In the kitchen that I am working in, I can classify the chefs into two categories. In one group, the chefs just work for the sake of working and cut corners to keep the restaurant business afloat. They are the utilitarians who just have to put steak and potatoes on the menu to cater for the general public. They are also the ones that cheat and use Chinese wonton skins to make ravioli (and the dumb patrons can’t tell the difference).
Then there is the other group of chefs who are more interesting. They are the true artists in the kitchen who come up with the most bizarre and beautiful combinations. These chefs, despite earning pauper wages, will visit the top restaurants to explore what their creative peers are producing. I know one in particular who is so passionate about his craft and gets insulted when someone orders a steak sandwich in which he sarcastically replies, “Do you want fries with that? And would you like to upsize your meal? What is this? A fucking steakhouse?!!”. I truly feel his pain. I think that when he leaves (I am pretty sure that he will eventually) and open up his own restaurant, he is one of those chefs to watch closely.
There is a constant battle between these two groups. On one side, you have to be sensitive about the costs to make money but on the other side, you also want to be creative to set yourself apart from the rest. In my view, why not be creative and if people like your food, they wouldn’t mind paying a little bit extra to experience something different.
Mirepoix (Large & Small): Cut the vegetables into pieces of the same approximate size. The longer the vegetables will be cooked, the larger the pieces of mirepoix. Large mirepoix is primarily used in stocks and small mirepoix in the making of sauces.
The poultry suppliers tried to screw us over today following Tuesday’s debacle on the lukewarm meats. He claimed that the meats were not frozen because they just slaughtered the birds that morning and sent it to us first thing. However, when the Sous chef filleted one of the birds, he noticed that the middle was still frozen so he knew that the supplier was trying to pull a fast one on us.
Besides dishonest suppliers, restaurants also have to put up with dishonest patrons who try to complain about the smallest detail to get a free meal. We had 4 covers today and although they complained about the bread not being toasted properly, they cleaned out their entire plates (including the bread) and walked out without paying.
Another challenge which kitchens face is consistency, which is why a good executive chef would demonstrate the dish to everyone in the kitchen and leave pictures of the food presentation along with its recipe to follow to a T.
Oblique cut: This cut is used on elongated vegetables such as carrots and parsnips. Starting at the narrow end of each vegetable cut a diagonal piece about 1/3 inch long, with the knife blade pointing away from you at a 45-degree angle. Roll the vegetable a quarter turn and cut another piece at the same angle. Repeat the process until the vegetable widens. Slice in half lengthwise and continue to turn and cut. If the pieces become too large, cut lengthwise again to keep pieces equal in size (Keller 2007).
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Stop! Don't order the salad!
What I am going to say may put you off eating at a restaurant (but it wouldn’t matter if you absolutely loved food and/or you just can’t cook for shits). There is nothing healthy about food here. Everything has got at least 3 times the amount of fat than you think it does. In Western cooking, chefs cook by the bars of butter instead of grams and even in “healthy” Asian stir-fries, either the meat or the vegetables are deep-fried before they are stir-fried. “Ah ha! Then I will just stick to the salads” you might quip but think again. I have worked in three restaurants now (2 of them were in the top 5 in Sydney) and none of them actually wash their salad leaves. Imagine the pesticide residue still left on them.
I was left to my own devices as the breakfast chef decided to walk out of the restaurant and take the day off. No one gave me specific recipes to follow so I prepared my interpretation of the menu – I made my own version of corn fritters with avocado salsa and rocket, fluffy ricotta pancakes, cinnamon berry compote with Malibu liquor and French toast with dried fig and ricotta mix. When the executive chef came in, I could tell that he was impressed with my corn fritters because he finished the entire sample plate and asked for the recipe.
I was left to my own devices as the breakfast chef decided to walk out of the restaurant and take the day off. No one gave me specific recipes to follow so I prepared my interpretation of the menu – I made my own version of corn fritters with avocado salsa and rocket, fluffy ricotta pancakes, cinnamon berry compote with Malibu liquor and French toast with dried fig and ricotta mix. When the executive chef came in, I could tell that he was impressed with my corn fritters because he finished the entire sample plate and asked for the recipe.
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Technical Notes of the Fridge
It’s good that I work during the daytime because that’s when the deliveries (food and linen) and repairmen come in so you learn a lot of the practical things that you can apply to save money down the track. For example, the sous chef noticed that some of the meats felt lukewarm and deduced that the food was probably left in the sun so he called the supplier and returned the meats immediately.
When handling meats and seafood, wear gloves because your natural body oils on your hands tend to speed up the decomposition rate of the raw food.
Today, I was once again alone in the kitchen when the fridge repairman came to service the fridge so I barraged him with questions. He told me that a basic 2-door bench fridge costs about AUD$4-$5K while a 2 x 2m cool room costs AUD$9K onwards. He complained that nobody cleaned the filters which could get clogged and overheat the compressor, causing the fridges to leak water. He said that it should be brushed clean every 2 weeks and hosed down every 3 months and in an ideal situation, it should be serviced every 4 months where the filters are rinsed with acid to remove the grease and you would only have to replace the compressor every 3-4 years that would cost approximately $1500. However in kitchen nirvana, all motors should be housed outside of the kitchen where it is properly aired and grease-free.
When cleaning crab, remove the gills (dead man’s fingers) and the folded tail flap (the apron) from the underside to remove the guts (viscera). Female crabs have rounded aprons and male crabs have thin, pointed aprons (Lepard et al.). Do not soak seafood in water as it will lose is flavour of the sea.
When handling meats and seafood, wear gloves because your natural body oils on your hands tend to speed up the decomposition rate of the raw food.
Today, I was once again alone in the kitchen when the fridge repairman came to service the fridge so I barraged him with questions. He told me that a basic 2-door bench fridge costs about AUD$4-$5K while a 2 x 2m cool room costs AUD$9K onwards. He complained that nobody cleaned the filters which could get clogged and overheat the compressor, causing the fridges to leak water. He said that it should be brushed clean every 2 weeks and hosed down every 3 months and in an ideal situation, it should be serviced every 4 months where the filters are rinsed with acid to remove the grease and you would only have to replace the compressor every 3-4 years that would cost approximately $1500. However in kitchen nirvana, all motors should be housed outside of the kitchen where it is properly aired and grease-free.
When cleaning crab, remove the gills (dead man’s fingers) and the folded tail flap (the apron) from the underside to remove the guts (viscera). Female crabs have rounded aprons and male crabs have thin, pointed aprons (Lepard et al.). Do not soak seafood in water as it will lose is flavour of the sea.
Monday, January 28, 2008
The genetic virtues of a chef
When you enter the commercial kitchen for the first time, you should know where the first aid box is because accidents happen all the time. One of the chefs noticed my really bad habit of holding my vegetables in the wrong manner and just as he was predicting my next cut while he was demonstrating the “correct technique”, he sliced the top of his finger with my knife. Suddenly my chopped white onions turned Spanish red. Which brings me to my thoughts on what kind of qualities should a great chef have - stamina, coordination, tastebuds, the ability to improvise and the gift of healing fast.
Batons: This vegetable cut is similar to Julienne, but cut thick like potato chips.
Using a mandoline or sharp knife, cut vegetables into sheets of the desired thickness. Trim to desired length. Cut crosswise to form batins of an even thickness and width.
Dice: Vegetables are perfectly cubed. Cut the vegetables into batons, leaving the pieces as long as possible. Cut across into squares to form the dice.
Turned: Vegetables cut in this method look like miniature rugby/footballs.
Cut the vegetables into pieces slightly larger than the desired size of the shaped vegetable. Using a paring knife, cut from top to bottom, making the ends slightly tapered than the middle.
I have rediscovered the magic of using bleach. My uniform gets stained with beetroot and it comes off after an overnight soak. At the rate that I am going with the stuff, I think I will have to start bulk-buying generic bleach. I have noticed that in every kitchen that I have worked in so far, the chefs wear the same brand: “Club Chef”. Does this brand have a monopoly in the chef’s uniform department? And the uniforms for women are not flattering at all. It’s as if a man designed the uniforms and instead of using a female model for his samples, he has chosen to fashion the pattern after a male midget.
Batons: This vegetable cut is similar to Julienne, but cut thick like potato chips.
Using a mandoline or sharp knife, cut vegetables into sheets of the desired thickness. Trim to desired length. Cut crosswise to form batins of an even thickness and width.
Dice: Vegetables are perfectly cubed. Cut the vegetables into batons, leaving the pieces as long as possible. Cut across into squares to form the dice.
Turned: Vegetables cut in this method look like miniature rugby/footballs.
Cut the vegetables into pieces slightly larger than the desired size of the shaped vegetable. Using a paring knife, cut from top to bottom, making the ends slightly tapered than the middle.
I have rediscovered the magic of using bleach. My uniform gets stained with beetroot and it comes off after an overnight soak. At the rate that I am going with the stuff, I think I will have to start bulk-buying generic bleach. I have noticed that in every kitchen that I have worked in so far, the chefs wear the same brand: “Club Chef”. Does this brand have a monopoly in the chef’s uniform department? And the uniforms for women are not flattering at all. It’s as if a man designed the uniforms and instead of using a female model for his samples, he has chosen to fashion the pattern after a male midget.
Saturday, January 26, 2008
"Don't touch my dick, don't touch my knife" Part I
Knives are like the extension of their owner’s penises. Everyone checks out each other’s equipment – the bigger they are, the more impressive. And nobody touches each other’s knives during work – “Don’t touch my dick, don’t touch my knife” attitude. It is the one thing that chefs will wash themselves and will not leave to the kitchen hand to clean.
Every chef supplies his/her own set of knives which makes sense because a good knife can cost about AUD$300, and because you spent so much money on it, you wouldn’t abuse your own knife. You would not simply throw it in the sink because it could damage the knife’s point and you’d make an effort to sharpen it regularly.
When the knife point is damaged, you can send it back to the manufacturer to get it re-tipped at a fraction of its cost.
The biggest sin for any chef is not to sharpen his/her knife regularly. You are inevitably punished for your laziness – blunt knives can’t cut as well and when you accidentally cut yourself (which you will in a commercial kitchen), the cut isn’t as clean when it happens with a razor sharp knife.
If you cut your hand, you have to wear gloves the entire day (until the wound heals) for hygiene reasons.
In the commercial kitchen, I realise that I have a 20-yr-old bad habit of incorrectly holding my food when I chop. My fingers are stretched out and not neatly tucked away. Yes, I need to improve on my knife skills and after this whole year, I aim to do so. I am currently using a 26cm Global chef knife and although it is light enough for constant cutting, you have to sharpen it more regularly than you would using a Shun knife.
I love big knives and I am always trying to upgrade in size. However, I found out that shops cannot bring in any knife longer than 30 cm because it would be considered a weapon in the Australian Custom’s perspective.
Every chef supplies his/her own set of knives which makes sense because a good knife can cost about AUD$300, and because you spent so much money on it, you wouldn’t abuse your own knife. You would not simply throw it in the sink because it could damage the knife’s point and you’d make an effort to sharpen it regularly.
When the knife point is damaged, you can send it back to the manufacturer to get it re-tipped at a fraction of its cost.
The biggest sin for any chef is not to sharpen his/her knife regularly. You are inevitably punished for your laziness – blunt knives can’t cut as well and when you accidentally cut yourself (which you will in a commercial kitchen), the cut isn’t as clean when it happens with a razor sharp knife.
If you cut your hand, you have to wear gloves the entire day (until the wound heals) for hygiene reasons.
In the commercial kitchen, I realise that I have a 20-yr-old bad habit of incorrectly holding my food when I chop. My fingers are stretched out and not neatly tucked away. Yes, I need to improve on my knife skills and after this whole year, I aim to do so. I am currently using a 26cm Global chef knife and although it is light enough for constant cutting, you have to sharpen it more regularly than you would using a Shun knife.
I love big knives and I am always trying to upgrade in size. However, I found out that shops cannot bring in any knife longer than 30 cm because it would be considered a weapon in the Australian Custom’s perspective.
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Balls of steel or plain stupidity?
I got the gig in the restaurant! There’s a catch though – half the week I work in the breakfast kitchen and serve patrons and the other half of the week I get to cook in the kitchen. This is probably an ideal situation to see both sides of the restaurant and still get paid better than the average cook in the kitchen. Again, I intend to learn as much as I can for at least the year.
Apparently there are multiple Grade levels of staff salary. The poor kitchen hand gets the shortest stick while the king of the echelon is the executive chef who gets paid between 60-80K, but it could go to 100K if you run a restaurant with 150 staff members in a hotel. It is quite a rude shock when you switch from a monthly remuneration to getting paid by the hour. No wonder so few corporates move across to the restaurant industry unless they own their restaurants! I keep telling myself that I am doing it for the love of cooking.
January appears to be the worst month for business and it usually picks up in February. I shall find out more about this when I get the chance. Perhaps it is because most people are overseas on holiday. I remember talking to the owner at Orso Bayside Restaurant who told me that June & July were quiet months in the more affluent areas because their customers were away skiing during winter.
Tomorrow I shall clear out my closet and pack away my business suits since I will not be using them for the time being. I am so scared taking this leap of faith. I am worried that I may have wasted an entire year and will be obsolete in the corporate world should I go back to it. But then again, when I think back about the quality of some of the corporate newbies in my old company, I think ANYONE can enter the corporate world.
Apparently there are multiple Grade levels of staff salary. The poor kitchen hand gets the shortest stick while the king of the echelon is the executive chef who gets paid between 60-80K, but it could go to 100K if you run a restaurant with 150 staff members in a hotel. It is quite a rude shock when you switch from a monthly remuneration to getting paid by the hour. No wonder so few corporates move across to the restaurant industry unless they own their restaurants! I keep telling myself that I am doing it for the love of cooking.
January appears to be the worst month for business and it usually picks up in February. I shall find out more about this when I get the chance. Perhaps it is because most people are overseas on holiday. I remember talking to the owner at Orso Bayside Restaurant who told me that June & July were quiet months in the more affluent areas because their customers were away skiing during winter.
Tomorrow I shall clear out my closet and pack away my business suits since I will not be using them for the time being. I am so scared taking this leap of faith. I am worried that I may have wasted an entire year and will be obsolete in the corporate world should I go back to it. But then again, when I think back about the quality of some of the corporate newbies in my old company, I think ANYONE can enter the corporate world.
Monday, January 21, 2008
The Harsh Reality of the Business
A very cynical female chef told me that you don’t get into the restaurant business for money but at the same time, it is a very cut-throat business. She also said that every well-run restaurant aims to achieve a profit of 10%, which isn’t as much as we all think it would be.
She also said that the breakdown of the costs of running a restaurant is as follows: 30% food, 40% labour and 30% other running costs (which includes rental). And the main factor in the kitchen is to minimise food wastage. I’ve seen so much wastage in commercial kitchens. Chefs make too much salad and throw half of it away, rather than giving the extra salad to the customer. A whole container of Avruga Caviar (worth at least AUD$110) thrown out because it was left exposed for a few hours. Food is sent back to the kitchen because the order was not taken properly.
And for those spending years in technical colleges or Cordon Bleu, no one takes these apprentices seriously and only hire them for one reason: cheap (below minimum wage cheap) labour. Again, it goes to show that qualifications mean nothing!
Oh and FYI: chefs are lucky if they get 10% of the tips given to the wait staff which they have to split with the rest of the kitchen. So the next time you think that you are generous leaving $5 as a tip, fifty cents is shared among a number of chefs which means each poor sod gets about ten cents.
Perhaps this explains why there is so much unprofessional behaviour among chefs. They walk out of the kitchen without notice because they are not financially compensated for the long hard hours plus they are abused on a daily basis. However on the bright side, because of the extremely high turnover, the die-hards are most likely to climb the ranks faster.
She also said that the breakdown of the costs of running a restaurant is as follows: 30% food, 40% labour and 30% other running costs (which includes rental). And the main factor in the kitchen is to minimise food wastage. I’ve seen so much wastage in commercial kitchens. Chefs make too much salad and throw half of it away, rather than giving the extra salad to the customer. A whole container of Avruga Caviar (worth at least AUD$110) thrown out because it was left exposed for a few hours. Food is sent back to the kitchen because the order was not taken properly.
And for those spending years in technical colleges or Cordon Bleu, no one takes these apprentices seriously and only hire them for one reason: cheap (below minimum wage cheap) labour. Again, it goes to show that qualifications mean nothing!
Oh and FYI: chefs are lucky if they get 10% of the tips given to the wait staff which they have to split with the rest of the kitchen. So the next time you think that you are generous leaving $5 as a tip, fifty cents is shared among a number of chefs which means each poor sod gets about ten cents.
Perhaps this explains why there is so much unprofessional behaviour among chefs. They walk out of the kitchen without notice because they are not financially compensated for the long hard hours plus they are abused on a daily basis. However on the bright side, because of the extremely high turnover, the die-hards are most likely to climb the ranks faster.
No news from the restaurant yet and it is driving me crazy. But I try to tell myself that one thing that I have to master is patience. Oh, this is so cliché but I really do think that I have to. I think that we are so used to seeing what is behind the other side of the door (i.e. business plans, forecasts and set career paths) that we almost expect immediate results. But sometimes we aren’t meant to see what is installed for us in the future for the sole purpose of finding and maintaining faith in a higher power. Allowing something else to take control of our lives. I believe that although we are all connected to a bigger picture, there are elements in life that we cannot control and to reconnect with ourselves, we have to accept that loss of control.
The book “Do You!” by Russell Simmons talks about how every one of us has a purpose in life (i.e. dharma) and by listening to our higher selves, will we be able to realise what our dharma is. When we accept that God has given us a role in life, fulfilling that role isn’t so hard after all, no matter how ridiculous or ambitious it sounds. So I am not going to worry about whether or not I get the gig because either it is part of my journey or it isn’t but there is a purpose for everything.
The book “Do You!” by Russell Simmons talks about how every one of us has a purpose in life (i.e. dharma) and by listening to our higher selves, will we be able to realise what our dharma is. When we accept that God has given us a role in life, fulfilling that role isn’t so hard after all, no matter how ridiculous or ambitious it sounds. So I am not going to worry about whether or not I get the gig because either it is part of my journey or it isn’t but there is a purpose for everything.
Sunday, January 20, 2008
Day One in a restaurant
Today I learned how to cut vegetables for 2 hours. The words ‘julienne’ and ‘brunoise’ do not sound so intimidating to me now. I hope that one day I can do these things blindfolded without slicing my own flesh.
Julienne: Trim the vegetable into the desired length. Using a mandoline, slice the vegetable into thin sheets. Overlap the sheets to form a line of the vegetable. Finely slice the sheets to form a julienne.
Brunoise: Small dice of approximately 1/16 inch.
Another thing that I noticed in the coldroom was that everything cut and stored for the week’s use were stored in clear plastic takeaway containers and labelled with dates.
Carrots which are cut are fully submerged in cold water while beans are kept dry because moisture speeds up the decomposition process.
All these strange stoves – the grill breathed fire from above, the normal 6 burner stove, some strange hot cupboard that appeared to function as an oven, another flat top stove which I noticed was used for simmering risotto & gently heated water for poached eggs, a huge fryer and another machine which looked liked a deepfryer but filled with hot water as well. What happened to just cooking with a stovetop and oven?
Also, all the meats and bags of coffee were kept under lock and key. This I can understand, after reading in the papers that top-end butchers were actually being robbed for their prime cuts... at least they can rule out the skinny vegetarians.
Julienne: Trim the vegetable into the desired length. Using a mandoline, slice the vegetable into thin sheets. Overlap the sheets to form a line of the vegetable. Finely slice the sheets to form a julienne.
Brunoise: Small dice of approximately 1/16 inch.
Another thing that I noticed in the coldroom was that everything cut and stored for the week’s use were stored in clear plastic takeaway containers and labelled with dates.
Carrots which are cut are fully submerged in cold water while beans are kept dry because moisture speeds up the decomposition process.
All these strange stoves – the grill breathed fire from above, the normal 6 burner stove, some strange hot cupboard that appeared to function as an oven, another flat top stove which I noticed was used for simmering risotto & gently heated water for poached eggs, a huge fryer and another machine which looked liked a deepfryer but filled with hot water as well. What happened to just cooking with a stovetop and oven?
Also, all the meats and bags of coffee were kept under lock and key. This I can understand, after reading in the papers that top-end butchers were actually being robbed for their prime cuts... at least they can rule out the skinny vegetarians.
Friday, January 18, 2008
A new year, a new vocation
“I put you through overseas education for 12 years so that you can earn three dollars an hour…. BEFORE TAX?” were the words that came out of my poor mother’s mouth when I told her that I wanted to become a chef.
Yes, I knew these would be the exact words that my mother would say years before. But like every obedient Asian kid, I studied hard in school and came out of university with three degrees in Biotechnology, Biochemistry and Marketing with an Honours thesis in stem cell research, not to mention an ASEAN Scholarship under my belt. All to prove my insecure point that I had at least an ounce of functional grey matter and for my parents to have something to brag about amongst their family and friends.
But after all these years of turmoil behind the books, I learnt one valuable thing from this expensive exercise – all the qualifications and letters behind your name are worth nothing, except to open that first door to your very first job.
Then you learn something even more valuable in your first job – any monkey (even those without qualifications) can do what you are doing.
With my sister Lesley preaching to me ala Oprah about fulfilling your dreams and all these inspirational books about doing something that you are born to do, I went off on an eating holiday for a few months in Europe and came to the conclusion that I was born to do something with my passion for food. I am now opening my eyes to the fact that I had always wanted to own my own restaurant but never had the guts to do it. Also, although I have been cooking since I was four, I know that I need some commercial experience.
So this is what my blog is about – to mark my journey from my home kitchen, to opening a restaurant within the next 5 years. I welcome you to experience all my queries (and if you are a restaurateur, then by all means, please answer my queries online too!), naïve experiences, turmoil both in the commercial kitchen and at home but above all, my passion for food. Perhaps it will turn to custard halfway but at least I will give it a try. I am starting to grow my own set of testicles.
For the next year, I plan to learn at least 3 things a day in the kitchen both to improve my culinary skills and also to learn the business facet of running a restaurant. Enjoy the ride.
Yes, I knew these would be the exact words that my mother would say years before. But like every obedient Asian kid, I studied hard in school and came out of university with three degrees in Biotechnology, Biochemistry and Marketing with an Honours thesis in stem cell research, not to mention an ASEAN Scholarship under my belt. All to prove my insecure point that I had at least an ounce of functional grey matter and for my parents to have something to brag about amongst their family and friends.
But after all these years of turmoil behind the books, I learnt one valuable thing from this expensive exercise – all the qualifications and letters behind your name are worth nothing, except to open that first door to your very first job.
Then you learn something even more valuable in your first job – any monkey (even those without qualifications) can do what you are doing.
With my sister Lesley preaching to me ala Oprah about fulfilling your dreams and all these inspirational books about doing something that you are born to do, I went off on an eating holiday for a few months in Europe and came to the conclusion that I was born to do something with my passion for food. I am now opening my eyes to the fact that I had always wanted to own my own restaurant but never had the guts to do it. Also, although I have been cooking since I was four, I know that I need some commercial experience.
So this is what my blog is about – to mark my journey from my home kitchen, to opening a restaurant within the next 5 years. I welcome you to experience all my queries (and if you are a restaurateur, then by all means, please answer my queries online too!), naïve experiences, turmoil both in the commercial kitchen and at home but above all, my passion for food. Perhaps it will turn to custard halfway but at least I will give it a try. I am starting to grow my own set of testicles.
For the next year, I plan to learn at least 3 things a day in the kitchen both to improve my culinary skills and also to learn the business facet of running a restaurant. Enjoy the ride.
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