I haven't been to Chicago in a while, but I feel like Intelligentsia is on a roll in general. Many people not noticing this may be a side-effect of "sprezzatura" or perhaps a slight "dead zone" between not-so-great and great, which confuses people. They're putting most other companies to shame (figuratively speaking).

another_jim wrote:Moreover, the idea that agility and quality are antithetical is false in every culinary setting I know. In fact, as in every manual skill, it is exactly the other way around, skill, speed and quality go together. There are a lot more slow klutzes behind a McDonald's counter than in a good kitchen.

Maybe. But if the cooks at Charlie Trotter's slice vegetables without a micrometer, won't they saute at different rates and ruin the meal?

Obviously not a chef
Different areas of the pan have different temperatures.
A real chef wears infra-red goggles to place the pieces properly. SHEESH !

At least we did in every kitchen Ive worked in. I bring mine home and use them to gauge the temps of the E-61 while pulling shots.

Marshall wrote:Maybe. But if the cooks at Charlie Trotter's slice vegetables without a micrometer, won't they saute at different rates and ruin the meal?

And I'm certain just as Heather Perry regularly uses a Capresso Infinity with her LM GS3, the chefs at Charlie Trotter's (not exactly the restaurant I'd use as an example) use dull knives with their All Clad cookware to prepare those vegetables.

So now you slice and dice your meal for two or three or four at home exactly as fast and repetitive as a sous chef at a restaurant prepares 50 meals in an evening? Or do you read the recipe, take your time, enjoy the process of cooking and in the end come up with a meal that is "fine restaurant worthy"? Is your home really a place where "culinary agility" is a required talent to make a fine meal?

GC7 wrote:So now you slice and dice your meal for two or three or four at home exactly as fast and repetitive as a sous chef at a restaurant prepares 50 meals in an evening? Or do you read the recipe, take your time, enjoy the process of cooking and in the end come up with a meal that is "fine restaurant worthy"? Is your home really a place where "culinary agility" is a required talent to make a fine meal?

I get your point, and maybe it's valid for the single category of espresso home prep vs cafe prep, but I think many a professional chef would take exception.

I've been cooking for at least 40 years, consider myself a good-to-excellent home chef, and most people are quite complimentary about my meals. But I've cooked side-by-side with a professional chef and there's just no comparison between what I can do and what she can do. Yeah, she's lightning fast with the prep, but that's not the whole story. Where called for, every piece of a particular ingredient is of astonishingly uniform size and cut to be maximally attractive. This greatly enhances even cooking, texture and appearance, and it's something I can't duplicate even when I take my time. Her precise management of heat during the cooking process is a thing of beauty to watch. Her knowledge of how ingredients and flavors interact allows her to season perfectly and whip up unbelievable meals from random items in the fridge. There's a creativity, smoothness and ease to the way my friend cooks, with utter confidence and knowledge of the craft. When she plates, she's an artist. My clumsy efforts are no match. And she can do it all 20 times faster than I can!

There's a lot to be said for formal education and years (or decades) of practice and experience. No matter how much I take my time, read the recipe and enjoy the process, I wouldn't go so far as to say that in the end I come up with a meal that is "fine restaurant worthy". A lot better than Applebee's to be sure, and every now and then I hit a big winner (a God shot of a meal) but truly fine restaurants have chefs that can cook rings around 99% or more of home chefs every day. I aspire to what they do, but there isn't much chance I'll succeed in this lifetime.

Peppersass wrote:I get your point, and maybe it's valid for the single category of espresso home prep vs cafe prep, but I think many a professional chef would take exception.

There's a lot to be said for formal education and years (or decades) of practice and experience. No matter how much I take my time, read the recipe and enjoy the process, I wouldn't go so far as to say that in the end I come up with a meal that is "fine restaurant worthy". A lot better than Applebee's to be sure, and every now and then I hit a big winner (a God shot of a meal) but truly fine restaurants have chefs that can cook rings around 99% or more of home chefs every day. I aspire to what they do, but there isn't much chance I'll succeed in this lifetime.

Dick,

Do you find the attempt to compare professional chefs to professional baristas a bit lame? I certainly do. Meaning no disrespect to baristas, the depth and breadth of what a good chef needs to know and to have experience with, is hugely greater than what a barista of the same level needs to know. I think that it could take 10 or even 15 years to become a great chef. Does anyone here believe that the two fields are comparable? I don't.

Don't get me wrong; I'm not talking about the way that some barista champions have tried to expand their niche to include all sorts of other things including coffee sourcing, roasting, and blending. You will have to excuse me if I don't buy that as being part of the core competency of a "professional barista." A professional barista is not Heather Perry and Geoff Watts all rolled into one.

ken

Ken Fox wrote: Do you find the attempt to compare professional chefs to professional baristas a bit lame? ... A professional barista is not Heather Perry and Geoff Watts all rolled into one.

High end coffee is, or at least should be, moving in this direction.

GC7 wrote:Is your home really a place where "culinary agility" is a required talent to make a fine meal?

The amateur boards are filled with populist (or to continue the Civil War metaphors, Leveler) sentiments. But the more permissive we become with espresso technique, the more we reach the state of maximum Starbucks & Nespresso.

I hear you Jim and agree wholeheartedly, but Ken is right. There is no comparing the amount of skills required by a chef and a barista. In fact, being a good barista is part of many good chef skills.

Juliejayne wrote: michaelbenis wrote:
Most members on this board, and many other boards, are stating loud and clear that they can pull a better shot than most coffee shops. Well if it is true than they ARE better than the professional barista at these coffee shops!

Easily done, but that wasn't me!

In fact I honestly think these comparisons are unfair: In many cases it has much less to do with the barista than it has to do with the coffee shop. It's no more accurate to say all professional baristas are poor than it is to set all World Barista Champions up as gurus: if nothing else we should remember they have a great team behind them.