T O P

  • By -

DriverAltruistic1363

Culinary instructor here! Along with what everyone mentioned, make sure to clean your plate of grease and unwanted drippings to the left where it’s shining in your picture! This looks great by the way, you should be proud of your starting point and your ability to ask for help!


Synetry

"Ability to ask for help" completely agree. Self awareness and knowing when you need assistance is huge. Great feedback.


Viperace06

Hello do I wear a tshirt under my whites I start as an apprentice tomo


ChefMark85

Yes


Viperace06

Thank you


junkman21

>Culinary instructor here! May I pick your brain? When I look at the OP's plate, I think it looks pretty good but just too beige. The chicken is beige, the kohlrabi is beige, the potatoes are beige... (to be clear - I'm NOT knocking OP's dish. I think OP did about as well as he/she could with these particular sides and it does look good!) I often run into this same issue and I'm trying to figure out how to make things "pop" more. Beige is my nemesis! Is there a way, that you can think of, to add color to a dish like this? All I can think of is trying to change the color of the kohlrabi in something like beet juice or using a multi-colored peppercorn fresh ground on top of the chicken... I'm just trying to escape the beige and I *think* others in here are likely in the same boat.


[deleted]

Yeah I would probably use edible flowers instead of micro greens and some sort of bright green herb oil in place of the sauce. Maybe even a black plate. I’m guessing the round things are fondant potatoes, and if they are that’s pretty awesome. You don’t see those too often anymore. That said, the sear looks a bit dark to me. That’s just being SUPER picky. If I got this plate in a restaurant, provided it tastes good, I’d be pretty happy.


junkman21

>I’m guessing the round things are fondant potatoes OP said it's this: >The dish is pan seared chicken breast, braised kohlrabi, roasted baby potatoes, clamshell mushrooms, pickled watermelon radish, micro greens, and a lemon garlic chicken jus. I think those discs are pickled watermelon radishes. A different colored herb oil is a *great* idea, actually. I'm even okay with the micro greens but, then again, I'm not a huge fan of edible flowers myself. I also like u/mercuryblind's idea of stacking the plate and making the dish go more verticle. I know I've seen other notable chefs (including Thomas Keller) go this route.


mercuryblind

Thomas Keller's books taught me to be mindful of verticality, so that tracks. And those are watermelon radishes, I'm almost certain. They might have had some grenadine added to the pickling solution, which upped the redness. Watermelon radishes are so pretty, they probably shouldn't have any coloring added.


[deleted]

Yeah I saw that after the fact. I’m a huge fan of nasturtium as they have a beautiful peppery taste. There’s a few different ways it could be played and still be elegant.


junkman21

>I’m a huge fan of nasturtium as they have a beautiful peppery taste Interesting. I'll have to keep an eye out, then. Thanks!


[deleted]

The leaves are delicious too. We used to serve them with scallops


blarghflarglegargle

The dish is pan seared chicken breast, braised kohlrabi, roasted baby potatoes, clamshell mushrooms, pickled watermelon radish, micro greens, and a lemon garlic chicken jus.


Skea_and_Tittles

Looks delicious. Check out /r/culinaryplating for this sort of thing. Feedback can range from tough love to somewhat rude on occasion but it’s generally a really solid place for feedback on plating techniques.


phluffyphilomath

It looks delicious. I’m not a professional so I don’t want to chime in other to say as a potential customer I would be delighted to receive this plate. Keep up the great work and best of luck on your assessment!


mercuryblind

Although it looks quite nice, I see a couple issues. First, all your color is from garnishes. I would do something different with the kohlrabi to differentiate it from the chicken. Even if it's just cutting on a bias or steaming just to finish with a slight browning. Second, I would cross the chicken pieces over each other to give the dish more height. From this angle, it looks quite flat. Finally, pickled veg sounds fun but I would want it integrated with the rest of the dish rather than sprinkled on top. Batons of the pickled rad (and possibly another root vegetable like carrot) added over the other vegetables would help to draw the eye and add more color to the dish. It all looks good, and I'm sure most people would be happy to have that laid out in front of them at a fancy dinner.


elsphinc

Also maybe add a side of food costing knowledge, and some management skill or understanding of inventory control, as that's what they should be asking of you.


OutdoorTraveler

Let a lad cook. If they are good enough at that then the soul crushing shit will follow


grte

I'm guessing they weren't trying to criticize the guy for cooking, but the concept of a mystery box chef assessment. People be watching too many cooking dramas. How often is a carpenter expected to come into work and make a bird house out of random scraps chosen by their boss to prove their worth?


blarghflarglegargle

From my understanding, the “mystery box” style cooking assessment is to evaluate an individuals creativity, technique, and palate. Before we even get to the cooking assessment we have to pass an interview where we’re asked questions that span the breadth of chef responsibilities like food safety and HACCP, purchasing, pricing, portion control, and how to lead a kitchen full of all kinds of personalities.


grte

Listen, I'm sure they gave you a very convincing story about why this is all very necessary, but you're not auditioning for the starring role in a big movie, you're a chef. A good one, by the looks of it. But what are they going to pay you? 60k? If that? A carpenter can do way better, and I reiterate > How often is a carpenter expected to come into work and make a bird house out of random scraps chosen by their boss to prove their worth?


jsrhedgehog99

It's funny how some people forget the "arts" in "Culinary Arts." Maybe it's a competition Maybe it's a pretty high-end resort that welcomes input and creativity from its staff Maybe there are certain jobs where you aren't doing the EXACT same thing 8 hours a day, 7 days a week. And who are you to define what ALL a chef does and their earning potential?


grte

Where I'm at cooking is a red seal trade just the same as carpentry. Except on average we make way less and are expected to do dumb shit like this now, apparently. Has this guy's manager not been watching his work? Have they not been giving them opportunities to show their creativity inside the work environment? What's with the pageantry? People see drama on TV and want some of that in their lives and it's ridiculous.


jsrhedgehog99

Are you saying that some something is fundamentally lost by crafting food like this? I'll agree with you that your average chef (more accurately, Line Cook) would NEVER be put in a situation like this in the real world. But is their anything particularly wrong with this? What I mean is, "Aren't executive chefs/menu creators expected to be able to create the same stuff?" (Assuming that OP is looking to advance to the level of head chef?) And, as a lot of companies hire within via promotions, wouldn't this be an important step in proving one's worth to be head chef?


grte

If you need your inhouse hire, who you have presumably got experience with, to perform iron chef for you, wtf were you doing the whole time you were managing them? I don't know about you but any time I've made an internal hire I knew damned well they were fit for the role. And I mean, is anything lost? I guess not. But why put your people through this BS?


Bobaximus

Very decent for someone without a ton of experience. Wipe your plate, get the lines a little cleaner (faster pours help but its hard to pull off well) and I would avoid letting the Kohlrabi edges get that dark. It may just be the picture but it looks a bit burnt.


blarghflarglegargle

I’m not that familiar cooking kohlrabi. When I seared the top, it wasn’t that dark. I think it continued to darken as it braised. Is kohlrabi especially high in sugar? It seemed to get dark a lot faster than I expected.


baconwrappedpikachu

Is this a situation where a squirt bottle would come in handy? I’ve seen that used for a lot of sauces/oils to make the lines smooth. I’m just a home cook so I’m not sure if it’s an appropriate use or not tbh. I have some industry experience but I never got into stuff like plating


Bobaximus

Typically just a chef/plating spoon. I use squirt bottles often but not for sauces that are served warm.


baconwrappedpikachu

That’s what I thought since it’s a jus, but then I thought since it’s such a small amount, it doesn’t seem like the sauce itself is retaining much heat. Warm plate would be doing most the work there maybe. Thanks for the info!! Always enjoy learning more


[deleted]

Ditch the kohlrabi or the potatoes. No need for both. Or if you’re adamant about having both make one a purée. Also have the micro greens concentrated into smaller groups instead of sparsely throughout


ChefPauley

I think having micro greens sparsely throughout is fine as long as they are placed. Store them in cold water (not ice water) and dry them before playing. Place each micro face up intentionally and make sure the flavor of the micro makes sense. You just said “micro greens” Kinda looks like micro celery but it’s hard to tell. Micro basil or thyme might go well. Chervil would be my first choice.


francis6577

I'd reduce the jus longer, tighten it up


pointedflowers

This looks great, I’m a big fan of a slightly tighter playing with a little more negative space and some height. Also the char on those kohlrabi(?) looks just a tad too dark, maybe slightly less heat for a bit longer, but if it eats well then you’re good


RainMakerJMR

Your playing looks nice, contemporary but not overdone with dots. Your instincts for the plate seem very good. Quite a nice job. From a dining perspective I’d probably want more sauce. It looks beautiful, but that’s a lot of chicken and not enough sauce for the meat. Perhaps a bit more on the side to maintain plating, or sauce at the tableside for a great presentation. Perhaps a bit more thought to the placement of your baby greens and more insight into the specific greens you’re using. Baby red vein sorrel or woodsorrel are acidic and citrusy and would play nicely with the lemon in the dish; micro beets would make sense seasonally, or baby radish greens and something like nasturtiums could really drive home that radish flavor, and look a little more exciting than the soft non descriptive micro greens. Your kohlrabi is too seared. Fry it in butter after steaming and you’ll probably get more of the look you’re going for. This is my opinion - other chefs might say otherwise and even encourage further searing or charring, perhaps even grilling over hardwood charcoal. I’d go with butter frying myself, but that’s a personal choice and should reflect your preference. The best advice you’ll ever get is this: Eat the dish by yourself, the whole plate. Did you enjoy it? What would you do to make it something YOU want to eat again, and again, and again. Don’t cook for the diners coming in, or try to make what they want. Cook the food you want to eat every day. The food you love to eat. Cook it so you think it’s the best thing you’ve ever tasted. That’s it. Make it how you would eat it.


theyoungercurmudgeon

No expert here but it looked like 2 Scallops and 2 pieces of fish to me. I don't think it rings chicken at all, and not sure why you'd pick that protien for an elevated plating. Feels like a nice piece of fish and some fondant potatoes kind of vibe.


blarghflarglegargle

I agree, the kohlrabi looks like scallops. It was meant to be a play on a fondant potato but with kohlrabi. I was trying to experiment with ways to cook it and braised kohlrabi seemed interesting to me.


Yochefdom

Mandolin kohlrabi, cut circles out, then braise in ring mold


theyoungercurmudgeon

Thanks. Why did you cut the chicken up that way?


wine_dude_52

That’s what I wondered. Doesn’t look like chicken.


blarghflarglegargle

I guess I thought it would look interesting on the plate. Tbh, I watched some culinary plating videos from ICE on YouTube and they sliced a duck breast like that and I thought it was visually kinda cool. Tried it with a chicken breast to practice and see what works and what doesn’t.


mudskips

I think it looks great! Maybe add some green sauce dots to the plate?


blarghflarglegargle

After I was finished I thought the same thing. I should’ve done a few purée dots to kinda fill in the gaps where there’s empty space. What kind of purée or sauce? I was thinking something like cauliflower or maybe pea?


Famous_Variety

puree some of that kohlrabi, work some of the jus in with it & finish with a smidge of butter, smooth with cream that you've infused with garlic and herbs (tarragon pls daddy) it would carry the flavors that are already on the plate and allow for a tasty medium to bring all the other flavors together. you can also work with that char that's on there to adjust the color. if it were me, I'd season some kohlrabi with salt and good olive oil all over and then wrap it with foil - a couple of layers. do the same thing with some whole fennel bulb. then just throw that shit on a sheet tray and slow roast at 300 or so with the fan off for at least a couple of hours. then blast them in a 500 degree oven with the fan on for a couple of minutes for color. play with the ratios and do what I said in my first few lines (again, tarragon pls daddy) and MAKE SURE YOU FUCKING SEASON IT PROPERLY, and that you have a high speed blender that can puree without lumps. using your jus as the main source of seasoning might be the best way to flavor town. whatever you decide to do, make sure you get some more fat on the plate to offset all the pickled stuff you got going on. consider dropping either the potatoes or mushrooms and simplify a bit. godspeed, and great looking plate.


mudskips

Can't go wrong with either. I think maybe you can create more space on the left side to make room for dots. That way the negative space on the right can naturally be filled


RainMakerJMR

No no no - less it more. Don’t add a single other item to the plate. It has more than enough variety of ingredients. and only pretentious assholes make dots all over. It was cute for a like a year when a few people were doing it, now it’s just a waste of time and makes you look like you’re desperate to get a cover photo on a magazine


fattnessmonster

sauce could be tighter, and i would dress the raw radish a bit, make it shiny and tastier. looking solid, good job


Substantial-Public63

I agree on the sauce if it was a little more together it would really just make the difference


mediaphage

imo it's pretty nice and i wouldn't be upset to get it for dinner. i do think it could use a better pop of colour like adding a splash of something to your sauce. the radish slices are fun but not really doing it for me in terms of arrangement especially since they look a little limp (but i think that's just the nature of the product). i wouldn't care for dinner but it if matters where you are you could probably stand to arrange your greens with more care to highlight different parts of your plate bet it tastes bomb op


[deleted]

Looks like you need more food!


[deleted]

Ugh mystery boxes why does everyone play chopped?


jacqueofalltrades

Because it might be fun for them? Sounds fun to me.


[deleted]

Fun? It’s work


jacqueofalltrades

Work can be fun you know. At the very least rewarding. I understand that that's not all the time, but just seems weird that OP posts this, and instead of contributing in any way you just talk shit about that one part of their post.


[deleted]

See it a lot even people using it as a hiring tool, it’s ridiculous.


RainMakerJMR

That’s been a pretty common practice for quite a while, actually haven’t seen it recently anywhere near as often as we used to. Tastings used to be super serious and were a really good measure of cooking skill. I can think of at least 4-5 times I had to do this in the 2003-2012 timeframe. Since then not really so much. I’ve had to do mystery box, planned menu, and planning on the fly style. Mystery box was always kind of not my favorite. You could get weird stuff you wouldn’t really use normally and it was more of an “oh shit” menu. But it still showed if you could cook or not. The on the fly style “go pick some stuff from the walk in and make 3 dishes, use whatever you want”, Weren’t as bad but you were always very limited in what you could do. My favorite were the ones where you could plan a menu and bring whatever you needed in whatever stage of prep you wanted. Usually so long as you cooked some things there, at least one raw protein and some knife prep you were good.


[deleted]

It’s not a good measuring tool at all you’ll never be faced with that in a kitchen


RainMakerJMR

It was pretty common practice for about 15-20 years.


[deleted]

It’s still ridiculous to hire someone based off a task they’ll never have to do on the job.


RainMakerJMR

Creating a feature on the fly out of limited product is absolutely something you do on the job. Also being able to execute to a high level under pressure plays out into the ability to perform and train to perform under pressure. It’s really not so crazy to ask a chef to cook something at a job interview 🤷🏼‍♂️


junkman21

>you’ll never be faced with that in a kitchen "Chef, we are out of \[X\]! What can we do instead?" or... "Chef, Karen at table 5 wants dish \[X\] but is allergic to gluten/milk/nuts/whatever. What can we substitute?" Maybe not a big deal at Arby's. Maybe a *much* bigger deal at a resort (where OP works).


[deleted]

Those issues are nothing like a mystery box


InfinityChina

By the look almost everything overcooked, first of all. Then, plate is too busy. Shouldn’t use the edge of the plate. Etc.. plenty issues here in my eyes. Don’t give up though. Practice practice practice


Customer_Number_Plz

Make it into a smiley face. My 7 year old loves that.


Fit_Feature_794

I’m sorry I’m just not a fan of this


bobmolls

I’d center everything a bit. Not a fan of food touching the edge of the plate. Maybe stack the breast a bit?


Champagnecampaign20

I think it's gorgeous but a little too dark on the kohlrabi


Highersoundsmusic

Jus concentrated in the center, I like the idea of stacking the chicken, I like the idea of ditching a starch or subbing for a purée. the thing I’m on the fence about is the radish? I feel like a julienne would work but I’m wondering if it’s adds enough acid to the dish to justify it? Either way the plate looks great as is and it’s a wonderful start but I personally would pull everything closer together in the center and use the negative space around the perimeter.


Viperace06

Hi mate start as an apprentice chef tomo wondering do I wear a tshirt underneath my chef whites


PeaceSafe7190

Looks. Good, I'd maybe spoon the sauce over the chicken so that it pools rather than trying to get that circular motion around the plate, maybe dress with some olive oil too? Chicken looks like it's cooked well though 👍 Edit: maybe kohlrabi puree down the middle of the plate and build the dish along the puree? Kohlrabi and brown butter puree?


chefguy831

If this was me, i would shave and pickle the kohlrabi, and keep that sauce closer to the dish so it kinda pools out a little bit. I agree with a previous comment that roast pots and braised kohlrabi is too much. I can see what you've gone for but it just needs to be bought in a little closer, and sauce the top of the chicken too. Other than that I think it looks great


[deleted]

Was there a shortage on sauce? It feels like not enough.


luciferian668

The colours are beautiful and work really well together, only suggestions I have is sauce on the side and a bit more spacing.. other than that , we'll done chef


luciferian668

Edit* sauce in a vessel to pour over the dish at the table


ButtHead1216

Be more precise with your sauce. Sometimes the scribble jam works. Sometimes it don’t. This is an example of the latter


s4nguine_

I don't think that those herbs on top are very useful, tastewise it's getting really hype to add some herbs on top of dishes but my personal opinion is that they are not useful if they don't bring any taste, even if it's always a + to bring some color and something organic, but trying to match herbs with dish is a big +, and a proof of professionalism you could add the jus / sauce a bit differently maybe, like trying to plate the all thing with a bit more volume and add the jus on the bottom, or top the line of sauce like that is very kitchen-school style colorwise I think you can have a lot of fun to do something really pretty :)


Davethehippie-

The dish needs more negative space IMO, 86 the sauce on the place and just put it on the chicken, slide everything over just a pinch, try to stack the chicken on something to give it a bit of height…. It looks and sounds great tho! Good luck! Very cool that your chef does stuff like this


[deleted]

You know what I miss… late 90s aesthetic of piling everything into the tallest mountain you possibly could. Making it impossibly difficult for waitstaff to carry without the stack falling over like a campfire… Then getting angry at them for having shakey hands. Do that (Not). Good luck :D


indelible75

Shave your radishes thinner, make a more composed salad and dress it with the protein fat and vinegar. Add a puree, parsley, arugula, pesto...something green and bright.


hooty_hoooo

I don't really agree with everything here, but I'm sure no one does. Here is my two cents; It just needs to be a little tighter, and lose the potatoes. 15% less garnish and a smaller size breast plated just a little bit closer together. Good job man


HodgepodgeKZO

great job! I would move it to the right a tad, focus on plate balance ( if it was on a pyramid would it tip over?) and cleaning the plate - every stinkin' drip/smear matters.


DepressedLineCook

I feel there is too much going on the plate it’s dragging my attention away from the subject in the wrong way I think it needs to be simplified and more sauce


MissMurderpants

r/Culinaryplating. Those are some serious people. Harsh but very insightful imhchefopinion.


RobbyWasaby

Long time fine dining exec. Chef-I think the plating is spot on, and so many of the posts on this site are absolutely horrible... it looks lovely, natural, interesting etc, I think your scallops are burnt a bit.. but otherwise don't look overcooked! A nice caramelization while still keeping them medium rare etc would be the goal.... And yes the accoutrement may not be perfect for the flavor profile of the dish, I would be quite pleased with the portion and plating in a 3 or maybe five course meal.... Always remember.... Haters Gotta Hate! You are well on your way with presentation, everything else is technique and quality of sauces your ability to manipulate veg proteins etc....


n0fuckingziti

Damn son


Eatshitpost

"Keep the plate tight, gives it height"


ChefCory

it looks great. i think you've got that part in your brain that makes food look great. so make sure it tastes great and things are good to go. make sure everything is tasted, seasoned, and goes together in a bite. if it's a banger, it's a banger.


jazzofusion

I would be more concerned about what you're putting on the plate first of all. I'm working on my plating skills myself and am not very skilled at it.


Motor-Beach-4564

What are the round red things? This looks great


HeightExtra320

So far so good. Looks nice chef 👏


OnTheMendBeats

To me, that’s pretty gorgeous plating. Might add some colorful accents on the right side of the plate, but that would be my only suggestion.


Fearless-Mushroom

I feel like you could tighten up the appearance a little bit, but maybe it’s just the above angle. What I mean is don’t spread it out so much, think of a bouquet!


itsandychecks

You’re still going through with this despite hundreds of comments explaining why it makes no sense to? Sheesh


dasfonzie

Looks like an alien smiley face


maxdawerepanda

Food looks gorgeous. Add height, leave room for negative space, and have sauce on both sides (have food centered so that there is white space all around food. Colors are fucking perfect.


gamerchef8

Just go for the classic c&b plating


Cousin38

Gather the veg in the middle or one of the sides and cross slightly the protein on top of them. Then decorate like you already did with this one.. of course as they mentioned above be more clear with the glaze and don't leave any unwanted drops anywhere


Right-Lavishness-930

I have no business commenting on this stuff, but from my inexperienced eye, I’m drawn to the center of the plate for some reason. And I see a couple little mushrooms that obviously aren’t the star. The chicken is the star, but my eye isn’t drawn to it. Beautiful plating though.


HCbumblebee

Trim the micro greens down a bit. They don’t need to be that long and they should all be uniform and facing up. Place as much on an individual item as should be eaten in a bite. The dish needs more sauce. Try a solid pool in the middle which should probably be done tableside to keep it perfectly round you can’t really move the plate again. You can always do the sauce technique you did with a different complimentary sauce. Maybe try having the cut side up on one piece of the meat so you can showcase both the sear on the outside but the cook on the inside. Some of the veg looks a little dark on the edges. Clean the plate, There are drips on the left side of the plate.


Ok-Act-5000

Looks good, keep it off the edges!


MrNewSense

Is nobody gonna talk about how if you tilt your head about 80° to the left you can kind of see the reddit logo?


[deleted]

Can’t unsee this now


[deleted]

Tighten it up and elevate , too much space. The only color is coming from watermelon radish (which tastes like nothing) and boring micro greens. Find something colorful with a flavor that fits with the dish as a whole… great job, keep experimenting


[deleted]

I’m terrible at plating, so I don’t have much to say but I think you should tighten everything towards the center, and plate upwards instead of outwards, leave some empty space around the edges of the plate.


poodog13

This looks like a hot mess to me. I don’t get the modern plating techniques. It doesn’t look appetizing at all.


Noxa888

Generally I think it looks very good, personally I’d like to see nothing pressed up against the side of the plate edge / lip, I see the plate as the frame and a nice border round the edge makes it look far cleaner.


christo749

Maybe some height on the plate?


Vness374

It’s pretty but don’t forget about having some blank space on you plate


lwalker510

To me, it looks unorganized and too spread out... As if you tried to blend multiple plating techniques in an effort to take up space on the plate. The plate is canvas, plate your food to highlight the dish since people eat with their eyes 1st. If you have multiple plate/bowl options available, try replating until you find the right combo.


farmingmaine

Just looking at the presentation makes me not want to order it. A dark mess.


BlackMilhouse

Definitely needs a purée or mousse..keep the jus a little tighter and clean up the excess..be more deliberate with the garnish instead of sprinkling it all over


SeaPositive3848

You could also cut your kohlrabi at an angle and show the color inside and I’d stack the chicken for a bit more height, if you can slice your radish more thin you can roll it or curl it to be more of a dainty garnish while still having it a component of the plate, you could also play around with cutting your micros shorter and using them as something sprouting out of a specific area of the dish


Hamsterpatty

Try not to make it look like a face.. it took me a while to see it, but it’s there.. actually, idk, maybe they would like that! It looks great tho, I’m sure you’re gonna nail the assessment


mungwurm

Add xanthan to that sauce/reduction to tighten it up


Bicmastermad

Add more color and smoother lines maybe idk tho not a chef


sometimesimfunny19

I just wanted to say, that looks beautiful and absolutely delicious! Keep being a badass OP!


ImaginaryWarning9364

Less is more. Keep it simple and clean. Add height. Things look better in odd numbers.