Black & White

I’ve been working in a professional kitchen for just over a year now. In my time as a pro-cook I’ve been in and out of 4 kitchens; not because I’ve jumped from one job to another but because of stages (working in another kitchen on a volunteer basis to experience their food and daily operations).

One thing I’ve learned to love about the kitchen world is that it’s very Black and White world. You either have the skills to perform or you don’t. Cooking, like so many other crafts is a brutally honest reflection of one’s own abilities. Some days you’ll crumble, some you’ll be at your best and others you’ll just struggle through. Each day is a new challenge and a new opportunity to proves oneself and one’s worth.

In short, cooking is cooking, you can do it or you can’t. I don’t care if you’re Black, Yellow, or White, if you’re Homosexual or Straight, Christian, Buddhist or Muslim. In the end all that matters is the food and if you can cut as a cook or not; skills are honest it doesn’t matter the type of person they come from; everyone is equal, things like race, orientation and creed don’t matter.

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"You're not good enough..."

At work I was asked to replicate several recipes for an upcoming magazine launch. The purpose of the exercise was for marketing to review the recipes developed by our Chefs for the magazine. They were simple recipes but a lot needed to be done with the utmost accuracy; everything needed to be measured and timed.

I prepared my mis en place in the morning, taped the recipes onto the counter, and had felt pretty good about myself. I thought everything would fall in place and I was well prepared. I know I had felt nervous as this was my first time doing this but they weren't difficult recipes. Still, I don't know exactly where the nervousness came from, I wish I did.

When it came down to cooking I moved with speed and precision. My mis was good but I soon learned that it wasn't good enough. I was making a salad and left out an ingredient, peas. I was supposed to measure out a cup of frozen peas, microwave, shock, mix with remaining ingredients. I got caught up in other recipes and left out the peas from the recipe, I had faltered.

When I realized this gaff I instantly knew that I wasn't good enough. I had made a glaring error and the only person to blame was myself. I needed to focus more intensely and plan and prepare better. In my head I heard a repeated echo of, "You're not good enough, you're not good enough..." over and over again.

It's true, I'm not good enough, but I'll get better and better. Making errors and mistakes is understandable, if not forgivable. It's what the young cook does with their mistakes that matters.

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I'd like that well-med-rare-done

The wedding reception was at a small inn, the food there was surprisingly good. For dinner there was an appetizer, entreé, and dessert. The appetizer consisted of a selection between a soup (leek and potato with stilton) or a basic salad with vinaigrette. For the entreé we had a selection of either Chicken, Beef, or Fish. Being a red meat lover I opted for the Beef.

Grilled Tenderloin of Beef
Topped with Wild Mushroom in a merlot sauce
Mashed Potatoes and Green Beans

Mushrooms, Mashed Potatoes, and Green Beans are hard to screw up. The only complaint I do have about the three of these sides is that the roasted Green Beans were not tender, they were well undercooked. I like vegetables cooked to be fork tender or al dente, whoever cooked the beans should have tasted and checked for doneness before plating.

I'm always wary whenever I order red meat, I like my red meat medium rare and I seldom receive it this way. Harold McGee's book, On Food and Cooking, defines medium rare as:

• Meat temperature: 130°F/60°F
• Doneness: Medium Rare, 135-145°F
• Meat Qualities: Resilient to touch, less slick, more fibrous, releases juice when cut, opaque, ligther red.

The problem that arises is that the USDA defines meat doneness by the following scheme:

• "Rare": 135-145°F
• "Medium Rare": 145-155°F
• "Medium": 155°F
• "Well": 170°F

For all except well-done the suggested cooking temperatures by the USDA are approximately 10-15° degrees higher than the proper cooking temperature. I suppose this is for the safety of the general public but it's still a giant pet peeve of mine. There's nothing worse than paying $30 for a steak, ordering it medium rare, cutting into it, and then seeing a pink or grey-brown centre.

There's nothing I really have to say about the dessert they served. We had my father's wedding cake served with vanilla ice cream and a raspberry coulis.

I was impressed enough with the food that I spoke to the sales manager, Franklin, about possible employment. Once I finish university in December I want to get into a decent restaurant. I'm looking for a place that will allow me to learn and pick up the basic practical skills necessary to work and survive in a public kitchen. I chatted with Franklin for 5 minutes about my situation and what I wanted to do. He smiled at me, shook my hand firmly, and told me to apply when I'm ready. This place looks hopeful.

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