c/chefs

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?

Had to pick between fresh pasta and dry for my Sunday gravy and it almost ruined dinner

Last weekend I was prepping for a big family Sunday dinner and got stuck choosing between making fresh pasta from scratch or using the good dried stuff I get from that Italian grocery in my town. I figured fresh would impress everyone but I had like 4 hours to get everything done including the sauce which simmers for 3 of those. I went with fresh because I'm stubborn and it took me an extra 45 minutes rolling and cutting while the sauce was reducing. The noodles came out way too soft and they soaked up too much gravy making the whole dish kinda mushy. My uncle straight up said 'this would be better with boxed pasta' and he was right lol. Has anyone else regretted going fancy with fresh pasta when the occasion didn't really call for it?

Burned 30 quarts of stock on a busy Saturday night

I was running the saute station at a 60-seat place in Portland when a prep cook set a stockpot on my back burner and walked away. It boiled dry and the roasted chicken bones turned into black carbon that ruined the whole kitchen's air for two hours. Has anyone found a foolproof way to keep prep cooks from hogging your burners?

I finally figured out why my hollandaise kept breaking

Tbh I've been struggling with hollandaise for years. Last Tuesday at the Pearl Street Bistro in Denver, the sous chef watched me make it and pointed out I was adding the butter too fast. I was dumping it in over like 15 seconds when it should take a full 2 minutes of slow drizzle. Anyone else have a basic technique that took them way too long to get right?

That sous vide advice from a line cook at 2 AM actually worked

A line cook named Dave told me to season my steak 24 hours before bagging it, not right before the bath. I tried it last Sunday with a ribeye and the salt drew out way more moisture than my usual 2 hour wait. Has anyone else pushed the dry brine timing past what recipes say?

Walked into a diner kitchen last week and saw something unexpected

I stopped at a little breakfast spot called The Griddle on Route 9 after dropping my kid off. The cook was using a pair of needle-nose pliers to flip bacon on the flat top. He told me he lost his metal spatula three weeks ago and just never bothered to replace it. Has anyone else come across weird makeshift tools in a professional kitchen that actually kind of work?

Swapped my stainless steel pans for carbon steel last month and it fixed my scrambled egg problem

I was burning eggs the second they hit the pan no matter what temp or oil I used, but after a buddy at a diner near Cleveland told me to try carbon steel I've been getting silky curds every morning without even trying hard - has anyone else made the switch from nonstick and found a similar difference?

Pro tip: Thermometer calibration made me toss 60 steaks last month

I checked my probe thermometers last month after a slow service night in Chicago. Found all three were off by 12 to 18 degrees. Been searing steaks to what I thought was 130F but they were really at 148F for months. My chef never caught it, but the waste cost us about $400 in meat that week. Has anyone else tested their thermometers lately or just trust the factory settings?

Lost a $200 fryer basket last week because my prep guy didn't dry it after washing

I run a small kitchen in Portland, and last Thursday I walk in to find a brand new fryer basket completely rusted out. My prep guy soaked it overnight in the sink, then threw it back on the fryer without drying it. That basket cost me $200 two weeks ago. Has anyone else dealt with staff ignoring basic equipment care?

Vent: Lost a prep cook last month because we can't find anyone who can handle a Saturday rush

We had this kid, Tyler, been with us for about 4 months at our kitchen in Portland. He seemed solid during the week, could chop and follow tickets fine. But last month during a packed Saturday, he just froze at the pass when the tickets started stacking 20 deep. Walked out mid-service, apron on the floor. Now I'm stuck working 60 hour weeks covering his shifts. Anyone else seeing this with younger cooks just not built for the heat?

Debate: Do you season from above or do you get closer to the meat?

I was staging at a spot in Portland last month and the chef there insists on seasoning from like 18 inches up to get even coverage. But I've always done it from a few inches away so I don't miss the meat. Which side are you on and do you think it actually changes the flavor or is it just habit?

I finally snapped at a customer over a steak temperature request

Some guy at the pass last Saturday told me medium rare means 'a little pink but no blood' - I asked him what he thinks blood looks like in a ribeye. Anyone else just give up explaining carryover cooking to people who won't listen?

Tried using salted butter in my beurre blanc... big mistake

I ran out of unsalted mid-service last Thursday and figured 'how different can it be?'... ended up with a broken, greasy mess that tasted like a salt lick. Had to trash 3 quarts of butter and start over. Took me 45 minutes to re-emulsify a new batch while tickets piled up. Anyone else learn this the hard way?

I spent 6 years mincing garlic wrong until a line cook showed me the trick

I always crushed the clove with the flat of my knife, then tried to mince it from the root end. Took me forever and I always got sticky fingers. Last Tuesday a line cook from Portland named Dave grabbed my wrist and showed me to slice lengthwise first, THEN chop across. It sounds dumb but it cut my prep time on garlic by like 40 percent. Has anyone else had a basic knife skill revelation way later than you'd like to admit?