professional kitchen

[wizcat3]

Question: For those of you who work in the professional kitchen as the Pastry Chef,what seems to be your biggest beef about: menu, help, space? This doesnt have to be a rant session, but, it would be interesting to see how other PC's work in their kitchen and what their problems are. Any other pastry personel certainly add to this thread.

[KAYLINDA]

I only have one beef and it's not warranted in my situation. I hate interruptions! Ever counted out 12 cups of flour and can't remember where you are when someone starts talking to you? I have to be prepared for this though as in our kitchen it's just my husband and I and I'm always being interrupted for menu orders...or questions from the help.

[Headless Chicken]

I havn't worked in many but I've scene many and I see 1 thing in common, they lack space. Its hard to move around someone with like only a 5cm clearing or try to sift your flour with cakes sitting next to you getting ready to be masked. Granted that example sounds like bad misen plas but you get the point.

[girasole]

Professional recipes most often use weights, not measures - try converting your recipes and you won't lose your place so easily. It's also much more accurate. Take heart, if you didn't get interruptions, you'd be out of business.

Small spaces are a challenge, but try working in a cavernous kitchen and see what happens to focus and productivity. Give me a well organized small kitchen any day.

My biggest problem has been finding help with an equal measure of passion and useful experience - just the way it goes in any industry.

[wizcat3]

Or, the chef comes to you to make pasta, corn bread, shave choc, or anthing like that, to be ready for service at 5. And its 1:00 pm, its not like you had anything to do that afternoon. Ya gotta love it! Right?

[LotusCakeStudio]

My beef was getting stuck in the dark dungeon basement kitchens while the hot side had windows and fresh air!

[smiley]

I have been a pastry chef in kitchens across europe and canada and on cruise lines for several years and the ever emerging pattern I see is that they design the kitchen first then say lets put the dishwasher there... oooh ya the baking section (you don't do pastries until a chef sees how much he can save by having a pastry chef).... how about in that closet over there.... no... lets make that the chef's office. lets put the baking section down the hall as far away from the ovens and coolers as possible ..

[ChameleonChef]

how about a manager that takes a reservation and a request for a cake and then forgets to submit the notification of a special ( aka not on our menu) cake needed until the guests have arrived and are seated?!!? thank goodness for long romanitic evenings... chocolate layer cake for 12: baked, split, tossed in freezer, butter cream and ganache made, removed from freezer, assembled and decorated in just over and hour....

ever since then I check the rez. book morning and night for the upcoming week.

"Never again"