BKYLN

When I lived in a dorm, which was only a couple years ago (I'm 22), I did not know a single (!) person, including myself, that cooked anything other than microwavable food. I respectfully think you're wasting your time and money setting your son up beyond a microwave. And cooking is my passion and profession, so the "oh but he just loves to cook!" thing won't really do much for me. It's just not going to happen.

Weekend brunch at Public.

It is very possible, but now that you know that...if you start questioning whether or not you really want to do it, I would say you don't. I figured it out when I was 19...and even and that age I was 100% certain that I never wanted to work anywhere other than a restaurant for the rest of my life.

Please correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't Garces beat Bobby Flay on ICA? You are correct-my mistake. Farmerie beat Cora as well...Ooops Nothing against Brad (who I work for and have learned a lot from), but anyone can beat Cat Cora.

LOL at people saying that Robin delivered. With what is basically a pear version of McDonald's apple pie with pretty holes cut in the top. Woop-de-doo!

At the restaurant I work at, whoever is doing the Meat/Fish station has to prepare family meal for the 2-3 dishwashers at the end of the night. Sometimes we have random bits of meat (sometimes hot dogs) that need to be used up. I often make the guys big plates of fried rice. I do it in a wok, like this: -High heat -squirt of oil -finely sliced red Anaheim chiles and scallions -spoonful of our Ginger Garlic Relish (raw ginger, garlic, scallions, cilantro, soy sauce, and vegetable oil pureed coarsely) -healthy doses of both soy sauce and sweet soy (Kecap Manis) -leafy green vegetable that we have extra of...bok choy, water spinach, brussels sprouts leaves, etc. -diced meat -large amount of steamed rice -toss to combine -lift handle of wok to move everything to the other side, leaving an open space in the wok, and add 2-3 beaten eggs per serving -let the eggs scramble a little, then toss again to combine and coat the entire thing lightly in egg -empty onto plate, finish with a lot of Sriracha (our dishwashers are all from Ghana/Ivory Coast, so they like it SPICY)

Dicing celery to a small dice is incredibly easy and fast. Remove the leafy tops and dirty bottoms. Peel the stringy bits if you desire. Lay on the board in it's natural arc-like state. Holding the knife at an angle (about 45 degrees), cut a 1/4" strip off of the right side. Do the same on the other side, with the knife angled in the opposite direction. Split the remaining bit in half. You should have 4 lengths of celery that are about 1/4" across. Dice. edited for clarity

I, along with several other guys on the line at the restaurant I work at, use these spoons. The larger model is a godsend. It holds much more than regular spoons and even "bell/berry" spoons. They are very well-made and sturdy, warranting a $9.50 price tag. I love them because I can sauce, say, a shortrib with 2 spoonfuls instead of 4 with another spoon, which of course is much faster. They are also good for many other uses, as already listed in this thread. I think every line cook should have at least 2. However, I find the smaller version to be little more than a standard tablespoon that you would eat with. Yes, it has a more comfortable shape in the handle, but otherwise is a waste of money IMO.