The Cook's Dilemma
I’m sure we’ve all heard the advice not to go food shopping when you are hungry. When you do shop hungry you end up buying all sorts of stuff that you want to eat right now. Conversely, when shopping after eating you end up buying more items such as cleaning products and things like tooth paste and personal products.
I’m sure you’ve noticed the difference in your cooking abilities when you are hungry or not, which is cooking way too much or just putting out chips and salsa.
My question here is, how do chiefs and cooks do their jobs? Can one do an entire shift and be hungry the entire time, or have they developed the skill to plod on like a machine even after having a meal? If they sample their food for quality all day as they cook, they can be full after an hour on a shift. How do they keep up with the balance of the workload?
Is there any one in the industry out there who would care to comment? How do you do it?
posted by The Guy Who Writes This at 5:18 AM
5 Comments:
I worked in a retirement facility kitchen for five years to put myself through college. So far, that has been my best job (because old people are amazing and I was smart enough to realize that). I didn't do much cooking, but I was constantly around food. I was usually hungry, and even though I was the official dessert tester, I rarely filled up during my shift.
I guess I got so used to looking at food that I didn't want to deal with food anymore. Now, I love to cook! But I hate doing the dishes.
When a chef tastes something it's usually 1/2 tspn sized bite. Between the small samples and the sheer amount of energy it takes to work in a busy kitchen they don't get full. How often have you seen a truly fat chef?
Kitchens are hot and cooks are moving at a good clip generally from the moment they tie on their apron until they make it out the door. It's like running a marathon every night while juggling knives and hot pans. They need to eat to keep it up!
Though I am no chef and not even much of a cook, I can tell you that on special occasions when I do cook something really special and time consuming to prepare, after doing all of that, and smelling it cooking, I absolutely am not hungry for it by the time it comes to the table.
Interesting connundrum. Perhaps when it's a job, you have a different mindset. I find when I bake it's a totally different experience than when I cook dinner, aka, when I'm hungry.
Thanks for all your insights on the matter. I just couldn't think of smelling garlic all day and not wanting to jump into a vat of it.
Now baking...somehow I can do that even when I am full.
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