A belated education, or, W.W.J.D.?

What would Julia do?

I did a happy dance the first time I put it on!

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Today was the first day of class. It was also the only day we didn’t have to show up with chef whites and the accoutrements. Chef Vyhnanek took us on a tour of the kitchen and storage room and explained the function of each piece of equipment, including various uses, cleaning techniques, and approximate cost. Chef stressed the importance of proper pre-cleaning, cleaning, and sanitization as it applies to dishwashing and our work stations. Cutlery and utensils are to be soaked throughout the day and only added to the dishwasher when there are a good amount to be cleaned. Cups, plates, and bowls are loaded onto the corresponding trays and sprayed down with water prior to going in the dishwasher. (Alternately, rinse each item and then load into trays.) To begin a dishwashing cycle, load it up and bring the top down, pressing firmly on the handle to close it completely. Press the button on the left to begin the cycle. It runs quietly at first so you may not hear it immediately. It is possible that the dishwasher water needs to be drained—if so, drain and start again (dishes may not clean properly if water is dirty). Pots and pans are washed by hand at the pot station, which is divided into three large sinks. First is sanitizing, then soaking, and then the actual washing area. Each sink needs to be filled up about halfway. The sanitizing solution needs to be measured accurately before being added to the sanitization sink. The entire class is expected to do cleaning throughout the day as much as possible, and then we all work as a team after we finish to clean the kitchen. One person is assigned to manage the process each class.

In terms of actual cooking, Chef Vyhnanek showed us the beginning process of making brown stock. He rinsed a large quantity of beef and veal bones (including marrow bones) and roasted them on oiled baking sheets until they were partially browned. He then added a mirepoix (50% onion, 25% celery, and 25% carrots—all coarsely chopped) to the bones and put everything back in to roast until well-browned. The bones and mirepoix was left out to cool, and will be chilled overnight. In tomorrow’s class we will continue the brown stock cooking process.

The kitchen is really hot. I sweat simply from standing in it. I am going to need to pack a few extra bandanas for every class.