Back in the day, after a hard night of drinking, my friends and I would always hit up the Waffle House. It was in the wee hours of the night, inside the greasy spoon, where I saw the magic of the short-order cook.
This hash brown slinger blazed through orders with grace and lighting speed.
This cook would balance six to ten orders at a time. Hammering out fried eggs and waffles… while creating an “all the way” masterpiece of hash browns.
After observing their cooking style. I developed a bad daily habit of taking on too many orders at once. I wanted to crank out a variety of dishes.
Each day I’d fill the double oven. All burners on the flat top had a pot or sauté pan on them. The toaster oven and fryer would be running non-stop. I would be moving through each dish as fast as I could. I didn’t want to overcook anything. Or overthink.
Once the food hit the table the reaction was subpar. Each meal was not given the proper time to marinate. My palate had dissolved into mushy peas.
My special plates needed more attention.
So I started to pull items off the burner. Removing the bland and ushering ingredients back to the fridge. As I placed them back, one at a time, it gave me a moment to focus on the most flavorful and appealing recipes.
After years of burning items….I have finally learned to cook one thing at a time, always using low heat. And paying careful attention.
How many items are you cooking at the same time?
What can you place on the back burner?
