Is It Too Late to Become a Cook? Too Old for the Line at 30, 40, or 50?
🎙️ EP204 — Low pay, long hours, starting at the bottom: are kitchens only built for cooks who start young, or is there an advantage to starting at 30, 40 or 50?🎧 In This Episode:⏳ Is 30 Too Late to ...
20 Sep 32min
Culinary Fundamentals: Can Cooks Still Make a Stock?
🎙️ EP203 — What should every cook actually know? Culinary fundamentals, who decides what they are, and whether they have changed?🎧 In This Episode:🧪 Why Nobody Makes Stock Anymore🧭 Who Decides Wha...
13 Sep 33min
Push It Till It Punches You in the Face: Seasoning, MSG and Cooking Fish Over Fire
🎙️ EP202 — Tasty is NOT enough: push the salt, push the acid, push past the point where you'd normally stop.🎧 In This Episode:🥋 What Chefs Spend Years Perfecting🔥 Cooking Fish Over Fire by Feel🔍 ...
6 Sep 26min
The Cook's Expiration Date: Was Bourdain Right About 37?
🎙️ EP201 — Bourdain said cooks are done after 37: does a cook expire, or does kitchen culture expire them?🎧 In This Episode:⏳ The Expiration Date of a Cook 🧑🍳 Stepping Back from the Line 🩹 Injur...
30 Aug 25min
Everyone Claps When the Chef Claps: How Accurate Is The Menu?
🎙️ EP200 — We review The Menu and trace it back to the real kitchens behind it: Willows Inn, Lummi Island, Noma, Mugaritz, and more.🎧 In This Episode:🎬 Why The Menu Feels So Familiar🏝️ The Real Re...
23 Aug 37min
Same White Jacket, Different Job: Is Becoming a Head Chef a Reward or a Punishment?
🎙️ EP199 — The day you get promoted is often the day you stop doing the thing that got you there: More responsibility, more time, and a raise that can still leave you poorer per hour.🎧 In This Episo...
16 Aug 39min
The Knives Episode a.k.a. Don't Touch My F#cking Knife
🎙️ EP198 — Cooks sharpen it, name it, refuse to let anyone else touch it.🎧 In This Episode:🔪 The Three Knives Every Cook Needs🗡️ Gyuto, Bunka or Nakiri?🚫 Never Touch Another Cook’s Knife🩹 The Wo...
9 Aug 32min
Serving Expectations: A Nike Logo Lesson for Cooks
🎙️ EP197 — How restaurants set expectations and why cooks who get the setup wrong can make people dislike a taste they'd otherwise love.🎧 In This Episode:🍽️ Restaurants Are Serving Expectations Bef...
2 Aug 33min
