c/chefs

Warning: I stopped using a thermometer for pan sauces and got better results

I used to temp every pan sauce at my station in Portland, but last month I started going purely by look and feel after a 15-year line cook told me to try it. Ngl, I stopped overcooking my beurre blanc and the consistency is way better now that I just watch for the bubbles to change size and the liquid to coat a spoon. Has anyone else ditched thermometers for pan sauces or am I the only one who thinks this actually works better?

Learned the hard way to keep spare towels in the walk-in

Last Wednesday during service, a line cook knocked over a cambro of chicken stock and it flooded under the reach-in. Took us 20 minutes to mop it up with the one towel we had, and I realized I should stash a stack of bar mops near the cooler door. Has anyone else had a close call like that mess up their flow?

Switched to a cast iron flat top grill 3 months ago and my breakfast service got way faster

I used to fight with a standard griddle that had hot and cold spots, always burning one side of the hashbrowns while the other side stayed raw. Then I dropped $180 on a Lodge cast iron flat top that sits right over two burners on my line. After seasoning it for a weekend and running it through a dozen shifts, the heat retention is INSANE. I can now fire a full order of eggs, bacon, and pancakes in under 4 minutes without adjusting anything. Has anyone else seen a big jump in speed after switching to cast iron?

I finally stopped salting pasta water like the ocean after a chef friend timed my boil off

She said I was losing a third of my water volume before the pasta even hit the pot, which meant my salt concentration was way off, and after measuring it once I realized she was right - how do you adjust your salting when you know your water's boiling down that much?

Tried reusing old bacon grease for a month straight

I kept a jar on the back of the stove and used it for everything, eggs, potatoes, even some stir fry. After 2 weeks everything started tasting like burnt rubber, even the fresh veggies I threw in. Anybody else run into that wall where you push a good thing too far?

Spent $150 on a fancy knife sharpening service and got worse edges than my $10 whetstone

I dropped my chef knife collection at a shop in Portland that claimed 'professional Japanese waterstone sharpening' but they came back with rolled edges and uneven bevels. My cheap King stone at home gives me way better results. Has anyone else had a pro sharpening job that actually ruined your blades?

My head chef said my knife work was "dangerous"

She watched me for 30 seconds and pointed out I was curling my fingers inward instead of using the claw grip. I fought it for a week, felt slow and stupid, but after two months of forcing the claw, my speed actually went up by like 40%. Anyone else have a simple correction that took forever to stick?

The night my kitchen went from chaos to calm in one shift

I walked into my station last Saturday and my prep list was a disaster, stuff everywhere, timers going off. Then my new sous chef showed up and within 30 minutes everything was lined up, labeled, and flowing. She rearranged my mise en place and had me finishing tickets 40% faster by the end of the night. Has anyone else had a new guy come in and totally flip your routine around like that?

The way home cooks treat their chef's knives is bugging me

I keep seeing people in videos scraping their knife blades across cutting boards to move chopped stuff, like it's a spatula. That's how you dull the edge fast, and then they complain their $50 knife doesn't stay sharp. Why not just use the spine or a bench scraper instead?

The day I stopped obsessing over knife angles

I spent 6 months sharpening my chef's knife at a perfect 15 degrees, convinced that was the only way to get a razor edge. Then I watched a 70 year old line cook at a diner near Tulsa just scrape his blade across a steel rod at whatever angle felt right, and his cuts were cleaner than mine. Am I the only one who realized too late that feel matters more than precision?

My sous chef talked me into trying mise en place his way last night

I've always been a 'chop as you go' kind of person, but my sous chef kept insisting I try his prepped station method for a busy Friday night. He showed me how he organizes everything by cooking order instead of just ingredient type, and it shaved 15 minutes off our ticket times. Has anyone else found a specific mise en place system that actually changes your flow?

Can we talk about how long it took me to fix a broken induction cooktop?

Honestly, I spent 3 hours reading forums and watching videos to fix my induction cooktop after a circuit board went bad. The repair shop quoted me $450, but I did it myself for $85 in parts. The worst part was tracking down the right capacitor at an electronics store across town. Took me two full weekends to figure out the soldering. Has anyone else dealt with these modern cooktops dying after just 4 years?

A comment about my knife technique changed how I prep onions

Had a sous chef at this spot in Portland tell me I was 'fighting the onion' with my cuts. Showed me to let the knife do the work with a gentle saw motion instead of forcing it straight down. Been using that tip for 2 months now and my dice is way more consistent. Anyone else get a simple pointer that totally shifted their prep game?

A line cook in my last kitchen told me my knife sharpening angle was wrong for the steel. Changed my whole prep.

Pro tip: Never trust a new dishwasher to know what 'a pinch' means during a 300-plate wedding service.

I was plating the main course at the Grandview Hotel last Saturday when my new hire dumped an entire 4-ounce ramekin of Maldon salt into the scallop mousse, so I had to pivot and turn the whole batch into a cured garnish for the beef dish instead. What's the most ridiculous kitchen save you've ever had to pull off?

A line cook in my old Austin spot called my beurre blanc 'nervous'

I was finishing a batch for a halibut dish, and this new hire just watched me for a minute. He finally said, 'Chef, that sauce looks nervous. You're stirring it like it's going to run away.' He was right. I was overworking it, making it tight instead of silky. I was taught to stir constantly, but he showed me to just let it sit for a few seconds off the heat, then give it one gentle fold. The next batch came out way smoother, with a better sheen. It's a small thing, but it stuck with me. How do you all handle a pan sauce when you need that perfect, loose finish?

My old stand mixer finally gave out during a big holiday order

Happened last Thursday, right in the middle of a 50-brioche bun order for a local cafe. The motor just started smoking and seized up. That thing was a workhorse for almost 12 years. Had to finish the batch by hand, which added like two hours to my night. Makes you miss gear you can just trust, you know? Anyone got a lead on a good commercial-grade mixer that won't break the bank?

Trying to get a perfect sear on scallops for a party in Tampa

Took me 45 minutes and three batches to figure out my pan wasn't hot enough. I was using a new All-Clad pan and kept getting a pale, rubbery mess. Finally cranked it to high, dried the scallops way more, and got that golden crust. Anyone else have a simple trick for this?

I was wrong about using a food mill for tomato sauce

Always used a blender for my Sunday gravy, thought a food mill was just extra gear. My sous chef in Chicago said to try the mill for a smoother texture, no seeds. Did a batch last week with 20 pounds of Romas. The sauce came out silky, way better than the blender's foam. Anyone else make the switch and notice a big difference?

Showerthought: I just found out how much salt is in a cup of soy sauce

I was reading the label on a gallon jug of Kikkoman in the dry store yesterday. A single cup has over 14,000 milligrams of sodium. I knew it was salty, but that number hit me. It made me rethink how I balance it in my braising liquids. Anyone have a good low sodium soy sauce they actually like for prep work?

A customer at the bar asked for 'something that tastes like childhood' and it threw me

I was working the line at a pop-up in Austin last night when a server relayed that exact request. It wasn't about a specific dish, just a feeling. I ended up plating a simple buttermilk biscuit with a tiny jar of warm honey butter and a sprinkle of flaky salt. The way his face lit up made me think we're moving past just 'comfort food' to something more emotional. Has anyone else gotten a request like that, and how did you approach it?

The great kitchen towel transformation of 2024

My line cook used to bring in these cheap, thin towels that fell apart after a single shift, leaving lint on everything. I finally bought a dozen of those heavy-duty, waffle-weave ones from a restaurant supply store for about $60 total. Has anyone else had a simple gear upgrade that completely changed your daily grind?

Just dropped $400 on a new immersion blender and it's a total game changer for sauces

I was making a big batch of tomato bisque last Thursday and my old stick blender died halfway through. I ran out and bought a high power one from a kitchen supply store. The motor is so strong it purees roasted veggies in seconds with no lumps at all. My soups and emulsions are way smoother now. Has anyone else found a specific tool that really upped their sauce game?

A line cook told me my plating was 'sad' and honestly, he was right.

He said the food tasted great but looked lonely on the big white plate. So I started adding a swipe of sauce and a small herb garnish (like micro cilantro) to every dish, and the visual feedback from guests has been way better. Anyone have other simple plating tricks that don't take extra time during a rush?

I finally got my hollandaise to hold for service without splitting

I mean, I always struggled with it breaking during a busy brunch shift at the cafe. I started blending in a single ice cube right at the end, like a chef in Portland showed me. It cools it just enough to stabilize it for like, two hours on the line. Has anyone tried something similar with other egg sauces?