c/chefs

Vent: Why does everyone overseason their protein?

I had a guy send back a ribeye the other night because it was "bland" when all I used was salt and pepper. Keep it simple, people. If you can't taste the actual beef under three layers of rub, you're missing the point.

2 comments

diana_bell74•2d ago

The way expo tickets pile up during a Friday rush is getting out of hand

I work saute at a place in Austin with about 60 seats indoors and another 40 on the patio. Last Friday we had 200 covers between 6 and 9 PM, and I swear the expo printer just kept spitting out tickets nonstop. Three times during the rush I had to stop mid-fire and re-read the stack because I missed a modification on a ticket buried under three others. My sous chef grabbed the pile at 7:30 and said 'whose idea was it to put a 4-top of wellingtons next to a 6-top all doing salmon medium rare?' Nobody plans for how bad the ticket logjam gets on a busy summer night. Has anyone tried using a digital system or a color coded ticket folder to cut down on the mess?

2 comments

lily_sullivan82•3d ago

Line cook told me my knife angle was wrong. Changed my whole prep speed.

Been sharpening my own chef knives for a decade. Thought I had it down. Kid fresh out of culinary school watched me breaking down a case of bell peppers. Said I was holding the blade too vertical. Demonstrated a 15 degree angle instead of my usual 20. Took me a week to unlearn the habit. Now I fly through onions in half the time. Any other old dogs pick up new tricks from rookies?

2 comments

wadepalmer•6d ago

Blown away by how much salt a restaurant uses compared to home cooking

I was reading The Food Lab on my lunch break and Keller says most home cooks use about a third of the salt professional kitchens do. Has anyone else tried matching those restaurant salt levels at home and did it work out for you?

3 comments

cameron_craig•8d ago

I hit 10,000 covers in a 40-seat joint and nearly walked out

Worked a solo Saturday dinner shift at this tiny spot downtown, 40 seats max, no dishwasher. By 9pm I had rung up 96 covers myself, expo, fire, plate, run, bus, reset. The owner came back sipping wine while I was scrubbing pans and said 'great pace tonight.' I hit exactly 10,000 covers for the month after that shift and realized I was doing the work of three people for minimum plus tips. Management didn't care, they just saw the number and smiled. Anyone else ever crush a ridiculous milestone and feel completely burned out instead of proud?

2 comments

ross.jessica•8d ago

Customer told me my knife grip was wrong and I actually changed it

Had this older guy come into the shop kitchen after a private event I catered. He watched me break down a case of onions and said I was choking up on the blade too much for a sloppy dice. Told me to drop my thumb back off the spine. I was pretty annoyed at first but tried it the next day and my cuts got way cleaner. Been doing it for 3 weeks now and my wrist hurts less at the end of a double shift. Any other line dogs get unsolicited advice that actually worked?

2 comments

the_ray•8d ago

The shift that started with 47 covers and ended with a walkout

Last Saturday night I walked in at 3pm thinking it would be a normal prep day. Hostess tells me we got a walk-in party of 20 at 4:30, then the PM server calls out sick. By 6pm we had 47 on the books and I was cooking off apps for 15 minutes at a time. The kicker was at 8 when a 12-top complained their steaks were overdone and all four walked without paying. Manager comped their whole tab. I still had 30 more tickets on the rail. Anyone else have a night where the numbers just lied to you?

2 comments

the_viola•9d ago

Tried making a demi-glace from scratch and ended up with 2 gallons of jelly.

work

2 comments

wendysmith•11d ago

Had a line cook call out my knife angle on the flat top

I was working the breakfast shift at a diner in Buffalo and this kid fresh out of culinary school told me I was holding my spatula at too steep of an angle when flipping pancakes. He said it was making them tear on the edges. I changed it to a flatter angle the next morning and honestly my pancakes have been coming out perfect since then. Has anyone else had a small tweak like that totally change a basic task?

2 comments

bailey.xena•12d ago

Walked into a steakhouse kitchen and saw them using pre-shredded cheese

Was in Denver last week for a pop-up and peeked into this popular steakhouse kitchen. Dude was pulling out bags of pre-shredded cheese for their salads. Has anyone else seen that in a place charging $50 a plate?

2 comments

logan_schmidt•12d ago

Stumbled on a small town fish market that changed how I think about prep

Was driving through Port Clyde, Maine last weekend and stopped at this little shack called the Wharf Market... they had a guy behind the counter breaking down a whole halibut with nothing but a 6-inch boning knife and his hands. No fancy cutting boards or vacuum sealers, just raw skill. Made me wonder how many of us are overcomplicating our stations with gadgets we don't really need?

2 comments

dixon.rose•12d ago

Walk-in freezer drain line froze solid during Friday dinner rush

Had 4 quarts of house-made stock and 3 hotel pans of braised short ribs sitting on speed racks while I spent 20 minutes thawing the drain with hot water from the bain. Anyone else deal with a freezer that ices up like clockwork every winter?

3 comments

troy_butler7•13d ago

Old line cook swore by blanching green beans in salted ice water before service

Worked at this spot in Austin called The Broken Spoke Kitchen back in 2019, and this 60 year old line cook named Carl told me to drop green beans in salted ice water right after blanching. I thought he was nuts until I tried it on a 60 pound order for a catering gig and they stayed bright green and snappy for 4 hours on the pass. Anyone else got weird prep tricks from old timers that actually worked out?

2 comments

janahenderson•14d ago

Worst prep day ever ended with a delivery driver in my walk-in

Last Tuesday was supposed to be a normal prep day but everything went sideways from 6am. I had three cases of produce come in with mold, my brand new mandoline sliced my thumb on the second pepper, and then a DoorDash driver walked right into my walk-in cooler looking for a pickup. I had to explain through gritted teeth that no, we are not a Chipotle, while holding a bleeding hand over the sink. Has anyone else had a random civilian wander into their kitchen thinking it's fast food?

2 comments

seth_nguyen•14d ago

Had to pick between a gas range and induction for the new setup at my pop-up near Portland

I was staring at a $1400 budget and couldn't decide between a 6-burner gas range or a 4-burner induction with a portable oven. Ended up going with the induction because the space was tiny and I was worried about ventilation. First week was rough adjusting to how fast it heats and cools, but after 3 services I think I prefer it for most stuff. Anyone else switch and feel like they lost control over searing?

2 comments

blair_dixon•14d ago

Can we talk about how a simple mise en place trick saved my Saturday service

I work at a busy spot in Chicago. Last Saturday we had 150 covers. Our expo line got slammed and I started missing components. Chef pulled me aside and showed me a trick. He said to arrange my prep bowls in the exact order the tickets come in. Top to bottom, left to right. That simple spacing made my flow twice as fast. Has anyone else tried this kind of layout for their station?

2 comments

angela_wilson78•15d ago

Walked into a diner in Buffalo and their line cook was using a garden trowel to flip eggs

Saw it sitting right on the flat top next to the eggs and bacon, asked the guy about it and he said the handle was more comfortable than a spatula, has anyone else seen weird tools like that in a pro kitchen?

2 comments

adamcoleman•17d ago

TIL that $300 mandoline nearly cost me a fingertip

Bought a fancy Swiss mandoline last month for $300 thinking it would speed up my prep for a catering gig in Austin. First day using it, the guard slipped and I sliced halfway through my left index finger, spent 4 hours in urgent care instead of finishing my orders. Anyone else had a fancy tool fail on safety and switch back to the cheap stuff?

2 comments

max388•19d ago

Had a chat with a line cook at a dive bar that made me question my whole approach to prep

I was grabbing a beer after service last Thursday and this kid, maybe 22, told me he spends the first 30 minutes of his shift just tasting every ingredient he's going to use that night. He said if you don't know exactly how your shallots or your stock tastes that day, you're just guessing. It hit me different because I've been cooking 15 years and I just grab and go without thinking. Has anyone else tried doing a full taste audit before service and found it actually helped?

2 comments

theabennett•19d ago

Spent $200 on a molecular gastronomy kit - what a waste of money and time

I bought one of those fancy kits from a website last year for around $200. Thought I'd make cool foams and spheres for my plates. Used it twice. The agar agar clumped up, the spherification thing barely worked, and all I got was a mess on my station. The recipes were super complicated and not practical for a busy dinner service. I'd rather spend that cash on good knives or a new pan. Has anyone else tried one and actually made it work?

2 comments

nina834•24d ago

Pro tip: let your steak rest on a wire rack instead of a plate

I always used to rest my steaks on a cutting board or plate, and the bottom would get soggy and gray. Last month I tried putting them on a wire rack set over a baking sheet after searing, and the crust stayed crunchy on all sides after a 5 minute rest. The difference was night and day, the whole steak was evenly pink and the crust didn't steam off. Has anyone else tried this trick or do you just rest them on paper towels?

2 comments

lucaslane•25d ago

Just figured out why my bread was always dense finally

I been baking sourdough for like 6 months and kept getting these hockey pucks instead of fluffy loaves. Tried different flours, longer proofs, even bought a fancy Dutch oven. Then I realized my kitchen temp was way too cold for the bulk fermentation - like 62 degrees instead of 75. So I started putting my dough in the oven with just the light on and it doubled in size in 4 hours instead of 12. First loaf came out with actual air pockets and I nearly cried. Any other home chefs here struggle with temp control for proofing?

2 comments

grant.kevin•27d ago

Switched from cheap oil to mid-grade and my fryer stopped smoking after 3 weeks

Been running a food truck in Austin for 2 years and always used the bulk vegetable oil. After my fryer started smoking every service I swapped to a better brand. Night and day difference, no more burnt smell in the truck and the batter actually crisps up. Anyone else make that switch or am I just dumb for waiting?

2 comments

joseph_lewis92•27d ago

Learned a knife trick from a line cook at a diner in Akron

I was grabbing breakfast at this rundown diner in Akron last month and watched the cook quickly sharpen his chef knife on a ceramic mug bottom. Tried it myself at home that night and it actually brought a dull edge back for a few quick cuts. Anybody else got weird hacks they picked up from watching other cooks?

2 comments

dixon.rose•29d ago

Burned a whole batch of stock because I got distracted by a foggy window

I was in the middle of reducing a veal stock last Tuesday at the restaurant and got pulled away to help with a broken ice machine. Came back 20 minutes later and the stock had scorched on the bottom, dark brown and smelling like burnt toast. Had to dump the whole thing down the sink, wasted about 12 pounds of bones and 3 hours of simmering. Anyone else have a kitchen disaster that started with something totally unrelated?

2 comments