15 hours ago, J.Green said:Just started a new pastry job at a newer, upper-tier restaurant.
Any tips on being more efficient, multi-tasking, working cleaner, recipe memorizing, etc?
Are you working alone or under a pastry chef? Is this your first pastry job or have you worked in a few places already?
It does take a couple of weeks to learn your way around any new kitchen. I've been in pastry for 20 years but still feel slow and incompetent in an unfamiliar kitchen, so some of the issues should work themselves out once you know where everything is and build muscle memory for that space.
For efficiency, focus on mise en place and planning the day's production. Think about what takes longest to bake or what needs to cool/set before another step can be done and do those first. Consider the oven and group things with the same baking temp.
Multi-tasking can be over-rated. It's better to do one thing right than two things with mistakes. That said, you don't need to be standing around watching chocolate melt or continuously stirring lemon curd. While one thing is hanging out over a bain marie and another is in the oven, move on to scaling another recipe or icing the cupcakes, etc.
And clean in between. Try not to make a mess and you won't have to clean it up. Don't put a batter-y spatula down on a clean table, balance it on the bowl or lay down parchment.
I don't think memorizing recipes is a high priority. I'd rather you look at the recipe no matter how many times you've made it, especially if you're just starting out and still a bit overwhelmed.
Do your best, show up on time, accept criticism, and taste everything.
