Latest / Chef's PSA Podcast / The Most Important Chef's PSAs Ep. 37

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The Most Important Chef's PSAs Ep. 37 · Chef's PSA Podcast

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Hello chefs. You're listening to chefs, PSA
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podcast. I'm your host Andhra natera.
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On today's episode, we're going to talk about the 50 most
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important chefs PSAs. Stay tuned.
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So let me start you all off with an update.
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Things that I'm working on right now.
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I think I said this last week, I can't tell you about them, but I
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could tell you what I have coming up this week.
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We have South by Southwest in Austin, Texas.
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And I will be speaking on a panel talking about food Trends.
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So if you're at South by Southwest, you have to be in
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Austin. Look for me, I'll be with San
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Pellegrino on a panel on stage doing what I do best which is
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talked a lot of shit. Anyway.
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Also, April 6th. I will be at live fire in
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Austin, Texas. So for those of you that like to
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attend the circuit of food festivals, I will be at that
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one. I might be doing a podcast
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there. I'm not sure if I am doing a
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podcast, come by and say hi. Maybe you could sit down with
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me. Maybe we can talk some shit.
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But anyway, I'll be doing that. April 6th live-fire, Austin,
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Texas. Kate Mabry put on by Texas Food
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& Wine Alliance. So if you're in the area you
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should be at that event because all the cool kids are going to
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be there. And if you're cool ideally
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that's where you would be on today's episode though I wanted
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to talk about the 50 most important chefs PSA is now I get
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a lot of questions like what is the most important PSA?
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What do I think about this? What I think about that and you
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know, I post a PSA daily And they're all important.
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But like if I had to, if I had to say, what are the 50 most
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important chefs PSAs? I thought about it for a moment
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and I put them in a Twitter thread.
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So if you want to read this, go to Twitter, find the thread, the
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50 most important chefs PSAs and you can see them.
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Now, there's a lot of chefs pieces that I put up, but I was
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like, what is the essence of chefs PSA and I wanted to write
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them in somewhat of an order that kind of takes you from new
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into the kitchen to kind of, you know, when you become the head,
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chef for You know, the latter part of your career and talk
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through those PSAs. So I'm going to go through them.
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This is an important episode. This is, this is the most
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important episode maybe so far. If you're a new cook because
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let's assume you know, how to use a knife and this that and
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the other, if you go and you do these 50 things that I'm telling
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you about, you will probably be more efficient than like 80% of
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the cooks out there. And the reason I say this is
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because these are probably in my career as a chef, these are
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probably the most important things that I would correct.
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On or have to coach them out of. So you will be light years ahead
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of everyone if you just follow these PSA.
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So anyway let's start chefs. PSA number one no matter how
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well you do something another Chef thinks you're wrong.
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And I'm not going to expand on all of the PSAs because some of
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them are self explanatory but this one I think does need
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explanation. If you do something, let's say
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you're making stock and you use mirepoix and let's say you don't
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put celery and your stock and you say and someone's going to
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come up to you and say that's wrong because marijuana is
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carrot, celery and onion. And you say I don't like celery
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in there. Can say, well, you're wrong or
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let's say you make bull and yez with beef.
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They're going to say, no, it's supposed to be pork or let's say
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you make it with pork, and then you say, no, it's supposed to be
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with beef where you're supposed to put.
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Milk in it or whatever the case may be, no matter how well you
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make something, it could be absolutely perfect by many
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people standards. There's going to be another Chef
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that walks up and say you're wrong, you're making it wrong.
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So the reason I say this is a very important PSA.
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I mean I'll post a PSA and I'll say something and then I'll get
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in the comments so you're wrong. It should be this way and it's
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like I sometimes I just want to say refer to chefs PSA number
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one, no matter how well I do something another chefs going to
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tell me I'm wrong. You have to get over that.
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You have to understand. If you're going to forge your
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own path, you're going to go forward.
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You have to understand that if you make something absolutely
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delicious and perfect, someone's going to tell you a better way
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to do it. So that is number one, number
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two, fold your towels. And we've talked about this on
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other episodes, I won't get too much into it, but it shows that
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you're neat, you're clean. You're organized, you have
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attention to detail, you get an exponential amount of uses out
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of your towel. If you fold them, fold your
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towels cut. The tape straight, And green
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tape is extra credit, cut the tape using it you know, scissors
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and tape cutter knife something. But you want to have short clean
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cuts of tape, it shows that everything's in order here's an
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extra tip, you should always place the tape in the same
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location on a deli container. For me, it's like right
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underneath the line or on a Cambro container that's above
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the handle, whatever the case may be, that way everything
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looks covered in aligned everything is the same spot.
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Green tape is extra. Credit, you know.
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I know there's a big argument. I did a poll like green tape
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versus blue tape. Blue tape one, I was a blue tape
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person for a very long time. I've switched to the green tape
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team, and the reason that is this true story, this is this is
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why I changed my mind as I was working in a kitchen helping out
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a friend and they didn't have light bulbs in their coolers and
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I couldn't see. But I could read the writing on
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the green tape with the black Sharpie much easier than I could
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on the blue tape with a black Sharpie.
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So Lighting is an issue in your kitchen.
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Green tape goes a long way. Someone message me, I won't say
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who said but you know Band-Aids that people use in the kitchen
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are blue so it doesn't mix it with the food for obvious
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reasons. So good point, either way,
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again, do what you will for me? Green tape is extra credit.
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Moving on number for a filthy side.
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Towel is not a plate wipe, right?
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The dirty towel that you've been wiping, your dirty hands on.
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Don't go and wipe the rim of the plate with that use a plate
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wipe. So you know, I use torque towels
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or chick towels or some people cut up sponges.
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Whatever the case may be soak it in vodka or vinegar or even
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water's fine and use that make sure it's clean.
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You should be cleaning something with something.
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That's clean. Not to wiping dirty plates with
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a dirty. Towel number five, a good Chef
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never wipes their dirty hands on their clean apron.
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Respect to the uniform. Keep your apron clean, I'll keep
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it short. Number six, the most expensive
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knives in aprons can't cook for you.
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I get a lot of pushback on this one when I say the most
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expensive aprons and knives can't cook for, you know, it's
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like you all the knife. Snobs come out.
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Now I'm a knife snob. I like nice knives.
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I also like nice aprons. I need an apron sponsor.
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So if you're listening you should hit me up because the
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aprons that I like are Being made anymore.
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Anyway, we digress, I say this because I've never gone into a
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restaurant and said, wow, this food is so good.
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I bet you they have, I bet you they have cool aprons or I bet
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you, they have really expensive knives.
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This food is so good. Like no one ever says that.
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Also, no one ever says boy, this food really sucks, if they only
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had better. Aprons, I bet you the food would
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be better. Like, it doesn't matter.
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It's a fashion statement, it's not that important.
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The most important thing is to make sure that your skills are
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good the most expensive knives in Aprons can't cook for you.
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And this is really a shout-out to the Halloween ninjas out
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there that put on, you know, they dress up in the costume for
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Halloween but they aren't real ninjas.
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So learn how to use the sword first.
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Make sure that you've earned your ninja uniform and then look
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the part looking like the cool chef with expensive knives into
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and the expensive apron. If you still don't know how to
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dice an onion, that's not as important.
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It's a bad look number 7 don't sit on workplace counters your
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ass is not sanitary. Nothing grosses me out more than
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a cook that just jumps on a Kitchen counter and sits there
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and starts, drinking the water, whatever, like don't your, as my
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chef told me, get your ass off the counter, your ass isn't
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sanitary. Counters are four glasses, not
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for asses. Number 8, only food and knives.
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Go on a cutting board, not dirty ass boxes and not your gross
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cell phone that you use while you're on the toilet.
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Number nine, do not work over a garbage bin and I've talked
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about this before. If you're working over a garbage
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bin, let's just say you're peeling a carrot in The Carrot
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falls in. You're faced with a moral
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dilemma. Do you leave?
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Get in there and be wasteful or do you take it out and be gross?
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That's it's a lose-lose. So work over a sheet.
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Pan people over parchment paper or something.
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Similar cafeteria tray. Have a trim kit Etc.
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But do not work over a garbage bin, it's a bad habit.
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It's the sign of someone that doesn't really care too much
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about food cost or sanitation. So no.
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Working over garbage bins. Number 10, a gopher hole in the
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plastic wrap is lazy. Take the plastic wrap.
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Whitley off. And if you don't know what a go
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for all some people call them rat holes or whatever, right?
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It's when you have plastic wrap over a container, you just pop
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it so you can get in there and get the mise en place.
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It's like the laziest most hack thing there is like takes a
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second to remove the plastic. Don't do that hack move and you
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all are not hacks. Number 11, don't hold a hot pan
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with a wet towel. Now, if you're if you're like a
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new cooking culinary school, or you're thinking about going to
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culinary school or you're listening the reason, You just
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cause you're going to burn the shit out of your hand really
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bad, right? So don't do that.
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Number 12, the water and your utensil beIN must be clean.
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If you're afraid to drink it change it and then the old days
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you know as utensil been like maybe it's a ceramic crock or
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something you have your tweezers in your plating spoons and your
9:30
palette knife or whatever is in there and their specs of like
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herb and sauce and Alfredo and cream or I don't know, it's just
9:37
gross and the old days the chef would walk up to you and say,
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you know you better fucking drink it and they're like nah.
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Want to drink it within change the water, right?
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So, and it could be sanitation, solution, whatever, it is that
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you're putting in that, maybe it's running water.
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Whatever the case may be, it has to be clean.
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Those are the utensils that you're using to plate, food that
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is ready to be eaten. The utensils need to be clean.
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So the water has to be clean. If you're afraid to drink it
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then you need to change it. I used to do an exercise where I
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would make people. Just imagine that they were
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drinking and they would get grossed out.
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Say, close your eyes. Now imagine you're drinking this
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and I really take them through the process and it's like just
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imagining it. Makes you not want to ever do
10:14
it. Number 13, it's better to turn a
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fish with a fish spatula versus tongs.
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Right? Tongs crushed.
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Fish fish is delicate. Fish spatula, peltex spatulas
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another name for it. That is designed specifically to
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turn fish. That is what you should be using
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take care of your fish, right? It's a sign of a good cook that
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uses the right tool for the job. Number 14, taste is more
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important than plating and I could go on and on about this.
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And I did a whole podcast about it.
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So if you need expand on that, go back and listen.
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Listen to the podcast. Taste is more important than
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plating. Number 15, taste everything.
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In the kitchen, a Chef's Palette is their superpower and over the
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course of a career, you know, skills are going to come and go.
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You're going to get fast on the line.
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You're going to get slow on the line, you're going to learn how
11:02
to do things, but your your palate is what's going to be
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able to troubleshoot for you to fix food, right?
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When something's wrong, you know, you need to adjust the
11:10
asset, the salt, the heat, whatever.
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Also you're going to be able to create dishes because you're
11:15
going to know that this with a little bit of this is going to
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taste. Good.
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So a Chef's Palette is their super-powered, the old
11:21
expression think Al on, ducasse said, this is the chef doesn't
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need to be the best cook in the kitchen, but they need to be the
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best taster in the kitchen. So keep that in mind.
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Develop your palate, taste everything all the time to taste
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the same thing over and over again.
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So you notice any Nuance in it taste things when they're ripe,
11:38
tastings, you know, when they're not ripe, tastings when their
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perfect season tastings when they're bad taste things, when
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they're good. So you understand how to fix
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them knowledge of techniques is superior Or to that of recipes
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and I'll explain that just really briefly if let's say, you
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know how to make a pumpkin risotto, let's say someone
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teaches you how to make pumpkin risotto with pancetta and you're
11:59
like great. I have this recipe for pumpkin
12:01
risotto with pancetta but you don't know how to make proper
12:03
risotto. Like you have a recipe to make
12:05
an interesting risotto but you don't know how to make risotto.
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If you know how to master risotto.
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You can Master ten thousand variations of risotto.
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This is a principle by Miyamoto Musashi's book of five rings.
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Master 12 Master. That's ten thousand variations.
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So knowing the technique could lead to Endless Possibilities
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but just knowing the recipe gives you one.
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So Master, the technique techniques are superior to that
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of recipes. Number 17, the quickest way to
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make your food better is to use better ingredients.
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This is pretty self-explanatory. If we have the same ingredients
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but but I'm sorry if we have the same recipe but I have better
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ingredients than you my food. Most likely will taste better.
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There is some technique involved, but if we're both
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pretty high-level competent, cooks and chefs, the one with
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the better ingredients is the better Chef, it's going to have
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the better end product by things in season.
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By the better olive oil used better salt, get better vinegar,
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number 18. If you want to understand food,
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better plant a garden and the reason I say that is you'll
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understand micro Seasons. You'll understand that maybe
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this was something for me like in Texas.
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I was growing watermelon and I understood that watermelon is
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only available in September, that's it.
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Like everyone says, it's a summer fruit.
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It's like, nope. It's one month.
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I understood that figs had two seasons at least on my tree, it
13:25
would come into and in the spring and then I'd have more
13:29
figs in the fall. And in the summer, I'd have
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nothing. You'll start to understand how
13:32
things taste at different periods of ripeness.
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So, like I said, planting a garden.
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You'll have a better appreciation for how things
13:38
grow, and you'll understand like when it's at this stage, it's
13:41
perfect and you'll see all the different things that the plant
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produces like the flowers and the buds, Etc.
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The leaves It'll make you a better Chef number 19, the
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shortest path to get the most delicious result is the best
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path. And what I mean by that is
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sometimes we get caught up in doing things.
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A very difficult way but it doesn't necessarily yield a
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better product. And in today's kitchen, when you
14:04
have to be more efficient, you have fewer staff, there's a lot
14:08
of moving Parts. You may need to get to the end
14:10
result much quicker. If there's a faster way to get
14:13
there without compromising the quality, if there's two roads
14:16
that take you to the same path to the Same, end result.
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And the end result mind, you should always be delicious.
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Then take the shorter path, see where there's steps that you
14:25
could eliminate to get to the same result.
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So that's more of a mindset thing to find the most direct
14:32
path. Is the quickest way to get there
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number 20. The most difficult technique to
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master is the one you are afraid to try.
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I think that is self-explanatory.
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When you're afraid to try something, you're never going to
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learn it. Number 21 knowing how to use
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NaCl is More important than knowing how to use alginates,
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which, by the way, I should give credit.
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I think I got this from Grant Achatz.
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I might have read it in his book, but I honestly, I don't
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remember, but I think I got it from him.
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And for those of you that don't know, NaCl is salt.
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And that means that everyone comes in.
15:04
They want to make spheres, and they want to make gels, and they
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want to make gums or whatever the case may be.
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And yet they haven't mastered the basics of seasoning using
15:14
salt or whatever the case may be pepper, Etc.
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And if you understand the fundamentals of seasoning, this
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is going to be greatly more important than you, making
15:23
something with an alginate, you shouldn't even be thinking about
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alginates until you've mastered how to use salt.
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This is very important, and it seems to be a step that everyone
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wants to gloss over, so they could get to the next step.
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But it's like, fundamentally the thing that's wrong with most
15:37
food, like when you go out to eat at a restaurant, like, yeah,
15:40
it's A missing something, usually what it's missing a
15:41
salt, I would say and I'm making this up, I would say about 50
15:45
percent of the problems with food, when you get it and you
15:48
don't like it, usually is a seasoning problem.
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It's not enough salt or too much or too much spice, or whatever.
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The case may be. You want to focus on
15:55
understanding how to season and that ties in to taste everything
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number 22, if your salt and pepper is mixed on your station,
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it shouldn't be. And that it's funny when I get
16:05
pushed back on this because people like well, you know, in
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my kitchen, you know, we do this, then do that.
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If in your kitchen you have a pre-measured recipe that makes
16:15
everything perfect then. Okay, you should Mark it that
16:19
because no one else seems to have figured it out.
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Now I get it. Maybe you're just making one
16:23
thing and you have it measured. Okay, that's different.
16:25
Maybe you've created a spice mix.
16:26
But for the most part, if you're working on a line and you have
16:29
many different things that you're cooking, salt and pepper,
16:33
don't go on everything in the same ratio, not only that but
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they also don't go on. In the same time sometimes salt
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goes on first Sometimes pepper goes on at the end.
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And a lot of people use pepper at the end of the dish, because
16:44
it changes the flavor when you cook it, a lot of people put
16:47
salt on at the beginning because sometimes it extracts moisture
16:50
or they are they layer the seasoning as they're cooking.
16:55
So it's important to understand when to season something was alt
16:58
it's important to understand when to seize it something with
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pepper but having a mixed as I mean for me it's a hack move.
17:03
I don't like it. I don't allow it and it's not
17:07
something that I condone and kitchens unless it's a very
17:10
specific Type of kitchen. Like, like I said, barbecue is
17:12
one that comes to mind and I'm sure there's other outliers out
17:16
there but I would say 99% of you are not working in those
17:20
kitchens so it probably doesn't apply to you.
17:22
You're probably working on the line and you just think it's
17:24
faster. If I mix my salt and pepper
17:27
you're saving like a microsecond, don't mix them.
17:29
The food will taste better if you don't do that.
17:31
So don't make sure salt and pepper number 23, you shouldn't
17:33
have iodized salt and table, grind pepper on your station.
17:37
That usually goes like insults. Acres and pepper shakers on the
17:41
diner, like that. That's not what you need on your
17:43
station. Use kosher salt diamond, crystal
17:46
Morton's. Have not sure what team you're
17:47
on. It's like blue tape versus green
17:49
tape, but not iodized salt. You shouldn't be really using
17:52
iodized salt in a professional kitchen, and then grind your
17:55
pepper, right? A lot of people grind their
17:58
pepper in a pepper mill. I use a Peugeot Pepper Mill.
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I've said that before. I'm a bit of a pepper snob, but
18:03
it tastes different and you could control the coarseness of
18:05
the grind, if you're using a pepper mill or some people just,
18:08
you know, use a spice grinder, whatever and grind pepper, For
18:10
the whole kitchen. I prefer a pepper mill, whatever
18:13
you use, don't use table. Grind, black pepper.
18:17
Number 24, half-sheet pans on a speed rack is a dangerous game
18:20
to play. We've all played that game that
18:23
you don't see the half sheet pan and you pull something too fast
18:26
or you put a sheep pen and in your knock one over and it's a
18:30
mess like there's never a good outcome with putting a half
18:33
sheet pan. It was like well just be more
18:34
careful, don't be so fast, it's like come on, we've all done
18:38
this we're not all perfect, so no, half-sheet, pans bad habit.
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You spill food all over the floor, you get ants.
18:47
No one likes ants in their kitchen.
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Number 25, learn to saute with your non-dominant hand.
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This is something a lot of people like, yeah, everyone
18:55
knows that. Yeah, not everyone knows that.
18:57
Sometimes you might work in a kitchen for several years and
19:00
never have worked to sauté station.
19:01
You might have been on the grill or you might have been in
19:03
garbage a or I don't know station that doesn't saute
19:06
things, then all of a sudden you're thrown on the line.
19:08
You don't know to saute with your non-dominant hand, right?
19:11
Tools going, one hand pan goes in the other hand, learn To
19:14
learn to use your non-dominant hand.
19:15
If you're really good and you become ambidextrous, hey, more
19:19
power to you, but a good habit. If you're new, in the kitchen,
19:22
learn to saute with your non-dominant hand.
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It's it's a game changer especially early on in your
19:26
career. Number 26, spend your time,
19:30
working in kitchens you aspire to run.
19:32
A lot of people will work their entire career in a restaurant
19:35
that they have no desire to be in because they have aspirations
19:39
of running, a different type of kitchen, any amount of time that
19:42
you spend in kitchens that you Desire to run is taking you away
19:46
from learning and working in kitchens that you do desire to
19:49
run. So if your goal, for example is
19:51
to have a barbecue restaurant and you love barbecue, but yet
19:55
you work in something. Other than a barbecue
19:59
restaurant, you're not learning about barbecue and you're not
20:02
learning about the barbecue business.
20:03
So if your desire is to run a specific type of Restaurant,
20:06
start getting experience in those specific types of
20:09
restaurants number 27. No one cares.
20:12
How you did it at your last job and and that's kind of true.
20:15
It's kind of not like, sometimes your people are gonna ask.
20:17
Oh, cool. How'd you do it there?
20:18
Which show me what you did. But what I mean by that is,
20:21
there's a difference between people asking you and seeking
20:24
like, how'd you do it versus, you know, when you're that new
20:26
person in the kitchen, you're like, oh, at my last job.
20:28
Let me tell you this, that and the other.
20:30
It's like when you're dating someone, and all they do is talk
20:33
about their exes like fuck. No one wants to hear that.
20:36
No one cares. Just do it the way I want you to
20:38
do it. So it's just like a kitchen
20:41
courtesy thing. Don't talk about the last job.
20:44
Unless people are asking you about the last job, you know, be
20:48
a little bit humble with that. It rubs people, the wrong way in
20:51
general. However, not everyone,
20:52
everyone's different, but I would say, like, like nine out
20:55
of ten, chefs are going to get rubbed the wrong way.
20:56
So why risk it number 28? No one cares where you went to
21:02
school, if you still can't cook. And that's kind of in line with
21:05
the last one. Don't brag about going to this
21:06
school or that school and you know, all your degrees
21:09
especially early on, you know, what, you graduate culinary
21:12
school, a lot of people think that It carries a lot of clout
21:15
in the kitchen, but it really doesn't what carries clout and
21:18
wait in the kitchen is, how well can you cook that matters more
21:22
than your degree? So, don't forget that number 29,
21:25
the three rules of catering are count, everything, count,
21:27
everything and count everything, basically, that and that's not
21:30
just for catering, that's for everything.
21:32
But how many asparagus are on the sheet pan?
21:34
How many carats do you have? How many steaks do you have?
21:36
How many chicken breast you have?
21:37
How many plates are in the hot box?
21:39
Count? Everything?
21:40
How many tongs did you bring? All of that matters in catering
21:43
because you only Did not count it once.
21:45
And it's, it's a fucking disaster.
21:48
So, count, everything number 30. Some of the most important
21:51
tools, the kitchen are a pen and a notepad write everything down,
21:56
take notes, and save those notebooks.
21:59
You'll be thankful later on in your career because you'll, you
22:02
know, ten years and you're going to go back and be like, oh man,
22:04
I used to love that recipe. I forgot about it or I can't
22:06
believe I was making that it's good for memories and it tells
22:10
the story of your progression throughout your career.
22:12
So, write everything down but not We that also when the chef
22:15
has given you instructions, write it down because nothing's
22:17
worse than a chef giving you instructions, then you go back
22:20
to them after a couple of minutes, I'm sorry, Chef, I
22:22
forgot what was next on the list like it's an annoying question.
22:25
Don't do that, write it down. Know what step, one and step
22:28
two, step three and so on number 31, when your chefs are
22:32
correcting, you resist the urge to make excuses and listen
22:37
again. They probably just want you to
22:41
fix it and do it the right way. They don't care why it's wrong.
22:44
Usually and when you start making excuses, usually what it
22:47
does is its you're digging a hole and you're just making them
22:49
more and more upset, so don't make excuses.
22:52
They just, they're not mad at you.
22:53
They just want you to fix it, just listen and fix it.
22:55
Don't make excuses number. 32 successfully avoiding difficult
22:59
work in. The kitchen is not something to
23:00
be proud of you're holding yourself back and you're not
23:02
doing yourself any service, but not taking on the difficult
23:06
work. The difficult work is really
23:07
where the learning happens. Don't be afraid of the difficult
23:10
work number 33, 8016. Something after the fact is
23:14
Amateur hour and it is no other way to say it.
23:18
Count what you have. Let people know when you're
23:21
running low. And you know, A good rule of
23:24
thumb is I a lot of places will 86 would like with two portions
23:27
left because inevitably someone's going to order one or
23:30
two, more, portions number 34. Kitchen etiquette, only chefs
23:34
and Cooks should go behind the line, occasionally.
23:36
The porters shouldn't be the service staff.
23:38
It shouldn't be, you know, people just wandering around the
23:40
line of sacred. A lot of action is happening.
23:42
There's knives, there's pots, there's pans, there's movement.
23:45
And a lot of times, people don't know kitchen language like, hot
23:48
behind night. Etc.
23:49
So rule is, if you're not cooking, you shouldn't go behind
23:52
the line period number 35, if you don't have time to make it
23:55
correctly, now you certainly won't later, right?
23:59
Don't take a shortcut, don't cheat.
24:01
Because inevitably you're going to get caught or the recipe is
24:04
going to be screwed up and you're gonna have to go back and
24:06
make it later. So if you're in a rush and
24:08
you're trying to make a shortcut because you think you're not
24:10
going to get caught, trust me, it never works out in your
24:13
benefit, you always get caught and you're gonna have to make it
24:16
again. Anyway.
24:16
And now you really don't have time because now you're Double
24:18
behind make it right the first time number 36, when presenting
24:23
your Chef, the amazing dish, you just created.
24:25
Make sure they don't have the same cookbook.
24:28
This is what I used to do. This shit to write.
24:30
I would read Charlie Trotter's cookbook and then take my chef,
24:34
the new dish. And he'd like, you got that out
24:36
of Charlie Trotter's book. I'm like, oh yeah.
24:37
You have that book too. Don't you throughout the course
24:39
of my career? I can't tell you how many times
24:42
my Sous chefs. I don't always call them out,
24:44
because sometimes I like I have the book and I would just play
24:46
along with them, but I can't tell you how many Many times, my
24:49
my Sous chefs have brought me dishes that they created, you
24:52
know, I'm using, you know, quotes that they created a
24:54
number. Like I have that book like I
24:56
know exactly where you got that recipe from and who you got it
24:59
from? I didn't always call them out.
25:01
I started to later just because I thought it was funny.
25:04
If you're if you're taking a dish out of a book or from
25:07
another Chef, you should say I'm inspired by this, you shouldn't
25:10
just take it, people know, especially, you know, when your
25:14
Chef has that same cookbook on their wall and they're like, are
25:17
you sure that's not? So, So, it's dish.
25:19
I got the same book and they make it anyway.
25:22
Number 37, treat your dish team and stewards like the kings and
25:25
queens. They are, it was dishwasher day
25:27
the other day and I think this is important though.
25:29
The hardest-working people in the kitchen treat them well, and
25:34
they will be good to you. So, says, a lot about you.
25:39
How you treat your dish team and we should call it a dish
25:41
station, not a dish pit. I'm a big fan of using the word
25:46
station over pit and And you know pits are like, you know,
25:50
gross no one wants to work in a pit but a station is you know
25:54
there's the pastry station, there is the pasta station,
25:58
there's the sauté station the grill station, it's not the
26:01
grill pit, where the pastry pit. So why is it a dish pit?
26:04
It's just a pejorative and I a lot of people don't like it so I
26:08
don't I personally don't like it.
26:09
I think you got to respect the dish team so to station number.
26:12
38 the floor is not a trash bin, don't wipe food directly on the
26:17
floor you know. Wipe it in your hand, put in the
26:19
trash, or in a tray or something like that.
26:20
But it's, it's lazy. When people just get a towel and
26:23
just wipe all the shit directly on the floor.
26:25
It's just, it's just a bad habit.
26:26
Don't do that. It's gross number 39, take the
26:29
tape off the container before sending it to the dish station,
26:31
again, dish station. And that's just like it takes a
26:34
second, remove, the tapes of the dishwashers, don't have to treat
26:37
them like the kings and queens. They are going back to that
26:40
number 40 during an interview. Don't tell the chef you don't
26:43
like to follow recipes because you like to Freestyle because
26:46
they're going to tell you freestyle your ass out the door.
26:48
Then they don't want you here right there.
26:50
No Chef is out there. Trying to hire an entry-level
26:52
cook because you have good recipes and you're going to
26:56
change their recipes. Like that is like nails on a
26:58
chalkboard to most Chef so I want to hire you so you could
27:01
execute these dishes during say yeah I got my own way.
27:04
I got my own recipes. I want to make like it's the
27:07
dumbest thing ever don't ever say that an interview to
27:10
guaranteed way to not get the job.
27:12
I actually don't know why I made that a PSA.
27:14
Probably probably someone told me that during an interview and
27:17
I got annoyed and I wrote it, but honestly, I don't remember.
27:20
Anyway, don't ever say that number 41, it's better to take
27:24
your time and become a good sous-chef later versus
27:26
impatiently becoming a bad one today.
27:29
And I've seen this throughout my career over and over again,
27:32
someone thinks that they're ready for sous chef and I or
27:35
another Mentor, they may have is telling them, they still have
27:37
some room to grow. They end up leaving and taking
27:40
on a sous, chef job and then they come back and they Say I
27:42
wasn't ready. It's a difficult thing because
27:45
you never really know when you're ready and someone asked
27:47
me the other day and they said well how do you know when you're
27:49
ready? I said well you should ask
27:50
someone that you trust a chef that you trust and say what am I
27:54
lacking and have them. Be honest with you because you
27:58
might have blind spots, sometimes they'll tell you
28:00
you're ready, you need to go now.
28:01
And other times, there can be like you need to work on this
28:02
this and this and if you trust the person, you should listen to
28:05
them and work on the things that they tell you, because nothing
28:08
is worse than thinking that you are ready, jumping into it.
28:12
And then failing in the position and then sometimes that hurts
28:16
people's ego to the point where then they get stuck and now
28:18
they're afraid to go into the position after they all are
28:21
ready. So ask people that you trust get
28:24
good advice on that number 42. Be the type of Chef that you
28:28
would like to work for. That's self-explanatory.
28:31
I don't need to get into that one number 43, find a good, Chef
28:36
mentor, and listen to them this ties into what were just saying
28:38
about, you know, asking a mentor when you're ready.
28:42
For the next thing, but a good Chef mentors, like having a
28:45
cheat code and they will help you get to where they are.
28:48
And ultimately, when you're selecting a mentor, you want to
28:51
find a mentor that it's in a position that you want.
28:55
Because a lot of times people just look at the person that's
28:57
like one year more experienced than them or two years and
28:59
they're like, oh there are two years ahead of me.
29:01
I should have them be my mentor and it's like maybe you can have
29:04
them teach you things, but that might not be a good Mentor
29:06
because the position that you're aspiring to be in, you should
29:10
ask someone that's in that position.
29:12
His only, they could tell you how to get there because they've
29:15
done it to everyone else. It's just Theory until they've
29:18
done it. It's like I think I know how to
29:19
do it but until you proved that you could do it, you don't know.
29:22
It's like armchair quarterbacking.
29:24
So when you're selecting a mentor, I think it's important
29:26
to find someone in the position or have you accomplished, what
29:30
you want to accomplish number 44, the secret to getting
29:33
promoted in the kitchen is being so good.
29:35
They can't ignore you and a lot of people push back on me when I
29:40
posted this one. Like, you know, I am gonna Good.
29:42
But I keep getting passed up for this that and the other, and I
29:44
don't want to argue with people online and I don't know,
29:46
everyone's situation and, of course, it does happen that
29:48
sometimes people get passed over for favoritism or because they
29:51
like someone else better etc, etc.
29:53
But the fact of the matter is, if you're so good that they
29:56
cannot ignore, you, you're probably going to get the job.
30:00
I don't know any chef in my circle of friends or chefs that
30:03
I've promoted that usually don't promote the best candidate for
30:07
the job. The best candidate for the job,
30:08
normally gets the job and it not always is not 100%.
30:12
Normally the best person for the job gets the job especially if
30:16
they're outperforming everyone else because you want to
30:19
successful team. So if you're not getting
30:21
promoted again go back to your mentor and find out.
30:23
Why? Because maybe you have a blind
30:25
spot, a mentor is invaluable and it's going to, it's going to
30:28
keep coming up. Number 45, don't compare
30:31
yourself to bad cooks, in the kitchen, be better than
30:33
yesterday. Again, all that matters is that
30:36
gradual Improvement. A lot of times, there's bad
30:39
cooks that work side-by-side with you and you say, Well, I'm
30:42
Clearly better than them. So, why did why can they do it?
30:46
And I can't, it's like, well, don't compare yourself to them,
30:48
be better than them, right? Be the exception to the rule,
30:51
cook it at such a high level that you inspire everyone else
30:54
versus cooking to the level of the, the lowest the lowest
30:59
performer that doesn't make any sense, right?
31:01
If you want to be great, you got to cook above and improve
31:05
yourself. Don't compare yourself to bad
31:07
cooks. Be the best, and compare
31:09
yourself to the best number 46, it's Be the worst cook in the
31:13
best kitchen than the best cook in the worst kitchen and there's
31:18
some argument back and forth here like, well don't you want
31:20
to lift up your team? We're talking about being a cook
31:22
early on in your career. When you're early on in your
31:24
career, you want to be around people that are going to push
31:26
you to become better later in your career.
31:28
That might be a different story, but early in your career, you're
31:32
shaping your future. And the more time that you spend
31:35
around people that are better than you.
31:36
And I'm not just talking about cooking, these could be better
31:38
chefs. Better managers, people that are
31:40
better at making barbecue. Three Michelin star chefs, like
31:44
find the best people that you could work around.
31:46
Because when you work around great people, you have no other
31:50
choice other than to become great around them because
31:53
usually greatness doesn't tolerate mediocrity.
31:57
So, surround yourself with people that are great and
32:00
they'll pull that out of you because everyone has greatness
32:03
within them either. It's already being demonstrated
32:05
or it's laying dormant waiting to be awakened.
32:08
So, surround yourself with people that are better than use,
32:10
they could pull that out and When you are the great one,
32:13
right? You're the great chef, you're
32:14
the great cook. Then, that's your time that you
32:17
pull. Everyone else up because you are
32:19
able to pay back what was given to you.
32:21
Number 47, happy Cooks make better food, and this was
32:24
something that I learned early on, in my career used to be the
32:26
slogan. In one of the kitchens that I
32:28
worked in, when I was like 20, the chef used to say, happy
32:30
Cooks make better food. The reason he would say that you
32:33
would get everyone drunk, so, we'd be happy.
32:35
But anyway, don't do that. Just, you know, it's true though
32:38
when you have a good team and everyone's happy and everyone's
32:40
yelling the culture is good. The food tastes better, right?
32:44
When everyone's - and you work at these, these kitchens where
32:48
it's their dysfunctional, like the and everyone's fighting,
32:50
like the food doesn't taste good in those kitchens.
32:52
So happy Cooks make better food number 48, to the best chefs.
32:56
Don't know everything. The worst ones do and it's true.
33:00
Like that know what? All that, you can't teach them
33:03
anything and it's like they're never learned, you're doing
33:05
yourself. You're doing yourself a
33:08
disservice by thinking, you know, everything it's better to
33:11
be humble and go in and Learn from everybody.
33:16
That mean you can learn from a home cook.
33:17
You learn from a dishwasher. You learn from freaking
33:19
Tick-Tock, it doesn't matter. But when you know everything,
33:23
it's like that old analogy, like your cups fold to can't put new
33:26
water in there because it just keeps overflowing, right?
33:29
You have to empty your cup number 49.
33:31
A good relationship between the chef and the sous chef is
33:34
critical to run a successful kitchen.
33:37
Nothing is worse when the chef and the sous chef don't get
33:39
along and they're not aligned, and if the sous chef is more
33:42
talented. And I've seen this happen before
33:44
when the sous chef is more talented than the chef Than
33:46
People aligned with the sous chef.
33:48
And if the sous chef doesn't like the chef, then you have
33:50
like a mutiny on your your hands before you know it that
33:52
relationship is critical. So if you're a chef listening to
33:54
this, that relationship with your sous chef is one of the
33:57
most important relationships you should cultivate.
34:01
And if you're the sous-chef, the same thing, your relationship
34:03
with your Chef is one of the most important relationships,
34:06
you should have. If you want your kitchen to be
34:07
successful, both of you need to be aligned.
34:10
It's also very difficult for the people that work under you, when
34:12
Chef comes, we do it this way. And when the sous chef comes, we
34:14
do it that way. So line them up chef.
34:18
Number 50. Last one Chef's if you know your
34:21
worth, don't be afraid to ask for it.
34:24
If you do what you deserve to be paid, don't accept less.
34:27
Because the second that you accept less is the second that
34:29
you're saying, that's what I'm worth.
34:32
So if you're worth more get more easier said than done.
34:35
But I promise you, if you're a big-name chef, you should be
34:39
getting big bucks, but also, with that being said, if you're
34:42
don't go out and also overestimate your abilities,
34:44
again, that's where your Mentor comes in.
34:46
Have someone guide you, so, you know, exactly what you should be
34:49
making. I want everyone to make more
34:51
money. I think I did a podcast a couple
34:52
of days Or a couple of episodes back, that was about that, how
34:56
to get more money. So I think it's important that
34:58
everyone starts make it more money.
34:59
I want to help you all make more money, but you got to arm
35:02
yourself with knowledge. And so that's the 50 most
35:04
important chefs PSAs. You can listen to this episode
35:06
over and over and over again and get smarter.
35:08
Or you could go on Twitter and follow the thread.
35:10
I wrote them all out there, we need more shops on Twitter
35:14
Twitter's kind of boring without all the chef's on there, but it
35:16
is a lot of fun because there's a lot of other things going on
35:19
there, but Chef Twitter's not that great.
35:21
I'm going to say this just to close the show.
35:23
There is In chefs PSA. That is the most important
35:25
chefs, PSA, and that is do what the way your Chef wants it?
35:28
Even if it's not the way I tell you to do it, your Chef is
35:31
right. Not me.
35:33
I know. I talk a lot of shit.
35:34
Do it this way, do it that way? This is the right way to do
35:36
things, but it doesn't matter because I'm not the one that
35:38
you're working for. You have a chef at the end of
35:41
the day, do it the way they tell you to do it period.
35:43
If you want to support the show, make sure you leave five stars
35:46
on Spotify or Apple or Google or whatever it is that you're
35:49
listening to this nothing less than five stars.
35:51
I appreciate that. Also.
35:53
You want to get some of the books that I have culinary
35:56
leadership fundamentals? How not to be the biggest idiot
35:58
in the kitchen line. Cook survival manual and the
36:01
kitchen Art of War. You can get all of those on
36:03
Amazon. And also just go to Chef space.
36:05
A.com, you have everything we have merch on their free recipe
36:09
ebooks video courses, and so on. Thank you all very much.
36:15
We'll see you next week and hit the porno music.