I love the way black jackets look on chefs. Here at school we are not aloud to wear them unless we have a level 200 class. I guarantee when I step into a 200 class I will be wearing the full black. What do you wear chef whites or black? Or is their so many stains on it that it just doesn't matter?
Once you get a real job in a real kitchen and stand in front of a broiler or a 12-eye range for 8 hrs a day, you won't be thinking that black is such a hot colour for clothing in kitchens.
'Course, once you fork out 40 or 50 bucks each for a jacket, you'd like them to stay nice. Black fades, especially after washing--multiple times, white never fades. And you'll only try it once to bleach a stained black chef's jacket, I can guarantee you that.
The hobby cooks and wannbees can have all the black jackets, chilli pepper patterned ones, the single breasted ones, snap-button ones, "anorak" style ones, and all the other weird-azz "improvements" designers have made.
They're just not practical in a professional kitchen.....
Once you get a real job in a real kitchen and stand in front of a broiler or a 12-eye range for 8 hrs a day, you won't be thinking that black is such a hot colour for clothing in kitchens.
'Course, once you fork out 40 or 50 bucks each for a jacket, you'd like them to stay nice. Black fades, especially after washing--multiple times, white never fades. And you'll only try it once to bleach a stained black chef's jacket, I can guarantee you that.
The hobby cooks and wannbees can have all the black jackets, chilli pepper patterned ones, the single breasted ones, snap-button ones, "anorak" style ones, and all the other weird-azz "improvements" designers have made.
They're just not practical in a professional kitchen.....
Thanks for the reality check! If you haven't picked up I am just in school ...a tech school at that but we learn a lot their. I will keep that in mind thanks! I think im just into the black jacket because of the status symbol it has at our school.
I have all different kinds. I know chef's that are worth their weight that wear pepper pants and stuff like that but i agree its not for everybody. I have white short sleeve, black long, red and blue medium sleeve jackets. A white chalk stripe bib apron always goes over that. Everyone is different.
I prefer black, only flour and powdered sugar show on them. I disagree that black is impractical in a professional kitchen, if I can go between the dining room and kitchen without needing to change it saves me time.
Wear a black coat in my kitchen, must wear black top. I spent a lot of time finding the right one. I am a profuse sweater and needed the one most likely to help reduce heat retention.
Found one with a heat-release mesh on back/shoulder area. Helps a great deal.
Found a hat with the same mesh on top, as well. Also great help.
I think you should wear whatever makes you happy. That is of course if it goes along with whatever is in the kitchen, or what the boss says he/she wants. Mostly I wear whatever coat is on top of the clean pile. I've got white, black, red and green. I've got one(1) boss that likes everyone in black, that's why I've got a black coat. A coupla my white coats are 10+ years old. They've got a very nice "stain patina". My red and green coats separate my visually from the students in the classes I teach. One(1) thing that sucks about my black coat is that it doesn't have a breast pocket. That brand just doesn't have pockets on black coats. I think that is kinda stupid.
$40-$50 per coat?!? WOW. I wish I could afford that. Mine are all $19-$23, depending if they're on sale at the time. I forget who it is right now, but some company has sent me a whole bunch of "SALE" emails. "Happy Chef" I think maybe. You might wanna check out some better prices.
No one that actually does any work in a kitchen wants a white coat. Unless there's a laundry service. I have a dozen black coats and a smattering of other colors. But I only ever wear the black ones.
Hahaha! No offense meant. I just mean I can't fathom how anyone that works for a living and wears a white one can ever get it clean. Maybe I'm just a pig./img/vbsmilies/smilies/biggrin.gif I'll readily admit I'm pretty crappy at laundry; I deliberately own civilian clothes that can be washed together. Since I don't toss pies or do a lot baking a black one looks clean longer and stains don't show up. To me whites are for clipboard chefs. Or ones with some mad laundry game./img/vbsmilies/smilies/lol.gif
Hahaha. They have coloured chefs jackets that are available now, ie. red, green, blue, yellow, with matching pant and apron: have seen open kitchens with "rainbow brigades". Pretty funny.
I like the black ones just because they tend not to show stains and if you work relatively clean and use detergent specially made for black dyed clothing and wash your jackets without any other clothing they usually don't begin to fade for a good 6-8 months... I find anyway. They do get quite hot. I like the ventilated ones but that's about it. Ventilated pillbox is nice too.
I dunno, I don't find a black coat to be any hotter than a white one. Are you guys and gals cooking while standing out in the sun?/img/vbsmilies/smilies/lol.gif
I dunno, I don't find a black coat to be any hotter than a white one. Are you guys and gals cooking while standing out in the sun?/img/vbsmilies/smilies/lol.gif
Yeah, I get the physics of it. Infrared will be absorbed by a darker color not but not heat per se. I haven't noticed any difference in real terms. Then again, I'm always sweating like a pig no matter what color I'm wearing.
Yeah, I get the physics of it. Infrared will be absorbed by a darker color not but not heat per se. I haven't noticed any difference in real terms. Then again, I'm always sweating like a pig no matter what color I'm wearing.
Good for you./img/vbsmilies/smilies/lol.gif If you notice a diff and have an option, wear white. I don't notice a diff but I can't wear white at my current gig anyways. I took a Sous job and when that one starts I'll be able to wear whatever, but I will stick with my blacks since I have a ton of them. And my (very warm) blue denim ones for showing off.
At any rate, infrared radiation is light at a wavelength too low for human eyes to see. Heat is an energy level. I suppose many hot things emit infrared but sub-red radiation isn't identical to heat. For instance, infrared can move through a vacuum (eg outer space) but heat cannot. That's why a thermos can keep hot coffee hot- it has a vacuum liner.
Whoops, I meant thermal radiation. Blame it on the IPA. Not trying to get into an internet argument! Have no idea how you would ever wear denim, I'd be swimming.
This is definitely very subjective to one's personality and taste from what was once required but personally, I love the white coat especially the dress one. I would keep a couple clean and starched for the Dining room and actually had or now have several varieties in the closet; black piping, black collars and cuffs and solid white all with a variety of buttons or studs from pearl to cloth. There are only a couple that the remnants of a catastrophic spill or splatter haven't left a mark. They looked clean when I packed them away 12 years ago but time brought out the dinginess but we're working on how to remove that.
Anyhow, in school back in the dark ages (can't believe it's been almost 35 years), we could only wear white; pants, coat, undershirt (if you chose), neckerchief, apron, tall toque (first year was short) and socks with black polish-able shoes. This was only in the kitchen-classroom but I do remember lining up for inspection when we had kitchen class to make certain we had no stains or soil and everything was cleanly pressed. A note about the apron, I remeber it being longer and heavier than those we had in the work kitchens. Actually helped to keep the pants clean too but it had no bib. I know hounds-tooth was available since that's older than snot but we didn't wear it. Plus there was nothing even closely resembling Chefwear and Happy Chef since they were a few years from being thought of.
Nicko that was a great link!
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