# What do you just hate to cook/prep?!



## kaiquekuisine (Apr 11, 2013)

I was reading an article http://firstwefeast.com/eat/11-things-chefs-hate-to-cook/s/19880/

That stated 11 things a chef/cook hate to cook or prep during or before service.

I found somethings that i haven´t seen in a while but are definitely annoying to do.

So my question to you guys working in the culinary industry , what do you hate to prep/cook , that is a major pain in your arse!?


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## pollopicu (Jan 24, 2013)

raw chicken

mince garlic


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## kaiquekuisine (Apr 11, 2013)

If i have to think of things that were really annoying to do at work on my last job i would definetly say it was the cod , or _Bacalhau_ as we call it here in Brazil.

They come with a huge layer of salt that needs to be washed , then placed in a large vessel with water , wait a bit , and change the water.

Re-fill the vessel and change the water again , after about 3 water changes , you must boil the fish <_<.

The problem is it was served in a salad ( a salad that would be made at most 4-6 times a week ) and you needed to shred the fish by hand for the salad. The small and large bones were annoying to do when shredding, that and you have to use gloves , the salty water would screw with the skin on my hands as well as leave them reaking for hours <_<.

I used to have a cook that hates peeling quail eggs <_< because she would have to do about 10-15 boxes of quail eggs about 200-250 eggs.


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## kaiquekuisine (Apr 11, 2013)

Yeh raw garlic sucks , worse is mincing that sh*t. 

I usually put them in a pot and fill with warm water , let them rest int he water for 5 minutes , they peel easier , put are still annoying <_<

Only thing worse is when you have to mince it , thank god the last restaurant i worked allowed us to puree the garlic to incorparate in dishes , too bad we still had to peel XD.


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## pollopicu (Jan 24, 2013)

I didn't read #11...boy do I hate prepping fresh thyme too. Especially when they come in extra small leaves.


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## chefross (May 5, 2010)

As if any and all industries have 11 things that people dislike to have to prep....somebody has way too much time on their hands.

The things I dislike about my industry have nothing to do with the food as I love what I do so much, the work involved is not hard.

If the list included things like ice carving without a chainsaw, or having to crawl up into the ceiling to fix or repair a walk-in cooler compressor, while cooking a dinner for 500 plated....now THAT I could see, but these examples are too pedestrian.


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## jgraeff1 (Jun 3, 2013)

roasted bell peppers? never heard such a thing they are so easy!

things i don't like to prep are-

chopping fresh herbs de provence

mincing garlic if i need large amounts 

artichokes

thyme and oregano if there small

pomegranates 

however i don't hate to prep anything, some things are annoying but the ending results are totally worth it and everyone is different i know i like doing some things that others dislike.


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## kaiquekuisine (Apr 11, 2013)

I actually enjoy peeling and de-veining shrimp , or peeling almonds XD 

Thyme leaves are annoying <_< especially if its a bunch and i need 2 cups full of it.


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## meezenplaz (Jan 31, 2012)

Don't any of you guys have a garlic mincer??? 
Oh I hate deveining shrimp. To me it's on a level with
cleaning out dog kennels....or maybe the grease trap.
Not real keen on frenching lamb racks either.


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## kaiquekuisine (Apr 11, 2013)

I dont know why frenching lamb racks wasnt mentioned....it is literally is annoying

BUT NOT AS ANNOYING AS PEELING GRAPES <_< those who have done it know the torment XD

I have been lucky to only have to just watch others go through that torture. /img/vbsmilies/smilies/rollsmile.gif


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## meezenplaz (Jan 31, 2012)

Is there ANYTHING fun to peel? Well rubber maybe...in a 67 Chevelle.

Got another one--probably blocked it from memory due to extreme anxiety--

and that would be anything that involves working with Phyllo dough.

Positively hate that stuff! /img/vbsmilies/smilies/mad.gif


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## mannlicher (Jan 8, 2006)

Prepping Conch can be a chore.  My last restaurant featured Conch Fritters, and we prepped about 20 pounds of Conch a day.


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## beastmasterflex (Aug 14, 2013)

Omelettes. I did about 10,000 this year, used to love it, then I hated it, then I got new pans, and then I loved it, then I hated it again. Also potato chips, always end up with grease burns all over my arms.


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## lagom (Sep 5, 2012)

For the moment im not to thrilled to pound sny snitzel for a while, did 900 pieces on thursday, i can stilll hear the banging. Im sure my helper isnt too thrilled to be frying any off for a while either.


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## powerviolence (May 19, 2012)

Honestly I hate making Egg's Benedict. Simple, easy but I just hate it. We also have these "Tuna Tacos" on the menu, seared ahi tuna with some Asian slaw and sriracha aioli, again simple, but I do hate making it, for reasons I cannot explain.


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## girlcook (Jul 10, 2015)

De veining whole shrimp. Taking out the poop shoots from 200 shrimp make me never want to eat shrimp again..yuk


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## anypills (Nov 1, 2014)

I like mincing garlic. It's good for the hands.


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## anypills (Nov 1, 2014)

cleaning squid is a load of bolix


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## markherm13 (Jun 11, 2012)

Peeling, coring and mincing garlic.


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## capecodchef (Jan 19, 2014)

Why doesn't everyone use peeled garlic? A gallon of the stuff is under $30 (I just stay away from the imported crap from China) A few seconds in the Robot Coupe and voila!

Shucking and chopping raw quahogs for chowder is my biggest peeve.


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## pete (Oct 7, 2001)

-Cleaning artichokes

-Peeling hard boiled eggs

-making crudité (worked a hotel were it seemed every little meeting, banquet, party, etc. had a crudité platter and there were days were I wouldn't do much else other than clean, cut and try up those platters!!!


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## chefwriter (Oct 31, 2012)

I would appreciate the opportunity to do some of the tasks in the list as I have never encountered them before. Stinging nettles and skate among them. Most tasks I enjoy doing in moderation but any task becomes tedious when done in quantity. Peeling shrimp and hardboiled eggs, picking fresh thyme and the rest of it are all part of cooking. But peeling 50 pounds of shrimp and peeling two cases of eggs is a boring task. Of all the ones I've done, prepping fresh artichokes seems the most work for the least return. I don't usually even buy them for home use.


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## markherm13 (Jun 11, 2012)

CapeCodChef said:


> Why doesn't everyone use peeled garlic? A gallon of the stuff is under $30 (I just stay away from the imported crap from China) A few seconds in the Robot Coupe and voila!
> 
> Shucking and chopping raw quahogs for chowder is my biggest peeve.


At least in New Orleans, locally sourced garlic comes straight from the farm to the restaurant, so we really don't have that option to get the peeled. Plus peeling fresh garlic is fresher just taste better and isn't processed and sometimes bleached.


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## pete (Oct 7, 2001)

CapeCodChef said:


> Why doesn't everyone use peeled garlic? A gallon of the stuff is under $30 (I just stay away from the imported crap from China) A few seconds in the Robot Coupe and voila!
> 
> Shucking and chopping raw quahogs for chowder is my biggest peeve.


Peeling and chopping garlic is a huge pain, but I much prefer the flavor of the fresh stuff over the peeled stuff. The peeled stuff just seems to lose a lot of nuances of flavor and seems duller in flavor than whole heads.


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## capecodchef (Jan 19, 2014)

Bleached! Blechhhh!!! The garlic we buy comes from California. It's 100% organic, minimally processed (no bleach) and is, in my mind, indistinguishable from fresh.


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## jwalkjr (May 28, 2013)

Peeling shells off eggs the other cook didn't shock


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## cysoon (Jun 3, 2015)

At my workplace we do green bean bundles. Three 2 inch long green bean tied with chive. took me and my trainees 14 hours to tie 1640 bundles for a 800 pax function. Letting my trainee go after their shift ended and then I'm alone . ( I don't want them to stay as they only get paid about 65 usd a month )


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## kaiquekuisine (Apr 11, 2013)

Lately at the place i work at currently we are making potatoe puree everyday. 

Usually i´m the one witht he most free time to jump on making the puree. 

Im usually peeling, cooking and pureeing a box of potatoes a day. 
Been pretty annoying peeling potatoes lately, just because our purveyors are bringing in some really small potatoes....


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## olie murphy (Jul 22, 2016)

i dont know why frenching lamb racks wasnt mentioned....it is literally is annoying


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## meezenplaz (Jan 31, 2012)

olie Murphy said:


> i dont know why frenching lamb racks wasnt mentioned....it is literally is annoying


Yep and can also be dangerous...if done wrong. Once watched my ex
boss do it wrong and slice her finger straight to the bone.
The key is a sharp boning knife and proper positioning and technique.
Still a pain in zee ass though.


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## capecodchef (Jan 19, 2014)

Parsley. Piles of chopped parsley. Pure tedium.


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## cfood047 (Jul 18, 2016)

Peeling the garlic


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## chefaholic (Aug 1, 2016)

Peeling 300 lbs of onions than slicing them paper thin on a slicer for onion straws. I hate it when my lead prep cook Raul is either in jail or on vacation.... he has such a thankless job. I love him


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## youngchefkarl (Dec 12, 2013)

Slicing garlic cloves on the mandoline. 3 quarts? What a nightmare.


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## girlcook (Jul 10, 2015)

Deveining the poop shoots out of shrimp, yuk! I stopped eating shrimp


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## chefbruz (Nov 18, 2016)

Butternut pumpkin. Lost  the top layer of skin on my left hand after skinning a box. I learnt to wear gloves from that.

Birdseye Chilli: Mortar and Pestle-ing 500g of birdseyes, when working cayenne (long red) chillis you CAN get to the sink after getting shot in the eye (even with safety glasses) one drop of birdseye in the eye and you have to be led to the sink to flush your eyes out.


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## laurenlulu (Sep 9, 2012)

I hate slicing brisket! The grain goes in different directions and the OCD in me wants all of the slices uniform which I haven't figured out how to do.


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## camillaprecious (Oct 16, 2016)

I really have chopping onion and mincing garlic. They say that mincing garlic is good to hands.


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## phaedrus (Dec 23, 2004)

laurenlulu said:


> I hate slicing brisket! The grain goes in different directions and the OCD in me wants all of the slices uniform which I haven't figured out how to do.


You have to cut the whole brisket up into smaller chunks. With a little practice you'll know where the grain turns in the meat, making it easier to figure out which way to slice it.


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## girlcook (Jul 10, 2015)

lol


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## laurenlulu (Sep 9, 2012)

Phaedrus said:


> You have to cut the whole brisket up into smaller chunks. With a little practice you'll know where the grain turns in the meat, making it easier to figure out which way to slice it.


I know that silly, it's still a PI my A [emoji]128522[/emoji]


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## girlcook (Jul 10, 2015)

yes minced garlic


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## peachcreek (Sep 21, 2001)

I spent countless hours washing and stemming spinach.


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## capecodchef (Jan 19, 2014)

Peachcreek said:


> I spent countless hours washing and stemming spinach.


I think washing and stripping kale is worse.


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## chad wellington (Dec 8, 2016)

Mashed potatoes through a mill, at a 50lbs batch. Not hard just one of those things i could go the rest of my life without doing. I don't know about stripping kale, i find that methodical


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