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Had a line cook tell me 'salt is just salt' right before service started
It was a Saturday night at this busy bistro in Portland about 2 months ago. New kid, maybe 22, saw me reaching for the fleur de sel for finishing a dish and he said it like he was dropping some huge truth bomb. I just handed him a plain pretzel and then one with a good flaky finish salt and told him to taste both. He went quiet. Has anyone else had to explain that salt isn't just salt to a newer cook?
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felix1471mo ago
Oh man, @ruby_patel27, that's a good question - I had a guy who just stared at his shoes for like 30 seconds and then went back to chopping onions without saying a word. What finally worked for me was just setting up a little side-by-side taste test on a cutting board, same way you did with the pretzel, and letting them figure it out themselves. People get real quiet when they can't argue with their own tongue.
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ruby_patel271mo ago
Did he actually DOUBLE DOWN after tasting both or just slink back to his station?
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Man, that moment when they realize they've been talking out of their neck is priceless. I've had that exact same thing happen with kosher vs table salt during a rush once and the kid just stood there like a deer in headlights after tasting both. It's funny how some people think they know everything until you put it right in front of their face. Glad you didn't let him off the hook though, sometimes you gotta humble 'em with a quick demo.
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