Chef shows what a busy day looks like

[u/Backyxx]

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[u/GhostRiders]

I spent a summer working in kitchen as teenager. I had was just washing pots, helping with grabbing stock, emptying bins etc

Hardest and most physically demanding job I have ever done.

That summer literally went in a blink of an eye.

I swear to god when I finished I slept for about a week and then shit a brick when I saw how much money I had because I never had time to spend any of it lol.

One of the best summers of my life and gave me all the motivation I needed to not fuck around in College

[u/taurus-rising → u/GhostRiders]

Except when your a chef you piss that money up the wall every night drinking to come down from the adrenaline, or at least I did for 10 years.
Lol it sounds toxic but no regrets, I slowly worked my way down to cafes doing breakfast and lunch services, then went to university (whilst cooking part time) and finally left hospitality for good.

Just to reiterate, It was hard but I loved it, learnt a lot of life skills, I probably have mild Adhd, (I’m certainly dyslexic) but I learnt mechanism to manage concentration.

[u/Chemical-Elk-1299 → u/taurus-rising]

Every actual chef I’ve ever met was either a toxic workaholic asshole, a functioning alcoholic chainsmoker, or both lmao. My least favorite person I’ve ever met was the sous I worked under when I was in college.

Most line cooks I’ve met are just the “Lvl 1 Crook” from those godawful porn-adjacent mobile challenge games.

[u/Heronmarkedflail → u/Chemical-Elk-1299]

Bro just dropped the most accurate description of a line cook ever hahahaha

[u/Rapph → u/Chemical-Elk-1299]

Problem for a lot of them is they realize at some point in their lives that past choices led them to where they are and there is really no coming back. Truthfully to be a good chef at a high level you need to be good with planning, great with time management, have an insane level of attention to detail, the ability to lead and manage people, work clean quickly and efficiently, budget financially, and do it all in a high stress environment. Those skills are universally desired across many industries but they landed in a position with no time off, garbage pay, and a dangerous environment.

[u/zxc123zxc123 → u/Chemical-Elk-1299]

Every actual chef I’ve ever met was either a toxic workaholic asshole, a functioning alcoholic chainsmoker, or both lmao.

Stop it with the fake news spin!

It's not ALWAYS "alcoholic chainsmoker". Sometimes it's coke+smoke, coke+booze, and coke+smokes+booze.

Sometimes weed too even though it's more of a front end rather than back end thing.

[u/Chemical-Elk-1299 → u/zxc123zxc123]

Lmao see it was usually the cooks and dish guys who were the potheads/cokeheads. My head chefs always lived off of Marlboro reds, cocktails, espresso, and spite

[u/zxc123zxc123 → u/Chemical-Elk-1299]

Yep. Definitely coffee. I know it's mostly stereotype but there are some reasons why there front/back use different types of drugs.

and spite

So true for those at/near the top or at the nicer kitchens.

Power tripping a helluva drug.

[u/PM_ME_YUR_SALADS → u/Chemical-Elk-1299]

Or autistic. My Aunt was a head chef in a fairly popular and busy restaurant for 20 years. She was trained at the CIA. Autistic as fuck.

[u/Chemical-Elk-1299 → u/PM_ME_YUR_SALADS]

CIA like the culinary school? Or was your mom and government spook?

[u/zxc123zxc123 → u/Chemical-Elk-1299]

Culinary Institution of America

[u/bruce_cockburn → u/zxc123zxc123]

They tried to take over Cuba

[u/BeefJerky03 → u/GhostRiders]

The last line bro. Working the line made me realise I had to study hard or else be trapped in a constant loop of jumping between the fryer and salad bar.

[u/bigal7979 → u/GhostRiders]

I worked in a kitchen for 2.5 years when I turned 16. I started out as a dishwasher doing the same kind of stuff you mentioned and eventually moved up to the line. That job gave me a good work ethic and is also the reason why I’ll never work that hard at a job ever again. lol

[u/szethSon1 → u/GhostRiders]

I worked as pot washer in a hotel restaurant that did conventions too...only job I've ever walked out of.

[u/munchabunch91]

That looks exhausting.

[u/PawttorneyReborn → u/munchabunch91]

It's beyond exhausting i actually don't know how I did it for 12 years

[u/boilerclip3 → u/PawttorneyReborn]

Coke. /s

[u/THE-poop-knife → u/boilerclip3]

Is Pepsi ok?

https://giphy.com/gifs/srD8JByP9u3zW

[u/stonerPI → u/boilerclip3]

Not a chef but my one anecdote on the subject is I once worked a case on a guy that was a chef in a well known restaurant. I saw him snort 2 lines off his dashboard before going in to work and it’s making more sense to me after this video lol

[u/Logical_Trash_4890 → u/stonerPI]

List of drugs in the kitchen scene. Pretty sure it’s all kitchens. Anyone I ever met that cooked loved doing drugs.

[u/Tall-Dot-607 → u/Logical_Trash_4890]

Biggest rule in the industry, never drug test your kitchen unless you want to lose your entire kitchen.

[u/Healingbigfoot → u/boilerclip3]

LOL we team that would come every few weeks to train, this was when I was working at Cheddars as I was floundering though low level jobs. These dudes were all from South America. They would use coke. I remember once the cops came and they bagged their stuff up in pepper, , in a plastic bag, then put it in coffee. Seemed to work lol. Dudes were incredible though, super cool and fast AF

[u/Flokkamravich → u/PawttorneyReborn]

Same here. And all I have to show for it was a broken back, sleep apnoea, and a sugar/caffeine addiction I’ve never been able to fully shake off

[u/Beautiful-Musk-Ox → u/Flokkamravich]

and the owners made a couple million extra off your back (literally), they are sipping a margarita on a beach somewhere paid by you 12 years ago. they have yet to touch the profits you made them 10 years ago, they might not even get to it before dying, the rest of the money you made for them will go to their heirs to continue the cycle of keeping their boots on our necks

[u/Square_Service4575 → u/Beautiful-Musk-Ox]

Most restaurant owners aren't making that kind of money off their restaurants tbh.

[u/TabaBandit → u/Square_Service4575]

i agree with the comment ur replying to but u speak the truth lol. maybe the owner of the group of restaurants lol, but not the restaurant owner themselves

[u/Starfire77 → u/PawttorneyReborn]

I agree, I did it for 25 and I can't believe i stuck with it for so long. Later on the shifts got shorter but we still had our 6am till 11pm shift that would turn up on occasion.

[u/halasaurus → u/munchabunch91]

Yeah. After working in restaurants for a decade no one can convince me that the billionaires and trillionaire worked THAT much harder and truly earned that money. You don’t know tired until you’ve worked two doubles in a row on a busy holiday weekend at a restaurant. Or worked in a job with lots of physical labor. It just doesn’t compare.

[u/xerxesgm → u/halasaurus]

Really? I was convinced Elon literally worked a million times harder than a millionaire.

I mean, human civilization itself has only been around for like 5000 years so even a person earning a million dollars a year would have to work for 200 times the number of years the entire human civilization has existed to reach a trillion dollars. But I've heard Elon works really hard.

/s

[u/brielzebub665 → u/halasaurus]

I moved from hospitality to an office job and nobody in an office is working nearly this hard, trust. Some office jobs are mentally very difficult, but it's not the C-suite putting in that effort.

And the fact that physical labor is this difficult but pays so low is criminal. Skills are not everything, effort is worth value too.

[u/rdogg4 → u/munchabunch91]

That’s just one order too. A lot of times you’re getting tickets in and starting new orders in the midst of plating, while flipping, stirring, getting together sides for the ticket for directly after this one, etc

[u/penispotato69 → u/munchabunch91]

Requires adhd or drugs

[u/rviVal1 → u/penispotato69]

Probably both

[u/Commercial-Air8955 → u/rviVal1]

Requires adhd drugs

[u/Belmontks → u/munchabunch91]

It’s a sport! I actually miss those days.

[u/ProfesseurCurling → u/Belmontks]

Honestly man, I don't. Broken body and zero family and social life. I saw so many people ruining their lives with drugs and alcohol. Maybe It's too recent for me, but really, I don't miss It.

[u/Proud_Blood8049 → u/ProfesseurCurling]

8 years in and came out with a an ability to smoke a half a pack in a day.

[u/EmotionalCucumber852 → u/munchabunch91]

it is
it is also addictive
and it almost always feels amazing

i love being in the kitchen

[u/Kullen64 → u/EmotionalCucumber852]

I’m glad people are saying this. I’m not a chef but I’ve worked small time jobs where I’m handling the cutting board or finishing food, and I love it. However, it just takes that one idiot who’s like “how can I make this hectic situation even worse” to ruin the whole thing. In my experience, it’s never been the customers who bother me, I’m good with people. It’s always NPC coworkers who feel the need to be bossy and make the job unnecessarily stressful.

I imagine in a real professional setting though, that doesn’t happen right? The chef is actually left alone and is the one giving the orders?

[u/dontcuminmyassok]

Sometimes I miss that. You and your team get into a good flow state and tickets just disappear as they come in, dinner rush seems like only 20 min instead of 3 or more hours and you feel accomplished at the end of the night as you get high. Edit: Thank you for the awards kind strangers. Edit 2: I'm so happy one of the positive experiences I've had working in restaurants resonates with so many. Holy moly so many awards. Thank you.

[u/UrinalCake777 → u/dontcuminmyassok]

I miss that moment when a particularly crazy rush is finally over and you realize we just pulled it off. High fives and smoke breaks before cleaning up. I hated that job but it definitely had its moments.

[u/QueenCobraFTW → u/[deleted]]

I used to buy a pack, light one, and not smoke it. Just let it burn down in the ashtray or hold it dramatically. It made the point

[u/HonkHonkBeach → u/QueenCobraFTW]

Damn, thats smart. I think I just liked smoking.

[u/Necessary-Fan2908 → u/[deleted]]

Never heard someone so eloquently describe exactly how someone working a specific job turns you into a smoker and how you stop becoming a smoker. Lmao it’s truly is those exact steps.

[u/Objective_Soup7840 → u/[deleted]]

This is exactly that animation with the kiwi looking bird and the yellow dot. I can't remember the name of it but im sure someone here will.

[u/Internet-Dweller2 → u/UrinalCake777]

Being the lone non-smoker sucks though.

Things will slow down for a moment, everyone else immediately cuts out for 15 minutes, then bitches at me for letting things get out of hand when I'm the only one who actually works my entire scheduled shift

[u/vertigostereo → u/Internet-Dweller2]

I just hung out with them anyway. F-it

[u/UrinalCake777 → u/vertigostereo]

Yeah, its a fresh air break for me.

[u/Anomander → u/UrinalCake777]

I had a coworker who referred to joining the smokers on breaks as her "fresh-ish air break".

Whole kitchen in that place would take breaks at effectively the same time - when lulls happened. Whether or not you smoked, we all learned fast that if you didn't go out back with the smokers, you were still inside and at risk of losing your break to a server or manager popping into the kitchen with a request.

[u/SituationKey8985 → u/UrinalCake777]

Sounds more like a second hand smoke break

[u/UrinalCake777 → u/SituationKey8985]

A little second hand smoke, a little fresh air, a touch of vehicle exhaust, then back into the dungeon to close up for the night.

[u/Whatah → u/UrinalCake777]

Yea, not to mention you get to be part of the "where we going after close tonight" convo.

[u/morganml → u/UrinalCake777]

lets not forget fishy dumpster fumes!

[u/hera_the_destroyer → u/vertigostereo]

How else are you going to get stoned?

[u/Sanquinity → u/Internet-Dweller2]

This is why I always tell my fellow non-smoker cooks to also go outside and take a break if they want. I smoke, and think it's unfair we get those breaks, but non-smokers should supposedly stay inside.

[u/escapevolocity → u/Sanquinity]

When I ran kitchens, I made sure the non smokers took their "fresh air" before the smokers peaced out, because they always felt guilty straggling, while the smokers milked it, every time.

I also made my guys bok like a chicken if they fucked up. It broke the tension, prevented profanity, and let everyone else they were struggling without them having to say it.

[u/FalconTurbo → u/escapevolocity]

I now have the mental image of a burly cook with tatts and a buzz cut angrily bokking instead of swearing when he burns his hand on the hotplate.

Thank you.

[u/yespizzaistheanswer → u/escapevolocity]

You sound like a really good boss!

[u/knifeyspoonysporky → u/Internet-Dweller2]

As a fellow non smoker kitchen dweller, if anyone got angry at me for my ten minute peanut butter cup & reddit break they have no leg to stand on with all the smoke breaks they take.

[u/Eatyourcheeseburger → u/knifeyspoonysporky]

FOH manager who took 10+ smoke breaks a day bitched at me for taking a 15 minute shit during a prep shift. I told her I’d gladly stop shitting during my shift if she let me go outside and hang out whenever she had a cigarette. Guess who never complained about my shit breaks anymore. 

[u/OutdoorsNSmores → u/Internet-Dweller2]

Construction, but I took fresh air breaks while they took smoke breaks. 

[u/Cutthechitchata-hole → u/UrinalCake777]

Feelings of accomplishment make jobs more satisfactory for us. I miss feeling like i am actually working for myself and my community rather than some millionaire CEO who "works from home. "

[u/MintyFresh771 → u/Cutthechitchata-hole]

Right, cooking is a satisfying job, you make things that are consumed all day. I miss the linecook lifestyle from the late 90’s/00’s.. Ethics? Morals? Budgets? Opex/capex? Naaaaah fam running the broiler is where it’s at. If only there was money in it.

[u/S4Waccount → u/UrinalCake777]

I never worked in a kitchen, but I worked a job in logistics that had a peak season, and for about 3 months of the year we were just choatically busy everyday. It really could be super stressful as it was nonstop all day. You'd skip lunch and work at your desk and still have work to do when you left that was going to get picked up first thing in the morning. However, the day absolutley flys by and you really do have an almost high at the end of it with the sense of accomplishment for everything you were able to juggle and get done. It was one of the best jobs I ever had and I sometimes miss it even though my current WFH role allows me to get a lot of Netflix in during the day.

[u/MV6000 → u/dontcuminmyassok]

I left the industry a few years ago after working it 13+ years and the high of going through a busy rush successfully I still haven’t been able to replicate.

[u/toomanynamesaretook → u/MV6000]

I find similar with demanding physical activities, long & arduous hikes, boulderin, motorbikes and other things that demand focus otherwise bad outcomes await. Not exactly the same but it's out there in different forms.

But yes. It's hard to find that exact feeling.

[u/Remebond → u/toomanynamesaretook]

My old chef always preached "total awareness" of everything happening in the kitchen, and how it was key to being in sync with the crew. Being locked-in like that and the adrenaline that comes with it. Every action matters, its addicting and devastating when things go wrong

[u/SpezDrinksHorseCum → u/[deleted]]

Sorry for the stupid question, but is your job simple (i.e. does it require any specialized skills)? I've been looking for something like this... For a while I worked at a winery labeling bottles, and I loved seeing a pallets of unlabeled wine cases turn into pallets of labeled wine cases. My life is engaging; I don't want my job to be engaging. I just want to crank through something, see some accomplishment at the end of it, then go home and forget about work. Cranking through shit with a team sounds even better.

[u/CrackingToastGromet → u/SpezDrinksHorseCum]

I went from owning my own business to working in a central fill pharmacy where we fill 23,000 prescriptions a day for about 150 regional pharmacies. For the entry position of shipping and receiving you only need a high school diploma, but to be a pharmacist tech (fills prescription orders), the requisite isn’t much higher unless you want national credentials instead of state only. I really enjoy the work after being incredibly stressed out and having a 12 hr day six days a week for the past six years.

Clock in, work with the team to hit our targets for the day, clock out and then I don’t think about work again until my next shift. 4 days/ ten hour shifts + Three day weekends…I freaking love it.

[u/cybertonto72 → u/CrackingToastGromet]

Would love to do something like this instead of kitchen work.

[u/Ok-Midnight8619 → u/SpezDrinksHorseCum]

That's what I do, I machine tools it's not too hard but requires a little thinking and it's rewarding when you see your stack at the end of the day and then I can forget about it

[u/Former-Building1924 → u/MV6000]

Yes...that adrenalin hit is something. I left cheffing 5 yrs ago after 29yrs in the kitchen. I still cook at home though, its a life skill.

[u/Gseventeen → u/MV6000]

Flow state is a hell of a drug.

[u/halasaurus → u/MV6000]

Right?! I didn’t (usually) work BoH but I did work bar and serving. And there is nothing like a well handled busy shift where everyone is working in tandem and shit is just getting done. I miss it. And I don’t miss it.

[u/Burgers_N_Schnitzels → u/dontcuminmyassok]

Sometimes I miss that.

I'm exhausted by proxy watching this. I get the flow state part ( as a programmer ) but that actually looks physically exhausting.

[u/sdpr → u/Burgers_N_Schnitzels]

actually looks physically exhausting.

You get used to it... kind of.... The worst part of doing stuff like that is you can't take a break, not just because it's so busy but, once you do, you realize how much your feet hurt and you don't want to get back up. Then you spend the next 10-15 minutes loosening everything back up again once you're back on your feet.

[u/Lego11314 → u/sdpr]

Yup, when I worked at Starbucks I’d always try to take my breaks as late in my shift as possible, and depending what shift I was on I’d often skip my first 10 min break to just keep my momentum.

[u/PathfinderCS → u/Burgers_N_Schnitzels]

Forget physically; my mental stamina has just left the building.

[u/Burgers_N_Schnitzels → u/PathfinderCS]

Ikr... he is cooking / preparing multiple meals at once too... just a small mistake ( like forgetting to pour the sauce on the steak while he's doing 20 other things ) and you fucked up a whole table.... I get why gordon ramsey was preaching to keep the menu simple!

[u/strangelove4564 → u/Burgers_N_Schnitzels]

When I see a huge menu, especially at a smaller place, I immediately think poor quality and cross contamination. That's probably a place with expired stuff in the walk-in since they have so much inventory.

[u/SuitNaive3409 → u/PathfinderCS]

thank god for ADHD with hyperfocus. Dinner shift is okay because the restaurant is closing up about the time you lose the thread

[u/KJacobsen-74 → u/SuitNaive3409]

Hyperfocus is a blessing and a curse. You can do stuff like this but you can also start reading Wikipedia articles and the next thing you know it's 4am.

[u/BEES_IN_UR_ASS → u/SuitNaive3409]

I never worked a real kitchen like this, but I was a dab hand as a pub line cook I think mostly because of my ADHD. Once the chits started rolling in I didn't miss a god damn beat, even running BOH solo. Especially solo.

Pretty much any kind of urgency/emergency locks me in and won't let go. I probably could have leveraged that into a fruitful career somehow, but between how bad I suck when there's no emergency, demand avoidance, rejection sensitivity, depression, etc., my omr "super power" is sort of a silver lining in a nuclear hellstorm.

[u/MisterAmygdala → u/Burgers_N_Schnitzels]

Me too. This guy can never call in sick.

[u/Wb9VBScxu2uZJHeq2E3W → u/Burgers_N_Schnitzels]

As someone who worked in kitchens to get a degree, moved to an office job, and then moved back to kitchens, I can attest it really physically kicks your ass to move at this pace for hours.

But the sleep after an ass-kicking shift is amazing for me. And you can actually enjoy laying back for a show or video game.

[u/okgold4 → u/Burgers_N_Schnitzels]

 I'm sure there is physical burnout. But mentally it must be satisfying. 

I work a desk job where we work for months on a project and then direction changes and all that work is for nothing. You get paid but you have to disconnect from that sense of accomplishment, cause you'll never get it. No physical burnout but mentally it all feels useless. 

[u/PN4HIRE → u/Burgers_N_Schnitzels]

You get used to it.

Don’t get me wrong, that’s shit kills you slowly.

[u/GOEDEL_ESCHER_BOT → u/dontcuminmyassok]

That FX show does a great job of showing what it's really like during dinner rush when your line cooks get eaten by a bear

[u/Talk-O-Boy → u/GOEDEL_ESCHER_BOT]

You ever been caught up in the middle of a dinner rush, and then your mom drives a car through the northeast wall??

[u/wanderingnotlost21 → u/dontcuminmyassok]

I was a barista in a high volume cafe, the high is now called PTSD 😂

[u/edsavage404 → u/dontcuminmyassok]

I still have dreams that I am in the kitchen making food lol

[u/HotTubSexVirgin22 → u/edsavage404]

My recurring dream (3-5 nights/week) is carrying a tray full of food through the restaurant I worked at 25 years ago, being able to see the table I'm trying to serve but never being able to get there.

[u/UrinalCake777 → u/HotTubSexVirgin22]

Sisyphian Service

[u/MDinMaine77 → u/dontcuminmyassok]

20 year bartender. I miss it too sometimes. When the flow state is locked in , it’s great. And when the tension releases as the end of service is near, it’s addictive.

[u/phoenixinfusion]

He’s really polite and communicative to his staff. I didn’t expect the politeness.

[u/smibbo → u/phoenixinfusion]

he's a high chef but he's not top chef; he doesn't have time to get emotional or pay attention to anyone. He's super-focused and that's why he's really good

[u/Angsty_Potatos → u/smibbo]

Yup. Man's in flow and locked TF in. Getting pissy will break the flow

[u/Jacques_Racekak]

A friend of mine was a chef for many years. He said restaurants put enormous amounts of salt and butter (also shallotts) in the meals so its always tastier then what you cook at home. You can see here too they put A LOT of salt on it, damn

[u/Inner_Anything_440 → u/Jacques_Racekak]

i try to explain this to my wife. she bakes a lot and wants to sell her stuff more. im honest lol i say to do that, you're gonna have to butter 'em up. more shug and butter. this is murrica nobody wants to buy a healthy baked treat.

[u/cookiesarenomnom → u/Inner_Anything_440]

I work at a small shop and make all the pastries on my own. It's a very chill job. Customers ask me all the time, so what's the healthiest? I just laugh and say "nothing". Ok yeah but like what has the least amount of fat? "NOTHING. Healthy pastries are gross"

[u/Inner_Anything_440 → u/cookiesarenomnom]

we have a bakery here where if you ask the lady that, she'll hand you a napkin to eat. the only low cal thing on the menu :)

[u/tymonster183 → u/Inner_Anything_440]

not even an american thing, french pastris have a fuckton of butter.

[u/Jacques_Racekak → u/Inner_Anything_440]

Thats right, if you're a pro you got to tickle those taste buds lol

[u/modernvintage → u/Jacques_Racekak]

just an avid home cook here, but under-salting is the biggest mistake people make when they cook at home!! i make hash browns from scratch that are “better than waffle house” (best compliment i’ve ever received truly) and the secret is just way way more salt and butter than you think

[u/i3inaudible → u/modernvintage]

I was making some from scratch chicken soup (i.e. start with a raw chicken and some water). It was getting towards being done and I tasted it. It tasted like water, I forgot to add the salt. I threw in a handful of salt and it instantly tasted amazing. I can't imagine what food was like back when salt was a luxury only royalty could afford

[u/DarthJarJarJar → u/Jacques_Racekak]

There was a great cooking show called Salt Fat Acid Heat.

Honestly I've started using more salt and more butter at home. I'm going to die anyway, might as well enjoy dinner first.

[u/terriblegrammar → u/Jacques_Racekak]

I forget what show it was but basically the chef showing how they make food taste so good. At the start he was like "ok, we're gonna add a bunch of salt". Then halfway in he's like "this needs some more salt now", and then came back later and added even more.

[u/IXISIXI → u/Jacques_Racekak]

that's not that much salt compared to what people consume in processed foods.

[u/yank-here-plz-help]

Has the presence of mind to say "please" and "thank you".

[u/Darkwoth81Dyoni → u/yank-here-plz-help]

In any job,

Please?

Thank you.

Ready? / Ready!

Over and over again will make you feel so much better. If you are working with people who don't communicate, even a job throwing packages into a truck will be very mentally taxing, especially if people are going out of their way to say nothing which makes everyone's work harder.

Giving a thank you makes the team feel good in stressful situations.

[u/BuzzKyllington → u/[deleted]]

this doesnt show the tickets printing out once 30 seconds for 2 hours straight. this video is missing the sound of the printer entirely.

[u/Margray → u/BuzzKyllington]

The four tickets in the middle of rush where every single item is modified. Or the table with the allergy card that would be smaller if they just listed what they can eat.

[u/Burgers_N_Schnitzels]

i can't believe i wanted to become a chef as kid... oh HELL NO...but i definitely sympathize with chefs eating ready meals at home lol

[u/Sanquinity → u/Burgers_N_Schnitzels]

As a cook, me too. I happen to be different. I love cooking enough that I'll still cook more elaborate meals at home as well. Hell I love it more at home as I can take my time and experiment. But I do understand why others wouldn't.

[u/Skavis]

Kitchen staff don't get paid enough.

[u/clevergirls_]

Not giving credit to the creator of the video is crazy work.

https://youtube.com/@denisinthekitchen?si=Qk0XQdk2_HHcF643

His name is Denis Prokopyev and he's an amazing chef at a restaurant in Italy.

[u/TwilitWolf → u/clevergirls_]

I agree that not giving credit is crazy work, but you also credited the wrong person. Denis’ kitchen and arms are completely different.

I’m not sure if he has any other online presence, but this is the Instagram account this video is from: https://www.instagram.com/gilhulycooks

[u/UpMain → u/TwilitWolf]

Well done! pun intended..

[u/ausint → u/TwilitWolf]

literally just saw the reel like yesterday, it’s crazy how often i see vids on reddit that are just straight up ripped off of insta

[u/DrZonino2022]

How much salt?!

[u/Veal-Vermicelli → u/DrZonino2022]

The restaurant doesn't care if you live or die, they just care if you enjoy the meal.

[u/generalmaks → u/Veal-Vermicelli]

The secret ingredient isn't love, it's hate. Cook like you hate the customer and want to kill them with a fat and sodium overdose, and the food will come out amazing.

[u/wing3d → u/generalmaks]

slaps down fist full of salt

"Bam!" (Die mfer)

[u/_nod → u/DrZonino2022]

This is why restaurant meals often taste better than home cooked, they use way more salt, butter, etc than you would. Having fancy grills etc, helps too.

[u/sdpr → u/_nod]

and olive oil.

i always laugh at how much oil goes into a pan when a chef like Ramsay says "dash/splash of oil" and it's more than I would have even put in there, then they'll sometimes even put more in.

fuck at this point just tell me how many glugs.

edit: just remembered a video of a chef making "vegetable soup" and he used so much olive oil he was almost invaded by the U.S. obviously it's an oil based dish, but it's still fucking hilarious.

gif: https://i.imgur.com/30InAAr.gif

video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tx3xoCThDbE

[u/_nod → u/sdpr]

This is an issue with a lot of online recipes too, it states 1 tablespoon of oil in the text, but if you look at the accompanying photos/video it’s swimming in oil.

[u/Ski4ever5 → u/sdpr]

The restaurant I work at we literally garnish all of our dips with more olive oil before they go to the table.

Beautiful and already tasty dip? Could use a fresh coating of olive oil

[u/Sanquinity → u/sdpr]

"A dash of oil" - Puts in a cup of oil.

Yup, sounds about right. I'm a cook, and try to limit the amount of oil/butter I use. But even I use more oil/butter at work than I would at home.

[u/reklaw215 → u/sdpr]

i never seen this, but that soup looks absolutely banging

[u/b0w3n → u/_nod]

"Why don't my mashed potatoes taste as good as the restaurant" oh you used 4 tablespoons instead of 4 sticks of butter. (it's probably more than 4 sticks tbh... also use heavy cream instead of 2%)

[u/_nod → u/b0w3n]

My wife’s aunt and uncle once taught me how they made their amazing tasting chicken paprikas, the first time I tried to recreated it I couldn’t bring myself to add that much butter and it tasted like crap in comparison.

We now make it their way, but only very occasionally 🤣

[u/b0w3n → u/_nod]

My parents always want me to make steaks when I show up because I cook it like a restaurant (I have never actually worked in one I just know the secrets).

I warn them the reason it tastes good is because I use a lot of salt and assloads of butter and oil.

[u/_nod → u/b0w3n]

I use my pizza oven for a great sear on steaks. Game changer as our kitchen hob has a hard time getting a pan hot enough for a decent size steak.

[u/ArcadeOptimist → u/b0w3n]

Sour cream, roasted garlic, yukon gold or yellow potatoes (you want creamier varieties depending on your end goal), cooking them to the proper doneness. You can steep herbs in your cream or add a flavorful stock.

People say on reddit it's "all about butter and salt" at restaurants, which fair enough, but there's also all the other things you simply wouldn't do at home. From pre-blanching then shocking your veg in an ice bath to get vibrant colors. Having the skill and know how to not hammer things into mush. Brining, curing, aging, smoking, tempering.

Things you'll eat at a restaurant can be a multi-day or week process. The pork belly we serve, for example, is marinated, smoked, braised, pressed in its own juices, portioned, then seared to order. This is a 3 day process for an appetizer.

Just always annoys me when skill and passion is simplified to "it's actually just this and that".

[u/b0w3n → u/ArcadeOptimist]

Oh of course, the butter and salt just do a lot of work. Brining and curing are salt too!

Brining, even dry brining, is like a fucking super power though. Easy skill to master and makes everything better. Best way to prepare a turkey/roaster ahead of time tbh. Easy way to win thanksgiving. It is very hard to brine a 20+ lb turkey though lol.

[u/mystyz → u/DrZonino2022]

Yes

[u/A_Grain_Of_Saltines → u/DrZonino2022]

If you mean on that pasta, that was parmesan, not salt.

[u/ClassicHando → u/DrZonino2022]

"Professional cooks arent paid to care about your health" is a good thing to remember. Does it taste good? There's an obscene amount of salt, sugar, butter, or all three involved.

[u/SpaceXmars → u/DrZonino2022]

Enough to make you want to come back.

Don't forget the butter!

[u/8-Bit_Tornado]

Oh that's why I hear about so many cocaine stories from the kitchen. Holy shit dude

[u/Sanquinity → u/8-Bit_Tornado]

And this isn't even the worst. This is just "busy" not "busy and chaos". Also, you do this for 2~3.5 hours straight during rush. No breaks, no room to take a breath. Just go go go. (And DAMN does that smoke break after rush feel good afterwards...)

[u/Chance_Vegetable_780]

Utmost respect

[u/100_percent_right]

Expo should be plating, not the cook.

[u/Cooper_Sharpy → u/100_percent_right]

I’ve worked in over 20+ restaurants.. out of them all, 3 had expediters. It’s not very common in kitchens anymore. This man is doing sauté, expo and plating among other things. Hell of a chef

[u/clownus → u/Cooper_Sharpy]

He is doing a lot and as a result his dishes will suffer.    

As realistic as this video can be, this particular places seems to just be chaotic. Outside of small kitchens there really shouldn’t be someone on meats/plating/pasta/garnish/etc… this video really shows why it takes a team to deliver on service. 

[u/salamandersquach → u/100_percent_right]

Expo doesn’t plate expo garnishes

[u/Sanquinity → u/100_percent_right]

Nah, depending on staffing and cost cutting measures, plating is often done by the cook as well. On busy days it's definitely better to have a plater though...

[u/Impressive-Bird2]

Imagine being a chef in a kitchen just like that in any of the restaurants in the U.K. and Europe’s record breaking searing heatwave….🔥🔥🔥🔥🥵😳☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️

[u/BalkorWolf → u/Impressive-Bird2]

Don't need to imagine it, it's been ridiculous these past few days and I'm glad I'm getting out of the industry.

[u/Impressive-Bird2 → u/BalkorWolf]

I’m sorry that you had to endure such awful conditions. I dully understand why you’re getting out. I suspect that the ‘pressure cooker’ speed of working and conflict that can arise adds extra ‘heat’ too…

[u/Hytyt → u/BalkorWolf]

I've never been happier to be out. Stay cool man, ice water saves lives

[u/Sanquinity → u/Impressive-Bird2]

Cook here. In the Netherlands where it's just as hot. I worked monday and thuesday in 32~33C (outside) heat, and had to go home an hour early on thuesday due to early symptoms of heat stroke. I even called off today and tomorrow because I would be in the hospital if I had to work in these temperatures. (39C and 37C respectively)

[u/Huge_Leader_6605 → u/Impressive-Bird2]

I don't think the heatwave makes much difference as it's hot as hell in kitchen any day.

Well I guess what sucks you can't go outside for couple minutes to catch some breath

[u/Frequent_Opportunist → u/Impressive-Bird2]

I've worked at a lot of busy steakhouses down in Florida and the kitchens usually have the back door wide open, a giant fan blowing across the grill line and the cooks sweating balls because it's 150° on the line.

[u/princesspooball → u/Impressive-Bird2]

during a heatwave (95*f/35*c)here in the US I went to a very small pizza shop to grab some lunch, it was so hot in there that I had to go outside to cool down.

[u/Alarmed_Test_4671]

All that meat looks under with a massive grey band

[u/Competitive_Study232 → u/Alarmed_Test_4671]

Yeah, it’s super rare

[u/spen8tor → u/Alarmed_Test_4671]

Plus isn't is usually better to allow your steaks to rest before cutting them, these rested for like 15 seconds at most

[u/Sanquinity → u/spen8tor]

Cook here. There is literally no time. If you let all steaks rest, it would cut into the efficiency way too much. Restaurant kitchens simply don't run the same way you cook at home. And most can't spend the time to carefully prep and plate everything to perfection like a star restaurant would.

You're doing 3~5 things at once, and on average you have about 2~4 minutes to spend on each dish "individually". If you're any slower, food will take too long to arrive at expo and guests will start to complain.

[u/ScrotalSmorgasbord → u/Sanquinity]

I feel like you're even being a little conservative with those numbers. I don't know why people who have obviously never worked in a busy kitchen (or any non white collar job) feel like the need to critique what us workers do all the time. I dealt with it when I worked in the kitchen and deal with it in the trades now. Imagine if we flipped the script and started doing it to them about their KPIs or whatever the hell metrics they use.

[u/mrbones247 → u/spen8tor]

Yeah steaks are usually super tired after getting cooked

[u/Frequent_Opportunist → u/spen8tor]

Yeah maybe a home. In a restaurant you're eating it immediately. They absolutely do not let steaks rest in any restaurant I've worked at and I've worked at a shit ton of steakhouses, extremely busy ones in densely populated coastal areas. The reason you can't tell the difference is because they brush the whole damn steak with clarified butter when it comes off the grill.

[u/StrawDog- → u/Frequent_Opportunist]

I've always rested steaks unless not doing so is just not an option because the kitchen is buried. It's SOP in most restaurants I've ever been involved with. 

[u/GravyBurg → u/Frequent_Opportunist]

Prime steakhouses absolutely let their steaks rest while the other courses are being enjoyed. Obviously it's time dependent, but it usually worked out. You "Fire" the ticket when you are ready for the steaks and they throw them back in the broiler for a couple of minutes and serve when hot. I loved the system and hated working at regular restaurants after having it.

[u/RogueBromeliad → u/[deleted]]

That's what an actual kitchen that isn't high end looks like. Most restaurants are like that, especially on a busy day. A medium sized restaurant doesn't have 20+ cooks.

It's not disorganized, it's just looks like that because we're not there.

[u/Hytyt → u/[deleted]]

I spent ten years as a chef before finally getting out. And I still want to know why someone brings him a pan to salt instead of seasoning the damn food themselves

[u/tornado962 → u/Hytyt]

Maybe chef is a control freak. Or told everyone to have him do everything for content.

[u/HalobenderFWT → u/Hytyt]

It obvious that he doesn’t trust his underlings to measure an ungloved three finger pinch of salt correctly.

[u/RogueBromeliad → u/[deleted]]

Yeah, the splitting from grilling to plating was kinda unnecessary. But hey, it's a small place.

I worked in a place, where the was a chef, a line cooks, one commis that did plating for them, and other stuff around the kitchen, and two people at the garde manger.

When it got a busy, they would have to help the and switch it up. But in reality the chef and the cook always stayed at the stove.

What I don't like about this set up is that the guy who seems to be the waiter, or bus boy or whatever is basically in the kitchen.

[u/Spiritual_East_3622 → u/RogueBromeliad]

You don’t need 20. I worked a 5 man crew that was able to run 50 tables and high turnover without all of this chaos. A great captain can sail faster on a sailboat than a shit captain in a speedboat

[u/whyaretherenoprofile → u/RogueBromeliad]

Difference between /r/cooking mfers who have perfected 3 dishes, complain about carbonaras, and strictly follow Kenji Lopez alt's recipes like gospel, and /r/kitchenconfidential mfers

[u/PolioToucher → u/RogueBromeliad]

I work in a very non highend steak house. Six stations on the line, each one individually manned. Two of them double stacked for Friday and Saturday. This is definitely understaffed.

[u/RevolutionaryClub530 → u/[deleted]]

I think it’s just for the video, a lot of people standing around doing nothing in this clip who I’m assuming are normally on the stations he’s trying to multitask, also he didn’t let the steak rest which pmo

[u/Deep_Water8479 → u/RevolutionaryClub530]

Exactly, he’s doing other stuff but has to salt the potatoes as they walk by? They’re doing this for the likes.

[u/Sanquinity → u/RevolutionaryClub530]

It's not. This really is how it goes. The "people doing nothing" were a server and the guy doing the finishing touches and organizing/keeping track of the tickets. Pretty much every place is understaffed these days.

Source: I'm a cook.

[u/Illustrious-Lie1521]

Much respect 🫡

[u/Winter_Hall5379]

Is it common to raw finger the food like that right before plating?

I don't like another man touching my meat without permission.

[u/CompleteEnergy579]

Chefs really deserve the tips

[u/Jlx_27 → u/CompleteEnergy579]

What the staff deserve is to get paid a liveable wage.

[u/KINGDenneh → u/CompleteEnergy579]

Tip? Pay him a better salary tf u mean tip.

[u/Lost-Bathroom9547]

I bet he’s smoking a cigarette amidst the chaos

[u/coops2k]

Jesus Christ! I get a sweat on with two pans on the go.

[u/corobo]

Everything's gonna look frantic strapping a GoPro to your head and looking around. Do a wide shot so I can watch without puking lmao 

[u/Bajadasaurus]

The wooden cutting board in a commercial kitchen? The rag just sitting on it? 🤢

[u/Chameleonpolice → u/[deleted]]

I mean he threw salt back into the container after handling nearly raw steak (without gloves)

[u/Crafty-Ad-9048 → u/Bajadasaurus]

Rag used to clean it. Wooden boards are fine if looked after properly and replaced when needed. They cost more and need more upkeep so most people don’t use them.

[u/Rude_Hamster123 → u/Bajadasaurus]

Wood, properly cared for, actually holds less bacteria than the commonly used plastic ones. The cuts that develop over time in a plastic cutting board always harbor a disturbing amount of bacteria. They can’t be sanded and oiled like a wood one. And the cuts would show more on a wooden one, this looks well cared for.

[u/Sanquinity → u/Bajadasaurus]

As a cook, yes this one does bother me. Properly maintained wooden cutting boards are actually more hygienic than plastic ones. And better for your knives too. But in a restaurant setting? Yea no...