Practice Tips for
Most Chef’s in their lifetime will reach a point where they are the master of their kitchen, and often don’t have anyone to learn from in their facility at a certain point. Much like athletes, there is always something to be working on that can put you ahead of the competition. Mindful practice of items is incredibly important in my week-to-week operation. Most cooks/chefs have the opportunity to practice their knife skills all day long, but are you doing it mindfully? Or are you doing the small dice you are currently good at with speed, and are just doing the same thing?
This is what I talk about when discussing mindful practicing of skills. It’s 10-15 minutes out of your day to work on something basic, like I mentioned above, knife skills. I’m going to go over a few ways that I practice in my weekly life to ensure my skills stay sharp, and are always improving.
Self Performance Review
Do an honest review of where you are with your skills
Below I have a table with a system pretty congruent to what I normally use
This list can be set up in a daily/weekly/monthly in terms of what you want to work on.
As I stated above, it helps to be mindful when practicing. Don’t go through the motions just to waste time. Work throughout your timeframe and try to push those numbers closer to a 5!
For knife skills here is an example of a grid I will use and try different metrics on each run. First run I will do as perfectly as possible, the next run will be as fast as possible, and the third run I'll do both. I laminate my sheet and will place my vegetables directly on top, then take a picture with my phone to compare later
You can set up this type of practice format for fish and meat as well. Working on butchering different sections cleanly and efficiently
Know How to Build a Brand
Being competitive throughout various foodservice markets is what we as Chef’s strive to achieve each day. Part of trying to hit that target is understanding the operation you are currently in
Marketing skills aren’t taught directly to young chefs, but it's incredibly important we learn how to present information and ourselves
Work on leadership, forward thinking, and analytics to be able to look at data, and find a way to make your operation better.
Focus on Weak Techniques
Maybe you’re very strong at roasting, and not so good at shallow frying. Find 2-3 recipes that have a shallow frying step. During this step of the process is when you should pay the most attention. I will even pick up some cheap proteins, pound them out flat and work on frying
Every pan/pot and cook top will fry differently. The more you experiment with different scenarios, the better you will be able to naturally adjust on the fly
Go Old World For Awhile
If most of your reading material for cooking is present day, it will do you a tremendous amount of good to start building a library of older books
As in any profession, we study those who come before us. The beef wellington was not always a beef wellington, it evolved and got to the point where it is today
To truly make original inspired cuisine you need to have a massive mental bank to pull from
I consistently learn things from books that were written 30-40 years ago, even though i have extensive present day knowledge of where the industry is at
I would recommend finding a good older series “The cooking of Italy” “The cooking of France” something basic, and generally out of print by now
Repetition, repetition, repetition.
Practice feels very different for a lot of people. Its work. The large rewards only come around a few times a year from what you practiced. Its tough. However, when you’re finally faced with the moment where you need complete competency, organizational skills, and need to be a leader, it will seem like riding a bike! Let your skills do the talking this week, and if they don’t make their voices louder!
If you’re struggling and need coaching, I also help individuals navigate the culinary field, and get them set up to be the best chef they can be. Feel free to send an email for more info!
Have a great week ahead!
Stephen
Website: chefstephenhanyzewski@gmail.com
Instagram: @chefstephenhanyzewski
