Roll call

[Anonymous No.15183274]

How many skilled line cooks, working chefs, and food service professionals are on this board?

[Anonymous No.15183299]

prep cook here

[Anonymous No.15183320]

>>15183274
linecook here, just got off work

[Anonymous No.15183330]

>>15183299
prep cook is a comfy position, enjoy it till you're eventually put on the line

any dishwashers out there?

[Anonymous No.15183357]

>>15183320
How many covers tonight?

[Anonymous No.15183368]

>>15183330
I’ve got two prep cooks. One is essentially my jr sous chef, the other covers her days off and does dishes. It’s only as comfy as the work load allows.

[Anonymous No.15183372]

>>15183357
200ish from rush till close, about 500 all day. thankfully we have a large restaurant so the coof limitations aren't hurting us too bad.

[Anonymous No.15183422]

>>15183372
Decent. I wish we had those numbers. 100 covers on 60 seats is pathetic.

[Anonymous No.15183678]

>>15183422
we're lucky, it's a local establishment, been around since 1954. we still need seven behind the line at rush, servers are making decent money. we do lots of carry out, that helps.

[Anonymous No.15183682]

>>15183274
Not me, I'm an accountant. I envy you lot.

[Anonymous No.15183746]

>>15183274
Former dishwasher -> prep cook -> line cook. Now software developer. Better pay, less stress. Now I only have to cook for myself. I liked prep cook, very meditative chopping all those veggies. Gotta say though, I don't miss making guac for 2 hours.

[Anonymous No.15183793]

>>15183274
prep/line cook currently laid off because of covid and crawling back to my last job just so i can find a place to live

[Anonymous No.15183839]

>>15183682
I have to do a lot of accounting too. Three inventories, maintenance contracts, weekly schedule. And however many line shifts.
It’s not all it’s cracked up to be.

[Anonymous No.15183843]

>>15183678
Good branding = good business
Hold on to that job, anon. The kitchen is a dying trade.

[Anonymous No.15183925]

>>15183274
linecook in """fine dining""" here. have been on 4chan longer than I've been professionally cooking.

[Anonymous No.15183978]

>>15183274
I'm a baker, so it doesn't count.
You fuckers are always underestimating us, but you'll miss us the day you don't have proper croutons for your overpriced cream. You'll see...

[Anonymous No.15184037]

gimme like 6 months and ill get back to you

[Anonymous No.15184048]

>>15183368
what's it like having people looking up to you for advice anon

[Anonymous No.15184837]

>>15183274
Currently a mixture of prep+line in a high end restaurant

[Anonymous No.15184844]

>>15183978
As a chef, I already respect you guys,
having access to fresh and handmade breads, croissants, etc. is the lifeline of our breakfast service

[Anonymous No.15184998]

>>15183274
cafe/restaraunt chef here I think there's tonnes of kitchen working people on this board always has been

>>15183978
>You fuckers are always underestimating us
wrong, good bread and supplier is hard to come by you got to appreciate and take care of one when you find it, we get from a small bakery so deliverers are also bakers I often put aside something fresh cooked for them in the morning while they're on their routes and they always give free extras or samples

if you don't appreciate and value all your suppliers you suck, they are important and I don't know any good places that don't

[Anonymous No.15185012]

>food service professionals

You burgerflipping dishpigs sure have an inflated sense of yourself

[Anonymous No.15185102]

>>15185012
Go back to posting fast food you absolut tub of lard.

[Anonymous No.15185112]

I used to do prep and dishwash. I was really efficient to a point where the cooks loved me and really wanted me to get on the line and start cooking. Was about to but thought about it and passed. Seeing how they drink all the damn time, have to put up with stuck up waitresses, and saying shit like "you guys are driving me fucking crazy" and " god fuck my life". I have respect for cooks and chefs cause you guys do have to put up with a lot. But chilling in the back listening to music is comfy. Thats not to say Ive trained some really fucking lazy dishwashers/preps that get fired within a week. I kinda miss working in a kitchen workplace. It was bittersweet.

[Anonymous No.15185115]

Does wokkin n grillin at panda express for 4 years count? :^)
Got fired for drinkin n oversleepin 3 months ago :^)

[Anonymous No.15185117]

I've recently lost my prospects in a different job field. I've been thinking about getting into some kind of cooking or baking job. Is it worth it in any way? I'm just a home cook and have been cooking for years but have no formal experience. But I'm not sure I'd make a career of it and I've only ever heard it's a hellish job in so many ways.

it does seem fun to be cooking in a big kitchen with other people though.

[Anonymous No.15185782]

I'm a soon to be kitchen porter, am I allowed in here? Also what am I in for as a kitchen porter?

[Anonymous No.15185961]

I was prep and line in my old store, quit because of corona. Now i'm working fast food, so no "proper" kitchen job. It is what it is

[Anonymous No.15186002]

>>15185782
Isn't being a porter basically handling the chores and odd jobs? you'll get promoted soon enough if you show a little bit of enthusiasm.

[Anonymous No.15186016]

>>15186002
P-promoted? to what? that sounds scawy;-;

[Anonymous No.15186028]

>>15186016
prep cook probably. pretty comfy once you get into a routine. the line is also 'fun' albeit very stressful at times. it's all a matter of being used to things.
also, if i may request a little less homosexuality. you will get your ass grabbed at work far more frequently if you keep up the act.

[Anonymous No.15186036]

>>15186028
That doesn't sound vewy comfy anon-kun. Can I cuddle you to calm down and I don't want to be a prep cook. That sounds scawy too.

[Anonymous No.15186044]

>>15186036
you'll get used to it.

[Anonymous No.15186051]

>>15186044
In all seriousness I don't think I could take the line within a month or something. Could I just ask to stay as a porter or would I get looked at weird?

[Anonymous No.15186095]

>>15186051
what they'll try to do probably is make you do something more productive than being a porter without giving you a better wage. i guess you can try to stay being a porter but if management is good at their job they will increase your responsibilities little by little and after a while you'll be basically be doing prep work or teaching new porters. you might as well take the pay raise.

> I don't think I could take the line within a month or something
unless they are really short on personnel you won't be on the line for a while. if they want you in the line they will, again, teach you the job little by little until the point where you can be relied upon.

[Anonymous No.15186209]

>>15183274
I'm an apprentice in my last year of training at a large german luxury resort near the alps. Right now we are closed for guests due to the 'rona. It will be my first Christmas and New Year's Eve that I can celebrate with my friends and family since three years.

The kitchen is still open with a skeleton crew consisting of all six final year apprentices including myself and a head or a sous chef who oversees us. Each day we prepare staff meals for some craftsmen and office personnel and also supply a nearby school and kindergarten.

It's a rather strange mixture of relaxation and boredom compared to the usual frantic service shifts. At least we can try out recipes and techniques during the weekend shifts because then we only sell something like 10 portions a day so we have more time than we know what to do with.

[Anonymous No.15186210]

>>15186095
True enough, thanks dude.

[Anonymous No.15186223]

>>15186210
don't mention it. it's fun with the right crew and after some getting used to. but don't underestimate the job.

[Anonymous No.15186246]

I work in a deli, but I miss working in restaurants. My first job was as a dishwasher, and the new chef at the time offered to teach me how to cook. I jumped on the opportunity and ended up working 12+hours a day, 6 days a week because I was literally the only one who worked in the kitchen. At least he hooked me up with free drinks and food on my off days, and even made me drinks during my shift.

I don't miss the stress, but I DO miss the environment and the work.

[Anonymous No.15186260]

>>15183274
im retired

[Anonymous No.15186294]

>>15183274

I worked a variety of shitty food service jobs back in the day. Does that count?

[Anonymous No.15186371]

>>15183274
I work the laminating machine at a very nice bakery, I also do different figures like croissaint, danish pastry, etc, ask me anything

[Anonymous No.15186380]

>>15186371
At least a nice place by where I live's standards, I'm sure it's a shithole to the pros that lurk this board

[Anonymous No.15186381]

>>15186371
how common is developing a flour allergy?

[Anonymous No.15186396]

>>15186381
Never heard of that, except for people that have a celiac disease

[Anonymous No.15186397]

>>15186380
That’s cool anon. I don’t work in the food industry currently, but I’ve always felt the need to do it eventually, once I’ve made more money in the career I went to school for.

How do you like working in a bakery? There is one close by to where I live. I always thought about quitting my current job and going to work there.

Then Covid fucked everything up, so I’m staying put for now.

[Anonymous No.15186409]

>>15186397
I love it, although pay is a little bit shit, it's very satisfying work, I've learned a lot, I really feel like I'm turning into a professional the more time I spend in there. My coworkers are awsome as well. Boss is a prick

[Anonymous No.15186451]

>>15186409
Damn that’s great to hear. It’s pretty much what I expected, I really want the camaraderie and working with my hands. Being able to perfect a craft that I’m actually passionate about sounds amazing.

I know the pay is a bit low. My goal is to save a decent amount and get a duplex. Then I can transition jobs and not need to make as much since my housing cost is building equity and lower than owning a home outright. I feel like it would be such a breath of fresh air from what I’m doing now.

[Anonymous No.15186462]

linecook here, i also work fryers and prep
my main position at work though is takeaway tho

[Anonymous No.15186491]

>>15186451
Sounds like a very solid plan anon, I wish I had something like that going on for me, trying to live off this wage is a struggle, but yes, work is great and working with your hands is amazing, also improving everyday feels awesome, "oh you screwed up today? no problem, tomorrow make sure you do it perfectly"

[Anonymous No.15186498]

>>15183274
Server at a steak house here. Closing tonight, only 50 covers all night. I'll probably serve about 12-15 of them. Easiest job on the planet and I make more than twice what the cooks make.

[Anonymous No.15186753]

>>15184844
>>15184998
>tfw all this time you've worked for dumb managers that only think about making a profit and never take the time to at least learn a bit about the trade.
I had one making us take out the lunch's bread poorly raised and barely baked because a malfunctioning oven slowed our schedule and he couldn't wait 5 minutes on a slow day's service. Another bitch wanted me to stop working on some croissant dough, already cut and ready to shape and freeze, just to make cookies: 400 in an hour, with a 2-tray (12x15 in each) oven.
I understand it's a business where you have to be a professional, but it's hard to work under people that don't help out with the proper ingredients and tools and don't try to understand what's wrong, screaming and pushing for impossible results, instead. Imagine trying to explain somebody why their bread is not going to come out as usual when all they bring you is commercial cake flour mixed with baking soda, due to bureaucratic bullshit.
Only people who work in kitchens and understand the value of food know bread's importance, even if they have never made dough in their lives, so keep it up, and thanks.

[Anonymous No.15187002]

>>15186753
>Only people who work in kitchens and understand the value of food know bread's importance
plenty of people make home at bread and for their families, stfu

[Anonymous No.15187024]

>>15183274
Fuck off with the mask propaganda kike

[Anonymous No.15187230]

>>15183274
I was a line cook, but haven't been for some years now.

[Anonymous No.15187255]

i assume majority in this thread is american, im from uk, am i right in saying that you're only a chef in the US if you are sous, head or some kind of exec and everyone else is a cook?
over here everywhere i've worked everyone above dishwasher is called chef a la fancy words avec le francais
dishwasher = kitchen porter
prep cook = prep chef
junior/new/trainee/whatever cook = commis chef
line cook = chef de partie
sous chef = sous chef
head chef = head chef

also any frenchies on here know some of the ultra-specific names for chefs over there? ive been told there is a specific term for "potato chef" but i dunno if i was getting memed on

[Anonymous No.15187391]

>>15187255
Yes, in America chef denotes a managerial or oversight role.

[Anonymous No.15187764]

>>15187002
Not where I live.
We're more of maize kinda folks, so bread is mostly seen as an addition in international dishes or as a cafeteria snack among other products. You need to go to very specific, high end businesses for proper pastries, doughs and cakes that would be rather common in North America or Europe.
Hell, when I worked in a retail market chain with a new branch here everybody kept asking about what were those imported english muffins and what to eat them with. The same with overpriced pies.

[Anonymous No.15188231]

>>15184048
I dunno. I enjoy imparting knowledge to people so it’s gratifying to see people learn. I’m a pretty good boss to my employees that don’t fuck around. I like teaching young cooks. I know a lot about food but it’s not a field where you ever stop learning.

[Anonymous No.15188303]

>>15183274
Line cook here. Been working for about a year and a half. I'm honestly really lucky to be working at one of those restaurants just owned by an endlessly rich guy who wants a place to drink beer and hang out with his friends because any money lost from covid is pocket change, and I'm being kept specifically because I made a menu item he likes.

[Anonymous No.15188453]

>>15187255
>"potato chef"
Entremetier is the chef that handles starches and hot vegetable preparations. It’s a position in the brigade. Potato chef is a kind of pejorative but not completely inaccurate.

[Anonymous No.15188705]

I tried to work in the industry but I got bullied and fired

[Anonymous No.15189700]

>>15183274
Waitress checking in.

[Anonymous No.15189726]

>>15189700
Thanks, hon. Can you go roll that cutlery now plz.

[Anonymous No.15189733]

>>15183274
yo, linecook.

[Anonymous No.15189739]

OP here

Thanks for checking in you lot.
Glad to know /ck/ is not just a bunch of fast food fatasses ain’t never worked an honest day.

[Anonymous No.15190091]

>>15189739
wouldnt surprise me if the fastfood threads are full of cooks, we're notoriously lazy and slobby when it comes to feeding ourselves don't deny it

[Anonymous No.15190106]

i am a saucier

[Anonymous No.15190112]

How accurate is a sites like Hell's kitchen with timing and turning at each other and everything prepared at the same time etc? Also, what prep work do they do so when he calls one salmon two strip one seabass, they can have it done in 4 minutes?

[None !2Code3TV3M No.15190134]

>>15190091
theres a lot more charm to garbage food when you're sick of staring at the good stuff

[Anonymous No.15190553]

>>15183299
based coon

[Anonymous No.15190668]

I was the "head" chef at a franchise that worked with a large coal grill indoors, for like 2 years. before that some misadventures in Greece as a HC one summer. Total cook time like 9-10 years. But I'm studying now and only doing summer jobs with friends so i can still have a life and fun.

[Anonymous No.15191846]

>>15188303
what's the menu item?

[Anonymous No.15191876]

>>15185117
unless you're lucky, you'll be overworked and underpaid. the stress is more than most people can handle, many don't work in a kitchen for more than a year or two if they can help it. that said, if you stick with it, you'll learn some valuable skills.

[Anonymous No.15192260]

Was a "Red Seal" chef for a decade. Started to hate it and quit. Now I work in a different industry making alot more money with way less stress. Cooking was slowly killing me inside.

>long hours
>low/mediocre pay
>incredibly stressful trying to constantly deal with a large dining room, along with large banquets going on in the basement
>started to hate all upcoming holidays and weekends because I had to work extra long hours and never got to enjoy time off with friends/family
>working night shift meant I never got to make friends with people outside the restaraunts
>restaraunt people are usually trash people that just want to drink, smoke and do drugs because the job is so stressful
>always finish work smelling like garlic/onions/grease
>its hot as fuck working on the line, especially in the summer
>profit margins in a restaraunt are dogshit, and you have to compete with several dozen other restaraunts, so you are constantly on the verge of one fuckup bankrupting you
>etc, etc, etc

I still love cooking, but now I get to do it for myself, and my friends/family whenever I want, instead of being forced to do it all day every day. I would never get back into the industry unless I had no other choice.

[Anonymous No.15192307]

>>15192260
What did you move to? I’m in the process of getting completely out of the kitchen but I’m not sure which direction to go. I’m already managing contracts and multiple inventories but that’s not the bulk of my salary.

[Anonymous No.15192444]

>>15192307
>What did you move to?

Ive tried several other jobs so far for a few years each, and all were pretty decent.

>custom cabinet builder
>heavy duty mechanic
>heavy machinery operator
>currently getting my "class 1" drivers license which will let me drive any kind of vehicle in canada I want

All were jobs that required great attention to detail, following blueprints, working with others, and a good work ethic, which was something I already had before I even got into cooking. It was a big reason why I fit into kitchens so well. Now theres way less stress involved, more money, as well as nice benefits and usually getting 2 days off a week+ holidays off as well.

I remember one of the big final nails in the coffin that made me leave the "industry" was working with several chefs that were in their mid 50's, who were old and tired, drank all the time, and were trapped in the kitchen because they had no other skills. Never made enough money to own a home, never had enough time off to visit their family or their kids when they were growing up. It was depressing, and I didnt want to end up like that.

[Anonymous No.15192471]

>>15192444
>Never made enough money to own a home

Also I say this part because yeah they made decent money as the "head chef", and could have owned a home, but they were always blowing all their money on other things, and stressed out of their minds. A large chunk of their salary went towards alcohol and coke.

[Anonymous No.15192527]

>>15192471
I don’t touch the coke but I do drink too much. It’s a stressful job. The money is decent but I live in an expensive city. I’m getting tired of dealing with unprofessional shitheads that drop their jobs with no notice, ownership with unrealistic expectations, and increasingly dilapidated operating conditions.
I still love food but managing a kitchen is not where I want to end my days.

[Anonymous No.15193119]

>>15192527
>I still love food but managing a kitchen is not where I want to end my days.

Thats basically how I felt. I still love to cook, and get to actually enjoy putting a ton of love and effort into making good food for family and friends, and not be forced to do it for a living. Now Im doing other things, and am happier for it.

[Anonymous No.15193688]

Former country club cook reporting in.

[Anonymous No.15193775]

>>15193119
My boss has me pegged for a more hands off management position which I wouldn’t mind. I’m already halfway there but covid is kicking the shit out of our business and I don’t know we’ll even be solvent in 3 months. These provincial lockdowns are destroying the restaurant industry.

[Anonymous No.15193880]

>>15192307
Not that anon but i jumped from baker to human resources in the same company. I never expected to get the job

[Anonymous No.15193908]

>>15183274
about tree fiddy

[Anonymous No.15194041]

>>15193880
That’s a great lateral move. I’m really trying to do something similar. My administration skills are top notch and wasting my time on flipping burgers and washing dishes is not cost effective. For what they pay me I should be tackling higher value issues. The problem with being versatile is that every department comes to you for solutions. When you run your own department and are support for others it gets really overwhelming. Plus piss-poor organization at the highest levels. Ambition may set the sights but organization gets you there.

[Anonymous No.15194087]

>>15191846
It was just a take on nashville hot chicken. It really isn't even on the menu all that much, but mr millionare owner likes it a lot and basically I have to be deliberately fucking up in order to get fired.

[Anonymous No.15194811]

Line cook 2 days in the weekend, food science student during the week. Also worked as a butcher and for about 4 years, with an apprenticeship and everything.

[Anonymous No.15194886]

Former chef de cuisine here. Honestly wish I was still cooking. I got a nice gig at a nice joint doing 120 covers a night with 2 of us on the line and an owner who would go out of his way to get the best goods in town.

3 months in the plague hit, 2 weeks after that I caught the wu-flu myself. Dude was too spooked to hire me back and after one "freebie" paycheck I was furloughed permanently. Nearly drank myself to death, ended up in the ED for a night. Went thru alcohol withdrawal then subsequently the immense anxiety I would bury with substance abuse hit.

Taught myself how to live outside of a kitchen again. Went back to my shit-hole of a hometown to crash on whatever couch I could find. Working in a temp job waiting for the day restaurants actual function again so I can open a brick an mortar with all the pennies I've collected. Really just want other people to experience what I did before I eventually fall off the wagon again and go insane.

[Anonymous No.15195730]

>>15194886
nice blogpost

[Anonymous No.15195736]

>>15194886
Nice labour laws, America! :)

[Anonymous No.15195744]

>>15194886
In Europe you could sue his jew ass for firing you over being sick. Sucks to be you!

[Anonymous No.15195789]

>>15195744
If he accepted the freebie check as severance then he’s agreed to a lawful termination. It’s still a shit move on the employer’s part but that’s what bosses do, protect their own interests.

[Anonymous No.15195827]

>>15195789
Lets not pretend he wouldn't have been fired anyway

[Anonymous No.15196142]

>>15191876
What valuable skills