c/chefs

That expensive knife sharpener I bought was a total waste of $150

Picked up one of those fancy electric sharpeners from a brand called Chef'sChoice last month thinking it would save me time. After using it on my 8-inch Wusthof, the edge came out uneven and I could barely slice a tomato. Anyone else had bad luck with those powered sharpeners and stuck to stones instead?

Unpopular opinion: my induction burner broke mid-service and it was a blessing in disguise

I was prepping for a 12-cover tasting menu Saturday night and the burner just died... no spark, no heat, nothing. Had to pivot to a cast iron skillet on the gas range and honestly, the sear on the scallops came out better than ever. Anyone else had a kitchen fail that forced a better technique?

Had to choose between a $30 knife and a $200 one for my first line cook job in Austin

I went with the cheap one because I figured I'd wreck it anyway, but after three months of daily prep the handle started falling apart and I had to borrow from the sous until payday - anyone else regret skimping on their first chef knife?

Read a stat that 80% of restaurant fails happen in the first 18 months

I was scrolling through some National Restaurant Association data last night and saw that 80% of new restaurants close within 18 months. That blew my mind because I always hear the general failure rate numbers but never broke down by timing. Makes me wonder how many of those places had solid food but just bad cash flow planning. Any of you guys made it past that mark and got a tip for the new owners?

Went to a farmer's market in Portland last weekend and every single booth had tasting spoons just sitting out in the open

Not one of them had a sneeze guard or even a person watching the samples. I get that it's a casual outdoor thing but after working 8 years in kitchens I couldn't stop staring at how easy it would be for someone to cough or touch things. Am I just paranoid from kitchen training or has anyone else noticed this at their local markets?

8 years as a line cook and I just learned I've been holding my knife wrong this whole time

Was at a guest chef demo last night in Portland and this 60 year old French guy walks over, taps my hand, and goes "you're going to destroy your wrist by 40." Had me hold the knife with my thumb and index finger pinching the blade right above the handle instead of wrapping my whole fist around it. Felt super awkward for the first 20 minutes but by the end of service my hand wasn't cramping at all. I've been gripping it like a hammer since culinary school. Anyone else ever get told their whole technique is trash by some random pro?

Finally got my pastry cream to set right after 4 tries this week

I've been struggling with pastry cream for a while, always ending up with a runny mess that ruined my fruit tarts. This time I let it simmer a full 2 minutes longer on the stove and it came out thick and smooth. Anyone else have a simple fix like that completely change how a recipe works for them?

Home made chicken stock vs store bought - finally ran the numbers

I used to think making stock from scratch was just for show, like something you do on a Sunday when you got nothing else going on. But after I got a case of rotisserie chicken carcasses from a buddy who runs a deli for free, I figured why not. Ran 3 batches, each made about 2 gallons. Cost me basically nothing but some celery and carrots I already had. The store bought quart here in Phoenix runs around $4 on sale. So that's like $32 worth saved per batch, give or take. More importantly, the gelatin content was way higher - you could tell from how it set up in the fridge. My soups and braises had this body to them I never got from the cartons. Has anyone else found a specific cheap source for bones or scraps that made it actually worth it?

Prepped line mise my way for 8 years before a sous chef showed me the light

Used to do all my veg prep days before service. Onions, peppers, mushrooms all sitting in containers in the walk-in. Thought I was saving time. Then a sous at a spot in Portland stopped me mid-shift and made me taste a pepper I cut 4 hours prior next to one fresh cut. Night and day difference in crunch and moisture. Now I cut everything the morning of or during service. Took me till I was 29 to get that. Anyone else hold onto a bad habit that long just because you were used to it?

Debate: Do you fix a broken sauce at the pass or start over?

Last Saturday night I was running the line at my spot in Portland. A ticket came back with a hollandaise that had split bad, looked like scrambled eggs in a pool of butter. My saute cook wanted to whisk in hot water and save it, but I said toss it and start fresh. The server was watching us argue for 2 minutes before I just grabbed new eggs. Has anyone else dealt with this call in the middle of a rush? I lean toward restarting because the texture never comes back right, but maybe I'm wasting time.

I used to mince garlic with a chef's knife like a showoff, now I just smash it flat

For like 5 years I was that guy taking forever to do perfect little dice on garlic cloves, thinking it mattered. Then I worked a brunch shift at a diner in Portland last spring where we'd go through 5 pounds of garlic in a shift. Chef just smashed them with the side of his knife, rough chopped, and tossed them in the pan. I tried it and honestly nobody could tell the difference once it cooked down. Has anyone else realized they were wasting time on prep details that don't actually change the final dish?

Pro tip: Ditching the fancy thermometers for an instant read changed my steaks

I used to swear by those probe thermometers you leave in the meat while it cooks. Thought I was being all precise and high tech. Then I watched a guy at a comp in Austin just poke his ribeye with a cheap instant read after searing. Tried it myself last Saturday on a 2 inch thick strip. Came out perfect medium rare every time, no overcooking from the probe hole or lag. Anyone else ditch the leave-in probes for something simpler?

I used to just scrape my cutting boards with a knife after service...

Started using a bench scraper and sanitizer spray after a health inspector dinged me for bacteria hiding in knife marks. Now I give them a full scrub with coarse salt and lemon between prep changes, has anyone else switched up their board routine?

The difference 6 years and an open kitchen made to my plating style

Went from a closed kitchen plating on a speed rack to an open line where customers can watch. Took me about 3 weeks to stop rushing and start caring about how stuff looked. Now I actually wipe rims and place garnishes on purpose instead of just throwing them on. Has anyone else had their cooking change when people could see you work?

Heard a line cook say salt is just salt and I had to stop what I was doing

He was using table salt on a burger patty the other night and I asked him to try kosher once just to see if he noticed the difference, has anyone else dealt with cooks who think seasoning is seasoning?

Stop salting your mushrooms right when they hit the pan

I used to always salt mushrooms right away to draw out moisture for browning, but I noticed they just ended up steaming in the pan instead. Last week I tried cooking a pound of creminis with no salt until they were golden brown on both sides. The difference was night and day. The moisture stays in the mushroom so it can actually sear instead of releasing liquid too early. I tested this side by side on a Tuesday dinner service and the unsalted batch had way better color and texture. Has anyone else found this trick changes how they prep mushrooms?

Finally stopped burning garlic on the flat top after 6 years

I used to always mince garlic fresh and toss it right onto the grill with oil. Would burn in under a minute every damn time. Last month I started mixing it into cold butter first and letting it melt down slow on the cooler side. Saves me a whole batch of scrambled eggs every morning shift now. Anyone else have a trick that took you way too long to learn?

Had to replace the breaker on our range three times before I realized the wire was loose

Spent a whole Saturday swapping out a fried breaker on the Garland at work. New one popped after a lunch rush. Bought another. Popped again. Called an electrician buddy and he was like 'did you even check the lug?' Tightened the connection and it's been fine for 5 months now. Makes me wonder how many breakers I've thrown money at for no reason. Anyone else ever chase a ghost like that?

Best Monday I ever had in the kitchen, no joke

Last Monday at the French Laundry in Napa we had a walk-in that sat 8 people right at 7pm, and I thought we were done for. But my line cook Sarah nailed every single order, we sold 42 plates of the lamb dish alone, and the whole rush ended by 9:15 feeling like a breeze. The owner even came back and said the duck confit was the best she'd seen in two years. Has anyone else ever had one of those nights where everything just clicks and you wonder why it can't be like that every shift?

Been skeptical of sous vide for years. After using one for a pork shoulder last weekend I might be a convert. Who else had a change of heart about something?

Wasted $75 on a fancy mandoline that sat in the drawer for 6 months

I bought this high end mandoline from a kitchen supply store in Portland because I thought it would make prep faster. It just sat there because I was too nervous about cutting my fingertips off just like every other one I ever used. Finally sold it to a commis for $20 and went back to my old chef knife. Anyone else have a gadget that sounded great but just collected dust?

Shoutout to the line cook who taught me how to actually season a grill

I keep seeing these new cooks at my spot in Portland scrubbing the grill down to bare metal between services, and it drives me crazy. The best crust I ever got on a steak came from a seasoned carbon steel griddle that hadn't been fully stripped in weeks. Anyone else think we are losing too much flavor by over-cleaning our grills?

Shoutout to the line cook who taught me how to actually season a grill

Back in 2017 at a busy spot in Portland, this guy showed me how to oil the grates with a rag on tongs instead of a spray bottle. It made all my proteins release clean without flare-ups. Has anyone else picked up a weird trick from a coworker that just stuck?

The day I learned I'd been mincing garlic wrong for 10 years

So I'm prepping for a big Saturday night service, like 150 covers, and my new prep cook keeps staring at me. I'm doing my usual thing, smashing the clove with the side of the knife, then rocking the blade to chop it fine. He finally speaks up and asks why I don't just use the coarse side of the box grater. I laughed it off, but later that night, after service, I tried it on a single clove. Ten seconds, perfect paste. No more smashed fingers or garlic bits flying across the board. I've been in this industry since I was 18, worked at a place in Portland for 3 years, and nobody ever showed me that trick. Has anyone else had a moment where a new kid taught you something embarrassingly basic?

Hot take: should Sunday prep be solo work or team effort?

Last week at our restaurant in Portland, we had a huge blowup about Sunday prep. Half the crew wants to crank music and work together, the other half swears it's faster to divide and conquer in silence. What's your kitchen's approach to getting through the veg and sauce list on a Sunday?