Last week in the Chef community, discussions revolved around the practical and philosophical aspects of kitchen life. Members shared strategies for maintaining efficiency during busy service times and debated sustainable practices in food preparation. The importance of mentorship in the culinary field was also a key theme, with many sharing their experiences and insights. Additionally, the origin of the term “86” sparked curiosity and lively debate.
This Week’s Hot Topics
Printer arias and surviving the line
A lively discussion on managing the chaos of the kitchen printer during peak hours. Members shared tips on prioritizing tickets and staying calm under pressure. Read more here
Chamber vac without the plastic guilt
This thread explores eco-friendly alternatives to traditional vacuum sealing, aiming to reduce plastic waste in the kitchen. Read more here
Longevity and mentorship on the line
Cooks are talking about how mentorship can significantly extend a career in the culinary world, highlighting personal stories and advice. Read more here
What’s the real origin of 86
The community delves into the history and various theories surrounding the term “86,” a staple in kitchen lingo. Read more here
Finding time to innovate on pastry
Chefs discuss balancing the need for innovation with the demands of daily pastry production, sharing creative solutions and time-management tips. Read more here
Looking forward to another week of thoughtful discussions and shared culinary wisdom. See you in the forum.
We cut chaos during rush by keeping a mini “86 board” at expo with red/green magnets; when something’s 86’d, the runner calls it and flips the magnet so the whole line sees it — like a tiny traffic light. If you’re tight on space, a Sharpie note on the ticket rail works too, but make one person responsible or it turns into wall art.
Swapped the 86 bark for a POS tag — expo toggles ‘Sold Out’ and an old iPad at the pass mirrors it so FOH sees it instantly during the Friday push. Mentorship-wise, I make the new garde manger keep the 86 log and explain why it happened so we tighten pars next prep. When Wi‑Fi hiccups, the Sharpie backup still wins.
I added an ‘85’ pre-flag in the POS — when counts hit 5, it pings expo and FOH to call last call and gives prep 8–10 minutes to batch a save, which cut our hard 86s in half; small caveat: it falls apart if prep doesn’t scan counts at close. @leo_rod92, would that fit your mirror setup?
We tag components in the POS so a single ‘component 86’ (say, garlic aioli) auto-86s the burger and fish tacos and prompts FOH with a swap instead of a hard no. For mentorship, I put a junior on ‘86 captain’ during the Friday rush to call counts and own the comms; it’s great, but only if your par sheet’s honest.