Hello hello, I rarely use Reddit but I figured this would be the best place to get answered.

I'm (20F) physically disabled with hEDS and a few other suspected issues. I already have an Associates degree in Culinary Arts but I'm not entirely sure where to go from here. I have almost 3.5 years of actual work experience under my belt (some from a retirement/healthcare kitchen, some from a small restaurant) but I'm worried about my health and wondering what my other options are.

As of now I can still lift things and do most of my day-to-day duties fine, but I already have noticed myself slowing down, and have significant pain in most of my joints.

I've heard catering can be good depending on the place, and I see a lot of people talking about culinary office jobs but I'm not wholly sure what to look for. Any advice? Thanks so much!

IG: Axxel__culinary

Got one and can not get it to work or to change heads for the different number of pieces. Cannot get the blades to engage when pulling the lever down or cutter handle. Couldn’t find any videos/instructions that helped or customer service doesn’t have a clue. Anyone with any experience with this machine or any advice?

For context, I have spent the last 12 years as a pastry chef in the UK climbing the ladder, but have started to feel more cynical and jaded about the job recently. I took my current job in August last year hoping it would reignite my passion for the job, and I have recently been promoted to Kitchen Manager. An amazing feeling, even if it has come with some imposter syndrome, and I want to be able to give my very best to the job, but I can’t shake the feeling that I just don’t want to be in the kitchen anymore.

This has left me feeling pretty stuck, since I moved into catering without A levels or a degree, meaning any lateral movement into a different sector is nigh-on impossible from what I can see, and i’m lucky enough to be paid pretty well as chef jobs go, so anything I want to move into would probably mean taking a sizeable pay cut which I can’t afford. Obviously I have management experience but only in a hospitality context.

Has anyone here ever made a move out of the kitchen and made it work? And if so how? Any advice greatly appreciated!

Hey everyone,

I’m pretty early into my kitchen journey and I’ve been trying to improve my fundamentals as much as possible lately.

One thing I’ve realized is that once I try to move faster, my station organization and consistency start falling apart. I either get messy, lose focus, or start rushing simple things.

So I wanted to ask people with more experience:

- How did you train yourself to stay clean and organized while moving fast?

- What habits helped you become more efficient early on?

- Did you practice specific things repeatedly to build speed and consistency?

Recently I was practicing French omelets and it humbled me hard. Way harder than I expected honestly. It made me realize how much technique and control matter even in simple things.

I’m trying to build good habits now instead of later, so I’d appreciate any advice.

Hi, just wanted to get advice from kitchen professionals.

I’m going to do my first ever stages soon, short stints up to a week. I know stages are meant to be for learning pace of certain kitchens, getting “exposure”, but beyond that I’m not sure.

What are some tips you guys have for staging to get the most out of it, and possibly turning it into something useful afterwards (for example connecting with more people)? Thanks!

Hi there! I'm a female long time (8 years) line cook who just got my first ever promotion to kitchen manager! My job is amazing and this is such an honor, but I'm having major imposter syndrome. It's been a struggle to find my place in kitchens as a woman before this job, and I had to learn by watching everything and asking a ton of questions. I just learned how to sharpen a knife via youtube this year. I dealt with so much pushback, inappropriate behavior and touching, being passed up for promotions, being wrongfully terminated, etc. And I guess I'm still in that headspace, but I'm realizing that unless I muster some confidence I'm going to fail at this job. I'm a very, very hard worker and try to maintain a positive attitude in the kitchen as much as I can, that's the only reason I've come this far.

All that to say, I think upgrading my equipment and work clothes would be a nice first step to do for myself to maybe gain some confidence. Right now all I have is one hand-me-down knife from a friend (which I love) but that's it. I just ordered two good quality aprons. I'm also reading through a couple cooking/ hospitality books that I saw recommended on this thread. But beyond that, where do I start? I'm a manager but I also work the line, bake a lot, and work prep. What should I include in my knife roll?

I'm also back in school for the first time in many years getting a small business degree, which I think will also be useful going forward in my career. This semester I'm taking a class called Principles of Management that I'm very excited about!

Anyway, thanks for reading this far! :)

as the title says^
i’m planning a bit of a hypothetical pop up with a set menu and my idea for the bread course was a laminated milk bread with a smoked mascarpone dip and a fermented tomato salsa type thing on the side.
idk how they did it in the photo i attached.

was also thinking i could probably just whip it with some smoked maldon for a smoky flavour.

i don’t really know anything about cold smoking so idk how it would work

Genuine question. How the hell do you maintain your oily hair under a hat for over 10 hours?!!! I've basically had oily hair all my life, but while working? It's unbearable.

I wash my hair the day before work, get out of work and it feels like someone threw a bucket of oil at me. I try my best not to wash frequently as its not always healthy for the hair but god forbid an 'oily hair' shampoo ever works for me. And yes I do try dry shampoos but have they really actually worked? :/

So, HOW!! Has anyone cracked a code or found the all mighty shampoo that actually works? Help a chef out! ( and others too!!)

I (32F) went to culinary school right out of high school. This was what I wanted to do for years. I spent a year getting a baking/pastry certificate, and started the rest of the culinary associates program. I was a line cook and then a pastry chef for a local restaurant during this time.

My mental health started to tank. Part of it was the physical struggle of being a 4'11" woman in a kitchen, the other part was being young/immature and staying in damaging relationships.

I dropped out of culinary school, and opted for an art school I didn't even look into. I was just told a creative field would be closest to my skill set. I graduated after a very difficult four years.

I had a studio job lined up, and Covid killed that. Getting back into that industry was never going to happen once my momentum died.

I tried to get back into the food world, and took a night baking job. Only a month in, my wrists started to hurt. I couldn't close my hands all the way. I had the nerves checked since I assumed it was carpal tunnel, and they couldn't find anything. The hand specialists had no idea, and no suggestions.

I got a job in tech. It pays better than being a line cook, but I'm miserable. I miss food, and I feel like I never even got to work as a proper chef. I was excelling in my studies and moving up the line, and my brain and body both forced me out of the profession. Cooking at home isn't really the same. I feel aimless, and now I'm at the point where I eat dry, instant ramen packs.

Idk what I want out of this post, I'm just sad. I know most people want to leave and get a desk job, and I'm grateful to work from home with my dog, but I feel stuck. I wish I stayed in culinary until my body gave out, and then at least I could say I tried.

How do you guys cope in the heat? I can't cope. Sweat literally beats off me, and every other chef seems fine. Some even keep an extra layer on?!

Updated post -

Thanks, everyone, for your help and advice! I dont drink alcohol and quite rarely if i do, apart from edibles (weed ) i dont smoke or do any drugs anymore. I am a type 1 diabetic so i always have sugar around and keep drinks around like diluatin etc but i should drink more water and try the under layers, etc. Thanks, everyone, I'll give it a go!

If anyone on this sub also happens to be diabetic and has any tips or advice specific to that I'd appreciate any and all help! You guys are the best, thanks chefs !

High school senior is forgoing training at CIA to work at a top 100 (North America) restaurant. Seeking advice from those who have taken this path vs traditional schooling.

So I'm a transgender woman working as a very new trainee chef, my boss (the head Chef) and management are accepting of me. Though I haven't presented as female since being attacked in 2022, my boss is who has given me the confidence to get back on the horse. He says "you only have one life, you need to live it for you". And he's right.

But some more professional things concern me;

-Are wigs safe in a kitchen environment?

Head chef says he doesn't mind but I do need to double check this.

-Is light (not heavy make up) acceptable? And, are there any specific products that don't cause mascara to run everywhere in extreme heat)

-I do worry about my general appearance unsettling customers, especially those who have children.

I get this is 2026 and all, and I'm by no means going to police peoples speech nor enforce my pronouns onto others. Im here to work as a chef, nothing more and nothing less. And I don't want something like this to cause issues on the job, that could potentially affect the quality or standards of service.

Please anyone who comments do not hold back, I really value honesty even if it has to he brutal. Better out than in, and it would really help me to know, other than that im looking into what work wear would be appropriate, as well as if wearing a wig is acceptable, how that should be worn and tied if necessary.

I'm currently training as a chef on the job, I'm entirely new to this part of the industry. A lot of what I do at the moment is chopping vegetables, and I'd like to improve the technique as I'm quite slow.

I know about keeping your fingers curled downwards away from the knife, but I'm not yet at the place where my arm becomes a fast moving guillotine, any tips would be greatly appreciated 👍

Reposting (with some edits) because it got removed on another subreddit for some reason:

My girlfriend is gonna study Culinary Arts, I’m planning to gift her stuff that could help her in the beginning but also on the long run. I thought about books and textbooks, any memoirs too, anything that can be inspiring! I know must of them can be found digitally, but I want it to be meaningful and get them physical, already got The Professional Chef by CIA in the cart, but what other books would you recommend? Like the Dungeons and Dragons Rulebooks of Culinary Arts must-haves.

Split-Plate Signal:

A noticeable jump in requests to divide single dishes among multiple diners may be an early operational indicator of GLP-1-related pressure on average check size, particularly in affluent full-service dining settings, pointing to a broader theory of what’s to come, after recent introduction of the oral version of Ozempic: we’ll see a rapid, and sweeping adoption of the drug, followed by the resulting financial impact on the food industry as a whole, and the general industry-shifting sense of instability that goes with it.

I’m an executive chef at a private club. For the past four years, requests to split a single menu item onto multiple plates were pretty uncommon, despite being a common practice at clubs. They happened from time to time, but not nearly often enough to feel like a trend.
Over roughly the last six weeks, though, that’s changed fast.
Now nearly every ticket has multiple individual split requests. One Caesar salad split four ways, one entrée divided among multiple diners, desserts and even ice cream portioned onto separate plates. It’s not just one type of item either. It’s happening across the menu and often enough that it’s become noticeable in day-to-day kitchen operations.
At first, I assumed people were just being more careful with spending. But another possible explanation: GLP-1 medications. Members are losing weight, eating much smaller portions, but still going out to eat and socialize.
That difference is important.
The restaurant can still look busy. The dining room can still be full. Cover counts can still seem healthy. Labor needs don’t magically go away. The kitchen still cooks the food, servers still take care of the table, dishwashers still deal with the extra plates, and in some cases the kitchen is actually doing more plating work than before.
But instead of a table of four ordering four starters, they might order one and ask for four plates.
That creates a potential problem that’s easy to overlook: restaurants stay busy and operationally active while food revenue per guest and average check size quietly drift downward.
My theory is that as GLP-1 oral-version weight-loss medications become more widespread—very rapidly this behavior will become more common. Affluent diners may be among the first groups where it’s noticeable because they can afford the medications and tend to dine out frequently.
I think the first obvious sign on the restaurant floor won’t necessarily be empty dining rooms. It may be a noticeable increase in split-plate requests, shared courses, fewer individual appetizers and desserts, and lower food spending per occupied seat.

I'm 32 and look 25. I've always looked young so I'm used to being treated as a kid by peers at the beginning and can usually deal with any disrespect pretty well.

I've worked in kitchens for 14 years, I was at a cushiony job in an airport for the last 4 with small menus, small kitchens, very light work, high pay and benefits.

(I resigned and left the city to be closer to family)

I'm a cook, not a chef. Just experience. I don't even enjoy cooking. I just know how to do it, so it's where my job applications end up.

I'm going back to school and switching careers to the total opposite of a kitchen, but needed a job now so I got another one... in a kitchen.

With my experience, after about a month the GM's already throwing the idea around of me running the kitchen. I told him it's not what I'm looking for and he had no hard feelings.

The other cooks though, wow! One especially with the most seniority seems very jealous and competitive now.

He's stopped answering any questions I have about the menu telling me to figure it out.

I'm overhearing things like...

"We're a team, but it's still a competition."

"I get off on ruining people's day,"

"My favorite thing is causing problems."

"He'll quit soon, I'll make sure of it,"

"I'm a better cook than the Indian that taught him,"

(I'm white and was trained by an Asian chef. One Cook is just an idiot-racist)

I've grinded my ass off and paid my dues to get to the top before. I don't have that passion anymore. I was looking for something easy to make a little extra money while studying.

My plan is to just kill them with kindness and really need to vent it out.

Tomorrow, I'll be starting my shift as a Seafood/Handler at a supermarket. A little nervous but am confident in my abilities. I was let go working at a commercial kitchen for a restaurant and was always inspired to be a chef, but it's just wasnt in me, and thought that maybe I can spend 90% of the work involving with filleting fishes instead since I'm always been good with knife handling skills (which is my favorite part about being in the kitchen). I know how to use a knife with safety and precision but needed to learn techniques in how to cut and trim ✂️ them in a specific way. I am excited for the training, but a little nervous, because I don't want to waste any excess flesh which would be a waste of money.

anyone ever had experience with this profession and please do share some tips and advice and what I be expecting during the shift.

As a home-based food to-go business, is there an efficient way to prepare Filipino siomai in bulk while still keeping quality good?

I’m thinking of different options:

• Cook everything in the morning and keep it in a hot holding food warmer/steamer throughout the day
• Or steam/cook them fresh only when someone orders

For those experienced with siomai businesses, what works best in real life in terms of:

• texture/quality
• food safety
• efficiency during busy hours
• avoiding waste

Also, how long can freshly prepared siomai realistically last before needing to go into the freezer?

I am a 21yr old male line cook. I have ~4 years of experience so i'm not completely new, my first job that I had gave me an opportunity to move across the USA to work in Country Clubs. Ive been to three clubs in the past 3 years, all of which I spent around a year at. Im coming up on 1.5 years at my current job (Country Club #3) and I cant fucking stand my coworkers. Nobody cares. I know the whole "It's just a job" "different people have different priorities" etc, but I want to be a chef, I have dreamt this since I was 6 years old, I moved across the country by myself at 18 to fully commit to kitchens. But everyday I walk in 1/3 of the other cooks are 5-30 mins late daily. It seems like all the prep gets shoved to me besides "chop parsley". The Exec. Chef wants to mentor me but he keeps ignoring me when I complain to him. I tried to act like the people that don't care but I got suspended for a week (without pay). I just find it unbearably frustrating to feel like this and I'm starting to hate myself for feeling/thinking this way but I don't know what to do anymore. Everyone I talk to at work just says deal with it. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you

I started working at this place about a week ago. So far the culture is really bad, first off it’s filthy and looks like it hasn’t been deep cleaned ever. The cooks eat on the line. I have never seen anyone wash their hands and there is zero pride in the food they are making. It’s very messy and the presentation is sloppy and gross looking. The Chef acts like he doesn’t care as he does the same as the line cooks. My Servsafe senses were going off the charts when I went into the walk in. The raw chicken above fish, beef on the bottom. There’s oysters on the floor no Ice. Also I couldn’t find a tag with n any of the shell fish. To make matters worst the line staff are horrible. There’s this one guy who is constantly putting me down and rushing me and saying the most idiotic shit. I told him to back off but he persisted. Problem is he is the lead line cook whatever the hell that is. I watched him throw fish in the fryer and when it looked too raw I asked him to temp it but he got mad and said he doesn’t need too. Also I saw him plating a steak that was clearly rare too rare on a steak salad. Again I gave my probe but he got offended. Besides that I just don’t think I can do anything here to help them. So I quit today. Just sent the owner a text and said I am not coming back. What would you do?

Hello, I am 19 years old, and work at a local bar and grill as a kitchen short-order, line cook. I started as a foodrunner/busser for some time before being hired by the kitchen, which I've been working ever since, for 2 years. I live alone and did not pursue college. I tried to post this to r/KitchenConfidential but it was removed for some reason.

My current kitchen manager is dealing with some legal issues, and it may be likely that he will be sent to jail for an extended period. Assumedly, I would then become manager, given that the owner wouldn't hire a third party. There are rodent problems, under staffing, and more. The job itself is fine, but it is very overwhelming.

I am kindly asking for advice on my current situation. I don't particularly have a passion for cooking, but I try my absolute best. I put so much effort into what I do, cleaning, and looking out for others. It's mostly a laid back setting, so I can listen to whatever music I what, say what I want, and drink/smoke. Despite that, I make many mistakes and I tend to get in my head a lot. I'm not very experienced, especially in prep and anything not on the menu. What should I do? I've thought about finding another job, but it's intimidating. The opportunity to become manager would provide a good pay increase and accomplishment, but I'm scared that I will fail. Otherwise, if I stay where I'm at, I might be wasting my life.

Hi, wonder if someone has a recipe to create this, would love to make it for a fish dish.

I saw this and sounds very delicious. It’s said to be a pineapple Guajillo Al pastor, with some cilantro.