What Should I Carry in My Knife Bag?

So you're starting out as a Cook, and you haven't taken enough courses at Cash Cow Culinary Academy to be "given" a knife kit. Or maybe you're a Line Cook trying to go deeper into the craft. You need a better knife, and they aren't cheap. So, what knives will help you the most and make a big difference at work?

The Mystery Set. . . except that one in the middle.

Well, let's explore what it is you'll be doing at your job, shall we?

Cooking Hacks: Rapid Cooler Defrost

One of the most fun aspects of being a chef: it's a Decathalon.

Cook. Manage. Create. Repair. Solve. Improve. Train (retrain!) Pay. Receive. Organize.

In order to succeed, you need to at least be able to cross the finish line in every one of these categories (whether or not you are the Best at them all.)

This post deals with the category of experience: Solving Problems You Are Not Trained To Solve at times when solving them is essential. Picture this: Restaurant chef stripping off white uniform coat with blue piping on the cuffs to shimmy into a dark, dusty corner and wrench a piece of broken equipment back to life until service is over. That's what we call "Living the Dream." (Culinary students take heed!)

A Big Slab of Trouble

It's Saturday evening, and I'm checking over the many coolers and freezers before checking out for a day of rest.