So Top Chef, Season 5 is over; weeks of grueling (and crazy) challenges all for this one episode. I actually really enjoy watching cooking competitions. I like seeing how people's creative minds work as they think on their feet. I like to watch and learn the different techniques. And, yes, I enjoy cheering for my favorites.
But there is something that I've noticed about the show, and it is not only in Top Chef, but in other cooking competitions as well. In culinary school, one of the first things that you learn is safety and sanitation when working in a kitchen. There have been some behaviors that I've noticed in these shows that go against these basics in common sense of cleanliness. It usually occurs when chefs taste their food. Example: a tasting spoon that has gone into a mouth and then is tapped onto the rim of the pot, tapping off extra drops of food into the pot. You might as well be spitting in the food that you are preparing.
Or perhaps the finger taste test. That is gross, too. With only 15 minutes to make a dish, do you think anyone will take the time to properly wash their hands? But I think the one of the most disgusting things that I've seen is a chef drinking out of a liquid measuring cup. Jessica, what's wrong with that? It gets sanitized. Maybe I get really picky at this point, but I believe that there are certain tools to do certain things and drinking out of a tool that is used to cook isn't right. Do you really want to measure milk in a cup that someone drank out of?
Being a real top chef isn't just about cooking good food; it is about work ethic, attitude, and consistency. A tip for anyone who want become a chef: work cleanly and be sanitary. If you don't have a conviction about cleanliness, than you are missing a block in your foundation to being good at what you do.
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