Professional Baker/Chef having trouble at work

newbies
(CJ Young) #21

Yeah, thanks for that advice. I’m sort of feeling that too. I’m mulling it over and I think I’ll stick out the summer in my current job but…I might make a move after that. I think I’m also going to start a food blog because why not?

(Rob) #22

I definitely wouldn’t worry about being a pawn of the sugary dark side. I have a good friend who was a top pastry chef in a big city for a patisserie/restaurant chain who gave it up since it was physically killing her with running major production 6.5 days a week from 4am to about 6pm.

Her pastries of all kinds were amazing and a testament to the wonder of human creativity. From a mighty croquembouche to a macaron and all points in between, it was all amazing and to me an utterly appropriate use of sugar, flour, etc. If sugar is a treat, then make it these! They were all so good that you didn’t need to nor want to binge (unlike a dozen Krispy Kremes). For those with a flexible metabolism… as most people would have if the food guidelines were appropriately reversed… they would be exactly what you would want to spend some of your 100g+ carb budget on.

You definitely can’t hold yourself responsible for the piss-poor advice from governments, medical bodies and the food industry that has meant that for too many, any of your creations may be dangerous, and it would be a mighty shame if you stopped supplying joy to so many who can enjoy it safely. If we are going to sacrifice any Sith on the altar of the Keto Force, it will be processed food company executives!! :rage:

As for your tastings… I would be tempted to work on managing it to acceptable levels (fewer, smaller spoonfuls and some tasting delegation, spread out as far throughout the day as possible) and remember, as you become more metabolically flexible, those tastes will become increasingly unimportant to your progress. Also… ketosis per se is not the end goal… it is body recomposition and metabolic health which you will achieve with carb restriction, fat adaptation and time. Ketosis is a positive by-product so don’t sweat it too much.

(Peggy ELLIOTT) #23

As someone with multiple allergies, I cook for family and friends and always use things they like. Employ tasters if you need to fine tune seasonings but many recipes are pretty standard because you want taste consistancy in a business. Good luck and stay focused.

(CJ Young) #24

All excellent points and solid logic on not holding myself responsible for the medical/food pipeline. I’ll try not to sweat it too much about the tastings and I think you’re generally right about that. The other day I didn’t get hungry until 3pm! That is unheard of, usually if I skip breakfast by 10am I’m searching for a day old baked good. Also, that not getting hungry included small spoons of a couple of things and it really didn’t bother me like it had previously.

I think your right and I just need to give it time, try not to panic. Thanks.

(Sophie) #25

I don’t know if it’s been mentioned, but once you begin to reduce/eliminate sugar you will become way more sensitive to it. Everything will taste much sweeter to you and that may throw you off with recipes for carb burners.

(Brian) #26

FWIW, I would LOVE to see some keto / low carb establishments take hold… restaurants, bakeries, coffee shops…

I know I would frequent them. :slight_smile: Hey, just about anything made fresh by someone even somewhat competent has got to be worlds better than any snack in an Atkins box.

Real food, good food… I could see good things happening. And maybe some of the people on the fence about whether they could be satisfied eating keto / low carb would figure out that we eat pretty good.

Dreaming a little, I guess. Hey, for what it’s worth, I got an email about Chef Todd Mohr’s online culinary classes, watched his little promotional video, and it’s pretty tempting.

(CJ Young) #27

I actually made a fat head pizza for my boss for fun. She’s considering it. She said it’s actually pretty good. I’ve planted the seed though. I’m hoping this summer a few customers come in and ask specifically for Keto options to show her that it’s a relevant thing to advertise. Plus, it’s gluten free which is something we already give options for.

#28

Put up a sign saying
‘Interested in Low Carb or Keto? Tell us. We have options’
and see if you get anyone.

I go into places and ask for Gluten Free because I would never expect, in my wildest dreams, that LC or Keto would be available. So I either order something where I can leave all the carbs, or I order something GF, edpending on whether I think I can extract the carbs easily…

If I knew I could ask specifically, I would be grabbing that option with both hands!

(CJ Young) #29

I’d love to do that but I don’t think my boss is quite there. I have been, when making some of our standard dishes that just happen to be Keto, “Oh this is actually Keto. So easy, so fresh, so delicious!” That and everyone’s been real jealous of my mid-shift meals lately.

I was feeling pretty frustrated a week or so ago but I think I can sort of keep pushing them to understand that this is a valid way to eat and something we might want to advertise or even include more of. We have a specialty grocery section and my boss is considering some low-carb options as well.

#30

Hope you figure out the pasta…I have thought the same thing…You could make millions on a low carb pasta…Or if you didn’t want to make money on it…You could save the world!

(Consensus is Politics) #31

On the subject of Keto pasta…

Have you looked into Konjac root? I have bought the noodles (I think I have some in my fridge, I’ll get a picture later). It has a definite stink to it. Washing it remedies that. It has practically no taste whatsoever. I made some spaghetti with it, and it was ok. It was a cheap low quality try, but it was better than I expected. So next time I make it I’ll put some thought into it, and go for delicious. (Read that as I’ll look up a really good recipe and try that).

If I could find lasagna konjac noodles, I’ll be very happy.

[this space reserved for the picture of the package]

(Jo O) #32

Ok…maybe think about this as an opportunity for your prep people to learn, grow, take ownership…
A. Teach her/him to see the texture discrepancy.
B. Have her/home taste the batter and figure out what’s missing.

(CJ Young) #33

Yeah I’ve tried those and some other things. There’s a pretty decent egg noodle recipe out there but I’ve been trying to think of a way to create that al detente texture. Something that will soak up a sauce and not just wallow in it. I have no answers as of yet but I’m thinking about it. I’ve been looking at the ingredients in gluten-free pastas to get an idea about their substitutes and think about translating that into Keto but no luck so far.

(CJ Young) #34

Sure, I’ve done that many times. However most of these folks who I’m watching are pretty young. Under 25, no formal training. Not allowed to cook at home sometimes. It takes a long time for them to figure it out. I have one boy who still, after the dozenth time of showing, still doesn’t know how to cut a pound of butter into 1/4 cup chunks. I had to put up a diagram so he didn’t have to ask me every time.

I’m constantly training these folks but I can’t trust them to know what a batter without sugar tastes like. I often ask what do you think is missing and I get a, I dunno seems fine.

In any-case it’s fine, I’m making it work.

(Jo O) #35

Oh my…I forgot what it’s like working with youngins.

(Consensus is Politics) #36

Would it be possible to dehydrate the noodles. Then cook them in the sauce to rehydrate them?

A co-worker in the Air Force, geese, back in the early 1980’s, shared his secret to lasagna to me. Nobody else I have met has done it like this, but to me it makes perfect sense. Quickly rinse off the dry noodles and layer them in the lasagna pan uncooked. The pasta soaked up all the goodness of the sauce. Everytime I were to make lasagna the girlfriend at the time or later wife, would complain that I’m doing it wrong. Boil the noodles first. But then she’d eat the entire pan later if I let her. (But in reality she would have to beat me to it. I would eat an entire lasagna in one sitting).

Ok, now I’ve got to look up dehydrated konjac noodles. And I’m craving lasagna. :cowboy_hat_face:

(CJ Young) #37

Ha, yeah. They’re enthusiastic but just starting out really.

(CJ Young) #38

That might make them better? Dunno, I might buy some and mess around a bit.

#39

@youngcj190 You’re in a high-responsibility situation, and for sure have to taste test… one thing goes wrong and Ze Chef will be the one to “eat crow”. Someone mentioned cortisol above - and yeah, supporting your cortisol reduction/stress mgmt is also very impt (I take Ginger capsules for cortisol reduction among other reasons).

Geez… I LOVED the British show “Chef” years ago (starring the Jamaican Brit comedian Lenny Henry) and have rewatched the entire series twice - his character sure needed some cortisol reduction, lol!!! :rofl:

Your spit jar sounds like a total win - as long as you never mistake it for your water bottle! Ofc, as head chef, you’d probably never make that error.

If you haven’t already done so, use the search bar up top for ‘keto restaurants’ there are several interesting past threads that may be useful for your future plans. Now many cities have upscale restaurants focused on ‘local & organic ingredients’ - seems like adding keto/lchf menu options is certainly the new wave. :ocean:

I think the future is bright for your healing heart!

(Rob) #40

Let’s not beat about the bush here… vs. nothing they are acceptable but they are terrible compared to the real thing. No texture, bad smell, not taste, even when rinsed and dry fried, etc.

The best I’ve heard of are strangely not available in the US AFAIK - I’ve looked. Oomi fish protein noodles are my parents’ favorite in the UK and beat the konjac/miracle/barenaked hands down. Importing them to the US would be a business opportunity but I’m not sure they can be ‘made’ in a normal kitchen.

The best opportunity to make a good pasta would NOT be keto (I just don’t think it’s possible) but low carb for a wide spectrum of LC/paleo peeps, as @youngcj190 said, taking gluten free as a base makes sense.