I'm a chef AMA

[whatisforteamum]

I'm a chef AMA.

How do you find time for a home/social life when you have to work unsociable hours? How do you cope with the heat when it's summer in a hot kitchen?

What do you make at home on sunny evenings? Do you cook east stuff at home sometimes?

I only worked for 6 years the silly long days.
Left for work 930 am home 1030 pm.
Bath snaccky tea then an hour's chill.Bed at 12.
Absolutely no social life and only saw DH if I booked holidays.
I loved the job physically it is hard in your 50s.

Why can’t I make pastry. Either it’s crumbly and I can’t roll it (but it tastes good) or it’s malleable but tastes like leather.

My 13 yo dd2 would like to become one. Would you recommend it or should I tell her to stay away?

Favourite meal to cook?

Have you ever cooked for someone famous? 😁

I bake at home but rarely ever cook as gardening and cleaning seem more appealing.
Nothing like cooking all day to take your appetite away.
I'm slim as I walk loads and exercise.

Frothycothy Boris johnson came to our pub once and I was asked by a recruiter if I wanted to be a private chef and housekeeper for a local former politician.

What the hell should I feed my kid who lives off marmite sandwiches and raw carrots. 5 meal ideas would be amazing.

A very timely AMA! My 16 YO DS has announced he wants to be a chef. Has said he doesn’t want to do traditional post 16 education. I trained as a chef many years ago NVQ levels 1,2 and 3 but ended up leaving and retrained as a nurse and have worked my way up to a very senior post. I feel my opportunities have been much greater since retraining and am worried about the longevity of the work as a chef for him (saw a lot of very unhealthy habits amongst staff that took their toll on them).
If he decides to pursue this path what is the best training route these days (I am now very out of touch) and how would you feel if you had a child who wanted to go that route? Thanks.

Meredusoleil.
I've been in the trade for decades since going to college in 1984.
I love the variety of work and people will always need to eat.
Financially it doesn't pay unless you work loads of hours .
The cameraderie and satisfaction is second to none after a busy shift.
Seeing lots of happy customers is still a thrill.
I was lucky and stayed strong and didn't spend my earnings at the bar after.
I've seen lots of young guys develop drink or worse issues sadly.

Everymeeveryyou.
Personally I've worked with apprentices that have joined say Fullers company go to college through the week and actually work in the hustle and bustle of kitchen life gaining experience and recognised qualifications.That way you know sooner if the chef life is for you.
That seems quite good to me.
I did the full 2 years then the reality of a real kitchen although I did do pubs and hotel bits on college days off for money.

Thank @whatisforteamum that was the way I trained also, day release as it was called then, sounds like we were inmates! Am assuming it is no longer NVQs? He seems to have ideas of going to some fancy catering school type of setting but when I ask him where he has no idea!

My ds worked as a KP while he decided what to do and now works in a London office.🤣
My DD worked front of house for a few years and changed jobs with her chef fiancé as they both wanted a social life and I guess one day kids.
I think it's character building to be in the industry.

Our apprentice went to Westminster college London.
I went to Henley tech.
The good thing is ages is spent on each subject and we did restaurant and housekeeping too.
I'm still learning at 58.

I’m not a chef but FE colleges do Catering and Hospitality Quals. If you’re in London the best one is at Victoria, part of Capital City College (used to be Westminster Kingsway)

Scandilito.
Pastry that crumbles has to little water.
Leathery too much or overworked.
Try this.
Just over a pound of flour.pinch of salt
I block of butter.
Blitz in a food processor.
Crack in 2 whole eggs.
A swirl around the blade of cold water.
Turn processor on until combined.Chill in greaseproof paper.
I was shown this recently for quiches and holds up well.

Does anyone wash ingredients or is there insufficient time? I mean meat, fish, veg and herbs. Particularly relevant to veg used in salads.

Veg herbs and salad yes.
I always do.
Meat doesn't get washed.

Everymeeveryyou
Surely being a nurse is much harder and long shifts weekends Christmas Easter the lot too.?

Thank you @whatisforteamum @NeedToKnow101 we aren’t in London, in fact not in the UK, but DD is at Uni in London so it would be possible for DS to share accommodation with her if he does go there. Will look into Capital City.

Why does pub/restaurant food generally taste better than homecooked food, are the ingredients better quality or is there lots of butter/salt added?

What do you think about programmes like Masterchef including the professionals one?

Lots of people who have worked in kitchens say that there are a lot of unhygienic practices eg chefs licking spoons and putting them back in the pot or people not washing hands properly (eg after touching raw meat/fish) and similar. Have you witnessed things like this?

How careful are you with allergens?
What do chefs feel when a customer says they’re allergic to x, y and z?