Talked to a line cook half my age and he made me rethink plating

I was working a slow Tuesday and this kid fresh out of culinary school asked why I always put sauce down first. I said that's how I learned 15 years ago. He showed me his version where the protein sits directly on the plate and the sauce goes around it in a ring. Tried it on a salmon dish that night and the texture was way better since the skin stayed crispy. Has anyone else had a younger cook teach them something that surprised you?

3 comments

3 Comments

grantw3223d ago

Did the sauce pooling underneath soften the skin on that salmon plate too?

the_jessica23d ago

Honestly that sauce looks like it's doing overtime trying to turn that crispy skin into a sad wet napkin. I mean, you spend all that effort getting a perfect sear just to drown it in liquid regret, seems like a waste of good salmon. Idk, maybe the chef was going for a 'swimming in flavor' vibe but ended up with a 'soggy fish float' instead.

emery_black23d ago

Different kitchens, same story happening all over-people get stuck in the way things have always been done. It's like seeing older software that still works but could be way better with just one small update nobody thought to try. Your mileage may vary, but sometimes the younger crowd has fresh eyes for the little details we stopped questioning years ago.

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