So, I'm going to say that I had a pretty good night.

Came in, got my prep done... a few orders here and there.  Then as I was coming back from my smoke break (all chefs smoke you know), Art, the guy that is at the front check in desk, hesitantly ask me to make him a 'double burger with double cheese, grilled onions'...etc. and a side of 'chips'.

Now, what you need to know about Art is, he sends ALL guests of this hotel/restaurant/museum establishment somewhere else but HERE for food.  He HATES the food here. I can't say that I blame him... the food has always been sub-par at best.  When a guest who's paying big $$ to stay here asks where's a good place to eat... you want to let them know good places to eat...

So anyway... Made his burger and chips (which I hand cut with a mandolin) and he eventually picked them up about 15 minutes after his order was done.

Sometime later Art shows up in the kitchen with his empty plate.  He looks at me and asks "What is the green stuff in the burger?".... Uh-Oh I'm thinking to myself... "Um, fresh Italian flat leaf parsley."  Then he asks... "Do YOU make all these burger patties?"... "Yes.  I prep them all ahead of time.  I season them, add Worcestershire and the fresh Parsley... Why?". Next he asks... "What about the chips? Do you do something special with the chips?".... OH GOD... Where is this going????
"Yes.  I cut a large batch of chips and fries ahead of time, par-boil them for about 3 minutes, then set them in the acidulated water until they get cooked.  Why?  Was there something wrong?"  (Not sure I want the answer to this question... I'm really nervous now)

This was his response:

"I really didn't want to order any food here... but I'm working until 11 and I was starving.  Andrew and Robert's burgers suck.  When I get one, it's always flat and dry and has no flavor.  When I order chips, they are burnt on the outside, limp and greasy and raw in the middle.  The ONLY reason I took a chance tonight was because you were cooking and I figured it couldn't be any worse.  Had I known that I was going to get a plump, juicy burger full of flavor and perfectly cooked.. I wouldn't have ordered a double to try and make up for the thin, dry burger.... and the chips...OMG... they were SO GOOD!!!  They were crisp on the outside, not burnt and fluffy and light on the inside!!!  This was probably one of the best burgers I've ever had... and the chips were amazing!!!"

(OK, I'm smiling now)... "Well, thank you very much for the kind words!"

He continued... "I was quite pleasantly sur.... " he trailed off... "Surprised?" I said....(he was trying not to insult me).... "Don't worry about it... I'm not a 'trained' chef, I'm just someone who loves to cook.  No one here knows what to make of me.  I introduce a lot of techniques and ideas... but no one really knows if I'm talking out my ass... except Linsey... she's the only one who has really eaten any of my food and knows what I can do."
Well, that was the gist of the conversation (verbatim).


I had won over one of the biggest critics of the food here... that felt pretty damned good!


I ran a little test tonight because the fryer has always been set to 350 degrees (the universal frying temp).  The 'par-boiled' chips and fries can be dropped at that temp and you can leave them in there for 2 minutes or 10 minutes... they just won't burn... FRESH (which is how it's always been done) will burn on the outside and not cook the inside (whether at 350 or 375 degrees) and be limp and greasy.  I took a batch of 'fresh cut' fries and chips, tried them in the fryer and after 30 seconds they were burnt on the outside, limp, oily and NASTY... 


Yep, par-boiling is the ONLY way to go if you want PERFECTLY cooked fries and chips!  No question about it!  The added benefit is, you can drop the fries or chips... make the rest of the order and not have to worry about them turning into crispy critters... And being par-boiled... they don't absorb ANY of the frying liquid!  


Yea, I'd say tonight was a pretty good night!