brandonscott

I agree... I have found almost all of my previous positions by networking through my Chef, owners, etc. The issue I am having now is that I am employed as a sous under an amazing guy who is well known within the industry- but I have climbed as high as possible under him. He said that there were many places he could send me to cook- all of which I have been doing for the past 10 years. I feel like I shot myself in the foot... years ago I had many friends who were taking Chef positions, and Im sure i could have found one too, but I didnt want just any crap restaurant/catering career- nor did I want to limit my craft to what I knew skillwise at the time. I look at where they are now, and Im glad I stuck it out and really learned to cook and run a kitchen. At the same time though, my wife is pregnant with twins and I need to make more than line wages. Not that its about money...if it was I probably would have jumped ship long ago.

I have been cooking for a long time. Since I was 16, and I am 31 now. I have done stages at awesome European restaurants and worked for James Beard nominated chefs. I have performed all the tasks of an Exec. chef- like running a succesful restaurant, food costing, blah blah blah... just w/o the exec. chef title. My resume reflects all this and I feel that I am ready to take on the position. The problem is where do I look? I know there is craigslist, monster, etc... but those are mainly fast food, chain restaurant FOH management and the like. More specialized sites like starchefs.com are very limited. Does anybody know of other ways to find good head chef positions? Thanks

I have done a prosciutto with duck breast, and thought about adapting the recipe... but my next question, like Mjx mentioned was the safety issue... Is the danger of pathogens when working with chicken inherent? Or is it from the conditions of intensive farming? A little off subject, but a valid detour. Not really wanting a confit. More like a bacon cure or a ham cure... I want a way to make turkey more enjoyable- to really transform it.

We all know you can brine a bird, smoke a turkey, etc... I am looking for info on preserving turkey & chicken through a curing process. The googlenet has suprisingly little info on the subject. Any knowledge would be appreciated.

One of my favorites... I was the garde manger chef at a french place a few years back. We would get a lot of very green culinary school grads and stages who would start off under my supervision. Among other things, we were responsible for putting out family meal everyday (BOH & FOH sat around a table, together, to eat). I would always give the newbs a "take initiative" or "set yourself apart" speech... so just before eating, I would find one particularly green stage and tell them to 'take initiative' by leading the family meal with a prayer. This was always met with a confused look from the stage- but with just a little more convincing and a straight face it would occasionally work. The will to impress is a powerul one. And because there is usually no room for religion in a restaurant, especially this one, the looks on the staffs face was priceless. Laughter followed.

There is a big difference between rapidly cooling something, and rapidly freezing the surface of something...convection/conduction....What exactly are you trying to accomplish?

I was recently reading on cookingissues.com about a method of butchering fish called "ike jime". It is a japanese method where the fish is slaughtered and bled in such a way that the muscles "don't know they are dead" and makes for a much better product. This all has to with the various stages of rigor mortis and energy stored within the fish. (search the website for ike jime to read more, its very interesting) The most basic explanation is that the less a fish struggles, the better the fish in taste and texture. Which brings me to my question....Wanting to be as eco-conscious as possible, yet still get the best product, when faced with purchasing line caught vs mass farmed tuna. Now, I know the line caught tuna is the sustainable choice...but would it not have put up quit a fight, making the pin farmed tuna a superior product? In other tests I have read there is a huge differene in quality when comparing stressed and non-stressed fish (google it). Just curious, what do you think?

I have read many articles and stories that have all said the whole romantic notion of the cattle being combed and fed sake and grains is a load of bulls!@t...(get it). They are treated like any other free range cattle. With that said, and to answer your question...I doubt it. They are a nicely fat marbled breed, so perhaps the liver has more fat naturally. And depending on the diet, that fat can have a lot of flavor...and of course you can always add sake when cooking it.

-razor clams -fresh water prawns -catfish....if you can make catfish taste really good, you are talented in my opinion!..and its always in season. -iguana...from S. America, its cheap and has a unique texture

I think it comes down to a pride issue. A restaurant where people work "just to get by", ie fast food and other major chains...these people often don't care. They have no investment in the place. What do they care if there are rats everywhere???? But a place that is owned by somebody who is passionate, or worked a long time to get the place...or a place that is staffed by people that love food, are working through the industry for experience and hope to one day lead a kitchen themselves probably take a lot more pride in what they do.

If there is a food that a chef doesnt like or is even disgusted by, I dont think that food would even be considered when creating a dish. Great chefs are great because of what they love...from food and ingredients to the creative process- and even the type of dining they choose behind their craft. You can't be 100% behind a dish and disgusted by it at the same time. Especially in this all-or-go-home profession.

...but you have to serve them in giant jugs

I'm in Texas..Austin to be specific. We havn't felt the recession like the rest of the country. We are, however, feeling the season...and this summer is slower than most. Where is everybody located that you are experiencing this downward economy?

you could have a "walk the plank" roll. Where you make a roll with the fillings of choice, but just enough that every person gets one piece. You stuff one piece full of wasabi, and place it wasabi side down. Everybody closes eyes, grabs a piece, chews and swallows...the unlucky person who grabbed the wasabi filled piece (and is now steaming from the ears) "just walked the plank '. It's a pirates take on the russian roulette roll.

pack in salt and let sit for a few hours in fridge, clean them off and toss with vinegar and let sit for a few mins...after that as long as they are submerged in fat you are good to go. I like olive oil, not extra virgin, and you can add anything you want for flavor...citrus, mustard,garlic & herbs etc. That is pretty basic, and I am not sure how long they keep- we make the three times a week or so. It's really just a confit, so I imagin it keeps for a while....oh, and make sure you clean and scale the fish before hand

I have shouted "corner" plenty of times out in public as well.

Truffles are like Tabasco sauce...some people would argue that you can put them in, or on, anything.

In my first kitchen, after breaking down a few sirloins previously, I grabbed some more from the walk-in and thought to myself how cool it was that somebody else had removed most of the fat and trimmed them up a little. I portioned them out and thought there was something odd, but didnt want to seem like a dumb-ass by asking a question. About half-way through service the first one came back...the chef was pissed. Apparently my sirloins were really shortrib (minus the actual ribs). How 5 or 6 orders of tough sirloin cooked shortrib a) got past the chef and b) was actually consumed by a few customers, is anybodys guess.

My dream is to work in a kitchen, any kithen, where money is no object...and I dont have to worry about food costs percentages.

So...robot coupe regular old, trail mix style banana chips to a fine powder. Whip up whites, mix together, spread thin and dry. This seem right

um, no its not. pan roasting is finishing by throwing the "pan" in the oven to "roast" putting a piece of fish in a pan with a little hot oil is called "saute"...a lot more oil its called "pan fry" pan roast is finishing in the oven. period. ← I respectfully disagree. Saute translates into "jump". You might saute vegetables in a hot pan with very little oil while constantly tossing the vegetables until done. When a cook places a product, i.e. rack of lamb, in a hot a pan with a eighth inch of oil and does not touch it until a beautiful dark golden crust is achieved and, yes, places the pan in the oven with a dab of butter to baste, that is pan-roasting. Unless a cook is placing a piece of salmon in a saute pan and is constantly tossing it then it can be called "Sauteed Salmon". ← If it goes in the oven, and it's a dry heat method....how about we cut the crap and just call it "roasted".

There may be a minimum time you need to work with the company before they will transfer you, like a year. Still, that may be a good plan for the long-term planners. ← I agree. But a year of work vs. a year or more of trying to go through the proper channels for a work visa, just to get turned down. I'll take the year of work any day.

There is a sushi school in california....the book "the Zen of fish", which I think has a new title "the Story of Sushi", is a very good book about the history of sushi in this country. It also follows a student attending the sushi school. Worth the read.

Huge pet peeve of mine that happens all the time. Why would you expect people to move if you shout behind? I'm not even talking about laymen I'm talking about when you are at work. Saying behind means "don't move because I'm behind you" not "move out of my way." When I say behind it's specifically meant for someone to know I am behind them and not to move cause they will run into me. It really irks me to no end when people say behind who want me to move. I would much prefer "reaching" "coming down" "excuse me" etc. I've had co-worker who do that all the time, even to the point that they say "behind" when they are in front of me to get me to move. I like the idea for a post though. I've caught myself doing all sorts of stuff. Cooking thanksgiving dinner (or many other meals) with my family and saying things like "fire the mashed potatoes" or "pop the dressing." I've even set up a "station" at home before...bain marie with spoons, damp wiping towel, etc. Got some weird looks but by god, I need my spoons. ← I get what you are saying...but in the kithen I am in now, if you say "behind", people have to move out of your way. There just isnt room to maneuver around them. I guess I have just grown used to it. If I think back to my last kitchen, it was shouted just to make your presence known- but that was a nice size kithen.

In this link http://www.popsci.com/diy/article/2008-07/...-not-just-jelly there are paper thin banana crisps but no recipe. Any ideas???? Maybe make a banana puree first and then dehydrate.....not sure though, maybe citric acid to prevent browning. Help.