I used to think the chef coat thing was just for looks. Then a dishie corrected me after 5 years.

I've been cooking since I was 19, worked my way up through a few kitchens in Portland. Always wore a beat-up t-shirt under my apron, figured the white coat was just for impressing customers or whatever. Then maybe 2 months ago, a dishie named Marcos who's been doing this for like 30 years just straight up asked me why my chef coat was hanging on the hook. I said I didn't want to get it dirty. He laughed and told me that's exactly why you wear it - it catches the grease splatters and sweat so your skin doesn't. Said his grandpa had skin cancer from 40 years of line cooking without one. Showed me these little burn scars on his forearms. Now I wear it every shift. Has anyone else had a random piece of advice from a dishwasher or prep cook that totally changed how you do something?

3 comments

3 Comments

angela431mo ago

Yeah the boiling water thing is close but it's more about the constant small stuff, not just big spills. Think about every time you lean over a hot grill or reach into a deep fryer - that steam and splatter hits your arms all night. A good coat also reflects heat back so you're not roasting as bad. The fabric is meant to be thick enough to soak up oil before it reaches your skin, and it dries fast so you're not standing around in a wet shirt either. Marcos probably knew that from experience, not from some manual.

the_phoenix1mo ago

Marcos sounds like the kind of guy who could teach Gordon Ramsay a thing or two. The burn scars part really hit me though, now I feel like a moron for thinking a chef coat was just for show.

craig.tessa1mo ago

Read somewhere that chefs wear those coats to protect themselves from boiling water and oil spills...