Can chefs wear shorts in the kitchen? Yes, they can and do! You see, when chefs work covering their legs is a pain as it gets all hot and sweaty. This can impede their speed increasing the risk of food to burn causing angry guests. However, we understand that chefs wearing shorts is not for everyone.
This is why this article will explain how you can ask your chef to put on some pants for your event.
Chefs are like artists; they can be real characters. Some wear crazy hair, ties, hats or have a constant glare when they look at you.
One thing I’ve noticed is that often times chefs do not wear the standard white uniform while they cook in the hot kitchen. Then again, maybe it’s a fashion statement to dress like you forgot to change from the night before, wearing torn clothing and watching the Food Network.
I’ve had two cooks in a row take off their shoes during service and clearly forget about the big pile of fish guts beside their station pan (I get nauseated just thinking about it). Those were some pretty underwhelming experiences but I toughed it out because this was my first job and if I wanted to be a good restaurant manager one day.
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The kitchen is hot
The kitchen is a hot place to work and chefs spend long hours in it. So why do they wear such uncomfortable clothes?It’s all to do with tradition. In the past, chefs wore a white double-breasted jacket and a tall hat called a toque.
These days chefs usually wear a T-shirt or polo shirt, black trousers and some sort of head covering. The T-shirt can’t be any colour, though – it has to be white. This is so that you can see if the chef is keeping clean. If you see a dirty mark on their T-shirt then they need to change into a clean one before returning to work.
Chefs’ trousers are always black because they don’t show up dirt very well. And if you spill something on them, it doesn’t matter because the rest of your outfit is just as dark!Weirdly, not all chefs even wear trousers; some still prefer to wear shorts despite the heat of the kitchen.
Some say this is because they don’t want their trousers to get stained with grease or sauce. However, no matter how much of an expert you become in the kitchen, you will never see a chef wearing shorts at a fine dining restaurant or working in an open kitchen where customers
It’s more hygienic
A world in which chefs wear shorts would be a more hygienic one.By the time an order reaches the kitchen, it has been typed into a computer, printed out, and handed to a runner who takes it to the expediter who reads it out loud and hands it to the chef.
The chef then reads off each ingredient to the pantry man, who scoops up handfuls of peas or whatever from a big plastic tub and drops them into a bowl for the grade manger man to slice up and put on plates. Then he puts on shoes.
If you’re a four-star restaurant, you want your chefs as far away from your diners as possible.
So, your kitchen is likely to be in the basement. And if your kitchen is in the basement, you might not have air conditioning. So, picture yourself sweating profusely while trying to give an elegant presentation with tongs and tweezers.
Picture all of that sweat dripping onto your food. Some of those droplets will fall directly into the food; others will contaminate your hands and utensils when they hit bare skin or clothing. Now think about what happens when you go home at night and change back into street clothes before getting behind the wheel of your car
It’s nicer for the chef
If you walk into a restaurant kitchen during the dinner rush, you’ll see people in shorts.Over the years I’ve had a lot of jobs in restaurants, and I have worn shorts in every one of them.I don’t think this is a coincidence.
It’s not because restaurant managers are more lenient than those in other industries. In fact, it’s mostly the opposite: most restaurants have stricter dress codes than most offices. The chef may wear shorts, but servers and line cooks can’t get away with them.
If anything, restaurant employers are more likely to be sticklers about dress codes than those in other fields.Why aren’t chefs as picky about their employees’ clothes as everyone else? Because when you’re working in a hot kitchen all day, clothes can make a big difference to your quality of life.Every time I move to a new city one of the first things I do is find out where chefs shop for their clothes. That’s how I know that chefs wear shorts in the kitchen.
There are a few good reasons that chefs should wear shorts in the kitchen
Chefs should wear shorts in the kitchen. There is no doubt that chefs have to operate in hot, steamy environments some of the time. Cooking can be a sweaty business and it’s not ideal that chefs are physically uncomfortable for long periods of time.
Shorts are probably one of the most comfortable pieces of clothing a chef can wear to work, so why would they pass up an opportunity to wear them? Plenty of professions allow their employees to do things comfortable attire as long as it doesn’t affect how they perform their jobs. Chefs are no exception and should be able to wear what makes them feel good while on the job.
Chefs who wear shorts in the kitchen might be able to move around more freely, and they’re certainly more comfortable. But what’s most important is that, at the end of the day, shorts are just a lot more comfortable to wear than long pants. And if you think about it, shouldn’t your comfort be one of your top concerns in the kitchen? That’s why chefs should wear shorts—so they can cook with their minds at ease.