Maid or Chef?

When I signed up for cooking school, I thought that I would learn how to cook better; how to be a chef. What I was not expecting is that learning how to be a chef means learning how to clean.

This morning at 8:15am, we piled into the kitchen ready to tackle grilled salmon with an emulsified butter-lemon sauce, Byron potatoes, and cooked spinach. Following us was a new chef that we had yet to meet in demonstration or in practical.

As mentioned in a previous post, Chefs, the personality that you get each day to lead you in practical makes a huge difference (and for good conversation after class when y'all go for coffee). A new chef is the scariest because you have no idea what to expect.

"I hear he's one of the hardest teachers," a friend whispers to me.

Great.

But, you can't let it get to you and you just have to start setting up your place, equipment, and ingredients and go.

Last Friday morning, the good looking chef (also mentioned in Chefs) had been a real stickler for keeping your area clean (including all work spaces, even and almost especially your stove top). This is not uncommon with the chefs, but this particular chef had a strategy that he repeated over and over and over:

"Do one task completely, then clean up completely, then start a new task."

Seems simple and obvious enough, but this involves wiping down your cutting board, the marble around your cutting board, and your stove top; cleaning any utensil you had previously used; removing any trash; removing and cleaning any pot or bowl or chinois (mentioned in post Chicken Supreme) or pan. Now do this at least 5 or 6 times per recipe. We do about 3 recipes per class (Yes, that is about 15-18 times per 3 hour class).

I feel more like a maid sometimes than a chef.

But, today, I followed that structure of cleaning; almost focusing more on my cleaning than on my cooking.

The chef never once told me, personally, today to clean my station.

And:
1. My fish was cooked "perfectly" (this is not easy praise)
2. My potatoes were also "perfect"
3. My sauce needed a little more butter, but was seasoned well/the right color/right thickness (color, consistency, and taste are the three components of judging a sauce)
4. My spinach was cooked well, but needed more salt

Two "perfects" in one day and one of them about my FISH?!?!?!?! It was my best day so far.

So, does the ordered cleaning system help order my cooking and therefore make it better? Does keeping a clean station keep the chef less annoyed at me and therefore more willing to praise? Does a clean station make the chef think that I am a better chef and then award appropriate praise? Does my heightened awareness about cleaning in turn heighten my awareness about my cooking?

Who knows. I sure as heck don't. Maybe somewhere out there reading this knows. If you do, enlighten me, please.
But, as of today I am a convert and a true believer.

Until then, I'll see you at the dishpit (where apparently great chefs are made).