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Never been to England--unless you count a 4 hr stopover in aGatwick in '84-- but that doesn't really count, does it? So... a cook is a chef, but a sous is a headchef, and a "general" chef is an Exec. Chef? I should really travel more once this pandemic thingee is over....

Never been to England ( well...I had a 4 hr stopover in Gatwick in '84, but that doesnt really count) So,... a cook is a chef, a sous is a head chef and a "general" chef is an Exec Chef? I should really travel more once this pandemic. thingee is over.....

Sheetpan extenders wont work on countertops ( they have "holes" in the corners), and sheetpans are rarely flat, most have a "belly" which results in a very thick middle and very skinny edges. Besides, with confectionary you want items 6-12 mm (3/8"-5/8") thick, not an inch and a half like...

I’ll clean my or any station that I worked in, thats only fair for the next person who gets the station. If an oven or grill needs heavy cleaning—to the Point where parts/components need to be removed I’ll do it and then get staff to clean specific parts. Same for “deep cleans” in walk ins...

Umm... Napoleon caused the METRIC system to be developed...

Ounces in French restaurants??? You do know that Napoleon caused the system to be developed, right? And after it was developed, anyone who didn’t use it got to “ experience” the guillotine firsthand.... No, recipies are written with weights for ingredients for two reasons, and both of them...

Speaking as someone who has close to 40 years in the commercial kitchen, the concept has merit for home cooks. I have used all sorts of “ systems” and “ programs”, gawd knows how many tablets, monitors, printers, etc. I’ve seen getting destroyed in a commercial kitchen Here’s what I’ve found...

Eh.. no. Fat should be removed frequently during the simmering period. As stated above, fat absorbs flavour and colour, the quicker you remove this the fat doesn’t have time to absorb flavour. cooling down stock with a thick layer of fat is problematic. Stocks should be cooled down in an ice...

what chefwriter says s spot on, but... why IS your stock cloudy? Next time you make it you have to skim off the scum as soon as it forms. Scum is nothing more than dead protein, it has no flavour, no nutritional value, no body, and no gelatine. it is, in other words, scum, and it needs to be...

Marzi, A deck oven has individual controls for top heat and bottom heat, it also has a vent to control the humidity, but the biggest difference is the deck, or hearth. Throughout my 40 year career Ive worked in more kitchens that had convections than decks, and while convections are perfect...

Here's the difference: With convections, you manipulate the product and your workflow to suit the oven. With decks, you manipulate the oven's controls to suit the product.. Big difference? You betcha! If you want a crispy bottom and jiggly custard/filling, you need a deck. A convection is...

You can make puff with double folds, no one said it has to be only single. It’s important to rest in between folds for two reasons: 1) The butter needs to be cold, if it gets too warm I it squishes and smears in between the layers. 2) The dough is just flour and water, it is very elastic. When...

One word? Don’t. With covid still raging on, there are many functioning restaurants or kitchens available, with Landlords begging for a tenant, and you have an opportunity to negotiate a good lease. The exhaust/ hood is probably the most expensive bit of infrastructure ( read: leasehold...

Your landlord is a jerk.... Let me explain. The exhaust hood is just a metal box with filters, it shouldn’t cost much, you can even get them used. Where the money gets spent is on the duct work. You need ducting to go from the hood to outside of the building. This ducting needs to be sized...

No profitable well run kitchen can use that advice. In terms of consistency ( and staff interchangeability) you need to measure put your ingredients- regardless if for a tartar sauce, a leek and potato soup, or a braised pork shoulder. By measuring I mean scaling out--using a scale, since...

Almost every greek restaurant I worked in had cinnamon in their bolognese/ meat sauce.... Its not that far of a jump to put cinnamon in a beef stew.

Spritz type steam is not the same as steam produced by a steam generator. In order for spritzed water to be converted to steam it needs energy. This energy comes from the heat of your oven walls and floor. Basically, when you hit the spritz button, you will lower your oven temp by 10-20%, and...

whoa! What a blast from the past--2010 or thereabouts, eh?

We blanch, starting off with cold water to remove scum—that is, dead protein from the bones. Scum has no nutritional value, no flavour, and is rather gritty. If allowed to remain in the stock while simmering it will break up into minute particles and cloud or “ dirty” the stock. It can be...

What retired baker says, it sounds like you have sharp s/s edges somewhere that are rubbing against your pans. A file or sandpaper will round off these sharp edges. Remember, aluminum is baby-poo soft, you can cut it I dont like aluminum sheet pans resting on aluminum trolleys, when aluminum...