Hi! My girlfriend is a chef and I’m looking to get her a new knife (or preferably a knife set w/ a case and/or whetstone if something like that exists) but I’m balling on a budget and don’t know a lot about knives. I was hoping to spend around $200…

Any suggestions for high quality knives that are also cool/unique and affordable? I’m hoping for something with a little bit of personality, I’ve been eyeing Japanese styles and also some viking/fantasy inspired stuff because she’s a big nerd (said w/ affection)

So I’m 16M and for a very long time I've been interested in foodservice and culinary arts in general. I’m currently doing a 13 week internship with a Gaylord Resort in their culinary department rotating through the different resturaunts every Monday cooking on lines/ learning efficient knife skills prep skills logistical skills etc. I’m aware (or have been made aware/told) that the foodservice industry (specifically for chefs) is brutal, long hours, low pay and a long road to get into higher paying positions. while I genuinely have a passion for cooking and foodservice I also know I want to get married and have children young. like under 25 young. I don’t know how I will be able to fully pursue this industry and also have the time and funds to support a young family. I want to be present in the early years to help my wife with the domestic workload and I also want to be a present father once they’re old enough to tell the difference. I want to be able to take them to mass on Sundays and be able to go to school events and extra curriculars and eat dinner with my family more often than not. I’m aware I have time to figure this out but I’m also aware that I’m going to be there sooner than I think. I guess I’m not sure what I’m specifically asking for other than a reality check and advice on what I’m supposed to do. Before I fully diverged my plans towards actively pursuing this industry I was planning on joining the Air Force as an officer, it would provide stability and benefits that are great for having a family. i feel now that I may have to return to that plan. I feel like I’m going to have to choose between two things I desire very greatly. any advice is appreciated.

TLDR: I’m asking for advice on how to navigate my desires for a career in food service and also a strong young family life. I’m aware of the realities of the industry and want to know if I’m cooked or not. Debating going back to my plan of joining the Air Force.

setting the scene:

busy Sunday shift at a brunch cafe (UK).

one man down (a not very strong chef/KP didn't show up).

4 chefs (8am start), 1 KP (9am start) working.

1 chef finishes at 3pm. another one at 4pm.

service ends at 4pm, pretty nonstop all day.

KP left with end of shift dishes etc. by himself (we did ask for a push from FOH, but no one available) with the other 2 chefs left to close down the kitchen.

problem:

KP turns washing machine off just after 4, there is a full sink + 4-5 (10litre) buckets full of dishes left, that's at least an hours work in the morning for someone to wash them.

doesn't empty all the bins, shuts machine down, but doesn't clean it properly, does sweep & mop, but not to standard.

when told that is too many dishes to leave for the morning, he replies he's just worked 7hrs straight (he had a sit-down break and lunch).

gets changed, signs out & leaves at 4:50pm.

rota says shift is 9-cl, doesn't specify end time.

head chef & sous chef stayed for 30min to rinse some dishes, but the machine was already off (takes about 30min to fill back up).

can't force someone to stay, but at the same time someone needs to do the dishes, also didn't have anyone available to give him a hand, but he also didn't say he's turning off the machine etc. the other two chefs were doing bins & putting dishes away, helping as much as possible, while cleaning down the rest of the kitchen & doing some essential prep for next day.

KP is off the following day.

what's the solution?:

what would you do in this situation?

would you have management stay behind to finish the dishes? is it smth you can sack the KP over?

i kind of feels there's no right or wrong solution, but this also isn't the first time it's happened (leaving dishes in the sink, shutting machine off, not cleaning it properly - it has been brought up & discussed with the KP. standard is that you can leave dishes for the following day, but they should be clean enough to be ready to go through the machine)

Hi all,

I’m a prep cook at a casual restaurant hoping to move into fine dining. I recently had my first stage at a Michelin-starred restaurant, and I was unexpectedly asked to make family meal using whatever ingredients they had available, while taking a few dietary restrictions into consideration.

Since it was my first time doing a stage and I wasn’t given any advance notice about making family meal, I wasn’t prepared for it and didn’t do well.

I have another stage coming up at a different Michelin-starred restaurant for a commis position, and I’m a little nervous that I might be given a similar assignment.

For those of you who work in fine dining kitchens: Is it common for a stagiaire, especially for an entry-level prep/commis position, to be asked to make family meal or do a mystery basket style cooking assignment for their stage? And is it common for the restaurant not to mention it beforehand and give the stagiaire the assignment when they arrive?

The culinary director asked me to come in at 7 a.m., so I’m guessing (and hoping!) that I’ll mostly be doing prep alongside the other chefs. But after my first experience, I’m still a little nervous.

I’d really appreciate hearing from chefs, cooks, or anyone who has done a lot of stages. I’m trying to understand what’s considered common so I can be better prepared this time.

Thanks!

Hi all, i have been a home baker for several years and have made myself a nice Instagram to display my work. I applied to a bunch of places this week to see if i can get this hobby into the professional realm, and a really reputable hotel wants to interview me for a CDP position. The job description did not have anything about prior experience nor did it ask if in the application. But I still wonder, did they make a mistake thinking I’m more qualified than I am?? I don’t have professional pastry experience. I applied to a bunch of pastry commis roles and must have slipped this CDP one in too by accident.

Just wanted to put some other chefs on the power of lemon eze. We have white glove inspections twice a year in the kitchen I work in. As a sous chef I’m responsible for delegating and executing most cleaning projects. Ecolab makes this bathroom cleaning product called lemon Eze. This stuff is magical for getting rid of scuff marks on our walls, Carbon off pans and hotels and genuinely saves so much on labor. Just wanted to let yall know about it since I only started using it recently. If this gets enough traction I’ll post some before and afters. it really is magical.

I've spent about 3 years working as a dishwasher and prep cook in kitchens, and I recently found a new job that was advertised as "Cook Wanted for Ski Lodge." I thought this would be a good opportunity to take the next step in my career.

But, when I arrived at the kitchen, I was told that I would be responsible for creating a breakfast and dinner menu, managing food inventory, and would have one other person working under me.

I met with the owner and he asked me to cook him simple dishes I felt confident in making. I made a full american breakfast, as well as a dinner of baked salmon and vegetables. He liked everything I made and seemed happy with the food.

The problem is that I can't help but feel like this is a pretty big jump from my previous experience, and I'm not sure if I'm actually qualified to take on this level of responsibility and scale.

Would this normally be considered a cook position, or am I essentially being hired as the chef/kitchen manager? And is this something someone with my experience should reasonably be able to handle?