I was in a chef's commercial kitchen recently and was heating a pre-prepared dish. I said to the chef that it may be good to put a cartouche on top. Used to folding baking paper up then cutting it in a circle to fit the pot, I was somewhat taken aback when he grabbed a square of baking paper and pushed it down into the pot to form a perfect seal. When I mentioned about a hole in the middle, he grabbed a knife and cut a rather rough hole in the middle. It was a perfect cartouche in a busy kitchen but not something you see in the cooking shows.
Do any chefs have similar shortcuts to share with us idealists?
