Arts & Entertainment
Amuse-bouche: A chef’s most important tool
Published
6 years agoon
Posted By
Outlaw Partners
By Scott Mechura EBS Food Columnist
As a chef, I have many tools. Countless, really.
Among them are more knives than I can count. Some I purchased in places like Spain and France. A couple were gifts from Italy and Japan.
I have hooks and books, tongs and tweezers, wooden spoons from a chopstick shop in Manhattan, New York, mother of pearl spoons for dishing caviar, thermometers and even a refractometer.
These tools fill a cabinet the size of any you’d find in a mechanic’s garage. The joke is usually that if you need it, I have it. And I have it handy.
But one tool is my most valuable, one tool that I could not work without.
My hands.
You’re probably thinking that we all require our hands for everyday life, so what makes them such a special tool? Why not your palate, for example? After all, a chef’s palate is often what distinguishes him or her from a non-culinarian. True, but so do his hands.
Grant Achatz, a Chicago chef, pressed on in his restaurant through a bout with tongue cancer some years back. Through treatment, he worked side by side with his right-hand man because he had such faith and trust in his palate.
But what if he was not able to use his hands?
Grip. We need a strong grip to hold heavy sauté pans in one hand for hours on end, tossing its contents just right, while simultaneously requiring dexterity in the other hand for maneuvering tongs or flipping a fish with a spatula.
We have to be able to wield knives of all weights and shapes, each one requiring a different variation of strength and finesse.
Touch. A seasoned cook or chef can determine the doneness of a multitude of cooked meats. And they can do it in under a second.
We can feel the softness and texture of any number of fruits and vegetables and know if it should be eaten today, or if it would benefit from one more day of ripening.
The snap of an asparagus tells us if it is fresh, and where it should be cut for optimal flavor and texture.
Through touch, we know when that pasta dough is just right for rolling.
Planning. A large part of a chef’s job is organization, planning and ensuring efficiency. If he or she can’t write a clear inventory, schedule, prep list or outline, it can cause confusion for the whole team.
Portioning. Consistency is the cornerstone of success in a restaurant. A chef should be able to run through an entire rib eye and cut every steak to perfect weight.
Eventually, you can pour salt or spice in your hand and know it is almost certainly 3 tablespoons.
Thermometer. An experienced cook can tell the temperature of most anything, food or otherwise, simply by feel. I’ve worked with a pastry chef who knew by touch when her tempered chocolate was ready. She wanted it at 88 degrees. When she walked away, I used my thermometer. It was 89 degrees.
Plating. In some cases, we plate large portions of foods that require a lot of strength and endurance, while other dishes and ingredients ask for precision, detail and the touch of a butterfly with sore feet.
Watch a skilled cook move rapidly down a plating line for a large party and quickly place each item in precisely the same place on each dish.
Those boots may be for walking, but a chef’s hands were made for cooking.
Scott Mechura has spent a life in the hospitality industry. He is a former certified beer judge and currently the Executive Chef at Buck’s T-4 Lodge in Big Sky.
The Outlaw Partners is a creative marketing, media and events company based in Big Sky, Montana.
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My Barking Dog is a nightmare comedy
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My Barking Dog is a nightmare comedy that tells the story of Toby and Melinda, two lonely people whose lives are forever changed the night they encounter a starving coyote at their apartment building. Over time they grow to expect him, leaving ritual offerings to entice the coyote every night. Toby and Melinda forge a connection over this visitor and share curiosity and concern about his presence in the city. The coyote expands their world–until, one night, their world is shattered. Their lives are pushed suddenly into uncharted territory, sending them on a surreal odyssey that changes their city–and the world–forever.
Directed by LX Miller. Starring Max Schneider and Denise Hergett
Verge Theater is continuing their mission to provide accessible theater to our community. Tickets for My Barking Dog are Pay What You Wish with a suggested price of $35. Audience members are offered the opportunity to select the price point that is comfortable for them when purchasing tickets.
My Barking Dog runs March 15-17, 22-24, 28-30
Performances on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays begin at 7:00 p.m., with Sunday matinees offered at 3:00 p.m.
Suitable for ages 16 . No animals are harmed in the staging of this production.
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Join Big Sky OUT at the Len Hill Park Community Ice Rink for a free and inclusive ice skating event for all levels. Everyone is welcome, especially allies! There will be hot cocoa donated by the Hungry Moose and pizza donated by Blue Moon Bakery. Ice skate rentals are available at East Slope Outdoors until 8pm.
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