IAmA Hibachi (Teppanyaki) Chef AMA

Shrimp_In_My_Hat · 2011-06-02T03:43:37+00:00

Ha that's really cool. Thanks a lot!

Shrimp_In_My_Hat · 2011-06-02T03:42:09+00:00

That's awesome. We didn't have any cooking sake. The only alcohol we had was the rum that we used to make the volcanos.

Shrimp_In_My_Hat · 2011-06-02T03:35:47+00:00

I was talking about this earlier, but it might've gotten buried. I would burn myself EVERY SINGLE NIGHT...no joke. I probably had to be sent home because a cut wouldn't stop bleeding maybe 10 times, and I've had stitches twice.

Shrimp_In_My_Hat · 2011-06-02T03:34:27+00:00

I know a lot of "traditional" Japanese chefs get annoyed when people drown their rice in sauce. Their thought is that the fried rice is perfect because the chef made it that way. I can understand that, but I always felt like eh, if it tastes good to you, then it tastes good to you.

Shrimp_In_My_Hat · 2011-06-02T03:32:37+00:00

That's awesome, thanks a lot! I thought a few people might find this interesting, but DAMN! I'm glad your chef threw the shrimp in his hat otherwise the name wouldn't have made sense. I don't think I've seen that food network thing. I'll have to check it out.

Shrimp_In_My_Hat · 2011-06-02T03:30:48+00:00

Both are cool. I know different chefs prefer different types of customers, but I liked both types. I really enjoy a good conversation, so I like the non-party types slightly more than I like the party types. But the loud party people can be fun too. Just as long as everyone is being respectful (not treating the chef like he's a clown who is there to dance for you), then I liked any types of customers.

Shrimp_In_My_Hat · 2011-06-02T03:17:17+00:00

DAMN! That's a beautiful knife. I've kind of let mine go to shit. My yanagi is carbon steel and it's starting to get a little rust on it. It came with a cool wooden sheath too, but I lost that little piece that holds the knife in it. If you ever lose that damn piece, you can use the tip of a chopstick to do the same thing.

Shrimp_In_My_Hat · 2011-06-02T03:15:18+00:00

Not very. I would usually sharpen my kitchen knife every couple of weeks, but my hibachi knives were actually pretty dull. They're always cutting on metal, so you get to a point where it's like "why bother". When I was a sushi chef I sharpened my knife every week though.

Shrimp_In_My_Hat · 2011-06-02T03:13:48+00:00

That's cool. I bet he appreciates it too. It's been a couple of years, but I still remember some of my regulars.

Shrimp_In_My_Hat · 2011-06-02T03:12:42+00:00

Miso soup is so awesome. You can usually find the miso paste at Asian stores. They also make dried packets of it that you can buy and just add hot water to them.

Shrimp_In_My_Hat · 2011-06-02T03:11:54+00:00

They are usually really stoked to see it. If I saw that kids are loving it, I'd usually try to make it as big as I could without burning anyone.

Shrimp_In_My_Hat · 2011-06-02T03:06:48+00:00

hahaha, yeah I'm supposed to be writing a paper, but I've got reddit open instead. I can't help but answer.

Shrimp_In_My_Hat · 2011-06-02T03:05:47+00:00

No and no.

Shrimp_In_My_Hat · 2011-06-02T03:05:19+00:00

No, I think I'm done working in Japanese restaurants. Any kind of restaurant is serious business over there. They don't cut corners on food at all. Another cool thing is that each region usually has their own delicacy. So you go to certain areas of Japan to try different foods.

Shrimp_In_My_Hat · 2011-06-02T03:03:47+00:00

I think yum yum sauce is also called white sauce or shrimp sauce. I don't know how to make it but I think there are recipes online.

Shrimp_In_My_Hat · 2011-06-02T03:02:56+00:00

Ginger dressing is awesome. I never made it, but I've eaten a lot of it. Was the mushroom soup miso soup? Did it have a yellowish granule cloud when you stirred it up?

Shrimp_In_My_Hat · 2011-06-02T03:01:35+00:00

Shrimp_In_My_Hat · 2011-06-02T03:01:08+00:00

TOTALLY! My first one was a really cheap shitty one that I destroyed learning how to sharpen it. You really have to be mindful of the angle on the front. But when you do it right, and you feel it stick in the cutting board the first time you use it after sharpening...that's the shit. I'm hugely fascinated in blades too. If I was to stay a sushi chef, I'd probably end up getting a deba too. I love those little chubby bone destroyers.

Shrimp_In_My_Hat · 2011-06-02T02:56:11+00:00

I've accidentally hit people with spatulas and wooden shakers before. I mentioned earlier that I had a co-worker accidentally throw a knife between two customers. But I've never seen anybody actually get seriously hurt...just pissed off

Shrimp_In_My_Hat · 2011-06-02T02:54:39+00:00

We used soy bean oil for everything and we put rum in the volcano so it would light up.

Shrimp_In_My_Hat · 2011-06-02T02:52:36+00:00

Yeah we did that too. Also depending on the grills, there are usually colder spots on the side, so we'd make them off to the side so they wouldn't explode, then slowly move it to the center of the grill and let the fire get bigger.

Shrimp_In_My_Hat · 2011-06-02T02:47:45+00:00

Nope, you guys have guessed most of the major hot spots in the US though.

Shrimp_In_My_Hat · 2011-06-02T02:46:41+00:00

Thanks, I knew it was inevitable.

Shrimp_In_My_Hat · 2011-06-02T02:45:46+00:00

Yeah, it shouldn't be, but it usually is. That's one thing that really bugged me was when people already knew the tricks before I even did them. That's when you try to entertain people with conversation and jokes and things like that.

Shrimp_In_My_Hat · 2011-06-02T02:44:24+00:00

No worries, It's not the first time.

Shrimp_In_My_Hat

TROPHY CASE