I finally asked my line cook why he always scrapes his cutting board a certain way

He said it's so the knife doesn't catch on dried juice spots when you rotate ingredients, and honestly that one tip saved me about 20 minutes of frustration during last Saturday's dinner rush. Has anyone else had a rookie change how you think about something basic?

2 comments

2 Comments

sandra_bennett596d agoTop Commenter

Oh man, I felt this one in my soul (and my sore wrist)! I had a similar moment when my new prep cook showed me how to "stack" my cutting techniques - like cutting all the onions first before moving to peppers, instead of doing one complete dish at a time. I was so stubborn about my way that I nearly argued with her, but now I swear by it. It's funny how the smallest habit changes from someone younger (or newer) can make you feel like a total dinosaur. I still catch myself scraping my board wrong sometimes, but at least now I know better!

phoenixw115d ago

Started out thinking the same way you did honestly. I figured my way worked fine and I had been doing it for years so why change it. Then a younger line cook showed me how grouping all my knife work together actually saved me like 15 minutes of setup and cleanup time. Tried it once just to prove them wrong and ended up feeling silly for being so stubborn. Now I'm the one showing newbies how to batch out their prep work and they look at me like I'm some kinda genius. Funny how that works out.