58 pages • 1-hour read
Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly
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Index of Terms
Line Cooking
Line cooking refers to the practice of preparing and cooking food along specific stations of a “line” in restaurant kitchens. Although not considered part of the line, prep cooks are the first step in the meal preparation process in professional kitchens. Prep cooks chop, sort, measure, and portion ingredients. If a particular day’s special calls for shrimp, prep cooks peel and devein all the shrimp that will be needed for the meal service. Prep cooks are also responsible for preparing sauces and other component ingredients for each menu item. Once the food is prepped and ready, it becomes the job of the line cooks to prepare and plate each meal.
Line cooks typically work at one station on the line, although line cooks capable of running multiple stations if necessary are more desirable. Depending on the restaurant and its menu, there might be a fish station, a fry station, a grill cook, a saucier, a pantry chef, a roast chef, a vegetable chef, someone to prepare soups, a pastry chef, and a baker. Each line cook is responsible for maintaining the efficiency and cleanliness of their station, although they are sometimes tasked with helping the head or sous-chef with checking inventory, re-stocking, or providing additional help with food prep.
There is typically a hierarchy to line cooking, with the “easier” stations (like operating a fryer) considered entry level and the more difficult stations (for example, roasting or cooking steak to temperature) reserved for more experienced cooks. The work is fast paced, the hours are often long, and cooking on a line requires people skills and collaboration. Line cooks sometimes have culinary degrees, although many who have moved up through the ranks (often beginning as Bourdain did, with dishwashing and prep cooking) might have on-the-job experience rather than formal training.
Mis-en-Place
Mis-en-place is a French term that translates to “everything in its place.” It refers to the organization of tools and ingredients that each line cook has at their station. Bourdain is famous for his passionate devotion to what he nicknames the “meez,” arguing that each cook must make sure to have everything they will need for their station at all times. If a cook always has the appropriate tools and necessary component ingredients ready, the line moves with greater ease, and dishes can be cooked, plated, and served to diners as quickly as possible.
In addition to gathering and prepping the ingredients they will need, line cooks must devise and maintain an effective organizational system, designed with maximum efficiency in mind. Bourdain believes that it is the ability to organize and maintain the station that separates the ordinary from the superlative line cook, and he details his system in multiple places in the book. He provides a list of the key components of his “meez” in one of the early chapters of Kitchen Confidential, noting the importance of basics like salt, pepper (black and white), the various oils and alcohols (like wine) needed to prepare dishes, and chopped herbs and breadcrumbs. He also notes the inclusion of more complex items at each station: Cooks may require various kinds of onions, shallots, and garlic chopped or crushed in different ways. They might need to keep particular sauces stocked and have a ready supply of garnishes. Cooks also must make sure that they have (and have kept clean) their favorite knives, spoons, and other tools. Although a basic aspect of cooking on the line, the mis-en-place requires more work than it might seem and, to Bourdain, represents the sustained effort, skill, and delicate balancing act that characterizes line cooking as a profession.
Sous-Chef
Bourdain is a passionate advocate for the appreciation of all kitchen staff, noting that even the lowest-paid positions require hard work and play an important role in the cooking process. He does, however, highlight the importance of the relationship between the chef and the sous-chef, the second-in-command in restaurant kitchens. The sous-chef reports directly to the chef and is considered the second-ranking employee in the kitchen.
Sous-chefs have a wide variety of responsibilities and, like the chef, must have a broad skillset. They often do more direct management of the back-of-the-house (kitchen) staff than the chef. They also might play a more instrumental role in the interviewing and hiring process and take a greater role in training new employees. Employee behavior is often the purview of the sous-chef, who enforces the restaurant’s rules and regulations and handles disputes between employees and disciplinary cases.
Like the chef, they must have a comprehensive, working knowledge of all the kitchen equipment. The task of maintaining and repairing this equipment often falls to the sous-chef, and they are expected to be able to perform quick fixes as the need arises. Although it is typically the chef who orders ingredients, the sous-chef is often tasked with inventory, always knowing which products are in stock in the kitchen. The sous-chef often oversees menu tasting and staff training on new menu items. They also enforce cleanliness in the kitchen and oversee the prep cooks so that everything necessary for meal service is on hand. Although many sous-chefs begin their career as Bourdain did, washing dishes or prep cooking, it is also common for them to have formal educational training, and many sous-chefs hold culinary degrees.
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