Sous Chef: 24 Hours on the Line (26 page)

rondeau
a wide, round, shallow sautoir with handles on each side, used for a variety of techniques such as reducing sauces, making risottos, braising meats, and searing large quantities of food at once

ROP
(Reduced Oxygen Packaging) the process of sealing (product) in a plastic vessel from which air is removed via vacuum; ROP is a fundamental step in sous vide cookery

rôtisseur
a cook who works the roast (meat) station

roulade
a dish cooked or served in the form of a roll, typically made from a flat piece of meat, fish, or sponge cake spread with a soft filling and rolled up into a spiral

RTG
(Ready to Go) alternative term for “there”

salamander
(colloquial) a broiler-style cooking apparatus that delivers heat from above by way of an open flame

salsa verde
a pesto-style sauce made with any of the broad-leafed soft herbs (e.g. parsley, cilantro, tarragon, basil, chervil, chive, etc.) blended with any or all of the following ingredients: olive oil, garlic, salt, acid, egg, anchovy, pickled vegetables

salumi
meats that have been salted, smoked, dried, or otherwise cured and flavored, which are then sliced and served in advance of a meal

sapori forte
any sauce in which a series of bold components work in harmony together, in effect canceling each other’s relative strengths

sauce
any liquid served with food to add moisture or flavor

sauce consistency
the viscosity a liquid must reach before being served, which varies from case to case based on what the particular sauce or the particular dish calls for; it is usually judged by the way the liquid behaves on the back of a spoon or its relative tackiness when rubbed between two fingers

sauce rôti
any sauce made from a stock of roasted bones or vegetables

sauté
to fry atop the stove very quickly in shallow oil

sauteuse
a shallow frying pan with angled sides, so named because it is more feminine in form than a sautoir

sautoir
a shallow frying pan with vertical sides, so named because it is more masculine in form than a sauteuse

Scamorza
a mild white Italian cheese made originally from buffalo’s milk, but now chiefly from cow’s milk, typically produced in a pear shape

Scoville scale
a measuring system that grades the pungency or “spiciness” of peppers

sear
to burn or scorch the surface of something with sudden, direct, intense heat

season
to add a quality or feature (e.g. salt, spice, acid) to (food)
so as to enhance its naturally occurring flavors or to contribute new ones

service
(in restaurants) the period of time during which the restaurant is open for business and actively preparing food for patrons

Sicilian pistachio
the sweet green seed from a tree of the same name, which differs from the traditional pistachio in softness of texture, vibrancy of color, and richness of flavor

sieve
a utensil consisting of a wire or plastic mesh held in a frame, used for straining solids from liquids, for separating coarser from finer particles, or for reducing soft solids to a pulp

skate
a typically large marine fish of the ray family (Rajidae) with a cartilaginous skeleton and a flattened diamond-shaped body; the flesh of such a fish

slurry
a semiliquid mixture of fine particles suspended in water

smallwares
those cooking utensils that are portable (e.g. part of a knife kit) or have no fixed location within the kitchen (e.g. a hand blender)

sofrito
a sauce base of vegetables (often including carrot, celery, onion, garlic, pepper, and tomato) that have been finely diced and caramelized in olive oil

SOP
(Standard Operating Procedure) the way things are done, particularly from a managerial perspective, in business; a recipe for how situations are handled

soubise
a white sauce made from pureed onions that have been gently sweated until soft

soufflé
a dish caused to rise as by the addition of heat or air

sous chef
a restaurant’s second in command

sous vide
(as noun) a cooking technique in which the item to be cooked is vacuum-sealed and (usually) submerged in a thermo-regulated liquid wherein it is brought to a highly specific
internal temperature; (as verb) to prepare food using this technique; (as adj.) (of a food) having been cooked this way

soya oil
an oil pressed from
Glycine max
, the Asian soybean, prized in cooking for its high flash point and neutral flavor

spoon water
a vessel of water (usually a small bain-marie) for storing and rinsing spoons and other cooking utensils throughout service; according to health department regulations, utensils intended for frequent reuse must be stored in constantly running water (e.g. Dipwell containers) or washed between uses, though most restaurants violate this regulation in favor of a spoon water basin that is changed out regularly

sprezzatura
an easy facility in accomplishing difficult actions that hides the conscious effort that went into them

stagiaire
a transient member of a kitchen staff who works without pay, voluntarily, in order that he or she might learn techniques and practices unique to said kitchen; an intern

steam kettle
a kettle- or pot-shaped cooking apparatus enclosed in an outer wall, or jacket; it introduces heat to its contents (usually liquid) by channeling steam into the void between the cooking surface and the jacket, which optimizes heat distribution and promotes even cooking

stew
to cook slowly in liquid; any dish preparation of this sort

steward
a custodian employed to clean the entire restaurant, usually after closing, typically overnight

stock
the strained liquid that results from slowly simmering ingredients (chiefly animal bones or vegetables) in water

stove
an unenclosed surface that uses direct heat (typically flame or electricity) to heat a vessel in which food is cooked;
compare
oven

squab
a young unfledged pigeon; also, the flesh of such a bird as food

sub-primal
(in butchery) secondary to or smaller than primal cuts

sugo
a thick sauce or gravy, usually incorporating sofrito, tomato, and meat juices

suite
a single unit of kitchen equipment (usually custom-built) containing multiple cooking apparatuses (e.g. ovens, salamanders, and a variety of individually controlled stove surfaces) for use by several people at once

Sujihiki
a long, thin Japanese knife used for slicing meat and fish

sweat
to draw the moisture out of a given food product (usually a vegetable) by cooking it gently in a pan until soft, at a temperature low enough to preclude caramelization and/or the Maillard reaction

Taleggio
a washed-rind cow’s milk cheese from Lombardy known for a pungent odor yet mild, salty flavor

tamis
a kitchen utensil shaped somewhat like a snare drum with a cylindrical edge made of metal or wood that supports a disc of fine metal, nylon, or horsehair mesh that acts as a strainer, grater, or food mill through which food is pushed or scraped

tartare
a dish in which the central component (usually meat or seafood) is finely chopped, seasoned, and served raw

temper
to slowly introduce (food) to heat or warmth without actually cooking: “to avoid scrambling the custard, you must first temper the eggs by slowly drizzling in the hot milk, whisking constantly”

terrine
a meat, seafood, or vegetable mixture that has been cooked or otherwise prepared in advance and allowed to cool or set in its container, typically served in slices; a container used for such a dish, typically of an oblong shape and made of earthenware

there
(colloquial) in a state of complete readiness

thermal immersion circulator
an electrically powered device that circulates and heats a warm fluid kept at a precise and stable temperature, used to maintain accuracy and control sous vide cookery

third pan
see
hotel pan

tilt skillet
a large, vertically walled, plancha-like piece of cooking equipment used to sear and braise foods, uniquely outfitted with a gear and crank system that allows its user to angle the surface of the apparatus, so as to remove its contents more quickly

toast point
a toasted bias-cut piece of bread (usually baguette) on which various toppings can be placed or spread

Tokyo turnip
the root vegetable of a young turnip plant, preferred to its full-grown kin for its tender flavor and attractive size and shape

tortuga
(colloquial) Spanish for “tortoise”; any person or thing that is exceptionally slow-moving

trail
(as verb) to audition for a position in a kitchen by way of working a station for a night (for free), “trailing” the work of the cook currently employed there; (as noun) one who performs or the occasion of performing such an audition

transglutaminase
an enzyme that catalyzes the formation of a thermo-irreversible covalent bond between a free amine group (e.g. protein- or peptide-bound lysine) and the gammacarboxamide group of protein- or peptide-bound glutamine; aka meat glue

trattoria
a small restaurant serving simple food, often for takeout

trim
any usable material that results from, but will not be used in, a given prep project; a more refined term for scraps, leftovers

turn
(as noun) a stretch of business wherein every seat in the dining room is filled once; busy restaurants do multiple turns per meal period; (as verb) to shape a vegetable with a paring knife in such a way that it takes a rounded, football-like shape, traditionally with seven equal sides

uni
the gonad of a sea urchin (male or female), prized for its buttery texture and strong sea flavor

verjus
a highly acidic juice made by pressing unripe grapes, crabapples, or other sour fruit

violet mustard
a condiment from the Brive-la-Gaillarde region of France, made with grape must, mustard seeds, wine, vinegar, salt, and spices. Its flavor is sweeter and milder than that of conventional Dijon

waitstaff
FOH employees who take orders from customers, communicate them to the kitchen, and serve the resultant food

walk-in box
the large cold storage facility in a restaurant, which can be walked into

water bath
in sous vide cookery, the temperature-regulated pool in which food is cooked and/or rethermalized

whites
(colloquial) the standard work attire for cooks and chefs, consisting primarily of coat, pants, and apron

wine key
the most common term for a corkscrew wine opener in the restaurant industry

Wondra flour
brand name of a finely ground flour ideal for making roux and dredging items to be fried because of its anti-clumping properties, which has been adopted in the common vernacular to refer to any flour of this sort

xanthan gum
a polysaccharide secreted by the plant-based bacterium
Xanthomonas campestris
during fermentation, which, when isolated, is used as a food additive to increase a liquid’s viscosity and promote emulsion

Y peeler
a vegetable peeler in the shape of the letter Y, whose peeling edge spans the gap between the two arms

Yo-Deba
a heavy Japanese knife used in animal butchery for cutting through bones

zest
(as verb) to remove the essential-oil-rich skin (of a citrus fruit) without cutting into the rind; (as noun) the product of this process

Z report
the financial report issued by a POS system when all sales on a given day or meal period are finalized

I
T WOULD BE EASY FOR ME TO GO ON AT LENGTH THANKING
the many people who have contributed to the production of this book. There is my agent, Kris, my professional teammate, whose faith in me is the reason this story isn’t buried on a flash drive somewhere in Brooklyn right now. The support she has shown me since the day I met her is something I’ll treasure until I’m gray and stooped. There is my editor, Pamela, without whose guidance and motivation I might still be trying to figure out my first revisions. Firmly but gently, she has ushered me through this quite foreign and often onerous publication process with a grace and patience I daresay only she possesses. There are the tremendous production and design teams at Ballantine/Random House, whose collective energy in creating a fabulous package for this book is something I stand humbly beside in awe. And then there are all the friends and family and classmates and college professors whose encouragement throughout the years has allowed me to believe that I not only have a story worth telling, but that I also have the equipment to tell it right. I could consume reams of paper expressing my gratitude for these folks.

But what I’d really like to use this space for is to acknowledge
the ones who initially lit the pilot—that mighty population of cooks and chefs for whom this book is a daily reality. They are my inspiration. Their dedication to feeding others is what gets me out of bed in the morning, and the example they set for us every day is what keeps me going into the night. Of this great lot, dearest to me of course are the ones I’ve been fortunate enough to see in action; the ones I’ve had the opportunity to work with, work for, stand beside, or otherwise help out in that sacred space around the stove; and the ones whose work, in one way or another, continues to inform my own. They are, in regretfully incomplete form: Duce Inthalassy, Gary Moran, Johannes Sanzin, Sean Gray, Steven Davis, Brian Young, Rory O’Farrell, Joe Barraco, Johnny Lewis, Calvert Rose, Wolfgang Stoiber, Jason Neroni, Nick Grosz, Alex Sze, Jaime Young, Matthew Burdi, Marcello De Andrade, Julie Farias, Nicholas Morgenstern, Warren Baird, Gabriel Cruz, Steve Peterson, Brad McDonald, Jonathan Black, Greg Kuzia-Carmel, Chloé Lasseron, Monique Bourgea, Kelly White, Stephen Hernandez, Jonathan Park, Morgan Schofield, Giles Clark, Jordan Kahn, Will Aghajanian, Francis Derby, Mathias Dahlgren, Alex Stupak, Michael Coté, and Isabel Coss. And of course, my most cherished friend and favorite person to cook beside, Michelle Nicole Merlo.