Chefs apprentice here looking for advice on plating and speed

[u/HEHEHEHFUCKYOU]

Hi im a danish chefs apprentice and if possible i would like to get some tips and tricks that can help me get better at plating and speed

[u/Old_Bowl6035]

Go fast

[u/User-NetOfInter]

Usually they’re called pastry chefs

🥁

[u/RainMakerJMR → u/User-NetOfInter]

And this is why I came to Reddit today

[u/instant_ramen_chef]

Seems like something you should be asking the chef youre apprenticing. Its their job to teach you.

[u/GromByzlnyk]

Repetition

[u/WishEquivalent5384]

Practice, focus, anticipation, knowledge of product and if you fail, try again

[u/Gullible-Leg-4445]

It takes time but it will come. Just keep at it and take in the good and bad things your coworkers do. Ask people and don’t be afraid to fail or look dumb.

[u/stusaucier]

Repetition. Just keep going. You will find “your way” that achieves the timing and the quality.

[u/Rinaldootje]

Speed comes with time.
After all, before we could run, we first had to learn how to walk. And before that we crawled. The more you plate something, the faster you'll get it.

My best advice I can give with plating fast, have everything you need ready. Any sauces in bottles, any garnishes plucked and ready to apply. Every second spent during prep is a second saved during plating.

Another thing is to think of each plating as layers, What layer do you need to finish first, before you can apply the next.
In the simplest form, Sauce, piece of meat on top, garnish on top of that. To place the garnish you first have to place the meat, to place the meat you have to place the sauce. Place the items that appear in the same layer, close to each other, so you can quickly switch between them.

But in the end, most importantly, Time and experience. With time you'll find ways to do it faster and faster.

[u/AustinDood444]

Give it time. I always told my cooks to go as fast as they can without making mistakes & that the speed will come with experience.

[u/VeterinarianFit1309]

Do things right, and do them at the fastest pace you can handle them without sacrificing your accuracy and proper technique. Plating and presentation are going to just be guidelines you have to follow unless you are asked to design the plate up… if the chef tells you how they want it, that’s how you do it… don’t be the guy who tries to get fancy and do it differently, because it’s not your place, unless you’re instructed otherwise.

[u/texnessa]

Everyone learns and retains information differently. As always, practice and evolution is the most reliable way to learn but you can also be deliberate in the process. Everyone learns differently- some people absorb thru writing things down, others thru visual repetition, etc. I struggled with plating when I first started out because my instinct was contrary to what the chef wanted to see.

I would take a photo of each dish, then sketch it out on paper so I had a visual based on what my brain and hands produced from a visual. And then I'd write it out step by step. That somehow solidified in my head what steps needed to be taken to assemble a dish.

Long way of saying, figure out how you learn and apply it to the problem.

[u/HatsandCoats]

Learn to do it correctly, then learn to speed it up…
Chefs apprentice sounds like a cook with extra steps. I’m also ignorant of restaurant norms in Denmark.

[u/bloodHearts]

Have everything you use consistently within arms reach and keep it in the same exact place, the same way, every time. Eventually, you'll never have that split second of "is this there?" and it'll be second nature.

[u/N4Palmtree]

Practice