[kuan]

Originally Posted by jpdchef

cowboy up--it gets hot. Deal with it

Why? With modern technology why put up with it? We're just like everybody else. If mechanics don't tolerate unsafe working conditions why should we? We're supposed to try and make things better for ourselves, not suck it up and watch our friends die of heatstroke and heart attacks.

Kuan

[chefalexander]

You tell 'em Kuan! Yo-jpdchef, I have been dealing with it for over 25 years.
I'm just venting amoung my peers, and am always looking for new ideas. That is how we grow as individuals.
A mind that is unwilling to learn is stagnate.

[Ursushorribilus]

One would think that installing air conditioning in a kitchen would make it comfortable enough and improve the productivity enough to justify the expense.

[chefjason]

The owners of the kitchen I work in talked about putting in air conditioning a couple of years ago. Still waiting and sweating. I have tryed the mira cool bandanas but I find them to be a pain after they loose their cool. You are walking around with a warm damp bandana around your neck. Not very comfortable. I've resorted to shaving my head in summer months. I've done it for the past couple of years and it helps alot. My hair is normally very full and thick. The owners did spring for a velcro screen for the door to the loading dock but it is not very effective to keeping out insects and having the door open just lets in more heat and humididty. Some of my employees didn't believe me until one day in the middle of August I said fine leave the door open but make sure the screen is sealed tight. There was no breeze at all that day and with in 45 min. they notcied that the kitchen increased in tempature by what seemed like 20 degrees and were begging me to close the door.

If you want my advice bald is the way to go. If your head is cool the rest of your body stays cool.

[chefalexander]

I too have thought about the 'shaved' look for the summer. Alas, in a nut shell, it ain't gonna happen. With little exception(Montel Williams & Avery Brooks), the wife HATES the bald look. So, the choice is be cool at work, or happy at home. I choose the latter. She says she might reconcider if I lose some weight first. Bald and Chunky don't go well together. Thanks for the idea--maybe next year....

[chefjason]

I know what you mean about dropping a little weight first. When I first shaved it I was going for the Vin Disel (spelling ?) look but I looked more like Drew Carey. I've Dropped about 20 pounds and gained some muscle tone so I'm closer to where I want to be. I still need to drop another 15# and need alot more muscle.

[CampChef]

I have worked in many seriously hot kitchens, the last two with no AC and marginal hoods. My solution is the cool jel neck wrap, lime juice in the water, and bulk up all winter to sweat it all off in the summer! Just another reason to eat more chocolate and drink more beer!

[Chefmeow]

There is "cowboy up"- and there is plain inhumane treatment. My husband, who is also a corporate chef, was told by his GM that in order to cut costs, they recommended cutting off the air conditioning systems in their accounts. (Oh, excuse me- the kitchens only, not the sales or GM's office) Well, they did that. We live in the midwest and are in the middle of a heat wave. 105 + extreme humidity (that's outside.....), an exhaust system that does not work that well, they have TONS of large equipment that is constantly in use. When he comes home, I can feel the heat radiating off of him three feet away. Call me a baby (or "Cheffie Wah- Wah" as I have been called before but when you work for a place that makes hundreds of thousands of dollars hand over fist every month, pure profit, a place that huge, you **** straight better have some kind of cooling sytem. My air has gone out once in a while in my kitchen (Boeing Co./Wichita) : picture this: aforementioned weather conditions, 7 steam kettles that fit 2- 300# of food, 25+ convection ovens, 6 steamers, two flat tops, one huge charbroiler with not so great exhaust, etc, etc, about 10,000 entrees being prepared... Not pretty, huh? Boeing maintainence department is pretty great, though.

Needless to say , my husband is looking for another job.

[Rivitman]

I can and have handled seriously high temps, but last saturday night I nearly went down after 92 covers in about 4 hours.
I mean I was really hurting, and borderline incoherant, no matter how much fluid I pushed.
I have no relief cook.
I'm the man, I go down, the retaurant closes.
It was about 85 outside and 110 on my station.
This weekend, it forecast fo 95 plus outside. You do the math.
No comprehensive solution is planned.
My personal predicament must be handled by me alone.
I can cowboy up all I want.
This time the bull may toss me, and stomp the **** out of me.

[kuan]

That's bogus. You can die from heat exhaustion. I've seen people go to hospital where they had to stick and IV in them to replace their fluids. I get so mad when I hear that cooks have to work in poor conditions.

[chefalexander]

Wearing a short sleeve cotton shirt and shorts will dramatically help reduce your body stress in the high heat. If you must ride the bull, ride him wizely, and BE CAREFUL. Take a break in the walk-in if you must. Better a 10- minute slowdown in service, then being down all night.

[Rivitman]

I found a personal solution, and it's working very well.
I went to target, and bought six pairs of tube socks.

Rubbermaid, in it's "Blue Ice" product line makes what they call "Ice Blankets".
They are mini gell ice packs that come in a sheet of thirty six.

Blue ice blankets




I took the sheets, and cut them into ribbons, and put a ribbon in each sock, securing them with a rubber band at the top so they wouldn't slide to the toe of the sock.

The I sewed each pair together at the top, leaving enough opening to pull the ribbons of mini ice packs to launder the socks.

I wear these around my neck, the ice drapes over the coroted artery on either side of my neck, and over my upper chest.

Each one lasts about 45- 90 minutes. I keep them in the freezer and change them when they stop cooling.

I was skeptical of my home made devices at first, but they turned out to be working better than I had possibly hoped.
They work VERY well, keeping me alert and cool (er) through service.

Total cost for six? Around eighteen bucks for all the components.

[chefalexander]

I have done something similar with a liquid filled ice blanket made by Cryopak. Cut into strips, I roll them into my chef scarfs, fixed w/ rubber bands at the ends of the strips--lasts 30-60 minutes depending on the day. I keep at least a dozen in the freezer--in scarf form the can also be used as a head band, so I often use 2 at a time (scarf & head band). Price is similar and no sewing involved, but the Gel filled blanket sounds like an interesting twist that I shall try out in the scarfs. Thanks.

[Mikeb]

Shaved head is definitely the way to go - you keep cool and the waitresses seem to dig it too . On breaks we hang out in the walk-in cooler eating iced cream bars (an entire shipment partially melted so they can't be sold). We have fans on line and in the prep areas, we keep all the doors open, and it's still very hot... Air conditioning would be nice.

[Suzanne]

It takes a REAL woman to look good with a shaved head.