We were absolutely slammed all weekend and I was starving in the middle of a 12 hour shift. Made myself and my work bestie some cereal to eat on the line. Efficiency at its finest.

Our machine is just about to surpass 71,000 cycles.

Hello! ive been wearing my hat that was provided to me by my restaurant for a few months now and its gotten so caked and greasy from all the cooking. I was hoping some of you guys had tips for washing it. The label said not to machine wash.

Alright so look, I already know I’m about to be judged out the ass for what I’m about to say, but I’m going to say it anyway. ALL of my knives are dalstrong. I first got dalstrong because it looked cool and then I kept buying dalstrong so everything would be the same brand, but I’m ready to throw in the towel, there are better knives. I have 2 chef knives, a Nakiri, a meat cleaver, a paring knife, a charcuterie set, a carving knife, a scimitar style butcher knife and a bread knife. I think that’s it…..

Now, I must say, overall, for their price, most of them are fairly good knives. I swear by my paring knife, I swear by my kiritsuke and I swear by my scimitar. I’ve had them all for years and they’re just like the day I bought them with HEAVY workhorse usage. The kiritsuke chef knife and the paring knife are both omega series, the scimitar is a phantom. They are great knives. My other ones get the job done, but not much more beyond that if I’m honest. And I’ve noticed some of my others are starting to oxidize. Really not happy with that. I also own the culinary commander top grain leather knife bag and apron, great products.

Anyway, what I do not have is a filet knife, I need a filet knife. And I’m really on the fence about getting one from dalstrong since they don’t have one in omega series, which is basically the only series that I can say truly stands the test of time and is great quality. I really just want to buy it once and have it forever.

I’m looking at zwilling and shun, but I want to know your thoughts on the matter. I’ll drop $200 on a good knife I don’t give a shit. Thanks guys.

I remember years ago reading a well written restaurant manifesto of sorts that talked about how restaurants use exploitation. I recall someone on this subreddit had posted it originally. Anyone have any leads? Thanks

We’re closed tomorrow, but I have to work because we have a huge catering event and they were like we need you, because you’re the only one who can knock this out in a timely manner and not fuck anything up.

Also them: sorry, we went behind your back to give someone the job you were supposed to be promoted to, and no we can’t give you a raise at this time even though you kill yourself for us on a regular basis.

Seriously, why couldn’t I have loved doing something else? I already know all the run from that place, get out while you can, etc. comments are coming. Trust me, if I could take my team with me, I would be gone yesterday. I absolutely love the people I work with, and that’s literally the only reason I’m still here. I’ve worked with too many miserable and hating life mfers and junkies to ever trade this for that.

I keep coming across stuff online saying Cook County has its own special certificate separate from Illinois, but when I try to search for it online I keep getting linked to things just for Illinois. Can someone please point me in the right direction?

He asked for culinary to be brutally honest

17 yo in my first BOH job. Do these look like everything expected?

Recently quit a BOH supervisor gig at a local brewery/pizza place. Turned the avergage ticket time from 30min into 15min; implemented standards such as wrapping the inserts during close; a closing list; writing a prep/911 list for opening crew; the literal -basics- were received with the same kind of awe cavemen felt when discovering fire; whipped a crew of uninspired linecooks into a team we were fucking rocking it. Then, Chef hired a kid with Mcdonalds as their only culinary experience (no diss to the Mcdonalds crews out there, but going from a corporate McDicks structure to old -school kitchen hierarchy is quite a leap) and they couldn't keep up or shut up. Now, i have 16 years in the industry and have worked with the kinds of chef who'll burn your leg with a pan if you get in their way, belittle, scream, absue, chew, and spit you out before demanding you show up early for your shift the next day- and that aint me. I'm not one to repeat the violence that shaped my work ethic. Im patient if youre just stepping into the industry, will show you everything that i know, and always -always- embrace mistakes because thats when the best opportunities to learn and exhibit humility emerge. That being said, im also not one to be lackadaisical when pointing out inconsistencies, lack of focus, and disrespectful behavior before, during, or after such instances have occured. In fact i get persistent because the more i have to watch over you the less i trust you wont hurt yourself, someone else, or derail the momentum of the team. My role was not to win a popularity contest, i was hired because i know what to do and i do it damn well. New hire has been there for two and a half weeks with absolutely no sign of improvement. We're about to go from 120 covers to 350 in a matter of weeks. I bring up to chef that new hire doesn't like that I'm showing more interest in having the job done correctly than being her friend; new hire wont shut the fuck up about useless shit and is distracting my team; new hire leaves their sketchbook with their fursona open and out in full display and when i bring it up they interrupt me mid-sentence to say "oh you saw it? Isn't it so cute?!" before i stare silently, blink, and finish saying "put it away" (and no, it wasn't- I've seen better on the dregs of DeviantArt); the straw for me was when i was showing new hire how to do something they said "well, if you think that'll work"... So i send them home for the day on the spot. New hire then goes to chef shortly after and tells her I'm bully. Chef then tells me everyone is afraid of me and are threatening to walk off the job (which, admittedly, was incredibly hurtful because i took a lot of pride in how far my team had grown in such a short time. Hell, i even called them my orchids because of the individual attention they needed and how much i beamed when they flourished. ) So i ask Chef if this is really the place for me if that's the truth of the matter, Chef says, "oh, absolutely it is" (🧐). Then Chef goes on about how much ive done for the kitchen, then goes back to saying if i dont handle new hire with kiddie gloves im fired, back to compliments, then ire, etc... for about forty minutes. I told chef i cant accommodate someone that disrespectful and unwilling to learn, to which the final nail in the coffin sounded like "You're going to have to learn how to change your way of doing things and do more with less or you wont have a place here anymore." K, bet, hoe. So i quit the following day and from what ive heard the new menu is in a week and a half, the seating is at 350 and yesterday they got two one-star reviews in a single service with ticket times over 1hr. My prized orchid, reffering back to the metaphor, was a 20 year with ZERO kitchen experience, who, by the time that i left, was an absolute unit of a linecook because of how well they listened, learned, and adapted. So much so, they were the only reason i didn't quit on the spot because i wanted them to hear it from me personally that i wasn't coming back. And like I said to them when they started and as i left:

"The one thing i want you to learn from this whole experience is how, and when, to stand up for yourself. "

Because if chef wants to prioritize a useless turd. Let em- I just won't be around to clean up the inevitable skid marks.

I have no clue??

Seems a little problematic 🤪

I recently got a job as a busser. We don’t have those dirty dishes carts but just a bin we put the dishes in. After we take the dishes away we wipe the table with a rag, which I usually keep in my pocket or belt loop thingy. My boss told me to keep the rag in my hand, or throw it in the bin rather then in my pocket because of some health code.

That bin has seen all kinds of sauces, liquids, and foods that I think is a terrible idea to risk getting it on the rag that I clean tables with.

Is this a genuine health code (Florida) or is he just making something up?

Chef just fired two employees. One was attendance issues and the second was creepy and bad at their job. Second firing was difficult because chef had been friends with the guy and gave him a job because dude needed the extra money. So, awkward. Lesson: Don’t hire your friends.

Chef now wants to hire his girlfriend’s friend whose number one issue at previous jobs had been attendance.

Chef does not see the issue.

Just, wow.

I hope he sees this for the love of god.

Idk man, I’m just tired. I’m 4 years into this, cooking at all types of different stations and levels and if I’ve learned nothing else, it’s that confidence (and a little bit of bravado) are like the most important mental tools we have, and like I’m just so broken down and burnt out and depressed that like I just can’t do it. I love cooking, I love my job (as much I may complain about it), and I love the environment but like I just don’t know what to do.

Every step of the way, I’ve been told I wasn’t ready yet, or that I wasn’t good enough, and they always told me it would come with time but like, it just hasn’t. And maybe part of it is ableism (I have a limp, it doesn’t affect my work but it’s very visible), but I’m tired of being treated like a 5 year old or just assuming that I’m gonna fuck something up or break it. I just wanna be treated like a fucking person yknow.

Idk this is a lot of words to say that I don’t know what to do. I feel trapped in an endless loop of suck, and any light at the end of the tunnel is basically screaming at me to give up on my dreams.

I know this question has been asked before, but I am an over-thinker and would love some input . I have worked in a lot of kitchens/bakeries (nothing too upscale) and finally want to get a more structured and technical education in culinary. I would like to become a private chef at some point but I am having trouble deciding on if a local program would be worth it or if I should shoot for a more “renowned” school. My plan right now is to do a local 2 year program and then a short term program at ICE for more advanced studies( I saw that they offered it but I don’t actually know what it entails) . If anyone has attended ICE could you share what may be different there vs a community college program? TIA.

In a piece of steak we had a Greek restaurant…hoping it’s a vein or something else? It was extremely hard to pull out of the meat. Freaked my wife and I out.

Is it weird for the sauce smear to be outside of the ramekin or am I being judgemental?