Kitchen Confidential

[disneyfav4ever]

I had asked about this book in the "what are you reading" thread, but I started reading this book last night and have already read four chapters. I find it to be a quite interesting read, though I find some of the language used quite distasteful, and some of the things the "characters" do, (though I know it's all true,) to be very unmoral and unethical, and things I would never do. Guess I would never be able to last if I worked in the restaurant business.

 

[disneyfav4ever]

Also has anyone ever seen the show? I saw the DVD, and was wondering how it was?

 

[disneyfav4ever]

Bumping. I'm really interested in others opinions of the book, (or TV show.)

 

[Laugh O. Grams]

I read Kitchen Confidential years ago...great read!!

 

[DawnCt1]

I read that book and I learned something extremely important. NEVER go to Sunday buffets; they are the previous week's left overs.
Never order fish on Sunday or Monday, it won't be fresh. In fact, I think I ate out on a Monday when I ordered Tuna steak and got scrombroid poisoning. I should have paid more attention to that book!!

 

[disneyfav4ever]

I just finished the chapter about him attending the CIA, which I found fascinating.

 

[Nancyg56]

I read that book and I learned something extremely important. NEVER go to Sunday buffets; they are the previous week's left overs.
Never order fish on Sunday or Monday, it won't be fresh. In fact, I think I ate out on a Monday when I ordered Tuna steak and got scrombroid poisoning. I should have paid more attention to that book!!

Dawn- I cannot speak to the fish but I can talk about the Sunday Buffet. When I worked the buffet was all fresh and it was good! This was the meal I always suggested that my family come in for, and I would not have asked them to pay good money for leftovers. It was fresh.

 

[Jimbo]

Dawn- I cannot speak to the fish but I can talk about the Sunday Buffet. When I worked the buffet was all fresh and it was good! This was the meal I always suggested that my family come in for, and I would not have asked them to pay good money for leftovers. It was fresh.

The other thing he said is that top staff members were given Sundays off, since they had just put in a long Saturday night. So the "second string" was preparing the food for the Sunday buffet. Is that part true?

I remember him talking about removing long worms from the flesh of swordfish. I haven't had swordfish since! Although swordfish farming is considered unethical now, so you don't see it on menus much anyway.

 

[DawnCt1]

The other thing he said is that top staff members were given Sundays off, since they had just put in a long Saturday night. So the "second string" was preparing the food for the Sunday buffet. Is that part true?

I remember him talking about removing long worms from the flesh of swordfish. I haven't had swordfish since! Although swordfish farming is considered unethical now, so you don't see it on menus much anyway.

Almost every restaurant I go to has fresh swordfish on the menu. I hate frozen sword fish.

 

[Kteacher]

I loved the book, love the show, loved his other book " Nasty Bits ". Anthony Bourdain is on my list of people I'd love to invite to a dinner party.

 

[Nancyg56]

The other thing he said is that top staff members were given Sundays off, since they had just put in a long Saturday night. So the "second string" was preparing the food for the Sunday buffet. Is that part true?

I remember him talking about removing long worms from the flesh of swordfish. I haven't had swordfish since! Although swordfish farming is considered unethical now, so you don't see it on menus much anyway.

Not where I worked but that may be true elsewhere. I worked at at a fairly formal restaurant, dinner service was French service, semi formal for lunch and Sunday Brunch. The kitchen staff rotated and the food was fresh. Tuesday was the slowest night of the week and the top chefs had Monday night and Tuesday night off. Sundays are busy and most worked.

I just asked my son who worked in two 5*resorts in So Fl. He said the food was delivered every few days and was used as it came in. He said the food on Sunday Brunch was fresh...he ate it and he is a fanatic when it comes to food prep.

Dawn- I think that the issues that you are worried about happen in some restaurants but in most kitchens the Chefs are aware of contamination and food borne illness and take pains to avoid it. They take pride in the cleanliness if their kitchens and of the quality of the food. My Dad was an executive Chef and if the seafood was bad or the beef was off he would never have served it. Most are like him, but his story would not make it to a book sale.

 

[DawnCt1]

Dawn- I think that the issues that you are worried about happen in some restaurants but in most kitchens the Chefs are aware of contamination and food borne illness and take pains to avoid it. They take pride in the cleanliness if their kitchens and of the quality of the food. My Dad was an executive Chef and if the seafood was bad or the beef was off he would never have served it. Most are like him, but his story would not make it to a book sale.

This particular restaurant within just a few miles of me, apparently had a couple of issues with food poisoning after my episode. I ended up in the emergency room scombroid poisoning which with a swollen throat before I even finished my meal. I was bright red from head to toe, racing heart rate, head ache, abdominal pain, etc. Its easily treated with steroids and antihistamines but it doesn't feel 'good'.

 

[dcgrumpy]

I remember him talking about removing long worms from the flesh of swordfish. I haven't had swordfish since! Although swordfish farming is considered unethical now, so you don't see it on menus much anyway.

That might be a regional thing. Swordfish is still a staple on menus around here.

 

[Nynaeve]

Not where I worked but that may be true elsewhere. I worked at at a fairly formal restaurant, dinner service was French service, semi formal for lunch and Sunday Brunch. The kitchen staff rotated and the food was fresh. Tuesday was the slowest night of the week and the top chefs had Monday night and Tuesday night off. Sundays are busy and most worked.

I just asked my son who worked in two 5*resorts in So Fl. He said the food was delivered every few days and was used as it came in. He said the food on Sunday Brunch was fresh...he ate it and he is a fanatic when it comes to food prep.

Dawn- I think that the issues that you are worried about happen in some restaurants but in most kitchens the Chefs are aware of contamination and food borne illness and take pains to avoid it. They take pride in the cleanliness if their kitchens and of the quality of the food. My Dad was an executive Chef and if the seafood was bad or the beef was off he would never have served it. Most are like him, but his story would not make it to a book sale.

Yep.
My hubby's a chef, and he takes great pride in keeping his kitchens clean, and giving the guests that come in the restaurants he's in charge of great, fresh food. They have systems and checks to make sure everything is running right and up to code, but accidents do happen sometimes.

And he never has Sunday off, it's almost always Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday.

 

[Nancyg56]

This particular restaurant within just a few miles of me, apparently had a couple of issues with food poisoning after my episode. I ended up in the emergency room scombroid poisoning which with a swollen throat before I even finished my meal. I was bright red from head to toe, racing heart rate, head ache, abdominal pain, etc. Its easily treated with steroids and antihistamines but it doesn't feel 'good'.

No I don't imagine it would. I'm sorry this happened, it is this kind of neglect that gives good restaurants a bad name.

 

[OceanAnnie]

I had asked about this book in the "what are you reading" thread, but I started reading this book last night and have already read four chapters. I find it to be a quite interesting read, though I find some of the language used quite distasteful, and some of the things the "characters" do, (though I know it's all true,) to be very unmoral and unethical, and things I would never do. Guess I would never be able to last if I worked in the restaurant business.

MTE. It was good information in a general sense. Gritty.

 

[Nancyg56]

Yep.
My hubby's a chef, and he takes great pride in keeping his kitchens clean, and giving the guests that come in the restaurants he's in charge of great, fresh food. They have systems and checks to make sure everything is running right and up to code, but accidents do happen sometimes.

And he never has Sunday off, it's almost always Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday.

I bet he rotates as well. It is a hard job but I know that he must love it! Good for him for being responsible in his kitchens it is a demanding job.

 

[disneyfav4ever]

I know I used to work in a restaurant, where they were horrible about rotating, so nothing I'm reading is that suprising to me, and actually almost mirrors the way food was handled at the restaurant I worked at. Cooked food was dropped on the floor, then picked up, and put right on a plate, then sent out to customers. There were two week old quiches that the chef still served to customers. The cooks were almost all drug users and used the worst language, and at some point in their lives has all been arrested at least once. I'm glad to hear not all restaurants are like that.

 

[Sansa]

Anthony Bourdain rocks. It is known.

I happened to finish reading that book about 2 weeks before we saw Ratatouille. Made the scene where Collete describes her co-workers seem very true to life, including the comments she makes about herself as a woman chef... In fact, it was rather eerie, in a good way! I think someone at Pixar read this book.