JFrillman24

Also, looking for cherry wood barrels for aging. Any help would be appreciated.

I am looking for a mother for my red wine vinegar. Who has good recommendations where to purchase one.

I currently cook in Chicago and I have heard that Chefs and industry professionals can receive free subscriptions to magazines such as Food and Wine as long as you can prove you work in the industry. Does anyone know if this is true? If so how do I participate? I know Food Arts is free does anyone know of any others?

I just ordered some Sanitas. Like dansko but they had my size in the open back clog which i prefer, so I went with them instead of the closed heal on the dansko's

Ive got rather large feet (size 15 american, 48 Euro ) and Ive been havin a hard time findin comfortable kitchen shoes that are nonskid, durable, and safe. I used to wear boots but they were killing my knees, and now I wear crocs, which I LOVE, but they dont make them in my size without holes. Also the tred wears out after 3 months to the point where its a slip n slide in the kitchen. I was told to check Sanita's but they only go to 14, and I looked at Dankso and they do make a size 48, but from what Ive been told is that they run a size small. Does anyone, especially if you have large feet, have any suggestions on 1.) the best kitchen shoes in your opinion, and 2.) where do I find large size reliable shoes.

Heston Blumenthol I believe

Not to mention, the chemicals used daily to clean scrub and degrease everything. I know we use this oven cleaner spray every night that when applied clears out the cooks around the area, and sends them gagging. One cook threw up after using it. But it does one hell of a job cleaning the ovens, so its a trade off. But then you gotta think, what the hell is this gonna do to me ten years down the line?

Last Night I ate at a popular, and highly regarded and reviewed sushi restaurant outside Chicago. It wasnt overly busy, but The service, was extremly lacking. Now I dont know what it is, but 9 times outta 10 when I go to a sushi joint, the service is bad. It doesnt matter the caliber of the restaurant either, they all seam to be the same. One of my pet peeves is when Dishes come out to the table, one at a time, so you dont wanna be rude to your guests and start eating until they all have theyre food. Last night I dined with 4 friends, and it took 5 minutes for the dishes to "trickle" out to the table, so I recieved my sushi first, while they patiently waited. Also, the appetizers came, 10 minutes after the entrees, and one of the rolls was not what I ordered. This is a very highly regarded establishment, and the sushi was undoubtedly phenominal, but the service was horrid. Does anyone find that when they eat at sushi restaurants as well, that the entrees are staggered in coming out, and the service extremly lacking? or is this just me?

I went to a community college for 1 semester before I enrolled in a higher end culinary school, just to make sure that I wasnt throwing my $ down the drain and that getting an education was worth t he money i was about to fork out. There were many aspects that were quite similar between programs, but to be honest, I wouldnt be the same cook today if I stayed at the CC. Going to an acredited culinary school not only taught me the basics and more advanced, it allowed me to network and get jobs where I wouldnt have had the same ease of getting just because of who you know. Networking is huge in this industry, and going to the higher end school was worth it in terms of the relationships i made alone...

Me personally I like the adventure of going out and trying as many different places that I can. I think this may have to do with the fact that Im young in my culinary career and am constantly looking for new ideas and learning as much as I can about the way other places do things. Im constantly dragging my friends who know little about food to new and interesting places and they tag along and learn too. I do however have 1 place that i will religiously go just because i know what im gonna get im gonna love, but new things is what im all about

I totally get that but in my head id still be thinking hmmm why do you "ice" any green vegetable before you blanch them (and seriously, why do you ice any green vegetable before you blanch them????)

As a cook on a slow night, you cant just stand around, and your given other projects wether it be prep, deep cleaning projects, or organization and inventory. Alot of times this can get in the way of the "rythem" that you get into on a Friday or Saturday night and you feel outta whack so to say, and the product that you put out might tend to suffer.

The first day of culinary school the very first thing that we were taught was the most important phrase youll ever learn is "Yes Chef". The chef is always right, and this is true, no matter who you work for or what you disagree with ultimatly, that chef is right. But recently my favorite phrase has become "Why Chef?". Mainly due to the fact that Ive been doing alot of reading of late, about the scientific reasons behind the methods and preperations of why certain things happen to dif foods and such, and have been answering some of the questions I have. So many cooks and even Chefs in the industry dont know why certain things happen, or why its done this way, and when you ask them, they say because I said so, or because this is what my chef taught me. The current place that I work at the Chefs are extremly knowledable, and will do everything to explain the Why's, and if they honestly dont know, theyll tell you they dont know, and will research it themselves, or encourage you to. (every night my sous chef would say for example "this is your homework, come in tommorow with 5 variations on such and such"). But this is the only restaurant Ive been at where that has been the case. Basically, after rambling on, my question is this. 1.) Is it a problem that you come across head chefs that do things just because theyre taught a certain way, and dont know the real reasons, and 2.) Could it become a problem that Ive become such a "why guy" (even though from my standpoint Im not questioning the athority, Im just naturally curious and want to expand my knowledge.) Is yes Chef really the most important thing to know in a kitchen?

I never stepped foot into a professional kitchen prior to attending Culinary School. I had always known what I wanted to do for a living, but i never took the initiative to go to school until my back was against the wall so to say. I went to school and worked my ass off to learn as much as possible, and got a job while still in school. I will tell anyone interested in a life in culinary arts to first get a job then go to school. Because coming from the classroom to the kitchen was an enourmous kick in the ass. The restaurants world is 10x faster paced than any classroom can prepare you for. I will say that of the culinary peers I started with in school, a handfull made it through the program, and even less are in the restaurant industry still. I came from never stepping in a kitchen and knowing nothing about food to working in 3 star restaurants and soon a 3 michelin star restaurant in London in a 2 year period. Its all what you make of it. Anyone can just "float" through school and get a degree if they really want, and thats not just in culinary schools that applies to any degree you pursue. But with hard work, dedication and a passion for what you do, you can be successful. Its all about how hard your willing to work and how much your willing to sacrifice to reach your goals. What they should teach you in culinary school is that you will be underpaid, overworked, and have relationships with friends family and signifigant others put completly on hold, for the first 5 years of your career. This job has cost me relationships, $, pain, and mental stress beyond belief, but I wouldnt Trade a second of it for anything. Food is my life.