#kitchen wisdom

[dearvoidgoodnight]

Part of being a good cook is knowing when to outsource a product that is better than the version you could make yourself.

Claire Saffitz 

[billydursens]

KITCHEN THIS, KITCHEN THAT.....

A Farmhouse Kitchen is not perfect – It is Lived In….. It is where meals are made, stories are shared, and life slows down just enough to notice the good things in life. HERE’S TO WARM MEALS, SIMPLE JOYS, and the COMFORT OF A KITCHEN THAT FEELS LIKE HOME!!

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[guerillachef]

“Because to each of us is given just so many years, and hence just so many opportunities to enjoy just so many meals, a poor meal is an opportunity lost forever.”

Neill and Fred Beck, The Farmer’s Market Cookbook 1951

[sohowaboutthis]

A couple more pics from Sunday. Other crew members hard at work, dutifully coned off by Locations ;). Also while the photo may not look that appetizing thanks to the to go box aesthetic this was one of the best catering experiences I’ve had on set hands down. These guys are GOOOOOOOOOD!

Especially the lightly seared (basically raw) tuna you can see in the upper right corner was simply incredibly delicious. OMNOMNOMNOM. 

They had fresh roastbeef with a pepper crust as a hot snack later on, boy oh boy, am I happy about the food here. <3

Also I ran into the sound guys from Supernatural! They’ve been working on Status Update during the break (cause who needs breaks, amirite?? <_<) and it was sooo nice bumping into them like this. They were so sweet, hugging me and asking how I’ve been and what I’ve been up to during the break. 

I told them all the recent stuff that’s been going on and one of them even gave me a number of a good and cheap car mechanic he trusts, so I can get my water pump fixed. ^^ He said that he saw my friend request on fb and that he accepted it, but mentioned that he rarely does it, so I felt really honoured!

Again I got so much encouragement and that they see me succeed in my goals without a doubt and that I couldn’t have picked a better timing even if I tried. I don’t even know what to say.

It was even more striking when I talked to another PA later on, who has been working in the industry on and off for about 3 years now and when I mentioned I bumped into some crew I already knew she assumed they’d just walk right past and not even recognize me from what she experienced herself. She said she introduced herself so many times over and over again to the same crew members and usually they barely if at all remember her name and really treat PAs as the bottom (and she’s a really nice, good PA not someone you’d be eager to forget). Glad I was lucky with the crews I’ve been working for so far!

[crownandkingdom]

Roasted Squash Seeds - Kitchen Wisdom - Martha Stewart

[sujthechef]

A day in the life of a Grill Cook

What follow is an approximation of an average day from my own life last year working in the 4-star restaurant in a high-end hotel.  I was working the dinner shift, and LOVING it.

In fact I'd say that if all the work I've done my entire career, this was the best work.  The hours and the working conditions left some things to be desired... but the actual work was the best!

But... on to my day...

I crawl out of bed about 11am... the wife already being long gone on her day of work... grab a small meal and play on the computer for a while.  This was before I tumblr'd so that was mostly facebook, web comics, google news and the like. 

Then I'd get dressed, shaved and washed up, grab my knife kit, and head to work.

The shift I worked at that time was 2-10:30.  I walked in the door about 2, the entire PM kitchen shift with me.  We all had a short meeting with chef where he told us about expected business (we expected about 150 that night which wasn't slow, but certainly wasn't busy either) and decided specials and such, then I went to prep.

I'd grab all the prep from the night before and set it up on my station so I could take stock of it and decide what I needed to get done before we opened at 5pm.

 I was off the day before and whoever had worked for me had left me well stocked on veg and sauces, but I needed to do a LOT of butchery, and the like.  I also needed something to go with the sheep's head fish that Chef got in for a dinner spec, and something to go with the Lamb that was to be an appetizer special. Sheeps head fish, by the way is a weird looking fish... it has teeth that almost look human... the fish it tastes closest to (in my experience) is probably rockfish.

While looking through the cooler for my ordinary prep I found some leftover farro from a banquet function that I could use for the lamb... just needed to jazz it up with a good sauce, grill off a 2 bone portion out of the chop, and the 3 elements on the plate (plus a garnish) would make a good small appetizer.

I also found some leftover roasted mushrooms which I decided could be turned into a risotto for the fish.  I still need a vegetable component, and a sauce (at the very least) but it's coming together.

Back on the line I butcher all the fish first, about 5 lbs of salmon, already butchered into sides that needed to be fabricated into 6-7 oz portions for the regular menu... 30 lbs of whole sheeps head fish that needs to be broken down and fabricated.  THen 3 whole tenderloins I need to peel and clean and cut into 7 oz fillets.  Then 2 whole new york strips I need to clean and cut into 14 oz portions.

I pass the fish I've just butchered to the Sautee cook, along with all the stuff he needs to make his rosotto... he in turn passes me veg prep, whipped potatoes, polenta cakes, and some other odds and ends of prep in return.  It's a tradeoff that works well for both of us.  Although I have to get his sauces ready too since Chef is busy today.

I look at the clock and see that I have about an hour till open, and I need to heat up 3 sauces, make 4 sauces from scratch.

I put reductions for my three butter sauces on the stove first, then some miripoix to caramelize to make some kind of improvised jus for the lamb, then start the risotto.  

My re-heat sauces easily heat in the background as I prepare two different butter sauces for my counterpart's fish, and one plain butter sauce for use on the line to flavor the veg.

The bartender is more than happy to give me a dose of cheap cherry brandy for make a cherry jus for my lamb, and after that deglazes my pan with the mirepoix I add some demi-glace that the hotel's saucier made for general use.  Some finishing touches (including some cherry juice) and WHAM!

I whip butter into each of my three reductions in turn, and then turned them each into the sauce they were meant to be.  I also throw one serving of lamb on the grill for the servers.

Chef walks by (finally) and warnes my the chicken jus that was made yesterday was thin and under-seasoned.  I tell him I noticed and it was already fixed.  He sticks a tasting spoon into by saucepan, tastes it, nods slightly in approval and walks off without another sound.   As I am finishing my sauces I heat up a serving of the farro for my lamb plate.  I put the farro and lamb on the plate and set it up for chef who will garnish and sauce it, and set it up for the servers.

10 minutes till open and i've got all my ducks in a row, I walk over to the front of the line where my 1 serving of the lamb spec, one serving the soup of the day, some cold salad special I am not interested in, and one serving of the sheep's head fish are set up to show the morons servers today's specials.  

Chef tells them about each of the specials in turn so that the morons servers can (at least in theory) sell them appropriately.  Once that's done, the vultures servers descend upon the 4 plates like locusts to get a taste of the food... apparently it's good.

We open up and, un-surprisingly, it's pretty slow that first hour... a few burgers from the bar... a couple of steaks... ONE lamb... incompetent servers unable to sell my delicious food... I make a note to smack them around later... figuratively... probably not literally smack them... probably...

About an hour and a half in we start getting SLAMMED... apparently some big meeting got out, and they had dinner plans somewhere else, but it was canceled or somthing so we get a lot of business we weren't expecting at all, and it comes all at once.

I have 10 steaks, 12 burgers, and 7 lamb specials on the grill all at once many with different cook temperatures (i.e. rare to well-done).  I momentarily curse the foul servers for selling so many Lambs while I'm this busy...

The next hour is a blur for me as a move at top speed rushing to get everything out both on time and correctly... 

We ran out of steaks at one point i had to clean and cut some on the line in a hurry while still continuing to do all my other work.  I glance up at my counterpart to see he's doing the same with some of his prep that "should" have lasted the night, but didn't.

I rush a plate to my expo and realize... I've caught up... there are no more tickets... I breath a sigh of relief, then more tickets come in... rat bastards...

After another hour at a more medium pace it's over.  I begin to clean up and realize my prep is wiped out.  Tomorrow will be a hard day of prep.  Before I even get a chance to ask, the boss who controls overtime like I hawk gives me permission to roll in early tomorrow.  

I spend a lot of time scrubbing my (at this point) very messy line, when I realize there is exactly one serving of lamb left, I cook it up to mid-rare for myself while I'm cleaning.  I offer half to my sautee wingman, but he's already chomping on a burger and says it's cool.  The cold side cooks can go fuck themselves.. this is hot-side lamb.

I go home... do a short workout and shower.  Basically i have about 30 min left with the wife before she goes to bed.

After that I sit up and play on-line some... thinking about how much I love my job at this juncture, except that it takes so much time away from my wife.  I worry, for a moment, that this is damaging my marriage... I've seen this job (and ones like it) destroy marriages/relationships... then I realize... I'm better than those ass holes... I'm a much better breed of ass hole... and we're good here at home.

[alchemyofthehearth]

Kitchen Wisdom

As many of you know, I sit on an advisory board for Kraft Foods. Our latest project tackled the industry's practice of labeling products with statements such as "use by, best by, sell by, freeze by". What does it all mean? Well, freeze by is pretty obvious, freeze the product by the date indicated. Depending on what it is, it can be frozen for up to 6 months. The others are quite ambiguous at best. Do you throw out food if it's past the date? Is it safe to eat? Can the product be sold after the date? Is the grocery store protecting you and your family? Here are your answers and a few guidelines for keeping your food safe. Use by means exactly what it states. Sometimes you'll see it paired with freeze by. Mostly on poultry products. If you refrigerate your chicken you should use it or freeze it before or on the date indicated on the package. Can you go a few more days? Yes, as long as the product doesn't show signs of deterioration such as an off smell, slimy exterior, color changes etc. Remember to repackage the product if you plan on freezing. Best by means the product will have its optimal flavor when used prior to this date. Does it mean its garbage afterwards. Absolutely not! The product will still be good for quite some time. Depending on how you store it, the flavors may or may not decline over time. Since the manufacturer doesn't know how you'll store or use the product, they want to provide a suggestion for an optimal experience. Throw it out when it starts to show signs of possible contamination. For example, that ketchup bottle with the black crust on the lid - time to hit the trash! Sell by means the manufacturers suggested sell by date to the store. This has nothing to do with the consumer. Manufacturers want to keep products rotating on store shelves. So, products are rounded up by the grocery store and a number of things can occur. They may donate the item, sell it to a jobber where it will end up at your local Big Lots or one of the new grocery chains - Grocery Outlet or The Daily Table, send it back to the manufacturer who may or may not repackage the item for sale once again, or simply throw it into the garbage. Are foods safe to eat after the sell by date? Most definitely! Again, watch for signs of possible contamination, off smells, colors such as pink or yellow within the item, sliminess or things growing on the product. All of these mean throw it out! Keeping food safe isn't difficult, but it does involve acquiring knowledge. We can answer any of your questions. Just send us an email or give us a call. As for grocery stores protecting you and your family? Well, they try their best, but the ultimate responsibility lies with you.

[diasporakitchenprovisions]

I asked Quijada about her transition from the savory to the sweet side. There are many who say that you have a mind for either one or the other, never both, with most savory chefs flinching at the mere suggestion that they might try baking or learn how to make the desserts that their restaurants sell. “I’ve become more of an intuitive baker; less precise, perhaps, than a trained baker. I feel things out in a more hands-on way. I’m less interested in ‘process’ in the way that maybe a person who went to school would be focused on how to follow a recipe step-by-step in a particular order. “There’s a rhythm when I’m cooking [savory food]. I’m following a beat. In pastry there are all these pauses, breaks. I try to find/create rhythm in baking so that I can keep moving.

https://medium.com/the-egg-beat/ab2682083649