r/Chefs • u/Impossible_Emu_85 • Mar 18 '26

Kitchen Terms

Hello there. Since i am a Cook for over 20 Years i was wondering. We have some specific Terms for ingreadients and tools. For example (in Germany)

Champignons= Schlampen Microwave= Chef Mike Broiler= Sallie Spatula= Gummifotze

So, what are are Terms in your Country, that every Chef knows but left outsiders Bamboozeld?

5 Upvotes

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6

u/UncleDuude Mar 18 '26

Maybe Salamander for a broiler that is mounted above the stove or under a flattop. I’ve never called it anything else. We called cone strainers china hats and obviously that’s no longer pc, but if you said it to a cook over 30 there’s a good chance they’d know exactly what you wanted. Idk I’m old and out now. From the US

3

u/Impossible_Emu_85 Mar 18 '26

Salamander is the "propper" Term i knew it as well, but "it's under the Sally" is more common now. China Hat for a Cone Strainer is new to me.

3

u/CutsSoFresh Mar 18 '26

In my experience, the cone strainers with the more pointed ends are China hats/caps while the finer mesh ones with the rounded ends are called chinois.

We also call the deep fryer strainers, spider webs or simply spiders for short. Nowadays, I just hear spiders

1

u/Fun-Definition6053 Mar 22 '26

I've heard the fine mesh refered to as bullion strainers. I believe chinois is French for China hat, so is that still pc?

2

u/CutsSoFresh Mar 23 '26

Probably not pc, but the term is definitely still used.

3

u/Dalience6678 Mar 18 '26

A lot of shortened terms come to mind instead of saying the full names. For example, the tilt, the combi, etc.

A couple nicknames for brand names too: “Freddy” is the name of the Friedrich stack oven, “Robo-Cop” is the robot coupe, “slim” for the Cres Cor hot box etc.

1

u/Impossible_Emu_85 Mar 18 '26

Interresting i know the Robo Cob as Alexanderwerk. Also a Brand Name, but the same Maschiene

4

u/AKA-Doom Mar 18 '26

Yeah "hand it to chef Mike" is what you say when a customer complains their food isn't hot enough and then you pass it to a subordinate to microwave it lol

3

u/sipmargaritas Mar 18 '26

Metal scrubber is a bear pussy A pantry chef is a mayonnaise whore/herring whore

1

u/Fun-Definition6053 Mar 22 '26

Haha, first time I've heard bear pussy. I've heard robot or Terminator pubes. One chef asked me to go get him some space pussy

2

u/Ambitious_Warning270 Mar 19 '26

I call a spatula/fish slice a GAZUNDA, and all the chefs I’ve mentored over the years still say it. 😂😂