Post 7:30 energy. A phenomenon defined as the moment midway through a hectic dinner service when everyone starts looking a little rumpled, a little glassy-eyed and manic. A fatalistic undercurrent works its way down the line.
Cracks begin to form. Non sequiturs tamper with the flow. If I ask Mac to cross something off a ticket, he might respond “Which cross, Crossfit or David Cross?” Did he even hear me? The simulation is glitching. Will dinner be ruined?!
The two of us have spent many years in restaurant kitchens, night after night. In all that time, not once has dinner been ruined. It wasn’t always tidy or timely. We’ve spilled entire prep projects on the floor and remade them on the fly. We’ve sent staff out into the night for more burger buns. We’ve put out literal fires. But we always made it through. The last plate left the pass. The last ticket stabbed.
I know this is all beginning to sound a bit like the Bear (yes, we’ve seen it). I promise it’s not that serious (nothing should ever be that serious). Laughter, teamwork, and snacks help a lot. It’s just dinner, after all, so we can relax a little.
Practice is everything. But more importantly, everything is practice. No matter how good a cook you are, your second run through a recipe will be better than the first. If you scorch the pan, you can probably still save most of it (more on that below). And if it’s truly inedible, there’s always instant ramen. What matters is what you do next. Trust the process, and keep cooking.
And if you need a little guidance, you’ve come to the right place. Let us know how we can help.
We’re glad you’re cooking with us.
Cheers,
Sten and Mac
chef snacks
Cooking tip
When you scorch, don’t scrape. You’re making a thick stew. The burner is on medium when Sam distracts you by knocking a whole shelving unit off the wall (real story). You return to stir the pot and feel that the bottom has turned into astroturf. Your impulse is to scrape it up, try to save it. DON’T. If you try to save all of it, you will lose all of it. You’ll just mix the burned bits into the rest of the stew.
Take a breath. Turn off the burner. Move the pot to a cooler part of the stove. Find a new pot and a ladle. If the bottom is this badly burned, it’s because there’s been no movement in the pot. The liquid on top should be unharmed. Begin transferring the stew to the new pot, from the top down, tasting and smelling as you go. When you start tasting charcoal, compost the rest.
As far as the scorched pot goes, soak it. If it’s really bad, boil it out with some baking soda and vinegar in the water. Otherwise you’ll have to pay your dishwasher $20 for the inconvenience of using a chisel.
Purveyor Spotlight
Sea Wolf. Mac and I like to make our own bread for sandwiches and bread service. In the back of our minds, though, we know there’s little chance we’ll out-bake the bakers at Sea Wolf. Their burger buns are toothy. Their sourdough has just the right tang. You can preorder or head straight to their spacious shop on Stoneway in Fremont.
