A line cook told me my knife skills were costing us time. I didn't want to hear it.

This was about two years back at a place in Cincinnati. I was prepping a case of onions for French onion soup, doing my usual rough chop. A newer line cook, a kid maybe 20, just watched for a minute and said, 'Chef, you're moving your whole arm too much. You're working harder, not smarter.' I was ready to brush him off, honestly. But he showed me his grip and how he used just his wrist, keeping the tip of the blade on the board. I tried it, and after a week of feeling clumsy, I was getting through prep 15 minutes faster. It was a small thing from someone I didn't expect it from. Made me realize I'd stopped listening to the people actually doing the work next to me. What's a piece of advice you got from a junior cook that actually stuck?

3 comments

3 Comments

skyler_carter27d ago

That kid was only 20?

riverwells26d ago

Makes me feel ancient at 25. Time's a real jerk sometimes.

richard58110d ago

My first kitchen job, a dishwasher showed me how to properly hold a peeler. Saved my fingers and so much time.