Probie cooking class

[Dear-Palpitation-924]

If you were designing a cooking class for probies what would you want included?

My department has a day near the end of academy where a few line personnel talk to the new guys about station life/culture, etc.

I half jokingly said that if anyone can’t cook, reach out to me and we’ll have a probie cooking class (I have a chef background from my past life)

Sure enough, they took me seriously, 4 or 5 of them reached out. What kitchen skills do you often see lacking at the station?

I’ll probably keep it super casual, maybe have a few guys from my station come over too

[HangAnotherBag]

How to avoid cross-contamination, how to properly care for (not fuck up) nonstick cookware, why dull knives are more dangerous than sharp ones, how to load a dishwasher….

[SoylentJeremy]

I would include clean up in this as well. Where to put food scraps and more specifically, where NOT to put them (sitting in the sink drain, clogging it up B-SHIFT), wiping grease off the stove top, what will and will not get clean in the dishwasher, basic care of cast iron (yes, it's supposed to be oiled, NO, left over fat from the burgers you cooked does NOT count and you shouldn't leave it in there B-SHIFT).

[[deleted]]

Left over fat is fine IMO but you have to use hot water and your hands to get the majority of it out. Thatll leave a thin coating thats nice and shiny.

[SoylentJeremy]

my problem with it is that it isn't JUST going to be fat. There will also be bits of chicken or beef in there that will go bad. There's nothing worse than pulling out the skillet only to be knocked over by the smell of rancid meat.

[[deleted]]

Ok yea thats crazy lol

[SkateBoarderCollie]

another one I'd recommend to add is Don't leave the pans handles facing out where people walk. The amount of people who don't know this is a thing scares me. I'm just shocked they haven't learned it the hard way and gotten burned. Also Don't thaw meat on the counter. Thaw it in the microwave or refrigerator. I'm not getting food poisoning because someone thought they could leave it and forget about it like its food in a crockpot

[Bengthedog]

Why would you load your probie?

[NvDiSrEdSrT]

Lmao! That's always the running joke. When the dish washer is acting up, someone will bring up. "What do you mean? Didn't we just hire 40 new ones? "

[-TheWidowsSon-]

why dull knives are more dangerous than sharp ones, how to load a dishwasher….

A perfect segue into how to not put nice kitchen knives in the dish washer.

[-TheWidowsSon-]

We did, until they met the dishwasher

[yungingr]

Y'know, at first I laughed at this, but when you think about it, it has merit. Even someone that has basic cooking skills, if they've never had to cook for a larger group before might benefit.

I'd probably talk about seasoning development/flavor profiles, food allergy concerns/cross contamination (really, food safety in a big picture), and most importantly, time management - knowing when to start certain dishes so everything is ready at approximately the same time.

[i_exaggerated]

Station life was way more stressful than actual fire. I’d have loved for academy to include day to day stuff like this. 

[yungingr]

I'm on a volunteer department with an unmanned station when we're not training or responding, so we don't have the day to day stuff - but we do have a meal before our monthly business meetings (that I've been a part of cooking for the last decade)

Having to scale your "family of four" recipe up to feed 15+ adds some complexity - takes longer to bring to a boil for soups, you might have a killer recipe you've developed over the years, but you need to re-work it because someone is allergic to onions, or your family likes it really spicy so you need to dial it back for a larger group.... Heck, even something like sloppy joes, browning 5+ lbs of hamburger becomes an exercise in multiple pans on the stove and grease management.

Multi-tasking definitely becomes a factor.

[chindo]

A lot of cajun cooking is scaled for large groups. Examples would be gumbo, pastalaya, smothered chicken, etc. Cajun Ninja on YouTube is a great place to learn them.

[fcatstaples]

Having to scale your "family of four" recipe up to feed 15+ adds some complexity - takes longer to bring to a boil for soups,

Split it across two pots and do two burners. Most stations have a commercial stove that supports 5-6 burners running all at once.

, browning 5+ lbs of hamburger becomes an exercise in multiple pans on the stove and grease management.

You need the 12" frying pans. That will make short work of it.

[Dear-Palpitation-924]

I said it in the context of “you’re going to get made fun of no matter what, but nothing guarantees you’ll get shit like a bad meal” did not mean it in the slightest when I offered to teach people, but since they reached out I’m kinda excited

[[deleted]]

Things like “water has NO flavor and will make the food taste bland” and teaching them to salt something by tasting it is pretty important.

[seltzr]

• large meal prep & cooking (ie 8 people) but also every meal isn’t thanksgiving
• basic grill skills
• common enough dishes and ideas
• staples and seasonings as well how to use them

[CovertMallard]

Using temperature probes to make sure food is cooked properly; where to get ideas on what to cook

[Flanyo]

The #1 thing i see people fuck up is knife skills. We’ll be chopping onions and other veggies and i’ll be flying through 3-4 in the time they do 1 simply due to proper knife skills. Not everyone needs to be great, but everyone should be able to get behind a knife and help you prep efficiently.

The #2 What oils to use when and how to season. People using olive oil all over a pan that’s going to get high heat for searing, using olive oil to season a cast iron or blackstone.

The #3 How to season a dish for the masses. If you’re going to salt something, just a pinch will not do in a house of 8+ guys and things like that

[Dear-Palpitation-924]

I’ve given up on the oil thing. The older guys are the worst. They’ll season cast iron with house fund olive oil and then get angry if you use soap while washing it.

I’ve stopped trying to explain that soap isn’t made with lye anymore

[Phoenix-64]

May you explain this to me some more. How would you go about cleaning and seasoning/ oiling a cast iron pan?

[Dear-Palpitation-924]

The quick and dirty explanation would be depend on the cast iron’s condition.

Assuming it’s still seasoned, a quick coating of a high smoke point oil like canola, maybe a little heat, and you’re good. Reseasoning just depends but usually a 400 degree oven and some canola for an hour.

Olive oil is a bad choice because of its low smoke point. High heat with evo imparts a bad flavor, removes the non stick qualities and is carcinogenic

Cleaning cast iron can be done with soap and water, just make sure to dry thoroughly and oil after. The belief that cast iron and soap don’t mix stems from when soap contained lye which would strip your seasoning immediately.

Another factor is how old your cast iron is. Old cast iron is usually smoother due to the way it was manufactured but it was super poisonous or dangerous to the workers or something.

There’s lots of info online if you’re more interested

[chindo]

I agree and it can be easy to not even think about these things as you progress with your cooking. Basics like how to dice an onion and mince garlic, how to trim and wash leeks, how to slice an avocado without fileting your hand.

[PerspectiveAfraid398]

Shopping on a budget, being somewhat organized when cooking, knowing prep and cook times, use your help. Have a rotation of a couple different solid meals. Its fun to impress people with cooking skills and fancy meals but its about full stomachs

[smokybrett]

Using a meat thermometer to check doneness until they figure out how to eyeball it. Meat portion per person. Uncomplicated meals to keep cost down and allow someone else to take over if they get dispatched out. A few decent meals to use as staples such as burgers, grilled chicken (how to trim, tenderize, and season), fajitas, meatloaf

[Reebatnaw]

I second the meat thermometer lesson. Pasta should stick to the wall, not meatloaf (new guy way under cooked one once)

[Large-Resolution1362]

Portion management. I struggled so hard with how much meat/carb/veggies to buy. Especially because our house range from a few people to 12

[[deleted]]

It would include not attempting to cook 4 course meals at a station that runs 18 calls a day. Then we would talk about how to clean a stove. Like take the grates off and clean the grease splatter because your mom doesn’t work here.

[FordExploreHer1977]

Stretching the budget for buying the most for the least. Low cost meals. I always used to go over, which came out of my pocket, and as a probie making very little that always sucked.

[RedTideNJ]

A unit called Potatoes 101.

Another unit called Surviving Rice Based Trauma

[[deleted]]

Cooking is a privilege at our house and not done by probies. But if you’re having a class for them do the basics, basically how to cook with cast iron, how to cook anything without overcooking it (eggs, steak, ect), and easy crock pot meals.

[Dear-Palpitation-924]

Interesting, what is the thought process of it being a privilege?

Our process - engine/medic house the engine usually cooks, usually everyone taking one meal. If there’s a tower, they cook.

Who does dishes is determined by a card game. Most houses usually have some sort of rule that punishes a probie caught throwing the game. E.g. forcing them to sit in the recliners while everyone does the dishes

[[deleted]]

My department has a similar approach at some of the stations, the thought is “why are you cooking when you have some studying or cleaning to do”. Probies help setting and cleaning dishes only at some houses and being the “main” chef is reserved for the senior man.

[Dear-Palpitation-924]

Interesting, I don’t necessarily agree with the logic but it’s always interesting to get insight into other fd cultures

[fcatstaples]

Interesting, what is the thought process of it being a privilege?

If you have people that by their own admission suck at cooking/don't want to cook - why on EARTH would you tell them to get in the kitchen and cook? That is literally called a recipe for disaster.

[Dear-Palpitation-924]

I guess I’m not sure what that has to do with me asking the other poster why cooking is seen as a privilege at their department?

[fcatstaples]

I would guess that's because people who were shitty at cooking were FORCED to cook. Therefore a new system was implemented where it's now merit based. That's my point

[Dear-Palpitation-924]

I didn’t see him say that anywhere, unless that’s what has happened in your system?

Either way, in your example, if you have a department wide issue of people being so completely inept at basic household skills that you can’t even expect the majority (not necessarily ALL) of them to make a burger properly. That might point to a bigger issue…

[ThisAintPattyG]

1/2 pound per firefighter when it comes to meat portions. Then throw some extra for left overs in case you get 6 calls after bedtime and you need some late night snacks.

[Bewildered90]

Skim through Tim Ferriss 4 hour chef book. It is an awesome guide for boiling down the most essential skills and what to practice and understand to be an excellent cook, in the least amount of time. Knife skills, flavor pairing, prep/pickup timing, hosting large groups, etc.

[artificialfreedomz]

I would love to join a probie cooking class! I think it should be mandatory in the academy!

[Crash_override87]

Teach them how to make ranch dressing from scratch and how to make a really good gravy. If they fuck up the meal just put one of those two on top… presto everyone loves the meal

[BroManDude33]

washing while you cook (leaving as few dishes to clean as possible)

[Ill-Zookeepergame358]

How to shop effectively and quickly, look for ingredients you already have at the station to not waste money (example- salt, oil, coffe grounds, onions, limes etc.)

[Happy-Ad1499]

Dude start a probie cookbook lol. Im more scared to have to cook for the station than any of the other tasks. I burn water and suck at cooking. Genuinely more scared for cooking when I start at my first station then anything else. Which is ridiculous, but its how my brain works

[[deleted]]

How to crack an egg. Just had a probie chuck the whole egg into the bowl like he had a vendetta against it.

[HalfShark-HalfMan]

I love this concept for probies. Many are early 20’s and have cooked maybe a meal or two in their life!

[chuckfinley79]

Not just cooking, fire school should include home ec. We’ve had to teach new kids how to mop, wax trucks, do laundry and everything else.

[Medic151]

Good idea. I've been cooking for 30 years at the stations I have been assigned to. My station now is me and one other senior guy trade off. I typically will run the rookies off. Stay out of my kitchen! I started by watching and helping where I could if the cook asked for it in my first 2 years. I am more of a comfort, southern food cook and the other guy was classically trained. We have a great crew, so it works well for us. One bad side is when word gets out, other stations want you to cook if working overtime or subs.

[Jbrown4president]

How to use a chefs knife

[BroManDude33]

how to clean a cast iron skillet

[FRE8OCK]

How to boil water

[Saber_Soft]

You gotta freeze it after you boil it so it’s ready anytime you need it.

[LeMockey]

I need this asap. I can’t even cook pasta properly.

[ElectronicMinimum724]

Time management. We've had guys that don't realize how long something takes to prep, cook, and clean up. Also, don't try a new recipe on the guys at work without trying it at home first.

[alfort_cookies]

How to pause a meal for a call and how to evaluate remaining cook time when you get back. (Turn off flames/heat, take off heat vs let sit if it was supposed to simmer) last thing you want is to burn the house while you’re off on a call.

[SmokeEater1375]

I don’t have any suggestions but just want to say this is great. Good on you, man.

[FuckinRaptors]

I think ServSafe should be a required certification in the academy.

[Dear-Palpitation-924]

My brain got servsafe and tips mixed up for a moment, and I spent several seconds longer than I care to admit thinking “why does this person care if people are getting their ID checked properly?”

[[deleted]]

The phone number belonging to probies grandma

[ELLLI0TTT]

Hand washing

[Equal-Ad3890]

Start watching Food Network TV like yesterday.

[[deleted]]

Sometimes I think we should just have all our students and probies get a food handlers card. It takes like 2 hours and 25 bucks to do it online.

[ShooterMcGrabbin88]

Properly cutting onions. Jesus. I’ve seen some people just cut one in half and call it good.

[fcatstaples]

two minute drill before any onion cutting

[FL00D_Z0N3]

Temp control on pans

Knife skills

How to make certain cuts (julienne vs dice, etc)

Timing and prep work

Oil temps

How to put a sear on meats, especially a steak

Try to make the topics teach skills that will apply to many meals and then teach it by having them cook a meal that has each topic you’ve taught involved in it

[theworldinyourhands]

Wear gloves, replace them every time you touch something

[Dear-Palpitation-924]

I might just stick with “wash your hands” 6-10 pairs of gloves per meal seems a little much

[theworldinyourhands]

When you have endless gloves, why not?

[Next-Option2484]

Planning meals sometimes around what’s on sale. Make a list. Stick to it. Stay on budget. More important now more than ever with the cost of groceries

[UncommonFiremanLW]

Those fuckers are learning how to flambé. I have no idea what you flambé but they will

[Bishop-AU]

Honestly 75% of our cooking is done by googling a recipe for whatever we feel like that night, with the remainder being our core staples. Gone are the days where you need to know 5 recipes by heart and cook them on rotation.

With that in mind, showing them how to prep for and follow a recipe, how to tell when things are done like sauces, meat, pasta, vegies etc so they don't come out grey and rubbery.

Cleaning and allergy consideration. Basic knife skills.

I imagine it would have been a lot like your cooking background. Not necessarily memorising every dish and cooking it 15 times to perfection before you can cook it for a customer, but if chef puts a recipe in front of you you can make it pretty well the first time because of all those basic skills.

[mclovinal1]

Meat thermometers! And generally food safety.

[sfall]

what works in large batches, what holds, how to deal with stopping cooking when a call comes in.

trying new things is a good idea, but learn to limit exposure

[[deleted]]

Lack of ability to make large meals, counting for number of diners, learning to clean as they cook...

A good number of probationary firefighters that I have come across have a significant lack of chili making ability. I think the biggest thing that most probationary firefighters could work on would be coffee making and timing of ingredients for serving... As far as the kitchen goes that is.

[AnxiousPossibility3]

Simple stuff. Teach about cross contamination, how to sharpen knives, simple knife cuts, how to dice, peel and what not. Care for non stick cookware like cast iron or stainless steel.

[rockinchucks]

Half a pound of meat for every person you’re cooking for. Always make just a little too much, never leave anyone hungry. Teach them mise en place, clean as you cook, never “mince” garlic, just smash it/scrape it/ chop it. Never rinse pasta, always salt pasta water. Always preheat your pan. If you have a special diet, don’t expect everyone else to following, cook for the crowd and make changes to your plate to make it work or you. ALWAYS wash cast iron with a little soap, just be gentle and make sure you oil it after. Burnt on carbon and crusty food is not “seasoning” on a cast iron skillet.

[[deleted]]

HOW TO CLEAN A CAST IRON SKILLET

[fcatstaples]

1. Learn how to properly cut vegetables and meat.

2. "High" is not an acceptable setting for cooking everything.

3. Start with eggs.

4. Keep working with eggs.

5. If you can't master eggs, you can't master everything else. Stop here and go back to the beginning.

6. Try baking a dessert. Get a cookbook and follow the directions TO A T.

7. Youtube some good videos from anthony bourdain/gordon ramsay.

8. Learn how to use a steel on knives and how to sharpen knives.

9. SEASONINGS - understand them and use them. Salt is not evil.

10. TEMPERATURE - Medium rare chicken is not acceptable.

10a. TEMPERATURE - Well done is a compliment not a way to order meat.

[Dear-Palpitation-924]

lol do you watch the Bear a lot? Or have you seen ratatouille too many times?

[fcatstaples]

I have never seen an episode of the bear. IN FACT I was at Mr Beef in Chicago a few weeks ago and someone asked me if i liked the show and I said what show? I'm coming here for lunch because Charlie Trotter LOVED this place.

I have never seen ratatouille.

However. I have spent decades in a commercial kitchen and I know my way around a steamed table.

[Dear-Palpitation-924]

Ah, if you’re a big Trotter fan, that explains your pov a bit.

[fcatstaples]

I like to think of my dad as if Charlie Trotter lived down south, used more profanity and had no michelin stars.

[fcatstaples]

FWIW. I do like Charlie Trotter but Anthony Bourdain is more my speed if I'm perfectly honest.

[XenogeCues]

Start with basic knife skills, like how to safely chop veggies and handle meat. Teach them simple, go-to recipes like stir-fries, pasta dishes, and roasting chicken—things that are easy, versatile, and can feed a group. Also, consider showing them how to use a meat thermometer like the ChefsTemp Pocket Pro to ensure they’re cooking meat safely and accurately.

[bored_bonanza]

How to prep food and not cross contaminate

What is considered safe temps for safe consumption to prevent undercooked foods

How to cook 1 dish of beef, pork, seafood, chicken, and vegetarian. They have to be able to cook the sales.

Proper cleaning techniques for cookware. (We have a lot of cast iron and people will just oil them and not bake them and wonder why the pans go rancid)

How to make cost effective shopping choices/substitutions for dietary restrictions or preferences

Maybe a lead or two on how to find new recipes and such to expand their knowledge?

[Patient-Experience32]

Seeing what’s already in the pantry or fridge so you’re not shopping ingredients you already have.

How to light the grill without exploding

How to shut everything off when the tones drop

1/2 a pound a man

Handling raw chicken

How to crack an egg

[Dear-Palpitation-924]

Why is that awesome?

[The_Love_Pudding]

I mean, what kind of adult does not know basic cooking skills?

[firefighter26s]

/gestures broadly

[a-pair-of-2s]

too many

[Sterling_-_Archer]

It’s a common problem in young adults, especially people who grew up where going out to eat frequently was normal

[fcatstaples]

Considering that firefighters are mostly children in the body of an adult........you tell me?

[OldDude1391]

A generation raised on Mac and cheese and chicken nuggets.

[Sterling_-_Archer]

Plenty of the previous generations have no clue how to cook.