How do you guys do it?

[matthew78]

been in the kitchen for 21 years now and although theres days you just dont want to face the day and just want to hide under the bed covers,once im in and working i forget it all and remember i kind of love my job .in a a sadistic kind of way we all love the long hours and stress of service ..dont think theres much that can compare to that feeling when service is in full swing and the adrenaline is pumping ..i think it difficult for most to really understand what its like. a very understanding partner helps too

 

[ecchef]

I think that's it in a nutshell Matthew.

 

[matthew78]

amazing just how quick your body falls out of the cycle though..iv just come back from a weeks holiday and done 65hrs in the 5 days since back .and must say the first 3 days back were complete hell ..

 

[spoiledbroth]

Cooking is my passion. I've worked a few lines and an odd bakery job but I work FoH, managing currently. I save the cooking for home and it really lets me keep the passion in the kitchen. Making/exploring what I want to make when I want to make it. Hours aren't better but the pay is with salary and bar tending a few nights. I'm 25 and look at what my time is worth and unfortunetely take the pay over passion. One interesting gig I just did was cater for the movies. 17-20 hr days feeding 150-250 (some movies it goes to 350+) people twice a day at sometimes two different locations each day. It was re shoots so I was told its not always that crazy moving locations. Pay was there, 19/hr for the first 8 hours and time and a half after that, the lead (chef) got double that.Food isn't that great but when all you have is a food truck and 2 moving trucks with 3 or 4 hours of prep inbetween each meal you cut some corners. There were 4 or 5 of us on the crew depending on the day and 2 of the guys had been going for a month straight. The job gave me a clear line between tired and exhausted and I'll take tired any day hehe. Ill stick to my 50-70 hr weeks, 100+ hour weeks you really can not have any kind of life. The chef who called me with the job is a friend of mine and we worked together for about 3 years so we talk as friends. He's told me he's burnt out and a sell out. He's a good cook and doing some of the things he has to do to put out a 20 chafer buffet and cold line isn't what he likes but has to be done to make it happen. Not sure how they do it, gluttons for pain I guess. My gluttony does not go that far hehe.

In my opinion this is bollocks. I don't like cooking in a home kitchen on residential grade equipment. I like restaurant cooking. It's nothing like cooking at home. I've never seen a photo of a restaurant quality dish produced in a home kitchen. Keep in mind, I'm talking "fine dining"... Who makes a sauce and reduces it au sec and then pours it into a squeeze bottle so they can scrape the plate with it? Why would you ever hot-hold hollandaise at home? Who cooks 70 steaks of varying doneness and coordinates with their significant other who produces the fish dishes to serve 120 guests at a home dinner party? Apples and oranges. I think there are people who are actually in love with what you seem to think is slavery... I think some of the stuff that goes on in the world of Michelin you might consider to be a crime against humanity as a whole. :laugh: Imagine if you were a stagiaire! Or a student. :scared4: Just jokes, friend.

 

[Mucho Bocho]

In my opinion this is bollocks. I don't like cooking in a home kitchen on residential grade equipment. I like restaurant cooking. It's nothing like cooking at home. I've never seen a photo of a restaurant quality dish produced in a home kitchen. Keep in mind, I'm talking "fine dining"... Who makes a sauce and reduces it au sec and then pours it into a squeeze bottle so they can scrape the plate with it? Why would you ever hot-hold hollandaise at home? Who cooks 70 steaks of varying doneness and coordinates with their significant other who produces the fish dishes to serve 120 guests at a home dinner party? Apples and oranges. I think there are people who are actually in love with what you seem to think is slavery... I think some of the stuff that goes on in the world of Michelin you might consider to be a crime against humanity as a whole. :laugh: Imagine if you were a stagiaire! Or a student. :scared4: Just jokes, friend.

You haven't been to my house. Poly science, vac chamber, blend tech vacuum tumbler, all cambro, multiple refrigerators, 30k burners exhausted to the out doors... Clearly you haven't been on the forum very long cause you would have seen, I'm not alone. There are some bad assed home cooks round these parts. Today for lunch I'm making Neapolitan pizzas on my out door carbon steel plancha in my Kamado cooker. Gezzz, this guy. Ha

 

[panda]

on my days away from commercial kitchen i cook instant ramen, yeah some heavy cooking there!

 

[spoiledbroth]

You haven't been to my house. Poly science, vac chamber, blend tech vacuum tumbler, all cambro, multiple refrigerators, 30k burners exhausted to the out doors... Clearly you haven't been on the forum very long cause you would have seen, I'm not alone. There are some bad assed home cooks round these parts. Today for lunch I'm making Neapolitan pizzas on my out door carbon steel plancha in my Kamado cooker. Gezzz, this guy. Ha

I'm happy to see you have some fun kit at home but unfortunately your ability to spend thousands on your home kitchen has nothing to do with my post. Thanks! When I say a restaurant dish I mean composed, elements. Not pizza. :shocked3:

Home kitchens need this:

 

[Dardeau]

Chip much?

 

[spoiledbroth]

??

 

[Dardeau]

A chip. On your shoulder.

 

[knyfeknerd]

Mucho Bocho has a lot more solid gear than most of the restaurants I've worked in.

I could cook for 300+ people out of my home kitchen with regular appliances, but that's probably because I've cheffed and catered for the better part of my life. If you can't do it on normal equipment, that doesn't make you much of a chef does it?
You've got to be able to adapt.
I guarantee you that there's at least a good dozen or more home cooks on this forum that could cook you and me under the table. I must admit that a lot of the "foodies" are way more passionate about the process and science of cooking than your average line cook. Their posts have been a resource to me in the past, they leave no stone unturned.

There's a recipe for humble pie somewhere.....
.....I've eaten it a time or two in my life, especially when starting a new job.

 

[daveb]

Play nice fellas.

No need to see who can piss highest on the tree.

 

[knyfeknerd]

Cheffing was a lot easier to do before I had kids. You can't get back the time you've missed with them. It's not fair to ask your wife to basically be a single working mom, because you're never around..............
........and when you are, you're a worthless exhausted turd.
I miss the actual work, the crew, the talk, the attitude that you're a harder worker than most.
But not as much as I missed seeing my kids grow up.

 

[Cheeks1989]

been in the kitchen for 21 years now and although theres days you just dont want to face the day and just want to hide under the bed covers,once im in and working i forget it all and remember i kind of love my job .in a a sadistic kind of way we all love the long hours and stress of service ..dont think theres much that can compare to that feeling when service is in full swing and the adrenaline is pumping ..i think it difficult for most to really understand what its like. a very understanding partner helps too

Nailed it.

 

[spoiledbroth]

I guarantee you that there's at least a good dozen or more home cooks on this forum that could cook you and me under the table. I must admit that a lot of the "foodies" are way more passionate about the process and science of cooking than your average line cook. Their posts have been a resource to me in the past, they leave no stone unturned.

This is what I don't agree with. How could a home cook ever cook say, a chateaubriand better than me? I've cooked thousands, thousands more than the average person could expect to eat and cook for their family in a lifetime. I read books about cooking (not cook books) outside of work. I watch maybe 1 or 2 shows regularly on tv that aren't food related. I immerse myself in food outside of work. I get what you're saying about "the average line cook," but this isnt me. I'm punching below my weight.

Anyway, didn't mean to offend any home cooks. I'm sure there are lots of people with really well outfitted home kitchens. I do not have one nor the expendable income to build one. My point was more that restaurant cooking is far and away different from what people do at home. 100% different. There's really no comparison to be made.

 

[Dardeau]

I've cooked professionally for a long time now, and have worked at some very good restaurants, and eaten at a lot more. The best meals I've eaten have been in people's homes.
My partner was a professional for a long time. When she stopped working in a kitchen the food she made at home got better.
Thinking about food all the time doesn't make a great cook, it just makes someone who thinks about food a lot.
Having a life and interactions with people who don't make dick jokes all the time makes you a better cook in the long run because you are less stressed, more creative, and more perceptive of your senses.
Food is food cooked at home, in a restaurant, or in a back yard. And almost anyone who cares and has attention to detail can buy a nice steak, light a fire, put some salt and pepper on it, and out do most restaurants.

 

[tkern]

I've cooked professionally for a long time now, and have worked at some very good restaurants, and eaten at a lot more. The best meals I've eaten have been in people's homes.
My partner was a professional for a long time. When she stopped working in a kitchen the food she made at home got better.
Thinking about food all the time doesn't make a great cook, it just makes someone who thinks about food a lot.
Having a life and interactions with people who don't make dick jokes all the time makes you a better cook in the long run because you are less stressed, more creative, and more perceptive of your senses.
Food is food cooked at home, in a restaurant, or in a back yard. And almost anyone who cares and has attention to detail can buy a nice steak, light a fire, put some salt and pepper on it, and out do most restaurants.

All this is well and good but can we please not slander dick jokes while we're at it.

 

[ecchef]

To answer the OP's question succinctly, tonight I did it with my entire night crew, the dining room manger, the assistant manager and a boat load of beer and awamori at the izakaya afterwards.
Tomorrow we'll do it all over again. Well, maybe not the drinking part.

 

[matthew78]

All this is well and good but can we please not slander dick jokes while we're at it.

too true ,without dick jokes a pro kitchen would quickly just become a mental asylum filled with ppl that just want to kill each other .the dick jokes help keep homicidal thoughts at bay ..doesnt matter what continent your on all kitchens are filled with the same humor and slightly unbalanced ppl that work in them

 

[mano]

My point was more that restaurant cooking is far and away different from what people do at home. 100% different. There's really no comparison to be made.

+1

I'm a pretty fair home cook with an average kitchen, but with the right prep and planning I put out a fine-dining meal for 20. That's a couple of times a year. The fine dining pro's do this every night for a hundred or more covers. Yeah, they have a crew, but from my experience it's apples and oranges.

Just because someone's obnoxious doesn't make them wrong. (Though I wish it did).

 

[spoiledbroth]

I didn't mean to be obnoxious, I wasn't saying to cook at home is petty or stupid, I just said its not for me and it's not what I'm in love with or passionate about.

I'm in love with my co workers. I am passionate about where I work. The camaraderie. The land speed records. Like people have said, the rush of 70 covers being rung in at once or even just working an action station at a function. Looking at a prep list a page and a half long and beast-mode 3/4 of the way through by lunch time. The focus on skills, theory, panache and economy of motion.

At the same time, I'm not going to romanticize it, overall it's a **** industry and if I ever have kids I would not recommend it to them. There are plenty of things that are not glamorous about my day, and I am essentially working poor (maybe without the knife addiction I'd have some savings but hey, it's a lot of fun). I'm very lucky to work where I do in spite of my complaints about pay.

All that being said I couldn't see myself doing anything else and I find that when I spend long periods away from the kitchen I can safely say I am not any better off for it. As we like to say here... YMMV.

 

[ecchef]

too true ,without dick jokes a pro kitchen would quickly just become a mental asylum filled with ppl that just want to kill each other .the dick jokes help keep homicidal thoughts at bay ..doesnt matter what continent your on all kitchens are filled with the same humor and slightly unbalanced ppl that work in them

Absolutely true!

 

[knyfeknerd]

I didn't mean to be obnoxious, I wasn't saying to cook at home is petty or stupid, I just said its not for me and it's not what I'm in love with or passionate about.

I'm in love with my co workers. I am passionate about where I work. The camaraderie. The land speed records. Like people have said, the rush of 70 covers being rung in at once or even just working an action station at a function. Looking at a prep list a page and a half long and beast-mode 3/4 of the way through by lunch time. The focus on skills, theory, panache and economy of motion.

At the same time, I'm not going to romanticize it, overall it's a **** industry and if I ever have kids I would not recommend it to them. There are plenty of things that are not glamorous about my day, and I am essentially working poor (maybe without the knife addiction I'd have some savings but hey, it's a lot of fun). I'm very lucky to work where I do in spite of my complaints about pay.

All that being said I couldn't see myself doing anything else and I find that when I spend long periods away from the kitchen I can safely say I am not any better off for it. As we like to say here... YMMV.

Well said!
Seriously.

 

[sachem allison]

16 hour shift solo. 30 top walkin, 4 -8 tops, 3-5 tops, 6-4 tops and full bar and about 30 walkins.All the prep solo, all cooking solo and 1 new dishwasher. All drinking soon to be solo. I will be doing 14 days of open to close shifts solo. cook is on much needed Vacation and other cook in INS limbo somewhere. Chef Says Kiss My Ass!
gotta go still have 4 hours left and a heavy cleanup. Goodnight gentleman and ladies.

 

[tkern]

16 hour shift solo. 30 top walkin, 4 -8 tops, 3-5 tops, 6-4 tops and full bar and about 30 walkins.All the prep solo, all cooking solo and 1 new dishwasher. All drinking soon to be solo. I will be doing 14 days of open to close shifts solo. cook is on much needed Vacation and other cook in INS limbo somewhere. Chef Says Kiss My Ass!
gotta go still have 4 hours left and a heavy cleanup. Goodnight gentleman and ladies.

I'm going to start taking the train up after my day to help you finish yours.

 

[mano]

I didn't mean to be obnoxious, I wasn't saying to cook at home is petty or stupid, I just said its not for me and it's not what I'm in love with or passionate about.

I'm in love with my co workers. I am passionate about where I work. The camaraderie. The land speed records. Like people have said, the rush of 70 covers being rung in at once or even just working an action station at a function. Looking at a prep list a page and a half long and beast-mode 3/4 of the way through by lunch time. The focus on skills, theory, panache and economy of motion.

At the same time, I'm not going to romanticize it, overall it's a **** industry and if I ever have kids I would not recommend it to them. There are plenty of things that are not glamorous about my day, and I am essentially working poor (maybe without the knife addiction I'd have some savings but hey, it's a lot of fun). I'm very lucky to work where I do in spite of my complaints about pay.

All that being said I couldn't see myself doing anything else and I find that when I spend long periods away from the kitchen I can safely say I am not any better off for it. As we like to say here... YMMV.

Oh, all right, +1

 

[dough]

spoiledbroth is partly why i like this place more then many other places on the net. its fun to let people make their point without just cutting the guy off and thinking he might be railing on homecooks.
btw that was a pretty/honest message about your passion sir... one many of us share. keep on keepin on.