c/chefs

A regular at my spot in Austin told me my chicken was 'too perfect'

This guy comes in every Thursday, always orders the same thing. Last week he flagged me down and said, 'Chef, this is great, but it's like a hotel chicken. It's too perfect.' He meant the sear was too even, the cook was exact, but it felt like it came off a line, not from a person. It hit me hard. I realized I'd been so focused on hitting the same temp and time every single piece that I'd lost the little variations that make food feel real. Now, I let the pieces sit a bit longer in the pan on one side for a deeper color, and I pull some a minute early if they look right, not just when the timer beeps. The texture is more interesting, and it just looks more appetizing on the plate. Has anyone else gotten a piece of feedback that made you loosen up your technique?

I spent $300 on a 'professional' mandoline slicer that's just a fancy finger guillotine

It's sitting in a cabinet after I nearly took off my thumb trying to julienne a carrot, so what's a safer tool for consistent veg prep that won't send me to the ER?

Am I the only one who thinks the push for sous vide everything is overkill?

Last week at the bistro, we had a sous vide machine fail during a 60-cover lunch rush, and the backup plan of just using the grill and pans for the proteins actually saved the day with better texture. I've been in this kitchen for five years, and that moment made me question if we rely too much on gadgets for tasks classic methods handle just fine. Has a piece of equipment ever let you down and forced a simpler, better fix?

I just found out my 'secret' knife sharpening trick was totally backwards

For two whole years I've been holding my chef's knife at a 45 degree angle on the whetstone, convinced it gave me a better edge. A new prep cook in Chicago watched me yesterday and quietly said, 'Hey, you know that's for cleavers, right?'. I felt my whole face get hot. I guess the 20 degree angle for regular knives makes way more sense now. Has anyone else had a basic technique totally wrong for way too long?

Question about the new 'fresh' scallops at the Fulton Fish Market

I bought a case of the 'dry pack' scallops from the main vendor on the east side last week, and they were pumped full of water. Lost almost 30% of the weight after a quick sear, and the texture was mush. I started asking for a sample seared right there on their hot plate, and two other vendors showed the same problem. Anyone else run into this lately and found a good source?

DAE think the obsession with sous vide for everything is a bit much?

Ran a test last month at the restaurant, doing a 48-hour short rib sous vide versus a 6-hour braise in a 275F oven. The braised version had way better texture and deeper flavor, and we saved a ton on equipment and plastic bags. I think the tech is cool for some things, but it's not the magic bullet for every cut of meat. Anyone else find themselves going back to classic methods for certain dishes?

Spent 3 hours trying to fix a broken hollandaise during a brunch rush

It was a busy Sunday and my sauce split right as tickets started piling up. I tried the classic whisk in hot water trick, then a fresh yolk, but it kept breaking. I finally got it back by slowly blending in a single ice cube to shock the emulsion, which worked after like 5 attempts. Anyone have a more reliable fix for a broken hollandaise under pressure?

Heads up on those new ceramic non-stick pans everyone's pushing

Bought a set for about $180 after seeing all the ads. They were great for maybe two weeks, then the coating started to flake into the food. Called the company and they said it was from using high heat, which I do for searing. Total waste. Now I'm back to my old reliable cast iron. Anyone found a good brand of these that actually holds up on a busy line?

Pro tip: Check your local produce supplier's walk-in if you get the chance

I was picking up an order at Freshway in Spokane yesterday and saw their main cooler was sitting at 50 degrees. Has anyone else run into a supplier with temp control issues this season?

I bought a $400 sous vide machine and it's mostly just taking up space

Everyone talks about sous vide like it's a must-have, but I find it more trouble than it's worth. I got a popular model last fall, thinking it would change my protein game. For a busy line, the long cook times just don't fit. I can get a better sear and control with my cast iron and thermometer in a fraction of the time. The extra plastic waste from the bags also bugs me. Has anyone else found they barely use theirs after the first few tries?

Can we talk about the 300th batch of hollandaise I made today?

I always thought it was a fussy, temperamental sauce, but hitting that number made me realize I've finally got the muscle memory down. Anyone else have a dish they've made so many times it just clicked?

TIL a $200 'professional' mandoline is worse than my $40 one if you don't check the blade angle first.

I needed to do a huge batch of potatoes for a catering gig and the fancy one I bought just mashed them, so I had to stop and redo everything with my old cheap one, which wasted about 45 minutes and a whole case of spuds.

Shoutout to the guy who showed me how to fix a broken hollandaise

I spent 45 minutes trying to salvage a split sauce during a busy brunch shift. He walked over, added a single ice cube while whisking, and it came back together in seconds. Has anyone else got a magic trick for a broken emulsion?

I finally understood why my old boss was so strict about knife skills

I ran into a cook I used to work with at a place in Chicago, maybe 8 years ago. We got coffee and he asked if I still did that slow, careful rock chop I was known for. I laughed and said yeah, it's just how I was taught. He looked at me and said, 'Man, I used to think you were just slow. But now I'm teaching kids who can't even hold a knife right, and I get it. You were building a foundation, not just cutting onions.' That hit different. Back then, I just wanted to be fast like everyone else. Now, after seeing so many new cooks with shaky hands and bad habits, I realize that old-school discipline wasn't about being mean. It was about making sure you could do the job right for 30 years, not just for a busy Friday night. How do you guys handle teaching the basics to new cooks who just want to rush?

Can we talk about the moment you realized you were overcomplicating a basic technique?

I was making a bechamel for a gratin in my first head chef job in Austin, and a new dishwasher, who had cooked in a diner for 20 years, just said 'you're stirring it too much, you're making it gluey,' and he was absolutely RIGHT.

Am I the only one who just learned how much salt is in restaurant butter?

I was prepping a compound butter for a new steak special at work and actually read the box from our supplier, Sysco. The salted butter we get has 90 milligrams of sodium per tablespoon, which is way more than I ever guessed. Has anyone else had a moment like this with a basic ingredient?

PSA: My old way of peeling garlic was a total joke

I used to smash each clove with a can, which took forever and left bits of paper everywhere. After a stage in Chicago where a cook showed me the shake-in-a-bowl trick, I can do a whole head in about 30 seconds. What's your fastest garlic prep method?

Just realized how much our mise en place has changed since my first kitchen job.

Back then, we used to keep everything in metal hotel pans on a speed rack. Now my station is all deli containers and squeeze bottles. It's cleaner, but I miss the clatter of those pans. Anyone else feel like the kitchen got quieter?

I used to think a big, heavy knife was the only way to go, but a 6-inch Nakiri changed my mind completely.

A dishwasher at my spot in Denver told me 'you cook with your ears, chef' when I was rushing a pan sauce.

He was right, I wasn't listening for the right sizzle before I added the wine. Anyone else have a simple piece of kitchen advice that just clicked for them later?

Showerthought: I was sure adding a splash of vinegar to my hollandaise was a hack to save a broken sauce, but after it curdled three batches in a row at the brunch rush, I'm convinced it's terrible advice.

Has anyone actually made this work, or is it just one of those kitchen myths that keeps getting passed around?

Just had a weird talk with my 8 year old about my job

My kid asked me yesterday why I always put the parsley on the plate last. I told her it's called a garnish, to make the food look nice. She looked at me and said, 'So you're just putting grass on it to trick people?' It made me stop and think for a second. I've been doing that for 15 years without really questioning it. Now every time I grab the parsley, I hear her little voice. Has a customer ever said something that made you rethink a basic thing you do?

Shoutout to the old guy at the fish market who told me to stop washing scallops

He saw me rinsing a batch under cold water at the Fulton Fish Market and said, 'Kid, you're washing the flavor right down the drain.' I was sure he was wrong, but I tried it his way on a small order of diver scallops last week. The sear was perfect and the taste was way better, no more waterlogged middles. Has anyone else had a piece of simple advice that went against what you thought you knew?

Can we talk about those 'chef's choice' knife sharpening services at the mall?

I dropped off my good 8-inch chef's knife at one of those kiosks, paid $25, and got it back with a totally uneven edge and a weird burr. It actually made my prep work slower and more dangerous for a good two weeks until I could fix it myself. Has anyone found a local sharpener they actually trust?

I ate at that new place in Portland and they changed my mind on sous vide eggs

I went to The Salted Pig last week and their breakfast plate had these soft scrambled eggs that were just perfect. The chef told me they cook them in a bag at 167 degrees for 15 minutes, then finish them in a pan. I always thought that method was a waste of time for something so simple, but the texture was unreal. Anyone have a good home setup for this without a full immersion circulator?