Kitchen and Cooking Footwear/Shoes

nightscotsman · August 16, 2003

I'm surprised that no one has mentioned Calzuros. i'm an anesthesiologist and on my feet all the time. I've been wearing them for years to good effect. Another nice thing about them is that they are washable - in fact autoclavable. I recently saw an add for them in a food magazine. Mario Battali was wearing them.

I haven't heard of Calzuros. do they have good cushioning and arch support?

I thought Mario wore Anywears?

docsconz · August 17, 2003

I'm surprised that no one has mentioned Calzuros. i'm an anesthesiologist and on my feet all the time. I've been wearing them for years to good effect. Another nice thing about them is that they are washable - in fact autoclavable. I recently saw an add for them in a food magazine. Mario Battali was wearing them.
I haven't heard of Calzuros. do they have good cushioning and arch support?
I thought Mario wore Anywears?

They do. Here's a link Calzuro although you can find competitive prices with a google search. I bought my most recent pair (currently 6 years old) from All-Heart.

On page 90 of the September issue of Bon Appetit in the bon vivant section there is a picture of orange calzuro clogs with a caption "as worn by Mario Battali".

Wendy DeBord · August 17, 2003

You got me interested Doc (love the colors), but I didn't see any info on widths or footbeds....have any comments about either?

docsconz · August 17, 2003

You got me interested Doc (love the colors), but I didn't see any info on widths or footbeds....have any comments about either?

Unfortunately I don't, but I would suggest an e-mail to the company via the "Contact Us" link on their website.

nightscotsman · August 17, 2003

Thanks for the link, docsconz. The air holes on top look like a good idea, but I'm thinking you would want the plain ones for working in a kitchen. Do you wear them with or without the heel strap? Sure would like to try these on before ordering on-line. I'll have to call and see if any retailers in Chicago carry them.

By the way, here is a link to the Calzuro page on AllHeart: http://www.allheart.com/calzuro.html (prices and return policy looks good)

docsconz · August 17, 2003

The straps are new. I wear mine strapless (and don't have any trouble running through the halls when the need arises) and with the airholes. I don't know if they really make a difference or not. I have never had them without airholes. I've been using Calzuros for the past thirteen years. Over that time I have had two pairs with nearly daily use.

sherribabee · September 4, 2003

I'll be starting soon at the FCI and we're required to have "black leather lace-up shoes". I asked the admissions people about clogs, slip-ons, etc. and got a resounding "no, no and no" in return.

I've searched like a mad woman and just about all I can find are clogs. I did manage to find a pair that I think will work and be comfortable and safe -- Ecco Receptor Light ($79.95 at zappos.com). I just want to get as much info. as I can before I go fork over the ching.

Do any of you wise folks have any recommendations/advice for me? Thank you SO much!

LESider · September 4, 2003

the Ecco's will probably do you nicely. I've been wearing lace up Clark's for a year now and can recommend them highly.

MatthewB · September 4, 2003

What about non-slip sole?

adzuki3 · September 4, 2003

you can try

http://www.shoesforcrews.com/acb/index.cfm?&DID=10

i have a pair that look like sneakers and they work very well.

-a

slbunge · September 4, 2003

My wife is on her feet all day and swears by Dansko shoes because of the orthopedic footbed (they are also non-slip). We were shopping for a pair earlier this week and noticed that they now carry lace-up versions with one of the two footbed options. Look here if you are interested.

pastrymama · September 4, 2003

I think the best buy in non slip lace up kitchen shoes are from Shoes for Crews. I don't care for their least expensive ones so I usually buy the ones in the $40.00 range. 'They last me about 6 months of everyday wear and have good support. They have a website www.shoesforcrews.com you can order online or by phone. :wink:

Edited September 4, 2003 by pastrymama (log)

PastryLady · September 5, 2003

Sorry, I have to give my beef for the crappy Ecco shoes. I had them and they were fine for about the first week. After that, I would go home and literally walk around like, well, I looked like I was an old person after a long day.

I just got my birkenstocks last week (birko-flor poly). Although they are clogs, they also have full shoe versions. Why are they so particular about specificially "lace up" kind? Honestly I hate lace up now because espcially in a bakery you get flour and possibly batters dropped on your shoes often and have to get a tooth brush or something to clean them.

Birks website Here is a site to look at some styles anyways

Edited September 5, 2003 by PastryLady (log)

sherribabee · September 5, 2003

I think the best buy in non slip lace up kitchen shoes are from Shoes for Crews. I don't care for their least expensive ones so I usually buy the ones in the $40.00 range.

Thanks for the suggestion. This might be the best option for me -- relatively inexpensive, safe, comfy and they'll get me through school. Then I can hopefully buy the shoes of my choice.

sherribabee · September 5, 2003

Why are they so particular about specificially "lace up" kind? Honestly I hate lace up now because espcially in a bakery you get flour and possibly batters dropped on your shoes often and have to get a tooth brush or something to clean them.

I don't know, really. I stopped asking questions because I think I was irritating the admissions guy. *shrug*

I imagine they set a guideline so the students who don't know much about what's approriate in a kitchen don't show up wearing sandals or something. I imagine if they said slip-ons were OK, some people would definitley show up in sandals os some other flimsy shoe. I've been in kitchens where this has happened. Crazy people!

I just think it would be hlepful if they would provide a few examples of "suggested" or "appropriate" footwear or suggest a few brands or websites or SOMETHING. Maybe I'll call them and suggest they do this for students. Ah well, I have you wonderful people to help me out. :biggrin:

PastryLady · September 5, 2003

Most schools require that you have a closed shoe on the toe area and that is pretty much it besides getting black. Get what is comfortable. I like to walk around for 1/2 the day and then try on shoes as well, then your feet are a tad swollen, worn and you can judge a comfy shoe for yourself no problem

sandra · September 5, 2003

I stopped asking questions because I think I was irritating the admissions guy. *shrug*

sherribabee, NEVER stop asking questions, doesn't matter how irritated people get, especially in school - I just went through it and I can tell you that if you don't ask questions, you will have many, many blanks...

as for the shoes, I wore Dr. Martens for a while and they were very comfortable and nonslip, which is important... we were allowed to wear clogs though...

sherribabee · September 5, 2003

sherribabee, NEVER stop asking questions, doesn't matter how irritated people get, especially in school - I just went through it and I can tell you that if you don't ask questions, you will have many, many blanks...

Thanks. Yeah, I'm a huge question-asker. My mom swears my first word was "why". :rolleyes: I just figured I'd move on to some more pressing questions I had during the interview.

Speaking of asking questions, I just want to share this. I went to a book signing at Borders on Wednesday for Christopher Kimball's new book, The Kitchen Detective. During his talk, he mentioned that he had a lot of questions while he was in culinary school that his instructors could never answer (i.e. why do you add cream of tarter to egg whites when beating them?). He went on to talk about how important it is to fully understand the hows and whys of cooking/baking, because it will make everything easier to understand down the road. Anyhow, it just reinforced the idea of asking questions, which I'll certainly be doing a lot of in school. [Oh, and he does answer the egg whites question somewhere in his book (which I'm anxious to read through) -- something about proteins breaking down, re-structuring and bonding or something.]

Bux · September 5, 2003

There's a whole new generation of chefs out there asking and answering these questions about chemical reactions and the physics of cuisine. In pastry they seem to be centered around Barcelona, but they exist here in the US and you'll find some of them answering your questions here, starting with, but not limited to, our own moderators of this forum.

sherribabee · September 5, 2003

you'll find some of them answering your questions here, starting with, but not limited to, our own moderators of this forum.

Hooray! :biggrin:

I think ultimately, it will be most beneficial for me to learn the chemisty and physics of cuisine. Down the road, it will be much easier to experiment and create my own unique recipes instead of being confined to existing recipes/methods.

That, and I think my brain just works better that way. e.g. In high school, I had absolutely no grasp of basic algebra until I took a physics class and could actually understand the application and get the big picture.

Bux · September 5, 2003

We have reached a point in time where it is understood that a knowledge of chemistry and physics may actually be useful in a kitchen. "Because that's how Escoffier did it," may no longer satisfy creative monds. Knowing how and why things happen, should give you the chance to make things taste better. How and why we taste what we sense we taste is yet another field being studied.

Suzanne F · September 5, 2003

Yes yes yes, keep asking questions!

Back to shoes: whatever you get, get leather, NOT nubuck. You will never, ever get the flour and gunk out of nubuck.

sherribabee · September 5, 2003

Back to shoes: whatever you get, get leather, NOT nubuck. You will never, ever get the flour and gunk out of nubuck.

Good to know!

When reading through the other threads about chef shoes and their various attributes, I kept reading "and you can throw them in the dishwasher" and was thinking to myself, I'm not sure whether to be impressed or disgusted by this. :blink:

PastryLady · September 5, 2003

My chef used to put his in the club's dishwasher. The polyeurithane (sp?) shoes have birk inserts that you would remove and you could hose them down or whatever. Think of those silicone spatulas. That is what the shoe is made of (these are the kind I have). It may seem weird, but especially if you work in a bakery, it will prove to be a valuable feature :D

Schielke · September 5, 2003

I have been told to rotate a few pairs of reasonably comfortable shoes. This should give your feet a change of pressure each day.

Ben

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