Chat with a prep cook got me thinking about how I used to do things

I was training this kid, maybe 22 years old, on the line last Tuesday and he asked me why I still peel carrots with a knife instead of using the peeler. I told him it was how my first chef taught me back in 2004 at the Union Oyster House. He just shrugged and said 'whatever works faster'... and honestly it hit me that I've been doing some stuff out of habit, not because it's better. Has anyone else had a young cook make them question their old kitchen habits?

2 comments

2 Comments

tyler49220h agoMost Upvoted

Ask him if he's ever actually TIMED himself doing it both ways. I bet you a dollar you peel faster with the knife, because you've been doing it for 15+ years and your muscle memory is dialed IN. But here's the REAL question: does it actually matter? The end result is the same peeled carrot. I started asking myself that after a similar conversation with a young line cook about how I trim bell peppers. Turns out their way wasnt FASTER but it wasted less product. So what did you actually change after that kid called you out?

wendy_park761d ago

Haha my husband still insists on folding his socks a certain way cause his mom taught him. Some habits are just stuck in the brain rot forever even if they don't make sense anymore.