I've been debating whether to keep the classic pan sear method or switch to a sous vide for salmon during rush. Last Friday at the Pearl District spot, my line cook Marcus grabbed the backup saute pan mid-shift and nailed a perfect crust on 12 orders in 8 minutes flat. The sous vide gives you consistency but loses that crunch, you know? Which side do you lean on for a busy Friday night service?
Went to Le Bernardine last month with some chef friends and everyone was raving about their tasting menu. I just don't get the hype. The beurre blanc sauce on the fish was broken by the time it hit the table, and the plating felt like they cared more about looking artsy than making sense. For $185 a head, I expect my food to be hot and the flavors to actually pop, not just look pretty on Instagram. The sous vide duck breast was perfectly pink but completely flavorless, like they forgot to season it. I'd rather go to a good neighborhood spot that nails the basics than pay for trendy presentation. Anyone else feel like some of these high-end places are coasting on reputation?
Everyone raves about sous vide but mine broke after 3 uses and the temp was off by 5 degrees the whole time. Has anyone else had bad luck with the budget brands?
Last Tuesday at the bistro on 4th street, I had a party of 12 walk in 10 minutes before close and EVERY single steak had to be sent back for being overdone. The head chef just stared at me when I told him we ran out of the special sauce mid-service. Anyone else have a shift where nothing went right no matter what you did?
Happened yesterday during lunch prep at the bistro downtown. Chef bought this fancy Robot Coupe model 3 weeks ago and one of the interns packed it with basil and pine nuts without enough oil. I had to take the whole thing apart to dig the blades out. Anyone else have to babysit expensive gear because people dont read the manual?
Honestly I spent like 45 mins crying through my prep last week before a friend told me to just soak sliced onions in ice water for 10 mins. Changed everything for me on a busy Saturday service at The Rusty Spoon in Portland. Has anyone else tried this or got a faster trick?
I finally decided to swap out my old electric coil range last month after it died mid-service. Couldnt decide between a gas range or going induction, so I spent like 3 weeks reading forums and watching videos. Ended up going with a 30 inch induction cooktop from a mid range brand since my apartment has no gas line and running one wouldve cost $800 plus. Honestly, the first week was rough because my pans didnt all work and I burned a couple things learning the heat settings. After about 10 days I got the hang of it and now I love how fast it boils water and how easy it is to clean. Anyone here made the switch and had a similar learning curve or did you stick with gas?
I was stuck between VG-10 and R2/SG2 for my first chef knife purchase after culinary school. Went with VG-10 because it was $80 cheaper and easier to sharpen at home, but now after 3 months of line work I'm wondering if the edge retention of R2 would have saved me time. Anyone else regret going budget on steel when they started out?
I tried cooking beets in my pressure cooker last Tuesday instead of roasting them. They came out super soft but also kind of mushy and lost that earthy sweetness. I thought it would save time but the texture was totally different from what I expected. Has anyone else noticed this with root vegetables or am I doing something wrong?
I kept putting way too much oil on my skillet after cleaning and it always came out sticky. Last week I used a paper towel with just a tiny smear of crisco and wiped it like I was trying to remove it. Anyone else deal with that sticky layer before figuring out less is more?
Honestly, I was scrolling through a kitchen forum last week and saw someone claim that the average line cook's knife loses 80 percent of its sharpness by noon service. I thought it was just internet talk, so I brought in a digital edge tester I borrowed from a buddy at a steakhouse in Austin. We tested the blades on the line at 9 AM and then again at 1 PM during a brutal Saturday rush. Results were worse than I expected - almost every knife dropped way below usable sharpness after just four hours. Has anyone else actually measured their edge retention through a shift, or is this just how it goes?
Honestly, I bought that $70 Japanese mandoline everyone swears by in the Michelin kitchens. After 2 months of normal use maybe 3 times a week it cant slice a tomato without crushing it. I went back to my old $20 one from the restaurant supply store and that thing has held up for 4 years now. Anyone else find the hype around certain brands is just not real?
I always thought mise en place was for newbies or control freaks, but after 80 covers on a 4-top flat top I finally caved and prepped everything down to the shallots. Having my butter blocks diced and my herbs picked before service shaved off a full 2 hours of scrambling. How do you seasoned cooks balance prep time with the actual cooking without burning out?
I was on the pass at a busy spot in Portland last month when the new guy tripped over the floor mat and sent 12 quarts of demi splattering across every ticket in the window. We ran out of backup so I had to rebuild that sauce from scratch in 20 minutes while calling out fires on three proteins. Has anyone else had to recover a whole sauce mid-service with no prep?