Kitchen tips

[scottintexas]

I would like to start a collection of kitchen tips. Our company is going to do a cookbook and I would like to contribute kitchen tips to it. Things like keeping your knife sharp, how to remove stuck food from pans, how to choose an onion, what to do when you get burned. That sort of thing. I will try to index it and make a nice list. Really, at this point, anything is open. But with all the people on this forum who spend time in kitchens and learning from each other, there must be a lot of useful info out there that just comes from OJT.

Thanks

 

[gunnar]

Have a dry towel hidden somewhere. store tomatoes in a cool, dry place,that's not a refrigerator, they will last longer. Never leave a stranger alone in your kitchen.

 

[(private user)]

Hi I'll start with knife tips:

1. Do not put knifes in a dish washer, edges can get nicked, and handles damaged due to heat.
2. If putting knife in a block, edges up resting on there spine.
3. If using many knives for different tasks, always place knife behind sink taps,so everyone knows dirty knives go there.
4. Store steel knives on a magnetic wall mounted strip. Do not toss knife into drawer with other knives, and if you do put a sheath on it.
5. Do not cut on glass, stone or metal, wood or plastic being the preferable medium.
6. When finished with your business, flip knife and use the spine to transfer food from cutting board.

There is a start on knives, I'm sure you will get many more tips on knives.

As for onions. What kind? Yellow, White, Spanish, Bermuda, Red, Shallot, Cipollini, Pearl, Vidalia, Maui, Walla Walla, Sprouts, chives, green, scallion, leeks or ramps?

A lot of stuff to ponder so close your eyes and bite into a peeled onion. Tell me what you taste.

 

[bughut]

Keep everyone at their station.Wanderers are the most likely damaged.

 

[teamfat]

Are you focusing on home kitchens or commercial?

mjb

 

[tylerm713]

how to remove stuck food from pans

Well, that depends on what's stuck, and what kind of pan it's stuck in. For example, burnt bits on the bottom of a SS pan? I go with high heat, add vodka, that should release whatever is stuck on.

what to do when you get burned

Three simple steps: 1) scream and cuss 2) apply cold water 3) rub some aloe vera on it. Always works for me.

In general, I think this is a great idea, but perhaps a bit too broad. There are tips for everything.

 

[foodpump]

-When boiling milk, add a few drops of cold water to the pot first, then add milk or cream, the milk will never stick or scorch on the pot.

-Keep a stack of carboard box tops and newspapers by the dishpit.  Use these as disposable scrapers and paper towels to clean out pots before washing.

-Cover your deep fryer when cold, light shortens the life of the oil.

-Never hire a waiter who shows up to an interview with a skateboard and a "party till ya puke" t-shirt on.

 

[chefedb]

Stuck food in pot  ....Boil with distilled vinagar

Egg salad why peel eggs?  Poach eggs very hard cool and chop  no peeling no hand touching.

Hireing wait staff  Place a fork or napkin on floor in dining room , walk him into room near it. If he does not pick it up DONT hire, as he wont pick up things when working for you..

On Interview tell waiter to come with you to see dining room , walk briskly down a hall, if he keeps up your pace good ,if not this is the way he will move after hire. Don't hire 

Ask straight out'' Have you ever stolen anything at a job.''? If answer is no  Don't hire. in 90% of studies done by NYRA  this is false therefore besides being thief they lie, thats worse.

If you get burned put cold water and make a baking soda paste this helps stopping blistering and relieves pain.

If hot on line put a napkin that has been frozen around your neck

 

[gobblygook]

I always wanted to know the "why" behind knives in a dishwasher.  I wasn't sure how water could dull a blade (at the velocity a dishwasher uses anyway). 

So, if 90% of people have stolen from work, and you don't hire someone who says they haven't stolen, the 10% of honest people will never work.  I, for one, have never stolen anything from work.  I've borrowed, taken, didn't return, etc, but never stole . 

I'm curious about the fork or napkin trick.  My OCD would probably make me pick it up, but in an interview, aren't you supposed to not do things to distract?  I'm sure you don't want someone coming in and telling you that he's 25 and been trained by people who have been trained by great people in the field, and that you are too stupid to know what mirepoix is

 

[foodpump]

It's not the water that dulls the blade, it's the heat....

Work in a place where no one gives a damn, you can have broken glass on the floor, half a bottle of oil,etc. and everyone pretends not to see it and step right over it.  Not the kind of people you want working for you.  

For "know it alls" I usually wait until the walk-in goes on "defrost" cycle, then run to the dipwad and tell him the walk-in "isn't working", "The temperature keeps going up, what do we do?"  Watch the dip-wad panic and then laugh untill tears come when the defrost cycle is over and the compressor kicks in. 

 

[tylerm713]

I'm sure you don't want someone coming in and telling you that he's 25 and been trained by people who have been trained by great people in the field, and that you are too stupid to know what mirepoix is

And boom goes the dynamite.

 

 

[mikelm]

Last-ditch way to clean stuck-on food... bring a teaspoon of dishwasher detergent to a simmer in a quarter-inch of water WITH YOUR EXHAUST FAN TURNED ON HIGH.

Has always worked for me.

Ummmm... not for nonstick.

Mike

 

[scottintexas]

Wow! I really appreciate the responses! To clarify, I am talking about the home kitchen. But the responses given toward a professional kitchen are also welcome, just so I know better. The tips, so far, are exactly what I am talking about. Everyone has a little something that makes the kitchen work better. To gather all of that in one place is the idea. When I have it compiled I will post an attachment or something so they are all visible to one reader in one place. That will be what I add to the cookbook that our company wants to create.

Thanks again. Keep them coming. Everyone will get proper recognition.

 

[scottintexas]

In general, I think this is a great idea, but perhaps a bit too broad. There are tips for everything.

Good point. But I was thinking by indexing everything will work into it's own category. That's where a lot of the work will be. So a category for knives, choosing, sharpening, keeping (I like the one about putting them on their spines in a block. I never thought of that and it makes too much sense).

When burned I also scream and cuss, run it under cold water and whine later when it blisters. For some reason, while just having a great baking moment, I grabbed the lid of the roasting pan bare handed. It was stupid, I know, but I was distracted. Anyway, nice stream of expletives, cold water and whining helped.

Never leave a stranger alone in your kitchen.

If I find a stranger in my kitchen, I'll shoot him. If it's a her and she's cute, she might last a while. Unless she touches something.

Work in a place where no one gives a damn, you can have broken glass on the floor, half a bottle of oil,etc. and everyone pretends not to see it and step right over it.

It happens everywhere. The last time I worked in a restaurant there were a lot of people like that. One day I watched as three people walked by a dropped sugar bowl. I guess they hadn't asked the doctor if they could bend at the waist.

 

[idolzoom]

Holiday wonderful,Thank You

 

[grumio]

It sounds like you're looking for "hints" (use a wire boiled-egg slicer to slice mushrooms!), and this may come more under the heading of advice, but I wish I'd taken these 3 precepts to heart sooner:

1. Buy the very best equipment you can afford.  Quality is more important than quantitiy.  Good stuff lasts a long time - in some cases, like cast-iron cookware, it'll outlast you.
2. Get a good kitchen scale.  Cooking by weight rather than volume is not only more accurate & consistent, it's easier (you just dump stuff into the bowl till you hit the right number, reset, do the same with the next ingredient).
3. Get a good instant-read digital thermometer.  See how many custards you blow learning what "until it coats the back of a spoon" means, then see how many you blow by cooking until you've reached the right temperature.

 

[indianwells]

Do your prep before starting to cook. Chop and slice all your ingredients and have all pans and implements ready to hand. It's no good being half way through the dish before you remember your whisk is in the dishwasher or you go to the fridge to get that 2 inch piece of ginger that you "knew" was there, now it's not and it's integral to the dish.  

 

[asoefatida]

 

For "know it alls" I usually wait until the walk-in goes on "defrost" cycle, then run to the dipwad and tell him the walk-in "isn't working", "The temperature keeps going up, what do we do?"  Watch the dip-wad panic and then laugh untill tears come when the defrost cycle is over and the compressor kicks in. 

lol, did that to a mgmnt trainee last night

 

[asoefatida]

plan your work

work your plan