a whole day to just get in the kitchen and cook? What would you do? Would you bake up some sweets? Would you make some nice meals and freeze them up for future use? How would you best utilize a rare treat like that?
Wow, Cathy... your question brings to mind "the good ole days" when I cooked for a living- sometimes 16 hour days cooking TONS of grub, non-stop! Sometimes it seems YEARS ago- but in fact, I left kitchens and Alaska and returned home to Illinois only months ago, really.
I worked many types of positions in many types of places, over the years. Each position had a different routine.
As chef at restaurant and hotel kitchens I started each day around 5:00AM. Began w/ making stocks and soups. If the particular kitchen served breakfast I always observed the breakfast cooks and assisted if they needed help or got busy. Mid-morning I always sorted out lunch specials and made sure the lunch cooks were prepping accordingly. During this time I also spent time in the office doing Admin. work, ordering food, etc. Lunch periods were usually busy so I supervised the cooking line and observed all food going out to the dining room. Afternoons were spent butchering meat and working closely w/ dinner cooks to prep, plan specials, work on desserts, etc. On BUSY nights I remained in the kitchen sometimes until closing- 10:00PM or so. On slower nights if they were no banquets or special functions sometimes I was lucky and able to duck-out half-way through dinner-service by 7:00 or 8:00PM. Busiest times were weekends, Sunday Brunches and holidays. BUSIEST holidays by far were always Valentine's Day NIGHT, Mother's Day and the whole Christmas Party season. Also summer wedding recepetion season could be heavy, as well. LOVED IT! Often miss it, too!
At the Alaskan work-camps I usually either baked during the graveyard shift (which I LOVED!) or managed during the day. While similar to restaurants and hotels, work-camps were also very different. Hard-pressed to say which environment I preferred- both were neat in their own ways! Time card every week was 84 hours- seven 12 hour shifts- WHEW!
I worked many types of positions in many types of places, over the years. Each position had a different routine.
As chef at restaurant and hotel kitchens I started each day around 5:00AM. Began w/ making stocks and soups. If the particular kitchen served breakfast I always observed the breakfast cooks and assisted if they needed help or got busy. Mid-morning I always sorted out lunch specials and made sure the lunch cooks were prepping accordingly. During this time I also spent time in the office doing Admin. work, ordering food, etc. Lunch periods were usually busy so I supervised the cooking line and observed all food going out to the dining room. Afternoons were spent butchering meat and working closely w/ dinner cooks to prep, plan specials, work on desserts, etc. On BUSY nights I remained in the kitchen sometimes until closing- 10:00PM or so. On slower nights if they were no banquets or special functions sometimes I was lucky and able to duck-out half-way through dinner-service by 7:00 or 8:00PM. Busiest times were weekends, Sunday Brunches and holidays. BUSIEST holidays by far were always Valentine's Day NIGHT, Mother's Day and the whole Christmas Party season. Also summer wedding recepetion season could be heavy, as well. LOVED IT! Often miss it, too!
At the Alaskan work-camps I usually either baked during the graveyard shift (which I LOVED!) or managed during the day. While similar to restaurants and hotels, work-camps were also very different. Hard-pressed to say which environment I preferred- both were neat in their own ways! Time card every week was 84 hours- seven 12 hour shifts- WHEW!
That sounds like so much fun, and yet it would probably "dog me out" I'd be soooo tired.
I love cooking on Sundays when we've nothing planned, I get into that kitchen and just begin whipping out all kinds of stuff for the upcoming days. Sunday dinner is ALWAYS a big deal, and there are multiple offerings, as well as desert.
I like to prepare potato salad and macaroni salads for the next weeks meals, also casserole type dishes.
By the end of the day my feet hurt, and I am pleasantly exhausted!
I love cooking on Sundays when we've nothing planned, I get into that kitchen and just begin whipping out all kinds of stuff for the upcoming days. Sunday dinner is ALWAYS a big deal, and there are multiple offerings, as well as desert.
I like to prepare potato salad and macaroni salads for the next weeks meals, also casserole type dishes.
By the end of the day my feet hurt, and I am pleasantly exhausted!
Since I'm retired I can spend everyday all day in my kitchen if I want to do that. Instead, I prefer to read crime fiction books.
Hey Max, it has been a while since you posted here! Hope you are well, and it is nice to hear from you.
READING IS GREAT, I would probably do ALOT MORE IF I WERE RETIRED!!! But in reality (and in my DREAMS) I would garden, read, cook and clean I would probably work myself to death if I were retired:D
READING IS GREAT, I would probably do ALOT MORE IF I WERE RETIRED!!! But in reality (and in my DREAMS) I would garden, read, cook and clean I would probably work myself to death if I were retired:D