Interlude:  Caught on the Sliding Scale
by Kristin Franklin

I have worked as a cook in fine dining for over two years now.  I have learned how to mince a shallot, how to sauté by flipping my wrist, how to whisk a vinaigrette, how to make fresh pasta, how to mash potatoes for 100, how to chiffonade leafy herbs and how to emulsify a butter sauce.  My knife has dulled from excessive use on large cutting boards and has been sharpened many times.  I have taken for granted the omnipresent restaurant Dishwasher, the most important yet most underappreciated team member in the kitchen.  I have gotten caught on the sliding scale.

What is this sliding scale, you ask?  It’s like this:  as Professional Cook (restaurant cook) improves, Home Cook nears stumbling idiot in the kitchen.  This is where I am, caught on the scale.  I feel I am becoming quite the mediocre home cook as I advance as a professional one.  Kind of ironic, but here are the reasons:  1) lack of Dishwasher at home, 2) lack of ample amounts of containers at home, 3) lack of motivation at home (tired from work), 4) lack of giant cutting boards at home, 5) lack of stainless steel counters at home (grout is no fun to clean), 6) lack of convection ovens at home, 7) lack of 60,000 BTU gas burners at home, 8) lack of powerful vented hoods at home…you get the picture.  At home, my knife skills decline as I try to maneuver my 10” Forschner on a cutting board the size of a cereal box.  Then, once I finish cutting whatever, an onion, let’s say, where do I put it?  It sure as heck can’t stay on the cutting board, because now I have to butcher a chicken, which is oozing salmonella into the grout between the tiles on the counter.  So, I have to use a small bowl or something for the onion, and then put the chicken on a plate...more dishes to do later.

I need to figure out how disembark from this sliding scale.  I need to exist at my potential in both worlds, home and work.  Anyone interested in washing dishes for free food?

Kristin can be reached at kristin@babblog.com.

 

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