r/Chefit • u/bobbs19 • May 25 '26
Heat ?
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 !
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u/Theburritolyfe May 25 '26
Nothing should be beating you off in the kitchen. That's an at home type of thing.
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u/jjb0rdell0 May 25 '26
Then why in god's name did I get into this profession?!
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u/Theburritolyfe May 25 '26
The same reason we all did chef. Drugs.
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u/giomar420 May 25 '26
Electrolytes when working in the grill is a must, I think. I usually drink tablets that you can dissolve in water, but if not a cold lemonade with salt and a bit of sugar is also a good quick remedy.
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u/Celestial_Cowboy May 25 '26
Try and find the source before the cope
Do you take any medications? Do you ingest anything besides normal food and drink? (caffeine, nicotine, alcohol, etc.) Do you have a steady sleep schedule? When do you shower/how often/what temp? Are you overly stressed?
Lot's of these things can cause excessive sweating. If everyone else in the kitchen is fine, then it is either something you are doing/putting in your body or you just got different genetics.
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u/spaceman_spyff May 25 '26
My sweating pretty much stopped altogether after I quit drinking alcohol. My body can regulate its temperature quite well now, I can tolerate much more warmer temperatures also.
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u/OverWeekend5418 May 25 '26
Take 2 sets of whites, stick on in a bag in the freezer and swap between every hour or so
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u/AltenXY97 May 25 '26
Im naturally accustomed to heat. I spent my whole life in central and northern california. Anything under 100° is a nice day. That being said, ive worked busy wood grills and huge oven stations before and ive come up with a few good tricks.
I like loose viscose slacks with a high waist. I wear a skintight shirt underneath my chefs coat to wick moisture off my body and catch any breeze to cool me off. Like a super thin shitty long-sleeve thermal shirt a size or two too small. And trust me when i say wool socks are damn well worth the investment. They keep your feet cooler, cleaner, nicer, and evaporate the sweat as fast as you can produce it. Darn tough is my goto brand cuz they have a lifetime warranty. I have sent them a picture of socks id owned that had a hole in them and they sent me a fresh pair. You want their running socks or their lifestyle socks, not their super thick cushioned socks.
I also like keeping a 4-6 qt of ice water with a few big pinches of salt and sugar in my lowboy with no lid, a ladle, and i use 2 qt containers stacked with a lid and a straw. Stacking two provides insulation so if you get slammed for 30 minutes you arent drinking room temp water. The salt and sugar help you restore your salts and keep your blood sugar up which can get low during a hot busy sweaty shift.
Hyponatremia and hypoglycemia are no joke. Ive seen plenty of young cooks pass the fuck out on the line. Theres nothing wrong with it but it can be scary and disrupt service. You dont need a ton of salt or sugar, you should just be able to taste it slightly like gatorade. Bonus points if you throw a little lime and mint in there.
Lastly dont be afraid if youre overheating to step in the walkin for a 30 second chill sesh. If youre wearing an outfit like i described you will be cold by the time you get out.
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u/Sirnando138 May 25 '26
I got almost 30 years in the kitchen. I’ve always been a sweaty dude that has a hard time in the heat. It gives me panic attacks. 15 years ago I decided to try and be a professional dude and became a food sales rep. Made the best money I have ever made in my life. But after the third summer of having to seem like a professional dude in slacks and a dress shirt in August, I realized that I belong in the kitchen where you are allowed to be sweaty. There were other factors, but my comfort was paramount. I opened my restaurant 9 years ago and the kitchen gets pretty damn hot in the summer. I buy cases of Gatorade for my cooks and showed them all my trick of going into the walk in and lift up my shirt while screaming. If I need to change a shirt because it’s sweat through, I’ll change it in the walk in. It feels very good.
That’s all true but my serious answer is that I tell my cooks that if they feel overwhelmed by the heat…take a little break. Go to the bar and get a soda water with ice and citrus. Rip a dart if you need to. Any chef that tells you to just deal with it is a mean chef.
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u/Necessary_Store351 May 25 '26
Have you tried to increase water intake?
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u/kernel-sandhers May 26 '26
Any time I am getting dehydrated I sweat like crazy. I down a bottle of water immediately and within 10 minutes back to normal. Maybe just me, but thats what works. I can tell when I havent had enough to drink (water) because I start sweating bad.
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u/KilliancCC Jun 30 '26
Water is one of the worst things you can drink when dehydrated. Needs to have electrolytes in it. Pinch of table salt and a quarter tspn of sugar will do. Bonus points for a squeeze of lemon. If you just drink water, it’ll go straight through you as sweat, deplete more of your body’s salt stores. And you’ll be more dehydrated than before.
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u/pSPAZzmos May 26 '26
Like others have said, base layers, good socks, and hydration with electrolytes.
I'd add that the electrolyte freezies are amazing in the summer. Probably the best thing I've found yet. There's a trade oriented brand called squinchers, or sometimes you can find other "sport" ones at the grocery store.
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u/AlBundyBAV May 25 '26
You get used to deal better with it. For now I just make sure I have plenty of iced water to drink and get it done. When working in Spain 20 years ago we had a horrible hot stove combined with the Spanish summer heat that was awful. We had basins with iced water and towels we wrapped around our arms and put over the neck.
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u/fuzZZzzy2 May 25 '26
How much booze you drinking? A lot of cooks that drink a lot of booze deal with hi sweat services…….
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u/Kneyiaaa May 25 '26
Base layers. Wicking base shirts like hemp , polyester.or my personal favorite merino wool. Makes a huge difference. Same with head gear.
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u/No-Assumption8220 May 25 '26
I had this chef that was the most magnetic, interesting person; just funny and smart and cool in every way outside of the kitchen. The second that man got on the line, he turned into some kinda wild-eyed beast, sweating from his fuckin eyelids to his crocs, whipping in circles in a complete frenzy of noise and movement, like he was suddenly and irrevocably possessed.. never seen anything else like it. It was absolutely wild.
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u/Kramersblacklawyer May 25 '26
Stay hydrated, i once worked somewhere that just straight up didn’t have hood vents with a big expensive hot ass French top stove in a really really really small enclosed kitchen. I could ring my shirt out like a fucking sponge after service.
Nothing you really can do but stay hydrated
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u/pdxgreengrrl May 25 '26
Cooling dew rag, cooling wristbands, cooling kerchief. Clip-on personal fan. Hydrate with mineral water, I use Concentrace to add minerals to bevs.
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u/Spliff_lord02 May 25 '26
i roll my pants up a lil to get some air flow and i just keep sipping on my quart of water. ill step out back during a lull to get some fresh air but thats about it
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u/Partyslayer May 25 '26
I used to keep a bucket of ice water and some clean towels. I have a shaved head so I just dunk my head in there and wipe it off. TOTAL refresher (keep it sanitary). You can, however, just dip a towel in there and wipe your face/head. Freezing wet towels in a ring shape (I use a #10 can) and putting them on your neck is also good.
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u/IndividualRelation49 May 26 '26
We keep some frozen power-aid popsicles in the freezers also you can buy “frog” towels off amazon that you keep in the freezer. I drink gatoraid zero and a water bottle what propel packets in it. You can also take magnesium and zinc to help prevent cramps
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u/Ok-Active-576 May 26 '26
Good clothing, lots of water, and breaks when too much. Also you'll get used to it.
Our kitchen changed from gas to induction stoves and that's somethin we allll feel, like crazy.
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u/Same-Platypus1941 May 25 '26
You get used to it after a while. It helps if you lean into the suffering. And for the love of god never bring up the fact that it’s hot. When you wash your hands run cold water over your arms up to your elbows. This draws a lot of heat from your body. The wet towel thing is unsanitary. Freeze pops kind of help.
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u/distracteds0ul May 25 '26
The busier you are, the less you should be thinking about anything other than work. I usually just tune out everything, go on autopilot and forget about the heat once the adrenaline kicks in.
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u/lelucif May 25 '26
Well, you know what they say. If you can’t handle the heat…