A busy kitchen can often be a stressful environment for the head chef and their team. As a Head Chef you are often tasked with ordering stock, creating the menu, budgeting, organising staff rotas on top of your commitment to producing food that will make the taste buds tingle. In addition to this there is a constant need to work to a strict time constraint to ensure that those customers visiting the restaurant/ place of dining are provided with the highest quality of food with efficient service. With all of this to consider it comes as no surprise that certain days in the kitchen can become a damn sight stressful.
Just like any other job it is important to ensure that steps are put in place to help reduce stress in your work environment. We identify some top tips to helping you achieve a stress free kitchen:
Organisation is key
Keeping your kitchen tidy is a huge priority, you don’t want to be left thinking where has that whisk got to when you are trying to produce a tasty sauce. Make sure that every item in the kitchen has a designated home so to speak and make sure those items are kept in those places so when you need it you can find it in seconds.
Take a break
This is also crucial! You need to make sure that you actually schedule time for a break. Taking a five-minute break to get some fresh air can be hugely beneficial as it can immediately help you reduce your stress levels allowing you to go back to your kitchen with a much fresher mind set. If you find yourself getting in a tiz, don’t make it worse by thrashing about the place, ask a colleague to monitor your chef role for 5 minutes and take that space you need.
Train Your Staff
You are likely to be chasing your own tail so you don’t want to be chasing your team’s tails as well. Make sure that all your staff are trained to the highest of standards from day one. Ensure that your staff are up to date with the hygiene standards, the recipe, kitchen service and anything else that you deem necessary for a smooth and stress free kitchen.
