Red Lobster Line Cook..what should I expect?

[mikel33]

Hello!

I have never cooked in a professional kitchen before, but have a real passion for food and cooking. I may have a job at Red Lobster as a line cook, but I have no idea what to expect!

Can someone please tell me how tough this will be? How much stress, etc. I guess I am a bit nervous. Haha

Thanks!

 

[kitchenelf]

My best advice is to listen to what they say and if you forget DON'T GUESS - ask politely to be reminded. Don't second-guess anything. Ask, ask, ask if you don't understand something or don't know how to do something.

 

[ChefJune]

Hello!

I have never cooked in a professional kitchen before, but have a real passion for food and cooking. I may have a job at Red Lobster as a line cook, but I have no idea what to expect!

Can someone please tell me how tough this will be? How much stress, etc. I guess I am a bit nervous. Haha

Thanks!

Ohboy! Are you in for a rude awakening! Professional kitchens are about as much like cooking at home as olive oil is to Paris. It will be VERY different from anything you have ever attempted before.

Good luck,

 

[buckytom]

welcome mike. and good luck.

make sure you salt everything enough, to make sure the diners can taste it.

 

[college_cook]

If you're going to be cooking a Red Lobster, I think almost everything is pre-fab. Just dont boil the **** out of the lobster... noone likes tough lobster.

 

[mikel33]

gulp! Haha, like I said, I have the passion, just hope I can handle the heat! lol

 

[kitchenelf]

If you're going to be cooking a Red Lobster, I think almost everything is pre-fab. Just dont boil the **** out of the lobster... noone likes tough lobster.

And don't put a rabbit in there with the lobster - no one likes hare in their food

 

[ironchef]

Whoa, line cook with no professional kitchen experience? I'm assuming that they're going to put you through an extensive training program?

 

[buckytom]

salt 101 and lectures on cheap butter...

 

[ChefJune]

salt 101 and lectures on cheap butter...

and frozen protein!

 

[mikel33]

Whoa, line cook with no professional kitchen experience? I'm assuming that they're going to put you through an extensive training program?

Please don't give me a gullibility test.. you're kidding........ right?

 

[ChefJune]

Please don't give me a gullibility test.. you're kidding........ right?

I don't think so. Do they know that you have never cooked in a professional kitchen?

 

[college_cook]

Please don't give me a gullibility test.. you're kidding........ right?

Well, the way ironchef cooks, you need a good deal of experience and skill. Don't sweat it about not having any experience and starting on the line at Red Lobster. I'm sure that most everything comes pre-portioned or pre-made, and you'll mostly be doing heat and serve. Shouldn't have to worry about learning to butcher fish, proper sauce making or anything like that.

Here's what you should focus on-

Seasoning. Use enough salt. Your chef will show you how to season a fish filet your first day, and you're likely to be stunned by how much salt goes on. However, now you know a big reason why restaurant food tastes so much better than stuff from home.

Heat control. The stoves/grill you'll be using may as well be hell's furnace compared to what you'll find at home. Learn to get your pans hot and keep them that way, and learn how to keep the heat low when required. Get good a getting a nice sear on proteins.

 

[ironchef]

I don't know, regardless of how much more simplified a line may be (i.e. Red Lobster vs. Daniel), I find it hard to believe that anyone without any restaurant cooking experience can step in without a good amount of training. Even culinary school graduates fresh off of graduation are sometimes lost. It's like someone who's only previous experience playing basketball was shooting by themself in their driveway, being asked to play in an actual game without any practice time with their team. They wouldn't know what the **** they were doing. Shooting by yourself is one thing, shooting with someone defending you is totally different. Same thing with cooking at home vs. in a restaurant.

 

[GB]

Red Lobster vs. Daniel

What are...two things I never thought would share a sentence together?

 

[Russellkhan]

Yes, starting as a line cook is unusual. In most restaurants I've seen, people start as a prep cook or even dishwasher if they want to get on the line and don't have experience (sometimes even if they do have experience).

 

[mikel33]

I don't think so. Do they know that you have never cooked in a professional kitchen?

Yes, that was one of the first things I told them.

 

[Maverick2272]

What are...two things I never thought would share a sentence together?

On the one hand it is Red Slobster, on the other hand that is pretty surprising to me as well, I had to work my way up and most restaurants would not take anyone with less than 5 years experience.
In my case that meant I left for college before I got to line cook!

 

[Loprraine]

I think almost everything is pre-fab.

That's what I was thinking, along with pre-portioned.I think it will be quite rigid, and all prep will be done ahead of time. Good luck to you!

 

[mikel33]

That's what I was thinking, along with pre-portioned.I think it will be quite rigid, and all prep will be done ahead of time. Good luck to you!

I hope so! As far as a first job.