/ck/ - Food & Cooking

if anyone reaches their hand into your territory, go for your knife and jab at their hand a little. let them know you mean business and won't take shit from no one

>>6694257
listen to ur headchef
actually strive to learn how to improve food and be creative instead of being a bitch while you're at it

The dishwashers are the most important part of the restaurant, give them your fuck ups

>>6694257

hidden tupperwares and pitchers + a big backpack. bring home anything possible, saves on groceries/booze. don't get caught

>>6694257

Keep up on the local newspaper, monster, and snagajobs as well as your local state employment website for literally anything other job, do whatever you can to go to college and get the fuck out do not lose track of yourself and do not do the drugs

>>6694262
False. Team work is key. Communicate with everyone on your line and form a bond this way your entrees will all sync up right on time.

>>6694267
Completely true. Listen to him, he is the head guy, as long as you do as he says you are fine. He is the boss, you are not. Keep a fresh mind, try new ways of plating things, maybe a different size/shaped plate. Think about the layout of your station/pans/pots/tongs/whatever. Constantly get better.

>>6694272
Extremely true. Befriend them and you have idle hands to peel potatoes, shuck corn, just help with general busy work. Again communication is key.

>>6694290
Don't do this. Only take home leftovers

>>6694343
sad cunt m80


I started as a dishwasher about 5 years ago, sous chef now at a large country club. Before dinner service get a bell pot, metal pitcher whatever, fill it with hot water. keep a pair of tongs in there, a fish spatula, have all your tools in a single place.

Always have a clean rag in your back pocket. Keep it on you. You never know when you need a rag.

Keep a small pot of boiling water on the back of your stove. You can blanch veg, cook pasta, this shit can save your life in the middle of a busy dinner service.

Ask for help, don't be a hero. If you're in the weeds tell someone to help you, and know what you need them to do. You're a team, not superman.

Don't panic. If you're getting slammed just relax. get your proteins working, these will take the longest to cook. Get it working, you'd rather have food leftover than have entree's going out 10 minutes late because you forgot to sear a salmon.

Keep a stack of pans on your stove with the flame slightly on. Hot pans are the blood of the line, especially if you're working a sautee station.

Double, triple, quadruple check your station. Make sure your prep is done and you're ready to roll at least half an hour before service. Buy a small handbook, keep track of everything you use and try to rotate your prep every two to three days.

>>6694382
If you don't mind my asking, how'd you prove yourself enough to become a Sous?

>>6694395
By working. I started by doing busy work. potatoes, cutting mirepoix, cleaning things. Anything. If all my dishes were clean I'd ask Chef or the cooks if they needed any help and of course they'd show me, why do prep when you can show someone else how to do it and make them do it for you. If it was a slow night id hang out on the line and watch. I'd ask questions, about everything. I was able to do this because I became good friends with everyone, so they had no problem teaching me. Once the sautee cook left for a new job they threw me in his spot and I fucking SUCKED, but that didn't stop me. I wanted to be good. I told my Chef I'd work any station, I'd work seven days a week and to everyones delight because at that point they all started training me at their stations so they could take days off.


Listen, at the right place you'll be working A LOT. I do 60 hours a week on a slow week, this shit will consume your life so you really got to want to do this, but god damn after a night of doing 500 covers, nothing feels better than putting out amazing food and getting nothing but compliments from your guest

>>6694434
So just full time isn't enough?

>>6694482
Full time is enough, some people prefer it or work part time but if you're young, have no kids, and all you're gonna do with your free time is watch netflixs than work. work. WORK.

Do you know what station you'll be working or what kinda food you'll be cooking?

>>6694504
Not yet, unfortunately. I find out tomorrow, though.

>>6694482
Full time for some places isn't, some it is. At least from what I've heard.

>>6694504
I'm a different guy, just so you know, was just asking. I'm gunna be working at a bar-burger-arcade that makes just about everything from scratch, it's going to be my first job, not just my first job at a restaurant. When I went in for my interview they said that everyone will be doing a little bit of everything (it opens in a bit more than a month), I'm kinda worried that working so much would put strain on my relationship, so I guess I might need to figure out where my priorities are right now.

>>6694482
is me, decided to make a trip.

>>6694511
full time for most places is over 40, like I said this business is life consuming the only people I know who work under 40 a week are prep cooks. Well is there any advice you're looking for? Because I could ramble all night about tips and tricks

>>6694520
My girlfriend of 3 years left me once I hit sous because I was working 80 hour weeks, and I don't blame her honestly. She wanted more dates, more sex, more romantic time together and I couldn't give that to her. It takes a patient woman to date a cook/chef but you'll find one eventually. Work is your priority. I know it sounds kinda selfish but pussy won't pay your bills. Work will. and if she loves you enough than she'll stick by your side

>>6694537
Thank you, very good advice.

Get to know the Chef, don't just stride in and out of work. Eventually you're going to want him on your side if you take a chance or make an error. Learn about your restaurant's style of cooking, and getting creative woth your staff meals as often as possible. Bring a few of your own unconventional ingredients to work to make new staff meals using equipment and ingredients that you wouldn't be able to use at home. Make yourself seem creative and foster creativity as much as possible. This will get your chef's positive attention faster than anything else.

>>6694554
10/10 advice, would work the line with

>>6694524
When I first started as a line cook I was only putting in 34 hour weeks. I guess it depends what the restaurant demands.

>>6694563
we were short staffed, and I was the only one who didn't have kids to pick up or watch so my chef used me as much as he absolutely wanted and I didn't really mind, still don't I love the over time but now they are talking about moving me to salary ; _;

>>6694557
Yeah, thanks man. I've been having fun at my kitchen. There are "forbidden ingredients" that we normally can't use im our staff meals, so I've been bringing my own so that I can experiment with them. Lately I've been leaving my area during my lunch break and using the sushi chef's counter (with her permission) to try new things with raw Tuna.

>>6694557
Me (>>6694541) again.
Is there any way to get over confidence issues? I've never worked before, none the less in a kitchen, sometimes I worry that I won't be good enough. When I was talking to the owner, he seemed to think the fact that I was passionate was more important than my experience. I cook almost every day at home, I just worry that my cooking isn't restaurant quality sometimes, I guess. I'm always very hard on myself when something doesn't come out just right.

>>6694575
Tuna is my second favorite fish to work with. Right now I do a sauteed Tuna filet (med rare unless requested otherwise) with wasabi mashed potatoes, honey glazed baby carrots, grilled scallions and a basic hoisin sauce. It's selling pretty well a lot of the members are still getting use to the idea of tuna.

My sushi rolls are so awful, I need to practice more

>>6694588
The owner of my restaurant thinks I went to culinary school and I never corrected him. I just let him believe it. The key is just to practice moving faster every day. It makes it more exciting and it's a good skill to have when the restaurant is busy. It's what the chef wants to see. Once you caych their eye, it's easier to talk to them.

>>6694574
>moving me to salary
Read: Fixed salary? (No overtime?) or Overtime-included?

>>6694588
Confidence will come in time, you need to get in the fire and you will make mistakes, but thats okay. If you fuck up don't give an excuse. Don't say sorry. you say "Yes chef, won't happen again"

The only way you'll get good is through practice like I said before watch your timing, if you're doing burgers and you get an order for say two burger one Med Rare one Well done, get the well done working and don't through your second burger on till the Well done is about medium/mid well. Again it will take time but you will get better as long as you WANT to get better.

Also rule of thumb, if you wouldn't eat it don't serve it. Honestly I'm more mad when the cooks try to sell me shitty food rather than having to wait on a recook

>>6694600
No overtime, which for a country club is kinda nice because in the winter months our golf course is closed so I'll only work 4 days a week, but we also do banquets so we stay open vs the rest of the year where my average work week is 80 hours. I'd rather take a pay cut and keep my overtime vs fixed salary unless of course the numbers are right

>>6694616
How many hours was your average workweek in the last year (or the last business year)?

>>6694382

>Ask for help, don't be a hero. If you're in the weeds tell someone to help you, and know what you need them to do. You're a team, not superman.

This is honestly the best piece of advice, if not exactly directed at someone with no experience.

Hussle the fuck up, watch how the people who have been there for years do it and ask them to show you, ask what else you can do, take care of your side-work/cleaning, don't let anyone else push their shit on you if you don't think they have legit other duties to take care of, watch/learn other stations and offer to cover them if you think you know what you're doing, BE FUCKING SANITARY, and for fuck's sake, don't be a hero.

If you're not a lazy asshole you should have no problem working the line. It's pretty much the worst job out there unless you love cooking and stress, but you'll learn a lot even it you don't stick with it.

>>6694626
I don't have my W2 in front of but from what I remember I was closing in if not at 3000 hours for the year, which means I spent almost half a year working

>>6694638
>BE FUCKING SANITARY


YYEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS Holy shit keep a box of gloves at your station. if you're touching shellfish, wash your hands. flip your god damn cutting board. I know during a rush you can forget these things but seriously someone can die. Be mindful. This man knows whats up

>>6694524

>full time for most places is over 40

Used to work for a brew pub in NE that only had 3 or 4 locations, but was owned by a corporation, and as much as I went overtime, they tried to keep everyone under 40 hours and it was just a giant mess for everybody.

>tfw go into work and the illegal guatemalan you work next to every night just biked across town from his morning job

>>6694649
>illegals.

Fucking love those dirty bastards. some of them work so fucking hard, my banquet chef is a mexican, we call him papi, he's taught me more Spanish in a year than four years of highschool Spanish and that mother fucker can make some bomb soup

>>6694575
>using the sushi chef's counter (with her permission)
>sushi chef
>her

wat

I have NEVER EVER EVER seen or heard of a female sushi chef that shit is 11 o clock news bruh like world famous wtf

>>6694656

>some of them

Pretty much this.

The guy I was thinking of (who rode his bike fucking miles a day working two jobs) had been at the restaurant longer than anybody (and couldn't move up from line cook despite knowing everything BoH; fucking half the names on the schedule were fake).

I learned more from him than anyone else at this particular place, but fucking god, opening with him (only 2 line cooks in the morning most days) he'd blast his Mexican polka music and fucking sing along in broken falsetto all morning, when I was hungover and cleaning up the messes that the new night guys left for me.

>>6694701
I open with an old black guy, he's a nice dude but like most old cooks he's very set in his ways and refuses to do anything any other way, but he holds down the lunch rush fine so I never try to change his ways. He plays old black soul music and sings surprisingly well

>>6694639
3000 / (365/7) = ~57.534247 hours/week
3000 / 12 = 250 hours/month

I wonder how much your effective hourly wage would slip as a result.

On the other hand...
http://work.chron.com/hourly-rate-preferable-10367.html

>>6694754
http://www1.salary.com/Sous-Chef-Salary.html

>>6694754
>>6694756

well shit guys I don't even have to do the math with you wonderful friends around. I'm gonna find out the offer next monday

Invest in good shoes, love your shoes, take care of your feet. When your shoes start to go start looking for new ones.
I was subject to a minor slip accident. It can make you hurt just enough to make the rest of your shift suck ass.
If your in the US, learn Spanish.
Learn where the boundaries our if its corporate place. Some Corporate places don't like the staff doing things they deem "not their job".

>>6694681
Hahah, well I work in a random as fuck Thai-Sushi fusion restaurant. The Sushi chef is a super sterotypical asian that can barely speak English. I don't think she knows that she can cash in her female sushi chef cred for more recognition. If it makes you feel any better, she's the only female that works at the sushi counter.

going in for a "work interview" on tuesday for a steward position at a hotel. hopefully i don't fuck it up.
got no kids, not on drugs, no other obligations. previous experience ranging from dishtank to line to assistant manager at various places.

my gut tells me that "noon to six" is going to turn into "noon to off-wait/after dinner service" because honestly who sends anyone home at 6 pm? my body is ready.

>>6694817
these are the realest. some people hate them and they DO have a break-in period but holy shit i will never buy nonslips that aren't these motherfuckers right here.

>>6694257
Quit your job and pursue a more fulfilling career before you ruin home cooking for yourself.

Any advice how to cook pastas and soups FASTER? I'm right now a trainee for a soup/pasta station but in real danger losing this position because I'm working FUCKING SLOW.

>>6696218
did you ask your employers how

>>6696218
Shouldn't pasta only take a couple minutes if you already have water boiling? Just always keep water boiling for you to use.

>>6694382
>"sad cunt m80"
>goes on to describe having to work 80 hours a week and all the extra pain and labor necessary to earn less than an entry level stem graduate who partied his way through school and took the first 35 hour/wk desk job with benefits offered

Don't get me wrong, if you're a felon out illegal immigrant im not trying to rain on your parade, but if you could do better then you should

>>6696261
>desk job

Is there anyway for a home cook to get enough practice to step into a job?
I want to practice and practice but I don't have very much money and i feel like I'm not getting anywhere

>>6696370
Nah, just jump in doing kitchen prep or even dishwashing and work your way up. Alternatively (or while you're working) you could also try to go to cooking school.

There really isn't much that you can handle just studying at home, most of the skills people look for in a restaurant isn't so much your cooking ability, but your ability to to work within an organized kitchen staff.

>>6696526
Thanks, anon

>>6696218
>Any advice how to cook pastas and soups FASTER?
you should have all your pastas cooked or at least parboiled and portioned before meal service begins. this means A LOT of baggies of pasta, weighed and put into clearly labeled, dated and rotated bins in your cold line (i assume you have a cold cabinet somewhere near you). keep a boiling pot on your station somewhere and drop pastas as-needed. you may need to use wire baskets for multiple portions going at once. look around, you've got some somewhere, they look like pic related. CALL-OFF FOR PREP TO BOIL MORE PASTA BEFORE YOU SELL HALF YOUR PREPPED PRODUCT. IF THERE ISN'T A PREP COOK, GUESS WHAT? YOU'RE IT.

soups should also be prepared beforehand and stored in a double boiler on your stove/grill/etc. or in a 3-pan on your steamtable. learn how many portions of soup go into whatever container you're using and PREP ANOTHER CONTAINER WHEN YOU SEE TICKETS ROLLING IN THAT AMOUNT TO 1/3 OF YOUR TOTAL READY-TO-SERVE SOUP.

And always remember the only thing you ever need to say to a bitchy server getting in your face about muh soup is "WAITSTAFF OFF THE LINE PLEASE"

Anon if you want to take cooking seriously I'd work at a restaurant for a year or so to see if you can hack it. If you want to make it your career you need to move to a food city and work under some quality chefs. You won't learn shit working at the hip Asian fusion joint with an absentee chef in your town.

This industry is designed for the young. Getting into a Michelin kitchen as soon as possible will benefit your career and hopefully insure you aren't a 40 "pirate".

>>6696261
I love my job, it has great benefits and it's my passion in life to cook. Sorry I'm happy man, I'll try to sit at a desk and make more money and be a sad cunt

>>6697349
>hopefully insure you aren't a 40 "pirate".
a what?

>>6696370

Most restaurants aren't exactly discerning, and have high as fuck turn over.

If you have no experience on your resume it will be thrown in the trash, but if you're not a complete asshole you can just go into a bunch of places between lunch and dinner, say that you're willing to work hard and learn, and if you'll probably get hired.

It's really that easy; and the alternative is going to be a felon with experience who's needs a job because he starts shit.