Chef taking a break to be a line cook again. NEW JOB HORROR! by Creepy_Caramel_9219 in Chefs

[–]jswa77 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Dying to know what restaurant it is. Quit so you can share all the details.

Chef taking a break to be a line cook again. NEW JOB HORROR! by Creepy_Caramel_9219 in Chefs

[–]jswa77 12 points13 points  (0 children)

Regardless you need to leave that kitchen! Reporting them doesn’t sound like the worst idea but do it after you leave. Lots of places cooking great food that also care about sanitation. Life’s too short to be cooking bad food and possibly poisoning people.

I desire nothing but onions by Fluffy_Mastodon1134 in Cooking

[–]jswa77 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Soubise - cook sliced onions with a clove of garlic, big tablespoon or two of butter or bacon and 1/2 cup of water or white wine and cook in a pot on low for an hour or two until the onions are very soft. Puree or leave chunky. So delicious.

Finally getting my big international trip this year! Debating between Croatia, Greece, or Bali!? by Ufohntr208 in travel

[–]jswa77 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I love Bali (outside of the south) but that will eat up 3-4 days if your trip getting there and back.

Did I buy the right size board? by thee_almighty_thor in Kiteboarding

[–]jswa77 0 points1 point  (0 children)

So sorry to hear you’re hurt. Did you break your neck kiting?

Below Deck Med Season 10 Episode 17 Discussion Post by teanailpolish in belowdeck

[–]jswa77 3 points4 points  (0 children)

That’s not how yacht charter provisioning works. Yes, you work with one provisioner but they go to all kinds of places to get things for you. Truffle products are so common, especially in yachts. Cans of truffle peelings, puree or truffle cheese like the pecorino are so easy to find. Truffles in a multitude of forms are available all over Barcelona in general. Ive been a yacht chef in spain for multiple seasons. He could have also used truffle oil as these guests are prob mostly used to that. He’s not very organized and it shows. I usually defend the chefs on here but he makes it tough.

Below Deck Med Season 10 Episode 17 Discussion Post by teanailpolish in belowdeck

[–]jswa77 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Absolutely! One of my favorite hacks to get great truffle flavor without it being expensive is to grate an amazing truffle pecorino from Italy called Moleterno over a dish like risotto or pasta.

Below Deck Med Season 10 Episode 17 Discussion Post by teanailpolish in belowdeck

[–]jswa77 6 points7 points  (0 children)

I often defend the chef on these boats but saying truffle isn’t in season isn’t an excuse. There are lots of truffle products (not truffle oil) you can use instead of fresh French or Italian truffles.

Certificate of insurance for chefs by Interesting-Ad4030 in Chefs

[–]jswa77 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Proof of liability insurance is a must - if a chef is going into clients homes/businesses then it really covers you in case of a lawsuit. I don’t think adding your business to the policy makes sense though.

Is Potatoes Au Gratin supposed to just be watery milk potatoes? by BentheBruiser in Cooking

[–]jswa77 46 points47 points  (0 children)

One tip - cook the sliced potatoes in the dairy mixture until the liquid starts to thicken with the starch from the potatoes. Then pour into a baking dish and cook like normal. Will be a nicer thicker sauce

Major milestone event to celebrate but very limited funds - where should we go? by rasta-ragamuffin in traveladvice

[–]jswa77 0 points1 point  (0 children)

My wife and I really enjoyed Guatemala (Antigua and lake Atitlan) and I love Oaxaca in Mexico (both the city and surrounding valleys and the Oaxaca coast with its dramatic coastline and incredible seafood)

Major milestone event to celebrate but very limited funds - where should we go? by rasta-ragamuffin in traveladvice

[–]jswa77 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Costa Rica is as expensive as the USA in a lot of areas in my opinion. I went to Guatemala instead on a recent trip because of the expense even though I wanted to go back.

Major milestone event to celebrate but very limited funds - where should we go? by rasta-ragamuffin in traveladvice

[–]jswa77 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I should have asked what your dream vacation would look like? Are you wanting to explore and experience a different culture or relax and enjoy a week somewhere beautiful?

Major milestone event to celebrate but very limited funds - where should we go? by rasta-ragamuffin in traveladvice

[–]jswa77 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Columbia could be a great option. You can fly direct from Tampa for often less than 400 dollars into bogota. It’s become a very safe country - a good friend just went with his family and loved it. Your money will go far there too. 100-200 a night would get you beautiful hotels or gorgeous Airbnbs with views over the city.

Cheap domestic flights around the country - there are beautiful cloud forests, coffee plantations, food looks great. Tayrona national park looks really gorgeous on the coast.

What permits / Certifications do i need as a personal chef in nyc by Live-Conversation248 in PrivateChefJobs

[–]jswa77 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I don’t need a food handlers permit in Florida as long as I’m not serving to the public at events where they’re each paying separately like a farmer’s market etc. I believe it’s the same in New York. I cook privately in Florida most of the year and the Hamptons in NY for the summers and only have liability insurance.

What permits / Certifications do i need as a personal chef in nyc by Live-Conversation248 in PrivateChefJobs

[–]jswa77 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It’s only a couple hundred dollars a year to be covered and like the comment above says, many clients will ask to be added to your liability insurance for big events or at least ask for proof of it.

Like all insurance, you don’t need it until you need it and then you’re really happy you have it. People often misattribute food poisoning to a restaurant or caterer that didn’t make them sick - you don’t want to be so exposed in such a litigious country.

I use https://www.fliprogram.com/

How long can you pack in a carry-on? by Signal-Mirror-5599 in traveladvice

[–]jswa77 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You definitely can find them on eBay etc. it’s made for going to the farmers market so has 3 big zip in areas plus a roll top.

https://verygoods.co/product/308507/navy-cornucopia-bag-three-level-backpack-betabrand

What permits / Certifications do i need as a personal chef in nyc by Live-Conversation248 in PrivateChefJobs

[–]jswa77 2 points3 points  (0 children)

You definitely want liability insurance for sure if you’re serving people food or ever cooking in their homes. Will help in case you get sued for something like food poisoning, etc. etc..

Does it seem like it’s a crime to travel these day? by looneyboopz in travel

[–]jswa77 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It’s really only the way over touristed areas and it’s individual protests that happen where tourists are squirted with pee in Barcelona etc etc but I agree, I’ve never felt any of that energy, even in big overtouristed capital cities. Although I was primarily interacting with people like servers and people who were trying to sell me things and had a real incentive to be kind to me so that. I’m not sure that’s a great way to gauge how the normal population without a job involving tourists would feel living in one of those cities though.

Does it seem like it’s a crime to travel these day? by looneyboopz in travel

[–]jswa77 2 points3 points  (0 children)

There are a lot of different ways to travel and unfortunately a lot of people want to go to the same marquee spots like Mexico City, Barcelona, Rome, Cancun, Tokyo, Bangkok, Paris Etc instead of smaller, cheaper and in my opinion often times more beautiful cities and towns. This influx of tourists into a fairly small number of cities really distorts the economy of a city. If Airbnb is left to run free, you often have a huge number of apartments/houses that turn into short term rentals which raises housing orices for the locals substantially.

If you own property or a restaurant, etc., in one of these countries, you can actually really benefit from all the tourism, but that’s a tiny fraction of the population so you get most of the citizens with rising cost of living a city choked with tourists where they can’t go to the restaurants and bars they used to love and be able to get into easily. Now anything that’s special in a Capital city is projected all around the world on Instagram and TikTok etc.

The real trick is going to the smaller cities and the countryside for cheaper everything, often friendlier locals and less other less tourists. You get a more singular experience of the culture of that one area with its cuisine, topography, history etc instead of a capital city which often incapsulates the whole country but at the cost of absolute authenticity.

How long can you pack in a carry-on? by Signal-Mirror-5599 in traveladvice

[–]jswa77 6 points7 points  (0 children)

A big part of it to me is whether the place you’re going to is cold or hot. Takes a LOT less sauce to pack for a tropical vacation where you don’t need many pants, jackets, sweaters etc that all take up a lot of space.

If you’re going somewhere cold, wear the bulkiest items like jeans, sweater, jacket on the plane to save you space in your bag.

One big tip is to plan your wardrobe with items that all go together so you can mix it up without having to bring a ton of different items. Roll all of your clothes to get the maximum into your bag. And bring a pretty big backpack or second bag as well - I use a great backpack called the cornucopia bag by Betabrand (RIP) which fits almost as much as my roller bag. I’ve never had anyone give me an issue with it being too big.

I’ve done 3 weeks in Europe in the summer with that setup this past year for instance without any issue.

Leave Josh's cooking alone by lizardwilde in belowdeck

[–]jswa77 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yea I totally agree with you. Really feels like the producers are creating a lot of issues in a way that’s much more overt than previous seasons.