Today we learned about produce. We learned about 48 different kinds of fruit, veggies, and herbs by smelling, touching, and comparing. 

Day 5 began with a fish.
To be exact, it was an 8-10 pound Atlantic Salmon. (picture to the right) Chef showed us how to break it down starting with:

• drying the skin off (so it doesn't slip when cutting)
• making long, clean cuts along the rib bones to create a filet (with sammy the salmon slayer knife)
• removing the lateral pin bones, and skin
• ending with portioning the filets

I also learned how to identify a healthy fish.

1. ​It should have shiny skin because the slimy layer is what keeps the fish healthy and clean when it is alive, so if it is fresh it should still have that on it.
2. Its eyes should NOT be cloudy and sunken, they should be bright and bounce back when they are pressed in. (gross I know...Chef had no problem demonstrating this multiple times haha)

Before we he started cutting the fish he was telling us about the salmon and that they eat other small fish and crustaceans (fun fact) so they have small pointy sharp teeth and barbs on their tongues that face the opposite direction to help them eat. Then he asked for a volunteer to feel the tongue of the salmon we had and I volunteered excitedly because anything oceany/sea-creatury I love.
So I walked up and he said, "awesome! Stick your finger in its mouth and tell me what you feel!"   *imagine me reaching to stick my finger into a large mouth with pointy teeth,  then BAM he lunges the fish at me and starts making barking sounds quite loudly...I am pretty sure I made a strange noise and ran away. So yeah, Chef barked at me with a 10 pound salmon. 

My next favorite part (besides tasting Chef's seafood stew creation at the end of class) was the live LOBSTER! I. Love. Lobster. It's one of my all time favorite foods to eat but it's expensive so I don't have it a lot. We learned how to kill (nicely), cook, and de-shell it! The coolest part was when he told us that it's possible to take off the shell of the knuckles and claw without breaking the meat then showed us how to keep it all intact and plate it so it looked nice and neat. 

Today was literally tasty. 
Not a day to be a vegetarian, that's for sure. 
Today we cut, cooked, and ATE meat. AKA best day/breakfast ever. 

First: CUTTING!
Here is Chef Mark and a piece of beef that he taught us how to cut apart and breakdown. He started by separating the ribs from the muscle. If you are only used to small pork ribs, spread out your fingers and put 3 hands next to each other, that was about the length of the meat and one rib was the length of my wrist to the tip of my ring finger. Some people didn't watch this part very carefully, either because it made them queasy or they weren't interested...but let me tell you meat is my favorite food and I never looked away. Getting to see a large piece of meat broken down was probably the coolest thing ever. 
Before we started cutting though, Chef told us the process (old and modern) of cow slaughter. Not going to lie, it was a little gory. I do appreciate him including this in his lesson though because I think every person should know and understand where their food comes from and how it is raised and taken care of.
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Next: COOKING!
This part was the worst. Why the worst you ask? We were instructed to clean the kitchen and finish all of our assigned tasks while the meat was cooking so we could eat after. I don't think I've cleaned so fast in my life. I found myself along with the rest of my group speed cleaning then staring at the meat hoping it would cook faster if I watched it. 

This is my favorite bite of my newly found favorite cut of meat. Ribeye cap.
It's melt-in-your-mouth-buttery-yum (I have honestly no other way to describe it) and it was my first time trying this cut. I also learned that in Chicago a ribeye cap  sells for $100+...CRAZY!
Best day so far for sure.
Thanks for breakfast, Chef.

Tour Day! 
Today we were given a very extensive tour of the kitchen and we learned how everything works and operates correctly. Some of the things we learned about today were: the dishwasher (a commercial sized one...not your everyday "mom did you run the dishwasher yet" sized one), how to use everything in the mop closet (all the cleaners, deck brush, mop, etc.), the organization and where to find almost anything you need (cups, plates, dry storage, etc.), and the emergency policies and procedures. 
p.s. my favorite part of the kitchen decor is the wavy black sides of the front station 

(p.s. here is my group)
I've seen green in a hard boiled egg before but I didn't know that the green was actually sulfur. SULFUR!! Turns out if you cook it too long THAT'S why they smell gross...sulfur gas in the small air pocket at the top of the shell. The egg shell keeps it insulated and sulfur goes the opposite way of the heat so it goes inward towards the yolk. That why when its done cooking you have to crack and peel it then shock it in cold water...so the sulfur goes out and you don't taste or smell it! Major ah ha moment.
Thanks, Chef.
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