In the cooking part of the kitchen, there is a demon so horrible that thinking about it now makes me shudder. It is a horrible, ingenious device that derives pleasure out of torturing its operators. It does good to customers and evil to kitchen staff, and it is unknown if it should be taken to a psychologist to analyze, or a priest to exorcise.
Okay, well, now that I've got all that out of the way:
The device I'm talking about is the fryolator. The fryolator is...well, I suppose I don't really need to explain it. Fries go in cold, come out fried and ready to eat. People don't really think about it too much; they just eat their fries, free of the thought. But has anyone ever wondered, for a moment, what it's like to have to CLEAN that thing?
Last night, I discovered this for myself.
It's basically a process of emptying out all the liquid from the machine, which is done by inserting a tube into an opening at the bottom of the device. You place a bucket down so that it's under the tube, so that all the liquid pours into it. You also have a catcher in the pot to catch all the little grease things and i guess "purify" the liquid, though it's greasy muck from a fryolator, so Lord knows how purified it really gets.
Now, that's not really the bad part, although that stuff WILL burn you to the umpteenth degree if you get it on you. The bad part is that you then have to take a slider and a scooper and pick out all the little crap grease pieces and dump them in the catcher.
Things to remember while doing this:
1.) The inside is still burning hot.
2.) The pieces are going to get stuck under the pipes, so use every utensil handed to you in order to get them out.
3.) The inside is STILL burning hot.
Now, in order to help yourself, you may have to pour that liquid BACK into the fryolator, just to move the pieces around. Just do what you did above when getting it back out, remove any pieces left, and clean and scrape along the edges.
When all that is done, you must now pour in NEW liquid, which can be found in box containers in the basement. And once you've done that, you can now be in business.
On paper it doesn't sound bad. In practice, it's a pain in the butt. Thankfully, it's a process that only needs to be done once every 1 or 2 weeks, so if they can just do it on the days I DON'T work, then we'll all be fine.
Apologies for the lack of proper identification in regards to tools used, but my mind is really spacey without the adderall and thus I'm not able to think as clearly.
But that's your look at what goes on in the kitchen for this week.
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Friday, June 18, 2010
Regular Nights VS Game Nights
In three days, I've learned that there is a massive difference in work when comparing regular nights and nights where the Celtics are playing (no hype over the Sox yet, I guess that's just to come). It's funny how one thing can be the difference between being overwhelmed and being underwhelmed.
On regular nights, you don't get much traffic. Yes, the dishes come in, but they don't breed like rabbits, and if you got a system working, then you can handle them with ease. Other than that, there's really not much other than have a meal and flirt with the waitresses.
(On that note, why is it that every single one of them is either taken or not interested? It seems like even working in a bar of beautiful women, I cannot catch a break. Alas, but I digress).
The traffic you do get will be people who in time will become known as "regulars". Among these regulars- or I'm assuming he will be- is a man by the name of Paul Lastnamewithheld, a rather wealthy gentlemen who decides to literally buy the place out in terms of food. Seriously, I want to know at what point in your mind do you decide, "Hey, I'm kind of hungry, I think I'm going to go ahead and order EVERYTHING ON THE MENU"? Granted, it gave me work, but this is a relatively skinny man; where does he put it all?
On game nights, however, the place is packed. The seats are filled, every dish and utensil is used, and you have your hands full. By now, the system you have put into place pays off, and again, you manage to keep control. But the place is still packed, and it's all because of the Celtics. If they win, God help you. If they lose, God help you. The whole time, all I could think was, "If one of them gets a zombie bite, we are all screwed."
I wonder what will happen when the Sox start to play big games. Or when the Pats start up. Oh God, that'll be intense.
(I'm seeing steam in front of my face, and I'm nowhere near anything hot. I think working in the kitchen has become permanently burned into my retina.)
I've got a good system, and so far, it works. My thoughts are that there shouldn't be anything too overwhelming now that I'm on top of things. That's the goal, at least.
Although trash bags breaking when you've got nothing but water and muck in them, and there being holes at the bottom of the trash bin, really don't make matters easy.
But I am enjoying it still, I'm learning a lot, and it's a good experience. I definitely love days off, though, and I shall be returning to it...now.
On regular nights, you don't get much traffic. Yes, the dishes come in, but they don't breed like rabbits, and if you got a system working, then you can handle them with ease. Other than that, there's really not much other than have a meal and flirt with the waitresses.
(On that note, why is it that every single one of them is either taken or not interested? It seems like even working in a bar of beautiful women, I cannot catch a break. Alas, but I digress).
The traffic you do get will be people who in time will become known as "regulars". Among these regulars- or I'm assuming he will be- is a man by the name of Paul Lastnamewithheld, a rather wealthy gentlemen who decides to literally buy the place out in terms of food. Seriously, I want to know at what point in your mind do you decide, "Hey, I'm kind of hungry, I think I'm going to go ahead and order EVERYTHING ON THE MENU"? Granted, it gave me work, but this is a relatively skinny man; where does he put it all?
On game nights, however, the place is packed. The seats are filled, every dish and utensil is used, and you have your hands full. By now, the system you have put into place pays off, and again, you manage to keep control. But the place is still packed, and it's all because of the Celtics. If they win, God help you. If they lose, God help you. The whole time, all I could think was, "If one of them gets a zombie bite, we are all screwed."
I wonder what will happen when the Sox start to play big games. Or when the Pats start up. Oh God, that'll be intense.
(I'm seeing steam in front of my face, and I'm nowhere near anything hot. I think working in the kitchen has become permanently burned into my retina.)
I've got a good system, and so far, it works. My thoughts are that there shouldn't be anything too overwhelming now that I'm on top of things. That's the goal, at least.
Although trash bags breaking when you've got nothing but water and muck in them, and there being holes at the bottom of the trash bin, really don't make matters easy.
But I am enjoying it still, I'm learning a lot, and it's a good experience. I definitely love days off, though, and I shall be returning to it...now.
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
10 Things I Learned On My First Night
So, I had my first night of work last night, going from 5:00 PM to 2:30 AM. Normally, my work schedule's going to go from 6:30 to 2:30, but since this was opening day, I had an extra hour and a half.
But within those nine and a half hours I learned quite a bit. Here are the Top 10 things an inexperienced dishwasher should learn right away:
10.) Washing dishes is not easy. There's a lot of work to it.
9.) Take something that will guarantee you stay awake through your whole shift, because you will be moving around a lot.
8.) Take your breaks when you can, and regulate food into your stomach whenever you can, becasue getting a chance to stop and eat is near impossible. Don't be afraid to ask the cooks to make you a hotdog or something; in this enviornment, it's all for one and one for all.
7.) The sink hose will hate you. No matter how softly you press on it, or how gently you talk to it, it will always send what you're trying to wash off flying over you and your work place.
6.) With that said, always try to keep your workplace clean. A clean workplace will make YOU personally feel a lot better and will make the job go by a little easier.
5.) Dishes are like bunnies. They are always multiplying.
4.) If you are an atheist, you will have even more of a reason to be, because no amount of praying will make the dishes stop coming.
3.) The grill pans are the worst things in the world to clean off. In that regard, make best friends with the steel sponges, because those things are lifesavers.
2.) The lesson, "if you touch something and it burns you, you know never to touch it again" has no application here. You will constantly be handling scalding-hot places, glasses, bowls, and silverware. And you will get burned. A lot. And, sadly, you will get used to it.
And the number one lesson you should learn right off the bat:
1.) You are the dish guy. You are about as low on the chain as you can possibly get. You will get pissed on, crapped on, sprayed, burned, kicked around, ordered around, and be expected to clean the Mount Everest of dishes by yourself with little to no sass. Your job is not necessarily to like it. Your job is to deal with it, and do the best you can.
With all that said, I really like this job so far, I work with some great people, and it looks like business will be terrific. Now that I know more or less what to expect, I can better prepare for it and start getting a real routine going.
So there we go. My tales of the bar will be laid out here. I'll update when I can, either weekly or daily, and try and keep this as safe for viewers of all ages as I possibly can. Let's see how this goes.
On to Round Two.
But within those nine and a half hours I learned quite a bit. Here are the Top 10 things an inexperienced dishwasher should learn right away:
10.) Washing dishes is not easy. There's a lot of work to it.
9.) Take something that will guarantee you stay awake through your whole shift, because you will be moving around a lot.
8.) Take your breaks when you can, and regulate food into your stomach whenever you can, becasue getting a chance to stop and eat is near impossible. Don't be afraid to ask the cooks to make you a hotdog or something; in this enviornment, it's all for one and one for all.
7.) The sink hose will hate you. No matter how softly you press on it, or how gently you talk to it, it will always send what you're trying to wash off flying over you and your work place.
6.) With that said, always try to keep your workplace clean. A clean workplace will make YOU personally feel a lot better and will make the job go by a little easier.
5.) Dishes are like bunnies. They are always multiplying.
4.) If you are an atheist, you will have even more of a reason to be, because no amount of praying will make the dishes stop coming.
3.) The grill pans are the worst things in the world to clean off. In that regard, make best friends with the steel sponges, because those things are lifesavers.
2.) The lesson, "if you touch something and it burns you, you know never to touch it again" has no application here. You will constantly be handling scalding-hot places, glasses, bowls, and silverware. And you will get burned. A lot. And, sadly, you will get used to it.
And the number one lesson you should learn right off the bat:
1.) You are the dish guy. You are about as low on the chain as you can possibly get. You will get pissed on, crapped on, sprayed, burned, kicked around, ordered around, and be expected to clean the Mount Everest of dishes by yourself with little to no sass. Your job is not necessarily to like it. Your job is to deal with it, and do the best you can.
With all that said, I really like this job so far, I work with some great people, and it looks like business will be terrific. Now that I know more or less what to expect, I can better prepare for it and start getting a real routine going.
So there we go. My tales of the bar will be laid out here. I'll update when I can, either weekly or daily, and try and keep this as safe for viewers of all ages as I possibly can. Let's see how this goes.
On to Round Two.
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