Helpful: culinary expert shares 10 valuable principles for professional chefs

If you have ever worked in a professional kitchen, or had to go in there while working front of house, you probably know that there are certain (often unwritten) rules to make sure everything doesn’t descend into chaos. You could actually call them basic principles too: certain customs and a work mindset that ensure no one throws in the towel screaming with misery at the end of the evening (or even worse – during it).

These fairly universal kitchen principles have been carefully described by American Paul Sorgule. Sorgule has more than forty years of experience as a food professional, including as a chef and presenter, and holds a Master’s degree in Hospitality. Here, he explains the 10 principles that ensure a kitchen can function at its very best. And if you’re thinking, ‘I’m going to apply this tomorrow to my toddler who wants to help make pancakes’..? Absolutely give it a try—you can’t start too early 😉

1. Respect

Respect for everyone you work with, no matter which rung of the hierarchical ladder they occupy (more on that shortly), even if they have different skills or lead a completely different kind of life at home than you do. Respect for the ingredients you work with, the people who grow, gather and distribute those ingredients for you, and all the knives, pans, appliances and other tools that help you execute a dish. Respect for the processes underlying how dishes come into being, and for how much time that can take. Back to that hierarchy for a moment: dutifully saying ‘yes, chef’ does not mean you stop thinking for yourself, but it does mean that you respect the need for order and planning.

2. Take responsibility

Sorgule uses the English term ownership here. It means putting the dynamics of and at the workplace first. Chefs know how important it is to always have the right supplies within reach. Whether you’re working the grill or in pastry, everyone knows that this is your ‘personal’ space associated with your task, and chefs respect one another’s mise en place and boundaries. You are also responsible for the ingredients that pass through your hands, including to prevent waste. After all, the financial success of a business is the responsibility of everyone who works there.

3. Be a team

The way all colleagues in a restaurant interact with one another is the third principle. You’re all in the same boat, with the same goal. The ‘stronger’ colleagues help those with limitations, while those who are still learning benefit greatly from being able to listen well. According to Sorgule, truly professional chefs do not quickly blame someone else, but take responsibility for their own part in the chain. When there is a real team, you win together or fail together. (Quickly try explaining that to your toddler.)

4. Cleanliness

You often come across this principle here on FavorFlav too: keep your workspace clean. That tea towel virtually all chefs wear on themselves? It is practically fused to their hand, and every splatter is wiped away almost immediately. Working cleanly and cleaning and washing up straight away is essential for hygiene and safety in the kitchen.

5. Teach someone else and share your experience

Pass it on, Sorgule calls this. Cooking techniques and processes are open knowledge in a kitchen; there can be no secrets within a team. As an experienced chef, it is your ‘obligation’ to help others move forward. And if you don’t know something, that is absolutely fine—it is only a problem if you pretend otherwise.

6. Passion

Since the term has been printed on supermarket bread, it may have lost some of its value, but it really is a chef’s driving force, heart and soul. Passion for the ingredients, the process, the history of a dish, how flavours are created, how you present something beautifully… there is always room in the field for chefs who are fully committed to this.

7. Excellence

Although perfection may not be attainable, striving for excellence is a good step in that direction. The desire to excel is what drives a true chef. No matter how simple the task, every step is taken seriously: cutting the most symmetrical brunoise, carefully carrying out every step toward the best stock, plating the most beautiful dish… it all counts.

8. Professionalism

This carries through into everything: being clean and well-groomed, treating one another professionally (and therefore respectfully), viewing the work in the kitchen itself as highly professional and never amateurish—if everyone does that, the whole team benefits.

9. Give it your all

Dedication is everything in a professional kitchen; otherwise the whole house of cards comes tumbling down. Everyone’s task must be carried out fully and properly. Sometimes that means working a little longer than scheduled, and sometimes it means managing your time more efficiently. But giving up halfway through is not an option.

10. Honesty

According to Sorgule, this is the key to a safe environment—a kitchen where people can trust one another. Being open, honest about what the work entails and how you are going to carry it out, taking responsibility, being able to hear and process criticism, and being able to give it in a respectful, constructive manner: all of this is essential for a restaurant to run well.

The idea behind all this is that these are principles, not rules. Principles you embrace that make working together better—not because they are imposed rules or obligations. Rather, they are something the entire kitchen brigade feels and embodies, enabling you to accept one another in the kitchen and make the evenings a success together.

Source: Fine Dining Lovers

Also read:

• 10 tips from chefs that will make you better in the kitchen
• 13 mistakes amateur cooks make—and professional chefs don’t
• Come into the kitchen—the culinary training course in seven lessons