| The prep chef is the lowest chef on the totem pole, | | | | strainers, brushes, ballers, scrapers, tongs, cutting |
| doing all the grunt work before the Artiste de | | | | boards, shears, and bowls, bowls, bowls. |
| Culinaire strolls in and makes the cooking magic | | | | The Skills |
| happen. A person could probably make a good career | | | | The biggest asset is speed. A line of prep chefs |
| out of offering door-to-door slicing and dicing for | | | | resembles a factory assembly line or a NASCAR |
| every John or Jane cooking dinner at home in their | | | | racing track pit crew. There's teamwork, coordination, |
| neighborhood. What home cook hasn't realized at the | | | | and planning. Prep chef is a high-energy job, and |
| crucial moment that nothing is worse than realizing | | | | thinking three steps ahead of the schedule is |
| you need to drain and chop the sun-dried tomatoes | | | | absolutely required. |
| sitting in the unopened bottle on the counter or | | | | One can get by with the basic culinary school |
| uncork a bottle of Pinot Grigio for a pan sauce while | | | | background. One area which a prep chef absolutely |
| you are supposed to be stirring constantly. | | | | must be expert at is safe food handling. A prep chef |
| Every time Emeril reaches under the counter and | | | | has to be a certified Safe Food Handler and usually |
| magically pulls out a bowl of minced onions or | | | | be trained in (HACCP) Hazard Analysis Critical Control |
| seasoned bread crumbs, a prep chef had a hand in it. | | | | Point as well. |
| Prep chefs never get their own TV show. There's no | | | | High energy is always needed. With enough |
| fun in watching somebody peel, chop, mince, mix, | | | | experience, a prep chef will always find work. Usually |
| measure, slice, dice, and blend, then store the results | | | | a prep chef is just one stop in a chef's career, and |
| in a Tupperware in the fridge. Of course it looks easy | | | | many places rotate prep work. A novice or |
| for Rachael Ray to whip a meal together in ten | | | | apprentice chef working their way through school will |
| minutes. When she needs three quarters of a cup of | | | | usually find themselves doing a lot of prep work. |
| grated Parmesan, a little bowl of it instantly appears | | | | "The Iron Chef" |
| at her fingertips, leaving out the serf behind the | | | | The famous TV show "Iron Chef" is instructive in the |
| scenes who grated the Parmesan and measured it. | | | | ways of the prep chef. This show is a competitive |
| Duties | | | | cooking event. The show's resident chefs may be |
| Meats and poultry: Have to be properly thawed, | | | | picked by a challenger chef for a head-to-head |
| butchered, trimmed, and cut to whatever the recipe | | | | competition to prepare three dishes featuring a key |
| calls for. Marinating is also something a prep chef has | | | | ingredient. The key ingredient is only announced at |
| to think about. | | | | the beginning of the show after the challengers are |
| Fish and seafood: Must be scaled and deboned. | | | | "on their marks", and each chef, teamed with two |
| Shrimp and other shellfish have to be peeled. Other | | | | assistant chefs, must race to complete the task in |
| slicing and marinating as the recipe calls for. | | | | time for the panel of judges to taste their creations |
| Veggies and fruits: May have to be washed, peeled, | | | | and declare a winner. All in sixty minutes! |
| sliced, diced, grated, deseeded, chopped, or | | | | This format of the show allows one to see prep |
| shredded. A salad is 100% prep work. Garnishes are | | | | work in action. While a fully stocked larder of just |
| often all prep work as well. | | | | about every kind of food is on hand to complete |
| Doughs and mixes are always prepped. Blenders, | | | | dishes with, almost none of the prep work is done |
| juicers, and mixers are part of a prep chef's life as | | | | and each chef must take into account the |
| well. Anything that has to be done before the | | | | preparation time for their meals before deciding what |
| ingredients actually get added to the pot or pan, the | | | | to make. |
| prep chef lines it all up. The French phrase is "mise en | | | | The action is an astounding circus of kitchen |
| place" and that's just what you'll practice as a prep | | | | acrobatics. Unlike showman chefs working in themed |
| chef. | | | | restaurants, there is no time for flashy stunts for the |
| Prep work also involves equipment. A pastry pan | | | | sake of entertainment here. All the action here has a |
| might need greasing or an oven might need | | | | purpose, and the action proceeds at a feverish pace. |
| preheating. The home cook doesn't think about this, | | | | Sometimes the chefs start off doing something with |
| but even stove pans should be preheated to a | | | | a really mysterious purpose, and the commentators |
| specific temperature before the action starts. | | | | will try to explain what they are doing. The show is |
| Tools of the trade | | | | always instructive to prep chefs to watch. |
| As much as possible you want to automate | | | | If at all possible, you should forgo the American |
| everything. There are blenders, mixers, juicers, slicing | | | | version and catch the native Japanese version. While |
| machines, graters, presses, and choppers. | | | | the dubbing in English has kind of a hilarious 1970's |
| For measuring there are cups, spoons, and scales. | | | | kung fu effect, the Japanese version is a much more |
| Hopefully you have enough of these, because reusing | | | | cooking-focused show. While the American version |
| the same measuring device means you have to wash | | | | cuts the camera to the commentators or celebrity |
| it and dry it after every use. Don't forget | | | | guests on the show, the Japanese version almost |
| temperature and time are also something you | | | | never takes the camera off of the frenzied activity |
| measure, and so there are thermometers and timers! | | | | in the kitchen arena as long as the cooking is |
| Knives of every description and category, plus | | | | happening. |
| peelers, whips, spatulas, graters, crushers, skimmers, | | | | |