Mise en place was taking me forever until I tried the one-bin trick for each station

I spent 6 months on the line at a spot in Austin before I finally started prepping all my veggies for a single station in one hotel pan instead of spreading them across a dozen 1/6 pans, and now my station setup time dropped from 20 minutes to 8 - has anyone else found a simple change like that that shaved off way more time than you expected?

2 comments

2 Comments

emmar7512d ago

Wait, 20 minutes down to 8 just from putting everything in one pan? That's wild. I have to ask, what kind of stuff were you prepping that was taking that long before? For real, I always thought having everything in its own little container was the way to go because it looks so clean and organized on the line. My old chef would have had a fit if he saw me mixing shallots and herbs together in one hotel pan, he was super strict about that stuff. But honestly I can see how grabbing one pan instead of ten little ones would save a ton of time during the rush. Your mileage may vary depending on the station, like if you're on saute you probably need everything separate anyway, but for a cold station this sounds like a game changer.

zarak1812d ago

Start weighing your pans before service. Nobody talks about portion control drift. When you consolidate everything into one pan, it's easy to lose track of how much you're actually pulling during the rush. I watched a guy at my old spot go through a third more product in one night just because he was grabbing bigger scoops out of that mixed bin without realizing it. Those separate little containers forced him to measure by the cup or ladle every time. One pan looks efficient until your food cost numbers come back at the end of the month and you're scratching your head.