I used to think dipping cooked veggies in cold water was just for fancy restaurants. Then my buddy's snap peas stayed super crisp in a salad (I was shocked, honestly). He said the quick cool down stops them from getting mushy. Now I give my steamed carrots and broccoli a quick ice bath every time.
A little oil on the blade makes it glide through and keeps the pieces clean.
I always insisted on fresh cuts. When we were overwhelmed, the pre-diced stuff held up. It's a solid backup for busy shifts.
I thought wiping down could wait until the end of service to save a few seconds. But now I'm constantly hunting for tools and dealing with cross contamination, which slows me down way more. I mean, it's gross and my ticket times have gone up. Maybe it's just me, but getting back to quick cleans has made nights so much smoother.
I burned a lot of roasts learning, but now I can tell by smell. Do you rely on timers or senses?