The Community Guide

c/chefs

14

morgan.nancy•19h ago

Had to choose between fresh pasta or dried last night for a busy service, picked wrong

Got slammed on a Thursday night in Dallas, had to decide between using our fresh pappardelle or the dried linguine from the back. Fresh stuff looks better on the menu but takes forever to cook when tickets are piling up, and it clumps if you don't work it fast enough. I went with fresh because I wanted to impress this regular who always complains. Big mistake. By the time the third order hit the pass, the pasta was sticking together and I had to toss a whole batch. Dried would've held up way better with the sauce and been faster to portion out. Ended up with a 12 minute ticket time on a dish that should take 6. Any of you guys got a rule for when to swap to dried on a rush?

13

troymorgan•19h ago

Hot take: your knife sharpener is probably ruining your edge.

I used one of those pull-through sharpeners for like 3 years. Thought my knives were sharp. Then I worked a prep shift at a place in Portland where the CDC demanded I use a whetstone. First time I actually cut a tomato without squashing it I felt like an idiot. Anyone else ditch the cheap sharpeners late in the game?

20

carter.hugo•5d ago

Unpopular take: I chose cast iron over non-stick for egg duty

I know everyone swears by Teflon for scrambled eggs, but after burning through three pans in two years at the breakfast station, I swapped to a vintage Griswold I found for $20 at a thrift store near Portland. Yeah, you gotta season it right and use enough butter, but I've had that same pan for 8 months now with zero sticking and zero flaking. Has anyone else gone old school for eggs and stuck with it?

26

harris.emma•20d ago

Finally gave in and started using a thermometer for steaks after 12 years in the kitchen

I always thought I could tell doneness by touch. Press the meat, feel the firmness, you know? Then last month the head chef at this spot in Denver pulled me aside. He said I was serving medium wells when people ordered medium. I argued but he handed me a Thermapen and made me temp every steak for a week. Turns out I was off by 10-15 degrees on most of them. Now I use it every shift and my returns dropped from 5 a night to maybe one. Anybody else fight using a thermometer and then give in?

6

henry_martin56•21d ago

My sous chef told me to stop pre-salting steaks before service

Been doing it for 10 years. Thought it helped with crust. He said I was drawing out moisture and making them tough. We did a side by side test with 12 ribeyes last Tuesday. His method was better. Salt right before the grill. Now I feel stupid. Anyone else hold onto a habit for years that was actually hurting your food?

4

abby698•22d ago

Burned 3 sheet pans in one shift before I figured out the trick

Kept using parchment paper with the shiny side down. Stupid. Chef walked by and said 'you know that side reflects heat right?' Flipped it over and my cookies stopped turning into hockey pucks. Now I always check the package directions. Anyone else miss this for years?

18

the_jordan•23d ago

The night I dropped a whole tray of 40 lamb chops during service

Honestly, I was working the grill at a busy spot in Austin last summer, and we had this huge reservation for 30 people. I had just finished seasoning 40 lamb chops and was carrying the tray to the grill when my towel slipped on the handle. The whole thing crashed to the floor, chops everywhere, grease splattered on my shoes. I stood there for like 2 seconds panicking, then grabbed a clean towel and yelled at the line cook to fire up the backup grill. We had to pull 20 frozen chops from the walk-in, defrost them under cold water, and I worked like a machine to get them out in 20 minutes. The table was patient, but my chef still gave me that look. Has anyone else had a moment where you just had to push through and fix a dumb mistake on the fly?

6

the_hannah•23d ago

The day I realized I was over-tempering my chocolate for 6 months

I was working on a batch of bonbons last Tuesday and they just would not set right. They kept getting these weird streaks and a dull finish no matter what I did. I had been using the seeding method but adding way too much agitation because I thought more mixing meant smoother chocolate. Then a pastry chef buddy stopped by and watched me for a minute. He goes "why are you stirring that like it owes you money?" I tested his suggestion to just let it sit more after seeding and boom perfect shiny snap. So apparently I was breaking the crystal structure by being too aggressive the whole time. Has anyone else had a basic technique they just overcomplicated for months without realizing?

3

xena_murphy•23d ago

Don't buy a $60 thermal probe off Amazon for your walk-in

I cheaped out on a wireless thermal probe to track my walk-in temps and it died after 3 weeks. The app stopped connecting and I lost a whole batch of duck confit before I noticed. Anyone else get burned by bargain thermometers?

6

drew_chen•23d ago

Used to rush my knife honing every morning until a line cook called me out

For years I'd just run my chef's knife across the steel a few times before service, barely paying attention. Last month a new line cook named Marco pointed out my blade was chattering and told me to slow down and match the angle better. Now I take a full 90 seconds to hone each knife, using a 15-degree angle on my Wusthof, and the difference in how clean my cuts are is huge. Has anyone else picked up a basic habit change from a younger cook that actually stuck?

4

nancy_miller•26d ago

Vent: People cutting herbs with a dull knife and calling it fine dining

I was helping a new line cook last night during prep. He grabbed our chef knife and started chopping basil for a special. The knife was dull so he was basically smashing the leaves instead of slicing. It turned brown in like 10 minutes. Then the head chef put it on the plate and called it garnish. I mean idk, maybe it's just me but if you can't get a clean cut on soft herbs you're losing flavor and presentation. Has anyone else given up on telling people to sharpen their knives?

11

mia442•26d ago

Debate: Does mise en place matter more for prep or service?

I've worked in three kitchens over 5 years, and last month my sous chef swore that skipping mise for service saves time, but my old chef from 3 years ago in Chicago said it ruins the flow. Which side do you lean on when the rush hits?

22

walker.alex•28d ago

I almost lost a finger to a dull mandoline at The Trough last Saturday

Slicing a case of beets for pickling and the blade caught on a soft spot, shot my hand right into the guard plate - blood everywhere and we had to shut down the line for twenty minutes. Anyone else ditch those cheap plastic guards and just use a cut glove instead?

10

olivia_anderson•28d ago

After 6 years I finally realized I was sharpening my chef's knife wrong

Been working the line at a busy Italian spot downtown since 2018. Last week my sous chef watched me run my knife across the stone and just shook his head. He pointed out I was using way too much pressure on the pull stroke, basically making a burr every time without evening it out. Took me maybe 10 minutes of his coaching to feel the difference. Now my knife actually holds an edge through a full Friday night service instead of getting dull after 50 prep tomatoes. Anyone else have a chef call them out on a basic skill they thought they had figured out?

20

the_jenny•29d ago

Hit 200 covers solo last Saturday and almost walked out

I've been doing this 8 years and never thought I'd be that guy, but the ticket printer wouldn't stop and I had no backup. Has anyone else hit a number that made them question if they're in the right line of work?

12

the_kai•1mo ago

Had a line cook lecture me on knife skills. He was right.

Kid's been here maybe 6 months. Told me my rock chop was sloppy. I got defensive at first. Then I watched him break down a case of onions in 8 minutes flat. Clean cuts, no waste, not even a tear. I've been doing this 12 years. He showed me a simple grip change and a different wrist angle. Took me 2 shifts to unlearn my old habit. Now I'm faster and my cuts are way more consistent. Anyone else had to eat humble pie from a junior cook?

18

davis.emma•1mo ago

Ripped my hand open on a mandoline last service

Wednesday night dinner rush. Slicing radishes for a garnish. Slippery little things. Blade caught my finger right below the nail. Blood everywhere. Had to run to the walk-in and wrap it in a towel. Chef just looked at me and said "you know we have cut gloves in the back, right?" I felt like an idiot. Finished the shift with a glove that looked like a crime scene. Anyone actually use those kevlar gloves or are they too clunky?

8

clairebaker•1mo ago

Finally figured out why my béarnaise kept splitting on Sunday brunch

Honestly, I was getting so frustrated during Sunday brunch service because my béarnaise would break like clockwork after 20 minutes on the pass. Took me three Saturdays of testing to realize it was the steam table temp, not my technique. I started pulling the sauce off the heat 5 degrees earlier and holding it in a thermal container instead. Has anyone else dealt with a similar issue during busy weekend brunch shifts?

21

grant901•1mo ago

Lost a $200 batch of stock overnight because of a faulty timer

I set up a veal stock on Tuesday night before heading home. Put it on at 10 pm with the timer set to cut the flame at 6 am. Came in Wednesday morning and the gas had been off since about 2 am. The timer is one of those cheap dial models that you plug into the wall. Turns out the internal spring gave out. The stock barely hit 140 degrees before it started cooling down. By the time I got there it was sitting at 80 degrees and smelled off. Had to dump the whole thing down the drain. The veal bones alone cost me about 80 bucks from a local butcher in Portland. Has anyone else had bad luck with those plug-in timers? What do you use for overnight cooking?

22

jamiekim•1mo ago

My new flat top grill ruined 15 orders on a Friday night

I was at the downtown Chicago spot I work at, slammed with a full rail. The brand new flat top I begged my boss for was running way hotter than I expected, and I threw on a batch of smash burgers without checking the temp. They went from raw to burnt in about 90 seconds, and I had to remake the whole ticket while the expo was yelling at me. I dialed it down to medium heat after that, but what do you do when a new piece of gear throws off your whole timing mid shift?

27

barbara_butler•1mo ago

Wasted $80 on that fancy knife sharpener at the supply store

I bought that electric pull-through sharpener from the big kitchen supply place last month because I thought it would save me time. After 2 weeks my chef knife was actually duller than before and chipping on the edge. Anyone else had this happen or should I just stick to my whetstone?

4

abby698•1mo ago

Fresh pasta vs. dried: which one actually saves you in a busy service?

I got into this argument with my sous last week during prep. He swears by fresh pasta for everything, but I think dried stuff has its place, especially when we're doing a 200-cover Saturday. Last month I did a side-by-side test with a simple cacio e pepe. Fresh took way more time to roll and cut, and the texture was nice but not mind-blowing. Dried held up better with the sauce and I didn't have to babysit it. I ended up using dried for that dish, but my sous said I was cutting corners. What do you guys pick for a busy shift and why? Has anyone else had dried perform better than they expected?

28

schmidt.troy•1mo ago

Saw a line cook in Austin use a squeeze bottle for plating sauces and it clicked for me

I always thought those squeeze bottles were just for show. Then I spent a weekend in Austin last month and watched a cook at a taco joint drizzle crema with one. He had four bottles on his station and could switch between sauces in under 2 seconds. It made my old spoon drizzle method look slow and messy. I ordered a set of 6 bottles that same night. For $12 it sped up my prep and plating by about 15 minutes per shift. Anyone else switched to squeeze bottles and never looked back?

14

david123•1mo ago

Unpopular take: blowtorching creme brulee is way overrated

I tried torching a batch of creme brulee for a fancy dinner service in Austin last month and half of them came out with a burnt sugar taste that ruined the custard. My pastry chef buddy says I should just use the broiler instead, which takes longer but gives a more even crust. Anyone else found torching too inconsistent for a busy line?

7

the_jordan•1mo ago

TIL my sharpening stones were way dirtier than I thought

I kept wondering why my knives weren't getting as sharp after honing. Finally soaked my stones in dish soap for 20 minutes and scrubbed them with a stiff brush the gunk that came off was gross. Anyone else forget to deep clean their stones regularly?