c/chefs

Picked the flat top over the char grill for my new station last month

I was torn between a flat top and a char grill for my new station at the downtown bistro. Went with the flat top because it handles more volume during rush, but I miss that smoky flavor on steaks. Anyone else regret their station setup choice?

Figured out a knife sharpening trick that actually saved my station

I was struggling with keeping my chef knife edge during lunch rush last week. Decided to try a ceramic honing rod instead of my usual steel one, just to see what would happen. That thing made a huge difference - kept the edge way longer and I only had to do it once mid-shift instead of three times. Anyone else had better luck with ceramic over steel rods?

Can we talk about how my so-called 'perfect' steak ruined my dinner service?

I like a good medium rare as much as the next chef, but I tried this whole 'reverse sear at 125 degrees' thing everyone raves about for a busy Saturday night at our place in Portland. I cooked six ribeyes low and slow in the oven, then seared them hard on the flat top like the guides say. They looked amazing with that nice crust, but when I cut into them, they were practically blue in the center, not even close to medium rare. I felt like a fool plating those up, and three came back to the pass saying they were too raw. I learned my oven runs cooler than I thought, so 125 internal is way too low for my setup. Has anyone else had to adjust their temps because of their equipment, or am I missing something simple here?

Tried sous vide vs. smoke first for brisket, never going back

I spent 3 years doing brisket the old way, smoking it low and slow for 14 hours straight. Last month I tried sous vide at 155F for 30 hours then a 3 hour smoke at 225F. The texture was way more even and I didn't have to babysit a smoker all night. Juices stayed in the meat way better and the bark was still solid. Anyone else made the switch and found it worth the extra planning?

Saw a line cook melt down over a broken slicer at 3 Star Market last Thursday

I was helping a buddy at his pop-up in the back kitchen when their only meat slicer just quit mid-shift. The kid on the line started throwing towels and yelling about how the owner never maintains anything. Right then the owner walked in, saw the chaos, and calmly pulled a backup slicer from under a prep table he'd kept oiled and sharp for exactly this reason. Has anyone else's kitchen got a secret backup for the stuff that always breaks at the worst time?

Sliced through a $30 pork loin only to find the counter was greasy and the knife went sideways

Was breaking down a big pork loin for Saturday service and my new chef's knife slipped right off the fat cap. Ended up with a nasty gash on my finger rather than a clean cut. I had to stop, bandage up, and swap to a wet towel under the board to keep it stable. Do you guys prep your cutting boards with a damp paper towel underneath or just deal with the sliding?

Tried roasting chicken on a bed of salt... turned out way different than expected

So I saw this recipe online about roasting a whole chicken on a thick layer of salt for crispy skin. I used about 3 cups of kosher salt spread on a sheet pan and put the bird right on top at 425. The skin was insanely crispy, almost too crunchy, but the meat was actually less salty than I thought it would be. Has anyone else messed around with this method for chicken?

Sous chef told me my knife work was too slow

She said I was trying to do everything with a chef's knife. Switched to a petty knife for small veg and shaved 20 seconds off my prep per batch last week. Anyone else get called out for using the wrong tool?

I always thought nonstick pans were a crutch until I tried a hexclad pan for the first time last month

My old chef told me to learn on stainless steel and never look back, so I spent 8 years avoiding nonstick like it was poison. But I used a hexclad pan at a friend's pop-up dinner in Austin and scrambled eggs slid right off without any oil, no sticking at all. Has anyone else found a nonstick situation that actually works for real cooking?

Had a health inspector walk into my prep kitchen unannounced last Thursday

They flagged my sheet pan storage because I was stacking them wet. Anyone else run into this rule and have to change their whole drying system?

I stopped blanching vegetables before shocking them in ice water

Used to drop everything into an ice bath after blanching, thinking it kept the color bright. Now I just spread them on a sheet tray and let them steam off 2 minutes. Has anyone else ditched the ice bath?

Appreciation post: That line cook who told me to stop wasting my arm movement

Had this kid working next to me at a busy brunch spot in Austin last summer. He was maybe 22, quiet, just did his job. One day he looks over and says 'you're moving your whole arm when you just need to use your wrist.' I was so annoyed. But then I watched him break down a case of avocado in half the time. So I tried it. Took like a week to unlearn but now my shoulder doesn't ache after service. Anyone else had a young cook teach them something dumb obvious?

Spent $200 on a commercial slicer for my food truck, regretted it immediately

Bought a used Hobart slicer off Craigslist for $200 last month. The blade was dull and the carriage kept sticking, wasted three pounds of brisket before I gave up. Anyone have luck fixing these things yourself or is it always a shop job?

The trick about kosher salt ratios finally clicked for me last night

I was reading a old Cook's Illustrated article from 2019 about salt measurements and realized that 1 tablespoon of Diamond Crystal kosher salt weighs about half of what Morton's does. All this time I was following recipes that called for a tablespoon of kosher salt using Morton's and wondering why my food was way too salty. Has anyone else had this issue swapping salt brands in recipes?

Just realized I used to spend hours hand-dicing mirepoix every morning

Back when I started at this Italian joint in Brooklyn around 2012, I'd show up at 6am to chop onions, carrots, and celery by hand for like 45 minutes straight. Now with the robot coupe I can blast through a 50-pound case in under 10 minutes. Honestly, I miss the rhythm of it sometimes, but my wrists thank me every day. Has anyone else switched to machines for prep and felt weird about it?

Old head chef told me my knife skills were 'too pretty' for line work

I was doing all these fancy cuts for a Friday night rush, taking forever. He pulled me aside and said 'just slice it, nobody cares about tourne potatoes when tickets are piling up.' Now I focus on speed over flash and my wrists thank me after a 12-hour shift. Anyone else get told to dumb down their technique?

That sous chef told me to stop over-seasoning my fish 2 years ago and I finally listened

I was pan-searing salmon at the restaurant in Portland and she just watched me salt it like 4 times. She said "bro you're killing the flavor, the fish tastes like salt" and I got defensive but tried it her way the next day. I cut the salt by half and let the natural taste come through plus a little lemon zest. Now I get way less complaints about stuff being too salty, has anyone else had to unlearn a bad habit from culinary school?

I keep hearing that carbon steel pans are the best for everything

Last Tuesday I tried searing a steak in my new carbon steel pan and the thing warped so bad on my electric stove that the oil pooled on one side. Everyone in my kitchen crew swears by carbon steel but my old cast iron never did that once in 3 years. I think it depends way more on your stove type than people admit. Anyone else have a batch of carbon steel that just didn't hold up on electric?

Had a chef tell me to salt brisket 3 days ahead and I finally tried it

I've been doing barbecue for about 5 years now, mostly on a offset smoker in my backyard here in Austin. A guy named Carlos who works at a popular spot told me to dry brine my packer brisket at least 72 hours before cooking. I always thought 12 hours was plenty and any longer would mess up the texture. Last weekend I finally gave it a shot with a 15 pound prime brisket from Costco. The bark came out way better than usual and the salt actually penetrated deeper into the meat. I noticed the flat was way more tender too and didn't dry out during the stall. Has anyone else tried going that long or is 2 days good enough without going overboard?

That $200 Japanese knife I bought was a game changer until it chipped on a lemon

I spent $200 on a Shun chef's knife last year because I was tired of dull blades, and it cut through everything like butter for about 6 months. Then I tried to wedge through a lemon seed and a tiny chip flew off the edge, now it's got a weird spot that won't sharpen out. Has anyone else had expensive knives fail on something simple, or am I just unlucky with mine?

Ran into an old line cook who changed how I think about mise en place

Bumped into Marco at the farmer's market last Saturday. He used to work the grill station at this busy spot I was at in Portland back in 2017. He told me he preps his station with the same 3 knife cuts every single shift no matter what he's cooking. Said it saves him 15 minutes of thinking per service. Has anyone else tried sticking to a super rigid setup like that?

Spent $120 on a proper bench scraper and it actually changed my prep game

Bought a $40 carbon steel pan and it wrecked my nonstick habits

I spent $40 on a cheap carbon steel wok from a restaurant supply place in Chinatown last month. My plan was to use it for stir fries but I ended up using it for everything including eggs and fish. The seasoning took about 6 tries to get right but now nothing sticks and it's way tougher than my old Teflon pans. Anyone else find that switching metals changes your whole cooking technique?

Discovered a trick for fixing broken hollandaise without starting over

Last Saturday I was making eggs benedict for a brunch service and my hollandaise split right in the middle of plating. Instead of tossing it and starting fresh, I grabbed a clean bowl, added a tablespoon of hot water, and slowly whisked the broken sauce back in. It came together smooth in about 2 minutes and saved me from having to explain another 20 minute delay to the front of house. Has anyone else had luck with this fix or do you have a better method?

Hot take: I was dead wrong about MSG in my kitchen for years

Used to swear I could taste that 'chemical' flavor in Chinese takeout until I tried a pinch in my chicken stock last Tuesday. Has anyone else had a total flip on an ingredient they thought they hated?