You’re Dating a Chef? Please Read This!

If you’re new to my site, start here.

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If you just googled, “Dating a chef” and arrived here, welcome.  Welcome to this crazy life of being involved with someone in the culinary industry.

I would guess the reason you googled this topic is because dating a chef is not exactly what you expected it would be.  Perhaps you’re lonely, frustrated by the hours, struggling with finding time to spend together, or even time to talk.

Well guess what?

YOU ARE NOT ALONE!! 

WOOHOO!!

Don’t you feel so much better already?

There are tons of us out there, who are somehow connected to a chef . . . married, dating, parents, siblings, etc.

There are others out there who can relate to the crazy obsession with chef knivesthings for the kitchen and cookbooks.  Nice!! 🙂 (more…)

What Chefs Really Eat at the End of the Day

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It’s common knowledge that chefs work long hours and are busy preparing food for others. There’s a ton of articles and TV shows telling us what chefs like to cook.

But are these meals that they “like” to prepare what they actually eat themselves?

At the end of a 12-16 hour day or a 70-80 hour work week, do they head into their kitchen at home and start making these meals they’ve told us about on TV and in magazines?

I wonder…

I am personally not a chef but am married to one. Obviously I can’t speak for all chefs in the world as I haven’t met them all. However, having been married to a chef for 18 years and having interacted with quite a few chefs and their wives/husbands and significant others, I think it’s time to be truthful about this topic and put an end to this myth about how chefs eat at home. (more…)

Suicide in the Culinary Industry…Thoughts from a Chef’s Wife

Waking up this morning to find out that Anthony Bourdain had committed suicide was a shock for all of us.  I can’t imagine the pain he must have been in to feel that suicide was the only option.

As an outsider, his life looked pretty great to most of us.  He was a successful chef, writer and TV show host.  He had a girlfriend and appeared happy in the relationship.  He was the father of a young daughter.  Media and Social Media made him appear so successful and happy.

Unfortunately, that was not the case.

It makes me question why suicide, mental health issues, drugs and alcohol are all such problems in the Culinary Industry. (more…)

How to Get the Smell Out of Chef Clothes (and Other Laundry)

I will never forget when my chef/husband was promoted from the pantry station to the broiler station.  Of course any promotion is exciting, but the reason I remember it might not be what you think.

(Oh, before I forget, If you’re new to my site, start here and then come back and read the rest of the post.)

Besides the new types of stains on his chef coats which were more difficult to remove (see tips on how to get stains out of chef coats here), the smell of his chef clothes changed DRASTICALLY!!  Ugh!  We lived in a small apartment and he had to leave the dirty chef clothes in the other room each night, or the smell permeated our bedroom!

Stop laughing at me.  I know you’ve had the same problem.  Chef clothes just stink!

For a while, a good wash took care of the smell.  But after a while, the chef pants, chef coats and even the aprons started to keep part of the oily, grimy, kitchen smell.  When that happens, you have to either try another method of cleaning them or have a bonfire in the backyard with them.

So after my successful quest to find the best way to clean white chef coats, I decided to tackle the smelly chef aprons that I could never seem to get the smell out of! (more…)

Gift Ideas for a Chef

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Top picks for 2019 – things my chef and I have fallen in love with, still love from the past and some of which have really surprised us.

  • Protalus insoles – Wish I would have known about these when my chef/husband was on his feet for 16 hours a day and had neuropathy/tingling and numb toes!  I was having severe neuropathy in my feet and these insoles have pretty much taken all the pain away.  They offer a 90 day money back guarantee and this link will get you $20 off your first pair!
  • Air Fryer – My husband bought this because he was curious about the technology and wanted to try it out at the home level to consider a commercial one for the restaurants.  WE LOVE IT!  My goodness….this is a keeper!!
  • ChefSteps Joule Sous Vide – Can I just say that this is the most amazing thing I have ever seen!!!  (See this blog post for more details.)  FYI – My husband bought the Instant Pot Immersion Circulator to see if it would work for small volume in the restaurant because it’s not controlled by a cell phone…don’t buy it.  It’s not powerful enough and your chef will be disappointed.
  • InstantPot – This counter top pressure cooker is AMAZING and my husband and I use it all the time!
  • AeroGarden – We bought this for my husband for his birthday in September!!  It’s amazing and we highly recommend it!!
  • Samsung Note 9 – What about a cell phone update…one with a stylus, so they don’t need to carry around a little note pad to take notes?  We love the Samsung Note 9!
  • Surface Pro 6 – If your chef does a lot of computer work for the restaurant or if they are in a corporate position, this computer is AMAZING.  My husband can’t live without it (and neither can I).
  • Massage Chair – We just bought this and it works really well for the price!!

 

I don’t know about your chef, but when I ask my chef/husband for gift ideas for a holiday he usually doesn’t have many ideas, if any. He always says he doesn’t need anything and really doesn’t have time for much. But of course we still want to get him something. Unfortunately I usually draw a blank when it comes to gift ideas for him.

If you google, “Gifts for a Chef,” you’ll get a bunch of foodie gifts, most of which, chefs would think are rather stupid. Most of them don’t want kitchen “gadgets” as a gift.  (However, they do seem to want cool things for their home kitchens that they use in the restaurant.)

(more…)