Lisa Shock

My first instinct is to say, if it hurts, don't do it. That said. if you're going to try cooking anyway, try wearing one of those braces that hold your hand in a neutral position. I have, on separate occasions, broken both of my thumbs and one wrist, so, I have an idea of what you're going through. (and, my ASCII Grip one-hand controller for Playstation helped me from going stir-crazy) Do you have a mandoline? That or a food processor could be very helpful in cutting up vegetables. One of those silly slap-chop things might be useful, although, this chopper looks a bit more useful, if you have healp with cleanup. Don't forget that rice is very easy to make and can be the base for a meal, even if that meal is some frozen mixed vegetables and a simple cream sauce. Extra rice can always be used in fried rice, frittatas, casseroles and more. If the hubby will scrub them, baked potatoes are easy and a good base to serve things over, like chili or stew. I actually like cold leftover potatoes in a green salad. This is one instance where maybe you aren't nuts to buy salad dressing and those pre-washed greens.... A frittata might be fairly easy to make, if you use leftovers or get the DH to chop some veggies. Bean soups are easy. Good luck! I hope you get better soon!

Since you want to work at a really specific type of place, I'd either start knocking on doors and applying in person everywhere as either an apprentice or as a dishwasher. Once you ave the foot in the door, even as a dishwasher, you'll be able to see how things are done and, eventually, you'll probably be able to step in and cook some time when someone calls in sick. As for practice, check out the eG courses linked in the prior posts. For pizza, there are several good pizza communities online, I'd search around. And, there are some good videos specifically on pizza tossing, which can, BTW, be practiced with a wet towel.And, Jeff Varasano's Website is always a good read.

The baking chocolate isn't meant for use as couverture.

Well, I guess I should say that I'd probably like the ice cream -if it's really good real chocolate ice cream, you don't need 14 scoops and a ton of toppings and sparklers stuck in it. But, that's exactly what one US ice cream store chain used to sell as its special, and lots of people got used to that sort of thing being normal on a menu. I think that in some people's minds, 'wow factor' is still related to portion size to a certain degree. I mean, Little Caesar's just released a 6-meat pizza to 'top' the competition's 'meat lovers' pizza that 'only' has 5 meats on it. That being said, it's pretty clear that the Little Chef needs to up the quality of its offerings.

I saw both of those, good thing they are re-running episodes at various times! Big Chef Takes on Little Chef was interesting. The corporate talking heads seem to want some sort of circus sideshow made out of food, and Chef Blumenthal is more concerned about heritage foods and tricky flavor combinations. I'll admit, I have never been to Britain, so, I have no idea about Little Chef except what the show conveys. That said, I am wondering why they are trying so hard with sous vide and such instead of trying to just make fresh honest eggs, pancakes, waffles, etc. They keep pointing to the flattop griddle as an issue, but, lots of people cook eggs on a griddle in diners all over the place. Maybe the kitchens are too small for their own good. I suspect that fresh-baked bread (even if the dough comes from a commissary) would help them a lot with every meal. But, I don't know that they have an oven that can handle it. Anyway, IMO, someone needs to sort through what they are getting and divide up the things that are better made from scratch on-premises, things that can be made up at a commissary and delivered uncooked, and, the things that could be made completely at the commissary. I suspect that almost everything right now comes in pre-made. I also suspect that pleasing the directors will involve stunt-type food like that ginormous breakfast sandwich from Burger King a few years back, not the odor of oranges around a single scoop of chocolate ice cream. On Chef Blumethal's part, I was surprised that he gave up on the soup. The show gave the impression that he ditched it because he couldn't precisely duplicate the flavor of a buttered baked potato. IMO, this reflects one problem that I have with modern fine dining. I don't need something to taste precisely like another thing. If I wanted that, I'd just eat the other thing and skip the hassle. If it was a delicious potato soup, that's good enough. *** Conviction Kitchen was a bit of a train wreck. I am not convinced that the front of the house will be up to shape in time. Overall, I suspect that attitude will be the deciding factor in people winning or losing.

People straight out of culinary school may not be able to keep with the line right away, but, they are, in general, far more prepared for it than the average home cook. I've had issues with jewelry, hair, and nails from both genders. If you live in Wayne county, they offer free classes to prepare for their exam: http://www.waynecounty.com/mygovt/hhs/publichealth/ph_foodmgt.aspx If not, it's a county by county thing, so check with your county health department. And, yeah, for most of us just trying to get $10 an hour is a major struggle. This isn't a highly paid industry. There are a lot of free online resources nowadays. There are people demonstrating pretty much everything on youtube. This site has some great online classes, too. I'd start practicing every day. Good students go through 50-100lbs of potatoes a week practicing knife cuts at home. As for actually getting a job, you will need the food handler card, no one can let you work, even for free without one. The health department will close them down. Other than that, just keep trying, and, take whatever you can get even if it means dishwashing. In a lot of kitchens, honestly, the dishwashers get paid and treated very well because everyone wants to keep them happy. From there, you are in a position to try cooking when someone calls in sick, etc. It's been a tough couple of years, and right now, only the really low end and extremely high end are doing very well. So, a simple taqueria may be the place to start.

I wouldn't dismiss school out of hand; there is a lot you can learn there and you will get hands-on experience using commercial equipment. (and lifting 50 pound sacks of flour or sugar, and unloading 95 pound cubes of shortening) While you may still start your first job out of school as the lowest level cook in the kitchen, at or just above minimum wage, you'll rise faster because you'll have knife skills and work at a semblance of the expected speed. Just remember that this industry is generally very low in pay and long in hours. And, when you finally get that $50,000/yr job, you'll be on salary working long days and 6-7 day weeks. If you are really set on a path of working your way up, you'll need to start by getting a food service worker's card from your local health department. (it's called different things in different states) You aren't allowed to work anyplace without one. -And the information is the bare-bones basics of sanitation, which you will be expected to know. Understand that you will be expected to show up for work without makeup, jewelry or nailpolish. Be prepared to tie your hair back and wear an ugly hat or hairnet. No arguing about this, it's basic sanitation. If you had gone to culinary school, you would have had this drilled into you with daily uniform inspections. (yes, the tongue ring and eyebrow piercing must go) You will need sturdy, non-skid, closed-toe shoes, no exceptions. (payless sells two types of women's non-skid work shoes) Every person I have seen whine about the shoes not fitting and how they were going to wear something else has wound up falling and breaking bones within a few days. You will also need to move faster than you can probably imagine at this point. Most places have production requirements establishing the minimums of what you are expected to turn out in an hour. For example: one supermarket's minimum standard is 65 cupcakes decorated per hour, 12 cakes per hour, and 30 decorated cream pies. Even in a savory kitchen, you'll be expected to churn out julienned carrots and large dice potatoes fast, really, really fast. Most home cooks simply haven't worked long enough at particular tasks to get up to commercial kitchen speeds. One reason why people will be hesitant to hire you will be because they know civilians are slow. In culinary school, you are drilled for speed over and over until you can do things in 5 minutes that originally took you an hour to accomplish. As for work in Michigan, well, that's its own set of issues, sorry I have no clue. I'd look around for a caterer and see if they will take you on. It's always tough for career switchers in this industry because everything is physically demanding -most people are ready to get out by the time they are 40 because their knees can't take it anymore. (Bourdain talks about this, get those shoes! replace those shoes regularly!) And, right now, the economy is really bad the older you are -the unemployment rate rises sharply for those over 30, way over the national average. The other thing to remember is that some employers will be great instructors, others will not. If you read back in the archives here a bit, you'll find examples of employers with all sorts of bad practices, so, be prepared to take it all with a grain of salt. Good luck!

I'd look at other western ingredients like agave syrup and prickly pear, sorry, both sweet. Santa Fe does everything with roasted green chile, and pine nuts are a local flavor there. I live in Phoenix now, my favorite paletas are cucumber with just a hint of sugar, coated in chile powder. They are kind of melon-like. My goofy, off the wall answer would be to incorporate beef jerky and cheap whiskey to match the wild west of the movies. Even though I just finished reading a book about the food of the westward expansion, and discovered that people ate a lot of gourmet foods and expensive wines back then. The most common of foods on restaurant menus were oysters, which had a well developed delivery route system by the mid-1800's from California to places like Denver and Santa Fe.

The lunchables always seemed like a huge waste because it's so easy to just buy crackers and some cold cuts and portion them out yourself for less than half the price. Also, I am not fond of cold bread/crackers.

Season 3 begins tomorrow, Tuesday January 5, on BBC America for those of us in the US. I can hardly wait!

You mean they sell it in bottles? Yes, indeedy!

Vintage or non-vintage? The vintage rose is considered a top shelf champagne without qualification. The non-vintage rose does tend to vary a bit, but, it is known traditionally as a very dry champagne. Other makers allow their rose products to be a bit sweet, something that has increased since the white zin craze in America of the 1980's created a market for sweeter, fruitier rose wines. I have been drinking these wines, both the vintage and non-vintage, since 1979. (served the vintage at my wedding) To the best of my recollection, the vintage has had minor variations but been consistently excellent. The non-vintage has seen some ups and downs, zigs and zags in the road, as it were. Perhaps you just got a bad bottle, perhaps one where volatile acidity had started to develop. I would say please try it again.

I just remembered another item: simple syrup I mean, really, honestly, it is so difficult to make??? It's one of the few things that I'd truly be ashamed to buy at the big liquor store.

You can improve the rice krispies treats by using brown butter, and I use the jarred marshmallow fluff because it contains no gelatin, but, I have found that treats made with is remain softer longer than those made with marshmallows. And so, it may be good to use it if you are prepping them a day in advance.

People who require their food to be halal (and who actually are strict about their dietary rules) will not eat anything from a kitchen that has pork cooked in it. If there are any strictly halal people at your function they will eat nothing at all - even if pork isn't on the menu because your kitchen isn't halal. Seeing as the kosher and halal dietary requirements are sooo similar, the same should be true of any strictly kosher diners. I knew that, and yes, it's true of kosher dining, but then again, I figured that anyone who was that strict might not even show up. I do know some muslims and some jews who eat in regular restaurants (olive garden, mcdonalds, pf changs) and simply don't order the pork, shellfish, etc.

I have a cutting board that I purchased in 1985 from a Delancy Street group that made them by hand. It has worked well over the years, it's an inch thick with alternating strips of cherry and maple woods. I never oiled it, and never had any issues. I always figured that one day, I'd just sand it down a bit. Anyway, my husband started chopping at thick, refrigerated chunks of chocolate by taking a cheap knife and holding the knife perpendicular to the board, tip in the chocolate, and hammering at the end of the handle with his fist until the chocolate split apart. Well, one day, the cutting board split apart. I was going to have a cutting board repair guy I know re-glue it, but, I noticed that it now has hundreds of tiny indentations in the surface from the knife being driven into it. Also, some of the other seams are iffy. So, the husband has offered to buy me a new board. (and he is relegated to hacking at things with his cheap knives on a bamboo board) I am looking around, and have decided against bamboo because of its hardness. I am seeing acacia wood a lot now, and I am not very familiar with it as a cutting board medium. (one site said it was sustainably harvested, which is good) Other woods I am seeing are maple, teak and cherry -as well as generic hardwood. I'd appreciate any insight into how these woods compare to each other, and how they hold up. I am thinking that end-grain is the way to go, other than that, I can't decide.

if you make the rice and beans without animal products you won't have to worry about vegetarians, kosher or halal diners.

In Japan, gomme syrup is provided in little plastic containers (kind of like creamer) to sweeten tea and other drinks. I saw it all over the place, as common as salt and pepper and sugar packets. It does add a nice texture to iced tea and lemonade. Gum Arabic is often used, mixted with water, to add shine to gumpaste leaves and certain flowers like antherium.

I recall that back in 1981, I visited an older woman's family home in Santa Fe, and she made salsa from canned tomatoes. I believe that she just drained the tomatoes, then added fresh garlic and onion, and used green chiles from her freezer. (people buy big sacks of green chiles in August, when sellers have big roasters outside, they then clean them and freeze in small bags for use year-round) It was an interesting item that was better than jarred salsa, and better than using the lame, pale pink tomatoes that were 'available' in the store at the time Also note that every grandmother I ever asked about salsa in Santa Fe informed me that the new generation wasn't making it right because they were leaving the skins on the tomatoes. The old-school method of salsa making involved cutting a tiny X in the tip, then a brief dip in boiling water, then peeling. And, nobody ever used lemons or limes in salsa. They were difficult to get and expensive.

My friend Ken, see my signature, is an American with a Japanese wife who lives near Tokyo and would be glad to show you around, he is fluent in Japanese, and he likes a wide variety of foods. He is also up for unusual sites and events -I've been to the red-light district with him, as well as other semi-questionable places. He's a very tall person and people do not mess with him. Anyway, he does tours as a sideline, he is an English teacher by trade and his website explains his rates and such.

mayonnaise pesto nut butters (immersion blender makes great peanut butter) roasted nuts (buy them raw roast right before eating) salsa

The pound plus chocolate bar is fairly decent stuff, and very useful when you just need to make a small amount of bonbons or something. The bagged nuts and dried fruits are reasonably priced, and the selection is pretty good. The house brand of organic dairy is reasonably priced (as is the non-organic) and a good deal if you can't buy from a local dairy co-op or something. The cheeses vary, and I have gotten some unusual ones there. The snacks are good, things like tortilla chips are decent and competitively priced. The wet cat food is very high quality, and, once again reasonably priced -about half of what you'd pay for premium food at a pet shop. They are a major retailer of wine and beer, and do have rock bottom prices. When I managed a wine store, there was a TJ's nearby and we avoided carrying anything they had because their retail price was lower than what the wholesalers wanted to charge us for a 5-case order. I have gotten some good craft beers there.

Roasted nibs are a bit like chopped nuts, but with chocolate flavor. People often add them to cookies (biscuits), brownies, etc. to add crunchy texture.

Each type of mixer and hook has to be evaluated in actual use to see what really happens. I found this Cook's Illustrated Article interesting because it mentions the twin hook action.

i wouldn't give up on the restaurant until you know what exactly they are buying from Sysco. It could be cleaning supplies, hair nets, paper napkins, spices, and brand-name ketchup for patrons who demand name-brand ketchup on everything.