How can I be a better cook/chef?

Go in earlier to prep. I’m not a chef but I have worked Sonics where everything is made first thing in the morning. (At least it use to be that way) We would go in 2 hours before opening and prepare all the onion rings so they would be easy to fry. We did the same with the pizza dough and any thing else, like the condiments or salads. Everything was ready to go in each station before opening so that all we had to do was throw it on the grill or oven and have it all ready to go. By the way I don’t mean to have it right near by like sitting on a counter. Hopefully you have a small fridge near by where things are just kept cooled.

Prep work is key. You need to have everything on hand exactly when you need it otherwise it can and will fuck your whole flow up. Aside from prep work and learning your kitchen there isn’t really much I can tell you. You seem like your starting to learn the times different things take to cook which is key to knowing what goes in when and how to get it all out at once.(I always had a hard time getting everything done at the same time)

As with most other things, speed comes with experience. I’ve been working on and off as a cook since I was 14 and even I need time to readjust and get fast again when I go into a new kitchen. It usually takes me a while until I can learn where everything is and start to get how that kitchen runs. It is a bit harder on you because you are , as you said, alone, so you don’t have someone there to help you out or keep you on track.

I guess after rambling for two paragraphs the most important thing I can say to you is this .

Once you start to panic it’s over, taste and presentation will drop considerably from this point. It’s better to take a bit longer and serve a great meal then to get it out quick and serve crap.

And always know where your towel is…..seriously, next to the knife a hand towel is probably one of the most useful things to have in a kitchen

Aside from the good advice above, practice will always help make you a better cook. It will also help with your timing and speed. If something is going to take longer than you like, can you send out a complimentary appetizer to give yourself a little more time with the rest of the meal?

When I first taught myself how to cook I was terrible. I can’t remember how much stuff I over or undercooked. I could barely make a decent grilled cheese sandwich. Now I can do it in my sleep.

Set up a special menu of foods that can be prepared well in advance or don’t take much time to put together. A good soup and salad special can make the rest of the orders easier to cope with.

Any chance of persuading the management to hire a sous-chef?

As the chef, you need to tell your boss you need a sous chef. No question. That high a jump in expected customers demands it. Then remember you are the boss in the kitchen. Be sure your directions and and calls are heard and understood. Don’t yell like you’re angry, but be sure your orders are heard. Explain when there are quiet periods. If you need still more help, tell the boss. He/she has been there through the tourist season before. It won’t be a surprise.
Check out some of the restaurant shows on TV to see a kitchen in action, if they are available to you.

I am no chef and am completely amazed at your ability to even consider doing this. Bravo on you!

I watch a lot of this TV show called Restaurant Impossible, in which chef Robert Irvine comes in to figure out what is going wrong with failing restaurants. He then helps them fix their problems. Sometimes the restaurant is out-dated and dirty, sometimes the owners have had no management experience, and other times the chefs were self taught (or placed into the family business with no training).

Here are some of the things that I’ve seen him help people with, especially with regards to inexperienced chefs. He will make each of the dishes from start to finish (usually after changing the recipe to something with better quality ingredients, or something that is easier to prepare, or something that looks better on a plate). Then he will take a picture of that dish. There will be photos, with exact descriptions of the ingredients, order of prep, and portions on this card. These “cheat sheets” are kept in the kitchen, right above where the prep is being done.

Make sure that you have proper measuring items, whether it be cups or a scale. To make sure that a dish is prepared the exact same way, each time, even if you make the same thing a hundred times, the best way to ensure that quality, is to make sure that you use the exact amount of ingredients, every time you make a dish. So that means, actually weighing the meat, or using the same amount of broth (with a measuring cup). You shouldn’t try to eyeball portions. The problem with that is because even if you are slightly off, the cooking time will be different, and you will have no portion control or inventory control. You need to be keenly aware of how much of everything that you are using for each dish.

And like the others have said, prep is essential, and the way that the prepped items are stored is very important too. Instead of having everything here and there, you need to have the items that you will be using for any particular dish, set out (and stored, not just left out, because cold items need to be kept cold) in the order in which they will be used. That might mean re-arranging your “stations” and your storage containers and your sauce bottles. And make sure that everything is labeled and that items that need to have lids, have lids and that you close the lids.

And yes, like @uberbatman said have your towels on hand. Make sure you use different towels for different jobs. Never use the same towel that you use to wipe your counters, or to dry your hands, and don’t use the counter wiping towels or your hand drying towels as your plate wiping towels (you know the towel that is used to clean off sauce spatter, when you are plating to make a nice presentation) You never want to cross contaminate anything with your towels. Have lots of clean towels on hand, because you will need to change them out often.

Figure out ahead of time (for your photo) exactly how you want your presentation to look, complete with sauce flourishes and sprinkling of garnishes. Take a photo of each item, and make sure that you use that image to create that same look, every single time.

Even accomplished chefs will constantly taste their sauces and other scoopable items, but make sure that you use a clean (and different) spoon, every single time you taste something. To do otherwise, is kind of like double dipping and very un-sanitary.

Instead of spooning your finishing sauces out of one of those square metal pans, and having to keep taking the lid off of it, or worse yet, having it kept un-lidded, store your finishing sauces in These Squirt Bottles and then keep the bottles in a refrigerated holding compartment, which could be another one of those square pans only bigger, but that is either refrigerated from below, or filled with ice. And make sure the bottles are labeled (on both sides, because they’ll get turned around) and kept in order, so that you can just grab one and not accidentally grab the wrong sauce. Put them back in the correct order, each time.

On your own, learn all that you can about the laws and regulations of food safety. That is a big issue on Restaurant Impossible, with regards to the way food is handled (actually prepared and cooked) to the way it is stored, with regards to temperature, cleanliness, and even whether certain items are stored above other items, or whether a shelf needs to have a flat bottom or have open rungs (for air circulation) and how often to rotate out older items. There is tons of information (which I don’t have, but have seen Robert Irvine discuss it) about the proper storage and handling of food so that one doesn’t cross contaminate or create a food safety hazard.

Here is just a small List of things that need to be cleaned on a regular basis, in a restaurant kitchen.

You are going to have to start doing a lot of homework to learn all you can about the restaurant biz. I realize that you are in Spain, but This Site can give you some ideas of what you will need to know about food safety. I imagine they have similar sites with regards to rules and regulations in Spain.

Also, here is some information about how to prevent Cross Contamination

Here is some information about how to Organize a Commercial Kitchen

This is geared towards restaurants employing young people, but since you don’t have much experience, This Info will be valuable to you too.

With regards to how to make all of your dishes come out cooked properly and at the right time, on time and all of that jazz, I can’t help you there. I could never do what you are doing. It still amazes me how my Mom is able to put together a Thanksgiving dinner, without looking at a single cookbook or guide. She learned from my Grandmother and she just knows how to do it. Unfortunately in your case, you are going to have to learn from the internet (which is not nearly as much fun as learning from your Grandma, and not as useful as learning from a culinary school).

I wish you the best of luck, in both your new job, and with your new relationship! I really do admire you!

Hi again all, I am home, sorry about not giving any lurve yet, I have been working and now I have to sleep.

I have not looked at the answers yet, but I will in the morning, It looks like there are some real good posts. Thanks all.

Wow. I’m blown away that you’re managing this. Well done you. I think in addition to preparing as much as you can ahead of time, keep it simple. Don’t have too much on your menu. A few things cooked really well would be more impressive than a long menu that you struggle do cover well.

You’re in Spain so are they expecting Spanish food or are you cooking for Brits who want fish and chips?

I would practise at weekends too. Get a heap of recipe books and start looking for simple recipes that can be prepared in advance and then just thrown in the oven or finished off quickly.

@janbb took my answer. Talk to the management about getting some help for peak hours.

@Bellatrix It is kind of a mix I cook, I basically cook what the management tell me. You can get fish and chips and mushy peas as a dish, curry, paella, and other things too.

The menu is too long indeed, it is something I mentioned, it is 4 pages long (counting the children’s menu) with a total of about 120 dishes or so, I could do with cutting that in half, but it will take some convincing.

The place is basically a British burger bar by the beach, we sell beer and burgers all day, but at night, 8pm to 10pm, people come wanting real dishes, like chicken Diane, lamb chops in mint sauce, etc.

Anyway, going back to work, Thanks for all the answers everyone.

120 dishes?! That’s ridiculous. Gordon Ramsay would definitely have something to say about that.

I was thinking that. You need Gordon! If they want you to be in control, I think you need to take control. One thing I try to do if I’m going to tell my boss we need to change something is to have the solution all mapped out. So make up the alternative menu, why you’re doing it, how it will benefit them. Perhaps you can get your girlfriend to help you put it together. Then sit down with the boss and show him what you’ve come up with and sell him on the idea. You have to a. take the pressure of him having to solve the problem and b. show him how this will be a good thing for you AND him and the customers.

@JLeslie Yea it is way too many, and some of them are just stupid, because they are basically the same dish.

e.g.

Childrens menu:

- sausage egg and beans
– beans egg and peas

Adult menu:

- English breakfast, eggs, beans, sausage, bacon, toast and black pudding.
– 2 sausages, eggs and beans.

etc.

We probably have almost 10 dishes, that are just a variation of beans, bacon, eggs, chips, peas and what not.

It is set up in a way that makes it very easy really, I have an awesome industrial capacity kitchen, but when you get too many orders, it clogs the kitchen.

For example, I can cook 18 steaks at the same time, but only if I am not cooking anything else. If I have 2 burgers to do, then I can only cook 16 steaks.

When I get 10 or 12 tickets, with 2 to 8 orders each, it clogs some parts of the kitchen, while other parts go unused. I think there are too many recipes, that require a certain part of the kitchen.

@Bellatrix I think 95% of what I know, has come from “Gordon Ramsey’s Ultimate Cookery Course – 100 recipes to stake you life on”. I am not claiming to have any link between his skill level and mine because of it, but it really did teach me a lot, from what knives I need and how to peel a pepper properly, all the way to “complicatedish” baking procedures.

Ok, now I really do have to go to work.

Amazing. Sounds very difficult your job. I couldn’t do it.

@JLeslie It is not so hard really, it is hard for me, because I don’t actually know what I am doing, I have cooked for myself in the past, but never professionally.

That is the whole problem I think, lack of experience. The other chef I work with, is actually a real chef, and it shows too. When I serve my grilled tomatoes, you get a thick slice of grilled tomato, but when the other chef serves it, he somehow finds time to carve it in to a fancy rose sculpture.

I also think the other chef knows I am full of shit, because he some times drops hints when he comes in, and sees what I have done. E.g. he will say “you don’t do bad do you”, leaving out “for a bullshitting jack of all trades”.

It is a strange setup, we should probably see about establishing leadership, because at the moment, even though I have the lion’s share of the hours and work, I am not actually the boss or head chef, but neither is the other guy, its kind of a co-op thing we have going on.

The real boss is the manager lady, who runs everything from out front.

Regarding taking on more staff, that is a definite no. We just have to get on with it.

Today has been easier, but slower, we will see what the night service brings. The kitchen is spotless clean and all prepped, so it should not be to bad.

I am looking forwards to tomorrow Sunday, 90% of the customers will be ordering the same thing, Sunday roast, nice easy one.

@Kardamom Back when I was in culinary school I got a chance to work along side Chef Irvine. Our school would have a fancy banquet every year at one of the casinos in AC and Chef Irvine was the head chef there at the time. He was a really cool guy to work with but I couldn’t help but laugh a little when he’d yell. “Stop standing around playin tiddly winks!” I mean come on…. lol

@poisonedantidote The roses are actually quite easy to make. Just a bit time consuming.

@uberbatman That is so cool that you got to work with Robert Irvine.

He, like Gordon Ramsay, would tell our young lad to make a new, more streamlined menu. The way it’s set up now, there are way too many items, some of them overlapping. Maybe Poison and the other chef could get together and pare it down to about 20 items, maybe even changing some of the recipes (although keeping with the original theme of Brit food) only to make them easier/quicker to prepare. That’s what both Gordon and Robert do and I think it makes life easier for everyone.

@poisonedantidote Here is some more info that you should look into, Heating Meat Correctly

And more info about Properly Cooking and Handling Meat

I recall seeing something on one of those cooking shows that discussed Par Cooking Meat as a way of making prep time quicker. I’ll try to find more info about that, because this would be very useful, but I want to make sure we find some techniques that are safe and commonly used in restaurant kitchens. Maybe someone could help us look. Here is a little bit more info about Par Cooking. Here is info about Par Cooking Pasta Here is a good video discussing Par Cooking Food

Here is some information about Cooking Vegetables

Many dishes can have certain parts of the ingredients cooked ahead of time, such as this Steak and Kidney Pie

Here is some interesting info about Pan Frying Burgers. I had no idea that actually handling the burgers too much with your hands, can start the cooking process simply by the warmth of your hands. So you don’t want to handle the meat very much.

This site talks a little bit about Finish Grilling Steaks in the Oven

In addition to watching Robert Irvine’s Restaurant Impossible you might also want to check out chef Anne Burrell’s Secrets of Restaurant Chefs

Also check out Guy Fieri’s Diners Drive-ins and Dives look them up on the Food Network site or go on Youtube and search for the show, especially ones with a British Pub Theme. This show is very good, because they actually show the chefs preparing the dishes in their own restaurant kitchens, so you can see the set up and how they actually prepare the food.

Again, good luck. If I think of anything else I’ll come back later : )

@poisonedantidote How’s the kitchen been treatin ya? Hanging in there?