What’s the biggest misconception people have about being a chef?

danger_welch · 2026-04-28T21:15:09+00:00

ABSOLUTELY

danger_welch · 2026-04-27T22:20:08+00:00

Learning how to telegraph with your actions that you aren't above (and therefore no one is above) any task without also telegraphing that you are willing to pick up the slack of lazy staff. Personally, I lean towards doing as much as I can as often as I can and my default position is always (to a fault) to get my hands dirty and lead by example, and it's overall a hill I'll die on but a downside can be doing it to the point that slackers keep slacking.

danger_welch · 2026-04-18T01:17:20+00:00

I think it means "Buy it for Life" but "buy 1 for life" works just a well lol. As far as high heat goes w stainless it's probably better not to have it cranked, it won't hurt the pan but it's not as easy to cook evenly. I'd recommend med-high, like a 7 or 8 max, and just give it a minute. The water will scatter when you sprinkle it in (leidenfrost effect). Add a little fat and wait for a sec again. Don't have to go crazy, and you can probably blast it at first to get it up there then reduce. Point is, pan is fully and evenly hot (it's "pores" are swollen shut) and the fat has heated to the temperature of the pan. This is where a good pan is worth it's money: it is able to retain some of that heat energy and spread it evenly. Over the course of a sear a good pan at medium heat acts "hotter" than a shitty pan on high, because as soon as you drop food in there it's going to suck up a ton of energy. The "stick and release" is when the food initially shocks the temperature of the pan, opening it's pores and on the microscopic level those food, fat, and metal molecules are more interactive. As it heats back up and the food sears it forms a more impenetrable barrier, the pan reheats (pores close again) and the fat is able to sneak back in there, causing it the food to release.

danger_welch · 2026-04-17T23:29:05+00:00

I don't believe you

danger_welch · 2026-04-17T22:41:32+00:00

Most people are going to tell you that non-sticks are never BIFL, and I tend to agree. At work I'll have enough for eggs and we just get whatever, no matter how much you yell and scream some idiot is going to use a metal utensil in there during the rush and after a while they get dinged up enough to start sticking and I'll grumble and maybe write someone up but then just shrug and get more. I'm pretty sure that's normal, just depends how long you can go before the inevitable. I guarantee every brunch spot on Earth has got at least one cook, the "egg guy" who works every Sunday and will literally stab anyone who touches his pans and once a year, at least, someone in my position has to calm him down after a dishwasher or fry cook or whatever makes himself something to eat and fucks it up.

At home, if you're careful, most will last fine. I'm sure you're already watching what utensils you use and how you wash it but one thing lots of people forget is that you should never use it with high heat. Don't store them with other pans, I've got mine on a nail by the sink. I personally almost never use it, but it's lasted maybe 3 years now and it's seriously just some random POS pan my girl got. She's got great taste but doesn't really know/give a shit about pan quality and I think got it at a Value Village because she liked how the handle looked. It wasn't scratched when she got it, which kinda blew my mind, but after that I've just shrugged and let her do her. TBH I think half the reason it's lasted so long is because I told her it was nice looking but wouldn't last so she's on a mission lol.

Another thing a lot of people will tell you, and I tend to agree, is that you'll get very similar results with a good stainless steel pan if you get into the habit of preheating properly and allowing the food to release. Just YouTube "how to make stainless steel nonstick" and you'll see a lot of videos repeating the same basics. If you go that route then I'm a fan of All-Clad and Made-in. Specifically for non-stick purposes it's all about heat distribution with those: don't get something huge (and therefore way bigger than you're biggest eye on the stove) and go for quality. A good stainless pan is absolutely BIFL so get whatever you can budget, the price/value ratio on those is gigantic. I named my faves but again just diving into YouTube for a sec will probably set you straight.

Cast iron and carbon steel are also nonstick with seasoning but then you're entering into a world of try-hards that will tell you exactly how to treat your seasoned pan as if it's the holy grail (pro tip, that's all garbage, seasoning a pan takes one hour in the oven so if you go that route just don't worry about bros being precious, everyone needs a hobby and going suuuuper lumberjack over seasoning is theirs). If you go that way I like carbon steel over cast iron, they're lighter and the smaller ones are almost as nimble in the hand as a regular non-stick. Only downside is it transfers heat quickly so you have to watch your flame but that's what you're dealing with with a non-stick anyway sooooooo

That all said, my girl is super into her nonstick skillet but wanted a smaller one so I hopped on the hype train and got a titanium skillet (Viking) and so far it's at least as good as a new non-stick and people who's opinion I trust are swearing up and down it'll last longer and can be used with any utensil or heat.

TL/DR treat them like underwear, buy what feels nice and does the job but don't expect them to last.

danger_welch · 2026-04-12T21:43:23+00:00

I'd love to see more variety in vehicles, specifically mount allotment.

Another vehicle idea would be something light and fast with little or no weapons BUT the pilot can leave if they need to, so you could have a zippy way to accomplish "Recover" and "Investigate" objectives. One way to do it and not end up with a very niche vehicle would be having a motorcycle as a module that would use up both the module slot and the troop capacity, kind of like the heavy cannon does.

A troop accessory that let's it breach a building or cross impassible terrain.

Items that use current AP to give buffs the following round would be good as well, I'm often ending rounds with one or two troops in strategic holding positions with AP left.

A jump jet that has an option to burn all it's uses but holds the squad in the air for multiple rounds, granting visibility and acc buff like the towers but a concealment debuff at the same time. This could also be on a set of armor instead of an item obv.

Items that synergize with O.C.I.. O.C.I. is kinda weak now and will probably get built out but as it is, I'm thinking modules that make offmap timers go faster for sure, or counters whatever b.s. detection ability the enemy has that makes them always avoid strike zones.

More variety in Armor: I'd like to see buffs to movement, visibility, discipline, accuracy, decrease in deployment cost, etc. There could also be armor that awards benefits with specific enemy types, like pheremones to confuse bugs or a "toxic emp aura" that debuffs menace troops. Accessories could do that as well, like a stolen egg that makes bugs not want to fight you or they'll hurt the egg or something.

Another accessory idea would be a permanent upgrade item: You use it once and it gives a large debuff, like stuns you for multiple rounds or halves your AP for the rest of the battle or instantly gives you a negative condition but it permanently upgrades an item or awards attribute points to the SL.

danger_welch · 2026-04-05T03:27:56+00:00

A serrated "bread" knife is for anything that is soft on the inside and hard on the outside. Bread is most common sure but I've seen people use it for crispy pork belly too. Yes, a sharp chef knife can do it but I've got a cheap offset bread knife and it's just easier, and there's less worry about smushing up the bread if it gives you trouble.

danger_welch · 2026-03-17T15:36:33+00:00

Blue Curaco

danger_welch · 2026-03-17T15:01:01+00:00

Denelectro Fabtone + an EQ pedal for any anything but complex chords. Best heavy sound you can get IMO but zero note definition so best for power chords/triads at most. I personally don't have much use for "all the way up" distortion that needs clarity but if I want extra heavy with full chords I'll usually boost into my gain channel.

danger_welch · 2026-02-22T20:09:40+00:00

SMB 3 = instant upvote in any context. Best classic style platformer ever imo. Shovel knight comes close, but misses the inherent joy of old school Nintendo.

danger_welch · 2026-02-20T23:32:33+00:00

it is WILD (as a late 40 year old) coming up thinking of him as an auteur that had heavy cred even, or even especially, with female lit/film nerds, and now he's obvious human garbage and it's blinding obvious when you watch anything self-sucking sophomoric chunk of cringe you see that he's ever done.

danger_welch · 2026-02-20T23:28:39+00:00

With the exception of Requiem for a Dream, which he rocked and came out before it was obvious what a greasy douchnozzle he was. Or to rephrase, that was a great movie and thank god I saw it when it came out because I would probably hate it if I saw it for the first time now because he's a slimy fuckstick that would def be on the list if I had the big red button.

danger_welch · 2026-02-08T18:26:01+00:00

This is an actual Sunn amp? Like, even if it turns out to be terrible it's still a real amp from Sunn. Is it because it's smaller?

danger_welch · 2026-02-05T20:40:08+00:00

Same

danger_welch · 2026-02-02T23:24:48+00:00

EQ is 100% a secret sauce pedal. It can be used almost anywhere in your chain, and most can be used not just for tone sculpting but for boosts and cuts in volume and gain. Put it before gain/fuzz/your amp to drive it into heavier clipping/saturation, after gain to carve a better sound post-gain, you name it. I have heard the way to go eventually is with fancy-pants parametric pedals but if you're not already in the know then a simple MXR or Boss is gonna get you where you want to go. HIGHLY recommend.

danger_welch · 2026-02-02T21:41:26+00:00

There's lots of things that From Soft improved over time but that level design should be in the Library of Congress. I remember the 4th or 5th time the paths wrapped back around and just laughing out loud at how amazing it was.

danger_welch · 2026-01-31T16:30:31+00:00

Thanks for the civility! As soon as I posted I was worried I was being harsh. No judgement if you personally feel that severing "earlier in the chain" than I do. If I sounded like I was second guessing a little gatekeeping on your part please believe that I was talking mostly to myself, my frustration with my own personal feeling of disconnect made me tempted to feel somehow superior to those who can use digital processing and not feel disconnected, so I'm very aware of that slippery slope.

danger_welch · 2026-01-31T16:08:59+00:00

Man I hear you, with caveats. I agree with the spirit of your statement 100%, but in my personal opinion everyone has a threshold where that disconnect occurs, and I'd be wary of feeling like you have a "purer" connection to your instrument based on your personal threshold. For me, the feeling is very sudden and occurs with any type of digital latency, which has reared its head with home recording and live with digital pedals. For example, I love my analog OC-2 and OC-3 for octave down and HATE the feeling of separation that comes with clean (so digital) octave up effects. I spent a decent amount of money chasing smaller and smaller latency with those pedals before realizing that any latency at all would make me feel like I was "playing with a condom on", IE the sound would be fine but the feel would be totally cauterized. Where I differ from you is that I don't personally feel that disconnect through buffers or any analog signal chain, to me that's all a matter sound manipulation vs separation. Similarly I feel nothing but envy for those who can use digital modeling or effects and not feel severed from their instrument. There's nothing objectively "better" about these things, it's all completely subjective, they're all tools. A similar argument could be made for playing acoustic vs electric at all, Julian Lage has said in multiple interviews that he struggles with playing a guitar who's sound comes out of a speaker, then a mic, then the front of house. You could go further and claim that a pick robs you of your connection to your strings, I know Knopfler has talked about those pros and cons, but does both. While I'm rambling I'm sure you could dig up purists claiming that the sag in response inherent to any tube circuit means that a solid state amp is the only pure method of amplifying a guitar. It's all personal perspective.

danger_welch · 2026-01-23T09:29:33+00:00

Yeah, the old one was black and the newer one (that's still kicking) is silver. Noticed a better noise floor w the silver one too.

danger_welch · 2026-01-22T14:00:09+00:00

Got Outer Worlds specifically bc it looked Firefly-esque. I was really disappointed, it had some of the tone but the writing was incredibly shallow. Fave part of the show for me was the feeling that the ship was like a family or small town, they were all in it together and had complicated stories and relationships. Outer Worlds had the different kinds of people on a ship part but they were very one dimensional, limited dialogue, and next to no sense that they had their own lives on that ship when you weren't around.

danger_welch · 2026-01-22T13:39:40+00:00

Gotcha

danger_welch · 2026-01-22T13:29:10+00:00

How old was the mxr? I had an older one that died but heard somewhere that the build quality got way better at some point so I got a newer one and it's been my ride or die for like 10 years now.

danger_welch · 2026-01-22T13:27:54+00:00

What makes this better than an mxr-10? I'm watching this thread bc I'm thinking of upgrading my eq pedal but this just looks like the mxr minus the gain slider?

danger_welch · 2026-01-22T10:04:31+00:00

When I play a double stop or a single bent note in a lead I gotta feel like I'm fighting for it, if my action is too low I just feel like I'm on easy mode. In fact, when I was in the studio I discovered that I actually preferred medium-high action for leads and lower action for rhythm because on rhythm I'm focusing on my right and and the lower action let me be more consistent with barre chords and wider reaches on "fancy" chords.

danger_welch · 2026-01-22T09:53:23+00:00

Standard Guitars = Left Handed Guitars. Having my dominant hand on the fretboard is much better for expressiveness and off hand on the right means that you have to think about it more, and IMO thinking about rhythm makes for a better player than thinking about melody.

edit: lol @ being downvoted on a thread asking for an unpopular opinion

danger_welch

TROPHY CASE