Home cook vs professional

[eshua]

Don't care to comment on commitment or focus.

Only can say... on a cook's salary...I couldn't do 10% of what I do at work at home.

 

[Geo87]

a pro buys all their own knives?

i know my stepdad got each of his chefs their knives..he said that way they dont steal his.

it is just knives? the rest of the tools the restaurant owns, right?

please show us home guys a peek of the "inner circle" please! dont high end knives get stolen? i would use a forschener knife in a public kitchen..hahaha.

It depends what country your in. Her in Australia it's mandatory as an apprentice chef to purchase certain tools before you go to trade school ( mainly knives , utensils etc)
Not one chef (please note all qualified professionals are called chefs here) I have ever met has not had there own knives.
There are almost no "house knives " here although sometimes a few.
I understand that it's different in the u.s , a lot of line cooks use house knives, and most places especially hotels supply house knives. Any decent cook will have his own knives... House knives are terrible abused lifeless things.
Knives and gear gets stolen all the time if you let it happen. Kitchens can be ruthless. So you have to be ruthless. Luckily where I am now I have a locker with padlock for all my gear, my knives in a case which I also lock, everyday.
. I have almost $2000 worth of gear at work so I don't take any chances. Kit at work ranges from knives, stones ,strop, steel, thermometers , garnish tools, measuring tools, tweezers, fish descaler... Etc etc. the list goes on.
I will post a pic of some of it when I figure out how .

Echerub: knive blue balls... That is brilliant

Bahamaroot: that is exactly the kind of post I was looking for. Good to see some humor! I could barely contain myself

Lucretia: that would be Awsome , perhaps I'm doing something wrong all I get for tokens if adoration is... Physical affection. Would much prefer knives

 

[Keith Sinclair]

Not in Hawaii I worked at Nick's Fishmarket before going to Sheraton Waikiki first big Hotel job.In all the places I never saw house knives,everyone had their own.Even beginning culinary students must buy knives.

 

[panda]

only got into knives as i wanted to learn if better tools would make my work easier. if it wasn't for pro use, i'd be just fine at home with a ceramic knife and a pull through sharpener to be honest.

 

[apicius9]

As the saying goes: "Professionals have everything they need, hobbyists have everything." I am a hobbyist and while there are clearly others here who are even crazier than I am, I have more knives than any reasonable single person needs. At the same time, I cook much less frequently than I used to years ago. Part of it is convenience (out here it's often cheaper to go to a small Asian hole-in-the-wall place than buying ingredients for cooking), part of it is a smaller and less appreciative circle of friends, and part of it is just plain laziness. So, not only do I have knives that hardly ever get used at all, I even have problems to keep some of them from just rusting in the humid climate out here. i know there are 6 or 8 in boxes somewhere that I haven't take out in a while. I'm not proud.... For me the joy is in having choices, and knowing that if I ever get to prepare fugu (fat chance) I have a knife for it. Sometimes I think it would make much more sense to have 8 or 10 really good knives than 40 midlevel ones, at least they would get used more regularly, but I have separation anxiety and a hard time letting them go. What if I do want to make fugu next week? You would not want me to cut it with a yanagi, right?

Anyway, I often notice that playing more in the kitchen is an indicator that I am in a good mood. Maybe I should play in the kitchen more to improve my mood. I was trying to get a few people to come together and cook occasionally, but this is so difficult in the US: In a group of 6 you will find 5 with different or opposite food allergies, all kinds of 'intolerances', 1-2 vegans, people who don't eat red meat/chicken/fish etc. Drives me nuts.

But I could never imagine doing this as a pro, you people are all crazy I am not shying away from hard work, but I often wonder how the pros handle the stress, pressure, low pay for many, crazy work times etc.

Not even sure I addressed the question, but that's what was going through my foggy brain.

Stefan

 

[Vangelis]

Being a home cook I don't get to use my knives as much as I would like but I have more time than the pros to lay them out and masturbate while looking at them.:saythat:

The definition of knife-porn !!!

 

[Geo87]

In a group of 6 you will find 5 with different or opposite food allergies, all kinds of 'intolerances', 1-2 vegans, people who don't eat red meat/chicken/fish etc. Drives me nuts.

But I could never imagine doing this as a pro, you people are all crazy I am not shying away from hard work, but I often wonder how the pros handle the stress, pressure, low pay for many, crazy work times etc.

I don't mind dietary requirements. Most people are very thankfull that you take the time to do something special, the worst type is a person who has an "allergy" say... Wheat intolerance, at a function ... A wedding . you make them something nice
Something special , and they eat the lemon curd tart instead... So many allergys disappear at the sight of good sweets.
As for the hours / stress etc. like any job you get used to it. Most of us enjoy the fast pased action packed rush of a busy service . I couldn't imagine sitting down all day staring at a computer ...

 

[Keith Sinclair]

I hear you Geo,it is true many thrive on the fast pace action I know I did.Some people come in & don't last at all it's just not for them.It is like Teachers go to collage get their teaching degree,get thrown in public middle school with kids with attitude certain % wash out the first year.Other's adapt & become good teachers.