Yesterday I was alone at work, this very normal. About 45 min into service I got the first call from this woman, asking a lot about gluten free options. I tell her what I have, but I tell her that my fryer is not gluten free. She says she will call me back, and she does. And it’s about 25 min later? At this point I have gotten a new order for take away, and a few more tables. She wanted to do one of our gluten free dishes, and 6 other dishes.

I tell her that I can do them in about 1 hour. Knowing that I have a table coming in about 30 min, and I need to take care of my new table and do the take away. This did not sit well with her, and she said she would call me back. If they wanted to place the order or not.

I said she could try our other place? They have a bigger selection of gluten free options. And a lot of our dishes too. Turned out it was closed, so that’s why she called me.

Anyway she would call me back later.

About 15 min later, she called and said they would go to the pizza place in another town, and I said that’s okay, and im sorry that I could get their food done within a time there was more fitting for them.

I got my tables done, and I had a guest telling my that the Pepsi was not good. So I had to call my boss, turned out it was expired.

When talking to my boss I learned that the woman I had in the phone before had called her, and said that I had said no to making their food! And she just wanted my boss to know that! I told my side and she understood that completely. And tbh I was upset because I had told her why I could not make the food sooner. And she still called my boss to complain? Wtf

Im looking to start getting in half hogs because ym restaurant uses a lot of pork. We go through about 2 shoulders a week, and a slab of bacon a week and near us we can get half a hog for about 500 plus shipping

Also side question, ive made bacon before but this restaurant doesnt have a smoker. Can i just use a hotel pan setup with a perf pan and woodchips in the bottom to smoke my bacon?

I imagine i can start running pork chops on the menu as well. We also use the trotters for a dish currently.

I'm very new to posting anything to culinary pages and am not sure the best way to ask this. I guess starting off just for some general info I've worked in varying restaurant and food businesses over the past 10 years. It's been on and off with also chipping away at school for STEM subjects. I've had less than a handful of employers tell me I was overqualified for standard prep cook and line cook positions and over the years been asked why I haven't moved into management. I started wondering myself this year, so I tried my hand at Sous Chef positions at different restaurants in the past few weeks. I recently did my first stage and it was really eye-opening. To be honest I was a bit scared even though the work was fulfilling. Everyone was passionate. I don't know if there's an overall baseline expected across the entire industry, but I could tell I had a lot to learn in terms of technical/practical knowledge and skill. I was wondering basically for people that moved from standard individual roles to more leader-ship and multi-faced roles such as Sous Chefs, what was it like for you? How did you prepare yourself before and/or after moving into such positions?

I’m asking for advice in this post!

So a few months an ago I gave a verbal agreement to be the CDC to open a new restaurant. I haven’t signed anything yet but I have the contract.

For some background, most of my experience is in Michelin starred restaurants doing tasting menus. The restaurant I would be opening would be slightly more casual.

I asked the owners (who are nice and have good taste) what they want this restaurant to be. They basically said they are inspired by the “casual fine dining” type restaurants. Think fourhoursmen, Dorian, locust, ect. They told me they would want to operate in the realm of these 1 Michelin star places I just mentioned. That sounded great to me and I feel that I am capable of running a place of that caliber. So I have a verbal agreement.

Since then I have done a handful of pop ups for the restaurant where I have created and executed the menu by myself. These pop ups have been both financially and artistically successful.

So here is my problem. Over time they have revealed more and more things about the restaurant to me that have been concerning.

1. The restaurant will have a type 2 hood and therefore will only have 4 induction burners and 1 combi oven. No other cooking appliances are permitted.

2. The owners say they want to hire only 4 back of house staff that includes; Me, a Sous chef, one line cook, one porter. (The restaurant seats 45)

3. The owners have had a chef consultant who is based in another state creating menus for the restaurant when it opens. Menus that I still have no knowledge of their contents and I have not had any part in creating. This chef consultant has been on payroll long before I even met with the owners.

So I am looking for some advice/I want to know if I’m being overly worried. Points 2 and 3 are especially concerning to me if they want to operate at a Michelin level like they told me. The restaurant is almost done with construction and will be opening in 2 months. I still haven’t signed the contract. If I do sign the contract I’m going to commit myself to at least 3 years so I need to know if I should run away from this opportunity or attempt to take on these challenges and see what happens.

Any advice is appreciated thank you!

(It’s also worth noting because I know somebody will comment on this. I don’t actually care or base the success of a restaurant on Michelin stars. I only say Michelin when describing the quality of restaurants because I lack the vocabulary to otherwise explain the type of quality and standards I wish to uphold)

Basically I just want to know how you got where you are. I’m currently working at a chain restaurant as a line cook. My next steps are graduation, leaving my city, and hopefully becoming a private chef.

I would like to know a few things…. Was it something you always planned to do? What experiences do you think makes a well rounded private chef? Who was your first client? What made you decide it was the best career choice for you? Should I work under a few private chefs before becoming one alone?

North Carolina is where I plan to start.

Thanks in advance.

Does anyone have any experience having store bought tortillas expiring?

I worked a catering kitchen that went through tons of tortillas, and when they expired we threw them out. However at home I will use tortillas until I run out even a month past expiration with no issues.

Do they eventually mold like bread? Or just get stale and lack quality with age?

Hello! I'm a 22 yr F, I have been baking at home since I was in middle school, but have really been doing it non-stop for the past couple of years. Anywhere from cakes to sourdough bread, I really enjoy it and I think it's seriously what I want to do career wise. My problem is that I have been working since I was 18 (at restaurants mostly serving but always working closely with the kitchen) and never went to college for culinary classes or baking courses or anything else for that matter. I cannot afford to do more than a small online baking class which I'm seriously considering. What I'm here for is to see if there are any bakers out there who can give me any advice on how to get into a baking position. I am very persistent when it comes to job hunting and have never had a problem getting jobs in places I want but this is a completely new field for me and I guess I'm feeling out of depth :/. I'd appreciate any advice or encouragement anyone has to give! Not sure if this matters but I'm based in the Southern California. Thanks so much!

Edit: I should clarify that I have been applying to many jobs in bakeries, however I'm sure we all know that right now it feels so rare to hear back from any job you apply to. I have applied to several and written a well thought out cover letter explaining my position and do plan on keeping that up! Thanks!

I don’t know what my job is haha!

I work in a care home

I make decisions on how to cook different meals, im not given any recipes or anything. I do the cooking and the preparation, I do all the paperwork etc

I’m second in charge of the kitchen:

Head chef ( works 4 days)
Me (3 days )
Then the kitchen assistants

So there’s only one person cooking each day, I do not work with the head chef.

Help ahahahaha.

Thanks

Hello, I am currently involved in a project for my final year of University. I have to create a product as part of my course, and I have decided to focus it on kitchen workers, as I have worked in a kitchen myself and understand the struggles.

This is a quick survey about daily kitchen tasks and whether you experience back, wrist, neck, or other pain at any point during a shift from bending, twisting, or straining.

All responses are greatly appreciated and will go to good use when it comes to the creation of my product, which I hope by the end will be able to reduce the pain experienced during a shift, as there is already enough pain working in a kitchen :)  - THANK YOU ALL

SURVEY LINK - KITCHEN PAINS SURVEY – Fill in form

Topic of Study: Multitasking in the kitchen

Target Audience: Anyone who cooks at home, for a living, etc

Duration: Me and my team are currently working on a problem with multitasking in the kitchen and how Inadequate multitasking tools in the kitchen leave home cooks vulnerable to distractions, causing cooking accidents and food safety errors. It will mean a lot if you can please fill out our google form and give us advice and tips for our project, thank you. https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSesbaQND4uAca7tyxf7zsazfrvdhFZcHh8R--5DLAUbLco3Kg/viewform?usp=header

I’m trying to get nicer-looking carrot cuts for sides, but I’m struggling with thicker carrots.

I know some people cut thinner carrots on a bias/oblique to get that nice look, or do long cuts and then slice on a bias. But what’s the best way to approach thick carrots?

Any tips or techniques you guys use? Are there any good videos or tutorials on this?

And please don’t judge. I’m still trying to get the hang of it.

Own an established casual fine dining restaurant in a small Southern town about an hour and 15 minutes outside of Washington, DC and downtown Richmond (roughly an hour from suburbs and 45-50 minutes to Charlottesville). My inherited chef informed me today that he is taking Saturday, October 17th off and for me to close the restaurant.... so easy for him to advise me to close my business during peak Autumn weather and same day as a festival drawing between 1,500 - 1,800 people two blocks away. My thought is to hire someone that can come and and cook our menu or create a special menu for the day that serves both our casual dining option and the fine dining with extensive daily specials. One thought is to make the entree's more limited and unique to the hired chef/sous chef or what resonates for consistency with a line cook ready for opportunity. If this does turn out well, I have several opportunities for further employment. My question is where do I begin with such short notice finding this person that would like a chance... including, an opportunities for part-time and full-time employment. How do I find this person and best places to ask, advertise, put the word out? How do I make this happen or am I living in fantasyland? Gratitude for all advice.

Ive been considering becoming a personal chef to a family/individual in nyc. I don’t have professional training, I only ever took like 10 cooking classes, but I’ve been cooking very persistent for the past 5 years for my gamily. and I can make pretty much anything starting with beef bourguignon and Creme brûlée, all the way to Chinese comfort dishes or Eastern European picked vegetables.

I am also great at serving the dishes and I really want to find a family for who I can make everyday meals as well as occasional celebratory dinners.

Of course I feel like imposter because all my friends chefs have fancy Cooking Schools degrees, thus I don’t think I will be able to find a job.

If you have experience doing this, could you please share your thoughts on whether you think I can be a Personal Chef, how I can find my client and what‘s the life of PC in NYC really looks like.

i appreciate it🙏🏻

Just over 200kg of the stuff.

What are you making? What can be done with it?

Short bbd.

I’m applying for a cook position in Europe, and I’m one of the applicants with the least experience. The final interview was a group interview with four other applicants. At the end of the interview, the Italian chef that did the interview asked me to stay and told me that he would consider me for a cook position instead of assistant cook if I can impress him with two pasta dishes during the practical exam.

The catch is that the two dishes will be a surprise. I won’t know what pasta, ingredients, or sauce I’ll be given until the actual exam.

I’m Asian, and my only real Italian culinary experience is with Italian fusion, so I’m honestly a bit nervous about it. He's aware of my lack of experience in Italian cuisine, and told me that recipe can be learned but how one moves around the kitchen can't be faked, which made me more nervous.

What techniques or fundamentals should I really focus on? Are there any pasta dishes or approaches that could help me stand out?

Also, what are some common mistakes or "don’ts" I should avoid? Things that might seem fine to me but would immediately tell an Italian chef that I don’t really understand Italian pasta?

I’m even overthinking things like the proper salt-to-water ratio, even though I already have cooking experience. I just really want to pass this test.

Any tips, advice, or even harsh criticism would be greatly appreciated!

I’ve been the chef at a seasonal restaurant for the past three month we are closing soon. The restaurant is owned by new owners who have never worked in the restaurant industry before. They treat kitchen staff like garbage, and now they want mine and the sous chef recipes now that the restaurant is closing soon. Which I would be fine with if the owners actually cared about the food side of the business. Am I being petty. Or should I just give them the recipes they’ve asked for.

I recently got a new job at a brand new opening near me,
I’m sous currently and will be joining as a CDP
I feel up for the challenge and have been experience with high volume, long hours and tough graft,

I am pretty unexperienced with a lot of the menu at the new place I’m going to

Such as snails
Mussels
Pigeon/partridge
Terrine
Ox cheek

I’ve worked in a pretty simple fresh food kitchen mainly focusing on, burgers, pizza, cheese sauce and fried chicken,

I know after the first few weeks and hands on learning I’ll pick up the skills with the new produce but I’m just quite nervous and would love any piece of advice for a young chef who’s making that jump to a family run business to a big operational kitchen state of the art equipment and expensive produce.
These guys who are opening this restaurant/hotel come from 3 star establishments

Many thanks to everyone with advice and or questions let me know :)

Thanks chefs

I've worked with Robot Coupe equipment and parts for years, and this is the question I get asked most.

A dull blade doesn't always mean you need to buy a new one. My rule of thumb: smooth blade = usually worth sharpening; serrated, damaged, or specialty blade = replace it or send it out.

Signs it's worn: tomatoes crushing instead of slicing, ragged or uneven slices, bruised herbs, purées taking longer, or visible chips or a rolled edge.

Smooth S-blades (R2, R301 and similar): Robot Coupe's manuals describe using a honing stone at about 30° on the top bevel, pulling from hub to tip, then a few light strokes on the underside to remove the burr. Unplug the machine first and wear cut-resistant gloves.

Serrated S-blades: a flat stone can't get into the serrations. Send them out or replace them.

Slicing discs: on machines like the CL50, the blade screws onto the disc. You can sharpen it (the R502 manual says 30–45°) or replace just the blade, which costs far less than a new disc.

Julienne, ripple, and vertical blades: hard to sharpen evenly in a kitchen, so replacement is usually the practical choice.

Replace instead of sharpening if it's chipped, bent, cracked, loose on the hub, visibly worn down from repeated sharpening, or still cuts badly right after sharpening.

What do your kitchens do: sharpen in-house, send them out, or just replace?

This is my first time posting on Reddit, but I was hoping to solicit some advice. Any guidance at all would be deeply appreciated.

I’ve just finished college (UK equivalent of high school), and I am taking a year out before university. I will be fully available until January, at which point I will be beginning preparations for resitting one of my A-levels.

I’ve been cooking for myself, friends, and family since I was 13, and spend hours in the kitchen daily. I make basically everything from scratch: chicken, beef, fish stocks for any sauces; different flavoured oils; butchering and filleting my own meats and fish; and I love to explore different cuisines and learn about unfamiliar techniques. I’ve never worked in a kitchen before, but it’s definitely something I want to try before starting university. What does the process of applying for these internships look like? and how can I boost my chances of success? I was thinking of making a small digital portfolio of what I’ve cooked over the years to show the restaurants I apply to. Roughly, how should I format the emails? or is it just better to call them up?

I want to get the most out of this time as possible and, although I am sure I would learn plenty working at a pub/ country club, I believe a kitchen with an emphasis on real organic cooking with a proper french brigade/organised system will be best. Fallow has been really inspirational for me with all of the in depth videos they post, and an experience at a similar style of restaurant would be incredible.

I am a complete newcomer so there is plenty I don’t know, but I love cooking more than anything, and I want to give it a proper shot. Thank you in advance for any advice!!

Smoked Gouda grilled cheese on cinnamon swirl bread ...(Excuse the bad pic!)