3 Quick Tips to Improve your Station at Work

As I mentioned, there is no PERFECT station setup, but there are some principles you can adopt and apply to make sure you're flexible, effective, and a better team player in the kitchen.
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👋My name is Justin Khanna. I spent 8 years training at Michelin-starred and critically acclaimed restaurants like Per Se, Grace, The French Laundry, noma, Frantzen and Lysverket.
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[@Lemieux92]

Absolutely great advice! I start my day with the questions, "What do I want?" Then, "What do I have?", Then "What do I NEED?" That takes care of about 70% of my mise, the rest comes down to "How much time do I REALLY have to complete this list."

[@justinkhanna]

100% - then prioritize and crush from there 💪

[@32Flavors]

I am so grateful to have found you. Thanks Justin for giving us so much excellent content. Personally, I love the mentality of "do I need this on my station?" analogy.

[@justinkhanna]

Grateful to have you watching! In case you didn’t know, I expanded on this to encompass a full program on Total Station Domination, would love to know what you think! www.joinrepertoire.com/tsd

[@cyrusadamrevilla3851]

Started working at this fine dining restaurant. Really appreciate these tips!

[@jordanbozzelli2439]

LABLE FOR OTHERS. Wow that hit me. New mindset. Thank you

[@justinkhanna]

This is the way 👊

[@juliamallik9316]

I've been watching your videos since I started BOH a few years ago. I went from a more upscale casual restaurant to something that marketed itself as fine dining but was really just expensive food, to a real deal fine dining restaurant , with an open kitchen and a chefs table. I've become more comfortable modifying my station to fit my work style. Many things I tweak, other coworkers liked and did going forward. Some only worked if it was just me on that station. My mise evolves over time to be more efficient and consistent, and your videos made me realize that's a good thing and to just go with it.

[@justinkhanna]

Julia this is the coolest! You gotta check out Total Station Domination next www.joinrepertoire.com/tsd

[@juliamallik9316]

@@justinkhanna I'll check it out!

[@jimmcdowell6000]

Remove distractions. I noticed my last shift that there was a lot of unnecessary things on the line. Tomorrow I get rid of most. Thanks for a very useful video.

[@sketchezone2463]

Love videos like these! You are really the only one on KZbin in my experience that does them, and does them well. Being a first year apprentice, these tutorial type videos are really useful :)

[@rongtianhuangTimmmh]

Wow i was just thinking about my station ! On time upload thank you!

[@liuhuang2590]

i love your videos. we think very similarly, and its just refreshing to see/hear it from another person/perspective other than mine

[@AndrewTGreen]

Fantastic! Thanks!

[@user-hm9mj1hc3j]

Top notch, great information, thanks a bunch

[@chefsenate]

I love your points 🤗🤗

[@Chef316]

I've gravitated to the Boldric products over the last several years. I have their small tool bag which fits inside their DD backpack. The DD backpack has a nap sack style top and one outer compartment. The genuine leather straps on the outside that close the backpack also hold the DD knife roll on the outside. Inside the large part of the backpack, I have a hoodie for use when organizing the freezer and doing inventory. I also keep two small tech pouches in there. One pouch has battery packs, the other has ear Buds and cables. The outer pinch holds my asthma inhaler, allergy medicine, a couple of Liquid IV pouches, and my small pencil/pen/marker pouch. The small tool bag is a bit larger than you think, which also goes in the large compartment on this Boldric backpack. The small tool pouch has spoons, short locking tongs, a few sizes of tweezers, and also holds my CCK 1103, CCK 1303, and the CCK bone chopper, as well as my honesuki and hankotsu. My Boldric DD roll holds all my other knives (paring, petty, Gyuto, sujihiki, deba). ....I think you have inspired me to do a kit update video. The last one I did was in 2014. Thanks, Justin for the video and the inspiration!

[@jonathanbutch7199]

this is awesome thanks

[@dittagecoeco2738]

Great! Subscribed ✌️

[@Tomasz0216]

Personally, I'd love to see some of your plates! Cool vid!

[@missgiamakeup]

I’m a makeup artist, and all of this completely parallels with what we deal with too. 🙌🏼

[@uns33n]

Thank you so much for making these videos. Would you have any advice for a new sous chef working the middle/expediting?

[@jordanbozzelli2439]

It’s 3 years later. I’m in these shoes do you have any advice now 😂

[@SeanoHermano]

Not labeling things drives me nuts. After a mishap of misplaced mise en place, I recently started labeling deli containers twice each (on the lid and the side) so they can be read from a cooler drawer online or a shelf in the fridge. 🤜🏼 Also, if the container is less than half full, put it in something that takes up less space.

[@jarnicules]

consolidation is one of the most important things in a kitchen.

[@jg31491]

Man that point on labeling stuff. A dude I work with legit refuses to label stuff...drives me nuts!

[@vicreaves3077]

Just not a option in the UK.

[@ashleewyngaard1455]

I have a chef that wraps everything eventhough we have lids for most of our containers. And he still draws on the top. If it's strawberry puree he will draw a strawberry

[@unknown-me6hu]

Can't wait untill heath department comes in an don't see no labeling

[@davidsim3792]

Staplehouse in Atlanta please!

[@MyLife-ni5to]

Very useful somethings it's like I know but I don't quite understand or just need to have it explained differently to really understand and use the technique correctly especially the do I need this it's a very familiar question😂

[@MyLife-ni5to]

Justin Khanna 😂thanks man stick to this I actually heavily mess with your videos man when I have time 😂

[@mestreketer]

great tips

[@Jakemealer]

My man, I'd love to know what your thoughts are on beginning catering or "pop-up" dinners with no former experience or reputation to play off of? Something I've been thinking about getting in to.

[@professornomer879]

Hey Justin, I'm a new sub, could you elaborate your chefy terms in your vid if ever you mention some terms or how about make a chef terms video that would really help a lot of people. I recently graduated from culinary school, I still tend to forget terms hahaah I don't even know how I passed HAHAHA, Lots of love from PH.

[@professornomer879]

I still get confused with the positions in the kitchen, I think that was the kitchen brigade hahaha I tend to forget things that I don't practice. I'm gonna have an internship in Australia real soon and I'm pretty scared in messing things up, I've been watching your videos in order to prepare myself and they do help in increasing my confidence. I still have this fear of failure though. (getting out of the question hahaha sorry)

[@dmitriykim1095]

Hey, Justin! Thank you for great tips, I will try them tomorrow during my shift. Q: I'm having difficulties with keeping track of multiple orders at my grill station. When too many, I get overwhelmed and dishes come out poorly. Can you give me some advice, please?

[@uns33n]

Justin Khanna would really love to see this video

[@thisguy9835]

What i do when i have a bunch of steaks or burgers at on time is cook them all to medium rare and take them off the grill. Then i go through the tickets again in order and put them back on as needed to keep the timing right and make sure none get forgotten about and overcooked

[@thomassiegfried5409]

My advice is as soon as an order drops, have it. Completely prepped out steak on grill, veggies roasting, fryer items staged, etc. Increase your overall speed, and learn to cook with higher heat without burning, utilize all of your cooking implements and learn to use your heat and timing, cook steaks to rare and reheat to temp. Have extra prep so you never go into service feeling low on prep. Crush that shit.

[@veskinio]

Hi Justin I am struggling to find a good explanation of food allergy, that chefs need to know. I want to brake down my manu with all the allergies for waiters and line cooks to follow. I was looking for a restaurant/chef chart that explains it simple. I think you can make a video about it. Please let me know if you know a place I can really learn and past that knowledge further. Thank you.

[@justinkhanna]

I can make a video on that, we had to do that in Norway as a regulation mandate.

[@SeanoHermano]

Hey, Justin, was the term you used for extra mise en place that accomodates special diets? I can’t find that video.

[@SeanoHermano]

Was it “out of place?”

[@SeanoHermano]

Justin Khanna Thanks! I’d like to try and accomodate more of these in our menu.

[@rahulkaria6758]

Hey justin Why did you stop making DOD videos? They were AMAZING!!

[@rahulkaria6758]

Justin Khanna great Can’t wait

[@toolbox6420]

No one labels and date anything any tips to reinforce this with me and my coworkers

[@ThePo303]

First question : Do you know how to label properly? Is it something that you alone can teach or is the Chef needed to help? In our kitchen we have labels in every station, and enforce that if the health department rolls through, and nothing is labeled there can be trouble. It's gonna be a habit like everything else in a kitchen, you just have to start doing it.

[@toolbox6420]

I can teach it I just want a method to enforce the labeling

[@fordhouse8b]

Make sure everyone at all times has a sharpie in his pocket. Its kind of hard to label something without a writing implement. Also, pen and thermometer, and a boxcutter or pocket knife.

[@samuelmejia6878]

TSD

[@justinkhanna]

This is the way 👊 #TSD

[@nathalieahearn1229]

*and the health department 3:15

[@mikestanley4457]

I dominate by showing up to work as early as humanly possible. That way I don’t have to rush through getting everything done and I am more than ready for service with Time for a little break

[@akhilhajare6624]

That's cheating

[@fvrs3411]

Mike Stanley pussy

[@IdoIndeedFlip]

Then other cooks start showing up early and no one pushes as hard since everyone has time. And one day when the entire kitchen is full 3 hours before anyone is scheduled and chef looks around and asks what the fuck is going on. Plus it's admitting to chef "I can't do my mise in place fast enough" and god forbid you come in early to prep and still aren't set up on time. The only time you should be in before schedule is to learn something new, not to get ahead or normal prep.

[@YeagerX69]

Cool Guy I disagree imagine working in a hotel restaurant and having to prep for 300+ guests and the menu is a la carte

[@ruok5953]

lol so your a bad cook who has to cheat to keep up. 😂😂😂

[@nathandaniel5451]

It drives me insane when someone on my station preps something and doesn't label it saying "oh we'll use it later today" or "I'll label it tonight" fuck me