Organization in the kitchen

I have been called a few things when it comes to my need to organize, plan, clean, etc...you can guess them all. However irritating my neatness needs may be to my loved ones, they do come in handy in the kitchen world. In fact, a lot of organizational habits and methods used in the professional kitchen are easily transferable to the home kitchen. I have a very basic kitchen in my home. I don't have granite counters, exotic appliances (except my espresso maker), not much counter space, not even a gas stove. Of course those things would be nice, but I get by and have even come to love my kitchen by optimizing what I do have. Here are a few tips for transforming your kitchen habits to that of a professional Chef and those of a professional kitchen.

I organize my food much the same way as a professional kitchen. I tag everything I prepare for future use with a label and expiration date. Whether it's my garlic confit or creme fraiche stored in the fridge, or my stocks which I store in the freezer. Tagging removes all doubts about freshness of foods hidden in the dark corners of your fridge/freezer.

Along with above, wouldn't it be really nice to have a list of things in your freezer? Or, a visual plan on what may be on your menu later in the week? I bought a status board much like what you would see in any restaurant kitchen where I can jot down my food ideas. Trust me when I say that we all have that latent  childhood desire to write and erase on the chalkboard. I keep a list of my freezer contents to help me with meal ideas. It's so nice to know what I have in there at a glance when I am brainstorming about meal ideas. Additionally, I use the board to write down dishes that I would like to make in the future as ideas come to me. I also use the board to list upcoming dishes for events, dinners, etc...I love it!

A professional kitchen has work stations for performing different tasks. I have created stations in my kitchen to mimic the restaurant kitchen on a micro level. Of course, space is a factor here. I have a prep station next to the sink, a pasta making station (that I break down when not in use), a coffee making station, a dough working area, etc...It really helps with efficiency and speed to develop a habit of performing tasks in the same location.

Recently I decided that I hate constantly digging in and out of cupboards to retrieve and put away stuff. Maybe the restaurant has influenced me in this direction, but I find it a waste to time. I am not only talking about plates, but pans as well. So, I went out and bought an industrial storage rack to house most of my plates, serving dishes, pans, etc..Additionally I hung a pot rack so that ALL of my cookware, chinois, tammis, etc.. are within easy reach when I need them. What a difference in the functionality of my kitchen! Aesthetically this may not be for everyone or every kitchen, but if it is, I highly recommend it.

I used to be in the habit of pulling out the oils, vinegars, etc..as I needed them at the stove, but at some point I realized that it's much more desirable to have all of those things permanently next to the stove. So, I got a tray to store all of my oils, salts, and peppers. Along with this theme, I bought squirt bottles to allow for a more finessed application of a sauce, or liquid just as they do in a professional kitchen.

Finally, I am always looking for unique ways to organize. Recently I created this rig to hang my pasta instead of using precious counter space. I just put in 2 hooks in the ceiling and some string. It's easy to dismantle and re install as needed.

I hope some of these ideas have been helpful. Beth rolls her eyes with some of my kitchen organization ideas, but I don't think she has much complaint with the final product. Happy cooking!

Cooking with Integrity

As much as I felt like a clutz last week, last night I felt like an old pro at the restaurant. Funny thing about the restaurant is that unless you screw someone over, mistakes are usually forgotten and forgiven with each new day. I had a clean slate today and I was determined to do everything perfectly. It was a very slow night, so everyone played catchup by stocking up on their mis en place for the upcoming week. It was a relaxed night free of the usual stresses of a fast paced kitchen. Everyone was in a good mood. There has been a reshuffling of the kitchen hierarchy and the new Sous Chef is an excellent people manager and I credit him for setting this relaxed tone. He gets the job done without intimidation.

As I walked in, I was happy to see the garde manger finishing up the herbs. No herbs for moi today. The Sous gave me a verbal list of assignments and the first on the list was artichokes. I can now say that I am not afraid of turning artichokes after turning 2 cases of them (approx. 40 large ones)!  I tried to do my best on each artichoke. Coincidentally, I had practiced turning about 20 French carrots at home in the morning, so my hands felt pretty gnarly and wretched after finishing the chokes.

Next on my list were some small tasks: cleaning chanterelles, bagging 40 qts of veal stock, drain and re-soak sweetbread with milk, etc..

"Mark, can you assemble the Mac and Cheese ?" was the Hot apps request. I had done this before and luckily I had taken notes (as I do for everything I do in the kitchen) 
because all the ingredients of this appetizer have to be weighed out on a scale in a very specific proportion.  It's officially a truffled lobster Mac and cheese. Expensive ingredients require that there is no waste, hence the use of scales. It was to be my last chore of the night.

Throughout the night, the same thought kept running through my head. Two weeks ago, I had approached the Chef with my news of getting the winery job and had asked him for advice. "Chef, do you have any words of wisdom for me"? He said "Keep your eyes open, take mental notes of everything, don't ask the same question twice, and cook with integrity". 
On the surface this seemed like generic advice, but in 
retrospect they were wise words.  Cooking with integrity. This means that when I turn 40 Artichokes , I don't accept mediocre results. Or if am assembling the Mac and Cheese, that I redo it if I mess up the proportion of the ingredients even though I am the only one who knows that it's done incorrectly. An easy concept, yet one that requires an immense amount of self discipline to apply to every little task in the kitchen.

Dry Creek Passport Weekend

View from the tasting room

I got my first taste of event cooking this weekend at my new winery job. It was a food and wine event for the 85 participating wineries in Northern Sonoma County. It was a novel event in that each winery showcased one small dish that best paired with one or more of their wines. The winery where I am employed owns 4 wineries with 2 of them in Sonoma County with each presenting a different dish. My location presented a pumpkin gnocchi with brussel sprouts cooked in a brown butter sage sauce with toasted walnuts which was paired with a Pinot. The gnocchi was prepared by the Chef and his assistants during the previous 2 days.

Arriving at the winery I was not sure what to expect or what my duties would be. We were a crew of 3 at this location. Our tasks were divided into 3 stations and throughout the day we rotated through each post to breakup the routine. One station was the front man who represented the food inside the tasting room to the public and answered questions regarding the dish, preparation, and general food questions. The front man also metered the food supply as the demand ebbed and flowed. The second station did the plating. The third station cooked the gnocchi at the stove.

What a change from the stress and pressure of working at the restaurant! I had a blast. When the dust had settled, we had served a total of 1500 people for the 2 days. I consider that a feat for 3 people, but there was no stress, no yelling, no Michelin star at stake! Not to imply that the product is inferior in quality, event cooking is just a different animal. At the restaurant, I am mostly involved with precision prep work and assemblage of mis en place with almost zero stove time. It was really nice to actually get to cook, not to mention having a more comprehensive role in the kitchen. I think I have fallen into the perfect niche. I receive regimented, precise education at the restaurant working with elegant products and presentation, and at the winery events I can employ what I have learned at the restaurant but in a more relaxed environment with a much longer leash.

What has the past 12 months meant?

It was a year ago when I left for Le Cordon Bleu on a much anticipated deviation from my life's course. In the past 12 months I completed the Basic Cuisine course, interned at a restaurant for 10 weeks, currently going to the same restaurant once per week as a part time intern, and have practiced intensely at home on most of my days off. This afternoon I made the appetizer to the right. It is gougère filled with chicken remoulade. It incorporated making choux pastry, mayonnaise, roasting some chicken, and balancing the use of fine herbs, acid, and seasoning. Maybe it's not so complicated, but a year ago I could not have made any component of this appetizer without a recipe, nor could I have come up with the concept of the final product. This was something I came up with this morning at the gym and whipped it together this afternoon without the aid of a recipe.  As I was making the dish, It dawned on me that the past 12 months have been really significant in terms of advancing my cooking skills. Since returning from Le Cordon Bleu, I have avoided using recipes and have attempted to combine ingredients using the tools I acquired in school (braising, poaching, roasting, etc..) I have liberated myself from the crutch of recipes. I now use them to gain ideas for techniques and food combinations, but the days of being tightly tethered to a recipe line-by-line may be behind me. I have also practiced and read a ton since my return from school. This is not to imply that everything I have made has been stellar. In fact I have had LOTS of disasters but each mistake led to a lesson learned. LCB gave me the tools and the confidence to try new things and helped shed the fear of failure. Finally, the internship has allowed me to see those basic techniques refined beyond anything I had imagined. The restaurant has also helped me with more creative plating ideas. Bottom line is that ALL of the above are responsible for where I am today. I have SO far to go. I may be only an inch along a mile long journey, but after putting this plate together, it feels so good.