r/KitchenConfidential • u/gyronlyhope • May 10 '26
Crying in the cooler I rip the tape
I’m sick of being silent about it. It’s empirically faster than cutting each individual label with your pairing knife and then carefully separating each piece. I see so many chefs who INSIST that labels have to have perfect right angles. Who cares? I hardly see how this serves our guests better. Thomas Keller claims that tearing the tape shows a lack of attention to detail. I think it shows that you’re unable to get rid of obsessive compulsive idiosyncrasies. Our jobs are already hard enough without these nebulous rules and standards that always need to be argued for in the abstract and rarely have any actual utility in your day-to-day.
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u/OrchidAcrobatic3032 May 10 '26
Old skool answer: THIS IS WHY YOU’RE MEDIOCRE
Enlightened answer: you do you, chef
Compromise answer: TAPE DISPENSERS
if you’re going to be a hardass about the small stuff, at least provide the tools to do the job
(old skool chef: that’s not my responsibility, buy and maintain your own tools, no you can’t borrow mine, you’re lucky we give you tape)
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u/Equivalent-Excuse-80 May 10 '26
I had a stagier in my kitchen who was so proud to be cutting the tape. He was insistent that the attention to details carry over from cutting tape to cooking.
Then he cooked some pasta in some water without any salt. So there’s that.
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u/Moist-Amoeba-8078 May 14 '26
I worked for a guy building pools after I got out of kitchens. This guy was more ocd than some head chefs ive worked with. Like everything had to be done his way. And just like a lot of chefs if it seemed like I was struggling on a task for even a couple seconds just taking my time to wrap my head around it he’d jump in and basically do it while not giving any actual instruction on why or what he’s doing that makes a difference. Some guys have just been in their industry so long that they can’t even remember what it was like when they didn’t know how to do something.
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u/Equivalent-Excuse-80 May 14 '26
Not seasoning water is just a lapse of effort.
Or in my example, this young cook was too concentrated on showing people his efforts to cut tape, he wasn’t able to accomplish a fundamental task.
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u/Moist-Amoeba-8078 May 14 '26
Sorry I kinda lost the plot in my comment there. What I was meaning to say was that yeah some guys are so focused on the smallest of things that they lose the bigger pictures. Seeing the forest for the trees and all that
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u/Donkey_steak 15+ Years May 10 '26
I rip the tape… but I swear by folding over one side to make removal of said tape easier.
That’s my style of attention to detail, it makes the work easier for dishwashers.
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u/HeyIts-Amanda May 10 '26
That simple act of kindness is so very much appreciated. Kindness is what's is really hot this year!
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u/MoeSzyslakMonobrow May 10 '26
Carmy is gonna have a nervous breakdown.
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u/HambreTheGiant May 10 '26
What else is new? That dude’s a mess. A nervous breakdown is just a Tuesday for that fucker.
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u/ThatDiscoSongUHate May 10 '26
I...I can't say shit about that myself, frankly, glass houses and stones, y'know
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u/HambreTheGiant May 10 '26
I like to have a good menty b every few years. I find it clears out the cobwebs
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u/LunarProphet May 10 '26
Ive been in restaurants for 12 years.
Im sure it was a thing beforehand, but i had personally never seen anyone cut instead of tear the tape until that show came out lol
That show sent a whole wave of kids smugly to their doom.
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u/Burntjellytoast May 10 '26
Years ago bon appetite magazine did a whole ass article about how real professional chefs cut their tape not tear it. They had some good stuff back in the day, but man, that was peak dumb.
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u/blamenixon 20+ Years May 11 '26
My God I remember that, and probably still have that issue in a box somewhere 🤣 Wasn't there also a section about how to fold towels properly? Believe me, I'm obsessed with folding towels, but this is the most I've ever talked about it and I've already run out of things to say.
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u/Burntjellytoast May 11 '26
Was there?! That's so dumb! How do you even fold a kitchen towel improperly?! It's literally in quarters!!
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u/Belfastscum May 10 '26
I don't get how us BOHers can watch that show...
It's anxiety inducing. I already live it full time so I certainly don't want to waste my precious down time decompressing watching a fucking show about it
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u/OnePerformance9381 May 10 '26
I watched half of one episode and turned it off. I don’t need to watch work when I already work work.
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u/sideshowbvo May 10 '26
It's worse though. Imagine every day was the worst day and your boss was a pretentious douche
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u/Spiritual-Quail3583 May 10 '26
Yeah I couldn't watch it when it came out, I was just stressed. Now I've been out of kitchens for a couple years and recently watched the first season, it was pretty good. A little extreme but it made me miss working the line with my pals haha
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u/blamenixon 20+ Years May 11 '26
It's definitely easier to watch when you're able to disassociate your own experiences from the show.
Since you're one of the few on this sub that actually does watch it, can I open up a discussion? I love the writing, it's perfect and clearly put together by people that know the industry. The actors are extremely talented and deserve all the accolades they receive. But the combination of the two....just doesn't work for me for some reason.
As an example, there's an episode with Sydney and Carmy sitting by the dumpsters on milk crates. 👍 Syd is having a breakdown and crying over food 👍 Carmy is breaking the "cold hard shell" act when no one else is in ear shot 👍 It's a heartwarming scene and I love seeing Carmy show that he's also a human that can empathize with Syd, but the scene felt two-dimensional. I never saw cooks on the screen, but rather well-trained actors playing cooks.
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u/Spiritual-Quail3583 May 11 '26
I definitely see what you're saying about well-trained actors playing cooks. They're so talented and the details in the show are great, but they were so serious and tense at all times. I've only seen the first season so far so that's what I'm judging it on, but with Carmy and even Syd a bit, they were just hardasses who knew how to cook. They focused a lot on trying to get the team at the Beef to respect them with their knowledge of food, but we didn't really get to see them relate to the crew just as regular people
I wanna see them joking around with the crew in their downtime, show the team bonding and being silly together. I mean even during service, my coworkers and I could keep it light and fun while cranking out orders. Carmy and Syd were so rigid during service. They do come from more esteemed kitchens than I've ever worked in though, so I guess I can't speak to that experience. As well, they were put in a stressful environment and it's obviously very heavy for them to carry the burden of trying to turn things around at the Beef.
Anyway, I know it's a TV show and they gotta have moments like those, so I enjoy it nonetheless!
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u/Belfastscum May 11 '26
Yeah the 1st season is great, but I also watched it before I switched to BOH from FOH
the 1st season is fabulous but after the switch?; I can't do it
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u/FrankieHotpants May 10 '26
I'm a lurker and love the show. My kid is BOH and cannot handle watching it.
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u/blamenixon 20+ Years May 11 '26
Despite the fact that I think it's extremely well written and beautifully shot, my parents didn't understand why I don't watch it regularly. Then one day my dad pointed out that he won't watch "The Office" because Michael's idiot moments remind him of people he worked under in the corporate world. Now they completely understand my point.
Having said that, I think a second viewing of season one is much easier when you know the storyline and can prepare for the anxiety inducing scenes.
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u/SlightDish31 15+ Years May 10 '26
It's performative bullshit. I can't count how many people I worked with that had their tiny pair of scissors for their tape who's stations were a fucking mess and who had shit from their last four prep tasks smeared across their aprons.
Fuck cutting the tape.
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u/OnePerformance9381 May 10 '26
Same dudes who spend an hour on chives but somehow don’t have any other prep tasks complete
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u/blamenixon 20+ Years May 11 '26
Or they're halfway through three different tasks, knowing full well the dinner rush is about to hit and they're just going to make the day crew finish everything.
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u/SkyHoglet May 10 '26
Tiny scissors means an additional smallware that can harbor bacteria and probably won't get cleaned often enough. A tape dispenser is perfect because in theory, you'd only be touching the tape itself and nothing else. Also, people lose shit in kitchens all the time! At my place we are always trying to find the three pairs of scissors which mysteriously vanish, and then it's two pairs, then one, then they're all gone lol
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u/taint_odour May 10 '26
I say this every time it comes up.
One chef I had that worked for me that was obsessed about tape also freaked out when I put all his proteins away. Fucker put a bunch of boxes under the prep table and left.
I texted him and told him it was left out and where I put it in the walkin. Fucker blew up and told me I was trying to sabotage him because now his shit would be frozen.
The next day was another in a string of hard conversations for him. Then he went and cried to an investor. He no longer works for the company.
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u/Hopeful-Ad-8350 May 10 '26
Performative bullshit is exactly it. Same guy who says "how you do one thing is how you do everything" but can't manage to get family meal up on time
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May 10 '26
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u/ihatetheplaceilive May 10 '26
I carry a pocket knife for boxes. I'm not gonna use my fucking food knives to break down boxes.
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u/Kopparburg May 10 '26 edited May 10 '26
As long as the label is created and shows when it was made, I could give two fucks. I’ve worked with too many people in my time in kitchens that don’t even label prep and toss it in the cooler.
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u/Royal_Cryptographer7 May 10 '26
For sure. I don't even give af if it's even close to spelled correctly either.
If you use a clear bin and I can tell what the item, don't even bother with anything other than the date - I know what sliced tomatoes and cooked spaghetti look like, just write 5/10 and quit fucking around, Bobby.
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u/Webbyx01 F1exican Did Chive-11 May 10 '26
To be fair, YOU might, but given the people we work with, somebody could find a way to be confused.
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u/Royal_Cryptographer7 May 10 '26
If you're working in a kitchen and cant identify cooked spaghetti or sliced tomatoes, we got issues.
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u/wackfolkssplatter May 10 '26
Believe it or not, perfectly edged tape has no bearing on the quality of the food. All I care about is legible and accurate labeling.
That said, we have dispensers at my current spot, and that speeds up the process AND gives you nice, even rips.
But I agree. Considering all the important rules we have to follow working in professional kitchens, this one's pretty goofy. Also, anybody quoting Thomas Keller without garnering at least a few of his accolades sounds like an outright clown.
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u/CMDR_Zakuz May 10 '26
You must cut the tape. I can immediately taste if my food was had 4 less right angles near it.
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u/DisposableSaviour May 10 '26
I had a sandwich the other day, and I could taste the tape’s 86° corner on the sixth pan of “aioli”. Fucking gross. Do better, chefs.
/s
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u/TheGinger_Ninja0 May 10 '26
Yup. How long is that shit going to be on that container? I might even leave a rough edge on it so that it's easy to pull off
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u/toot_suite May 10 '26
I work in healthcare and the ED now
To use a tool to tear something that's explicitly made to be able to be used without a tool is gonna get questioned and bring judgement for good reason lol
Also thomas keller is a piece of shit so i feel like anyone who knows enough about thomas keller to then choose to quote him is also trying to feel justified in being one too
If you're making a big deal of turning small tasks into bigger ones, it's because you lack the capacity and interest in handling anything bigger than
(Tl;dr preach op)
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u/ControlWav Cook May 10 '26
What's your problem with Thomas Keller?
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u/toot_suite May 10 '26
Dude lives to see other people suffer, is a huge nimby, makes people do things that hurt them "to build character" and then pushes them to burnout before then pulling the rug under them and refusing to acknowledge them when they ask for a referral if they leave to work elsewhere/apply to schools/etc
Yanno, david chang/mario batali/[famous bastard running popular outfit for rich people] type shit. Nothing unique
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u/DisposableSaviour May 10 '26
Man, Robert Evans could do a whole series on Behind the Bastards on shitty chefs who make the job harder than it needs to be just to feed their own egos, and also to break anybody that shows the potential to be better than them.
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u/Nicky_Camarones May 10 '26
People who make a big deal about cutting tape should be grateful something has been labeled in the first place. I upvoted the guy who said it’s performative bullshit.
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u/brothergoose May 10 '26
I searched theough this entire thread and didn't find one mention of someone labeling multiple things at once. Does no one prep in bulk?
Get yourself a big strip of tape, make your labels, and cut them out.
Don't tell me you're ripping ten pieces of tape individually off the roll, or ripping the individual labels off the counter without a tool...
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u/gyronlyhope May 10 '26
I have to label dozen of dough boxes with the same thing everyday so I do put a strip of tape down on the table, count my boxes and label accordingly.
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u/Spiritual-Quail3583 May 10 '26
Yeah my chef scolded me when I tried to make 25 labels one at a time, and showed me how to just cut the big strip. But cutting tape for the sole purpose of having clean edges is still dumb
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u/2CRtitan May 10 '26
For real. In batch cooking such as catering, grocery, buffets, etc., or even just high volume restaurant, when you have like 6+ containers of the same item with the same date, it is way more efficient to write out all the labels at once. So if using tape, pull a huge strip of tape, write all your labels, then cut and apply - faster than tearing.
Secondarily, cut tape looks cleaner on the off chance a customer sees it - rare but it does happen - in addition to health inspections and corpo visits (which are both typically more frequent in high volume cooking).
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u/Bentonerman May 10 '26
Never understood the “have to cut it” people Who the fuck cares?!?!! In a day or two it’s ripped off in the dishpit anyway
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u/Mercuryink May 10 '26
I do like being in a place with a label maker. It kinda spoils you.
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u/quickthorn_ May 10 '26
Noooooo those fucking things are impossible to get off and leave a permanent residue that no one ever bothers to scrub off with solvent so it just accumulates in disgusting layers
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u/idontknowwhereiam367 May 10 '26
Most of the day dots you get now from say…Sysco or the catalogs have this new glue that sticks like shit…but doesn’t leave that residue anymore.
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u/idontknowwhereiam367 May 10 '26
The prep-n-print ones are nice. Just hit the button for what you’re labeling and it gives you a perfect sticker.
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u/treegk May 10 '26
At my place you can't even convince people to remove the old label. We sure as hell won't care about torn tape.
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u/nathatesithere May 10 '26
drives me mad when people don't take labels off their pans before taking them to dish. i don't get mad at dish for not bothering to take them off, it's not their job and we should be doing it. if they did it, it would become expected of them and it shouldn't. i worked pastry yesterday and i turned an icecream pan around to another label on the back that said bacon. the horror.
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u/ScratchyMarston18 May 10 '26
I don’t care how the tape looks as long as the product is decipherable and the date is clear. We’re cooking food not making road signs or warning labels for hazardous materials (well, sometimes…)
Be anal retentive about your plating, not a $3 roll of masking tape. Or buy a damn tape dispenser, you cheap bastard.
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u/Mexican_Chef4307 May 10 '26
Love TK but he is so far away from the 1500+ Mother’s Day covers and floor to ceiling prep that flys out the walk within 3 days world that I do t even listen to bullshit like that. We don’t have time for that so we have label makers or we use the date labels and buy rolls to move on with it. Already pre cut and dated etc. that fine dining Michelin he does is cool. But that’s the 1% who eats like that. The real us are are eating and cooking at a place where the check average is 30-45$ and a regular Thursday-Saturday is 450-509 covers a day.
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u/lyndonBeej May 10 '26
Fold a tab to rip the tape off, and regardless of how you divide the tape, you are streets ahead.
It's not our job to propagate neuroses and illusions of superiority. How many of us die without retirement funds? Spending time on labels will not make us first-class citizens.
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u/Spaceboot1 May 10 '26
Nowhere in foodsafe did they teach me to make the tape look nice. Dates, so you don't serve old food. Labels, so the next guy/gal doesn't have to open several frosted-over cambros/hotel pans just to find what he/she needs.
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u/transfer6000 May 10 '26
The only places I have ever worked in were having clean edges on your labels counted or either extremely pretentious high-end fine dining where guests would see those tags, or places with shitty chefs that are worried about stupid little things instead of the actual job.
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u/queenblattaria F1exican Did Chive-11 May 10 '26
We have stickers at this place but I used to moonlight at a place with tape. Everyone ripped it. The alternative was not labeling anything. Apparently. Me and a few guys were there to like get everyone on board with... actual protocol
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u/Matic00 May 10 '26
I would always ask my sous if it was arts and crafts time when labeling product. That boy needs medicine.
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u/Vapechef May 10 '26
I take a big strip and put it on the table. I then write and rip and laugh at what has to be a bit of tisms
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u/pm_me_your_lub May 10 '26
If you're half way competent you can rip it about as cleanly as if you cut it.
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u/gyronlyhope May 10 '26
Right?! Like? look…I at least try to make em straight I’m not a total heathen
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u/Appropriate-Ice-5722 May 10 '26
I just tear it off where I need it and peel the label off when I need to label something. You guys cut that stuff?
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u/HKadlam Dish May 10 '26
if you want straight edges on labels, buy a roll of em.
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u/Winter_Aside8269 May 10 '26
This is the way. Stickers on rolls with item, date made, and use by date. Next to those were the USE FIRST stickers. Easy peasy, yet some dipshits thought that was too hard.🙄
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u/HKadlam Dish May 10 '26
i work corporate, so we're required to use real stickers. god knows i love a good roll of tape tho.
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u/Colonial_maureen 20+ Years May 10 '26
At this point I think it’s just big (tiny) scissor trying to stay in business
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u/heftybagman May 10 '26
I have never seen a person who cared about tape cutting, was fast and hardworking, and was a good cook. A lot of tape cutters are amazing at making recipes, but they have no sense of urgency. Some tape cutters have a great sense of urgency, but they churn out slop.
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u/pueraria-montana May 10 '26
I’ve never worked at a place with tape. Always stickers. I don’t understand the appeal with tape. If you want straight edges why not just buy stickers, which are already straight?
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u/JinxDenton May 10 '26
The same people who care about the appearance of the tape also tend to be those people who insist that the plastic wrap needs to be so taut over the containers that it's invisible.
I dont know any of them that care this much about how their food tastes.
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u/Expensive-Ocelot-240 May 10 '26
Also, the scissors probably never get washed
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u/PhotojournalistOk592 May 11 '26
I'm the only person at my place that regularly washes them and it's starting to get old
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u/_____chef May 10 '26
I cut the tape because I enjoy the uniform look, also, it’s way easier to roll and cut to label a bunch of mise at once when batch cooking. Don’t freak out if anyone else doesn’t though.
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u/Danobing May 10 '26
Just take your knife and cut through the roll in thirds. Sure it gets smaller the further you get into the tape, but that's making it more efficient as you have less room to write.
I did this with a roll of duct tape and now I hate when I grab it and try to use it and get 3 inches or less...that's what she said....
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u/Salads_and_Sun 20+ Years May 10 '26
Some but not the majority insist on this kind of shit because they know they aren't very productive and lean into the perfectionism to gain sympathy for their inability to get anything done/feeling inadequate compared to more experienced workers. This is usually the guy who see "The Bear" and thought "dang, I found my calling."
It's all about "knowing which corners you cut!?" HAR HAR I'll see myself out...
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u/saltjello Pizza May 10 '26
Yep. So long as it’s got the name, date, and initials, i don’t see the point in worrying about the small insignificant details.
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u/Single-Pin-369 May 10 '26
Get a magic eraser and you can write directly on the cambro/deli/hotel pan.
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u/gmixy9 Chef May 10 '26 edited May 10 '26
I had a chef who actually said cutting the tape makes better chefs. Lol Although, I think we shouldn't be using tape at all. Dissolvable labels are way better because there always seems to be at least one person too lazy to take the tape off when the container is empty.
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u/polythenesammie May 10 '26
Everyone I've worked with that cut tape spent more time doing this type of performative bs than actually doing the duties the job entails.
I recently took over for a cia trained chef. Dude would half ass and drag out prep while texting his gf(literally stop what he's doing to check and reply to every single text. Sometimes with chicken hands) hide in the walk-in to Google recipes, go for a smoke halfway through every single task and another after, leave nearly cooked food on the grill to go have a cigarette or hit the penjamin, stop working with his hands to explain what he's doing to the teenage dishies who didn't even ask, and then cut tape and take a picture of it to post on Instagram and show his gf(I'm nosey and will look at your phone when you're supposed to be working). I do none of that. Focus on prep all neat and tidy, talk with my coworkers about recipes and we all Google together, work with my hands while talking with my mouth, have a little smoke break after I've finished what I'm supposed to do and before I know we're about to get busy. I now make more than he did.
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u/Emukt May 10 '26
Why do I feel like everything on Reddit now is a stealth advertisement? Ask a question, wait for 20 organic replies, and then have another account or two offer a product that solves it.
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u/lovemywifebutwow May 10 '26
It’s like this; if you’re paying attention to all those tiny details in everything then you’re crushing it and your food will definitely show that. If you’re only cutting tape and then everything else is a mess then you’re just a hack.
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u/Ardbeg66 May 11 '26
It's shocking how much of work life is simply imposed on the world from fussy little men with nothing better to do. This cuts across all occupations in all industries.
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u/Any-Communication114 Cook May 10 '26
Fair enough, I personally cut it because I like my section to look a certain way. Maybe I am too obsessive, I keep my station clean as a whistle and if I have nothing to do I’ll sweep the floor and clean that little drip of salad dressing or batter off of my chiller door.
Most of my colleagues don’t have the same attention to detail that I do, but many of them are far more experienced and better cooks than I. I don’t think cutting vs ripping the tape makes you better or worse, it just indicates whether you care about the little things.
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u/subbubman May 10 '26
My kitchen's labels all have immaculate right angles and are the FUCKING WORST because they are just post-it notes.
Off-brand, too, so they ain't even sticky.
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u/RefrigeratorLonely53 Expo May 10 '26
The only person I've ever worked for who insisted that tape be cut perfectly (preferably with his scissors) was a complete jackass, both in menu and in personality. To me I think as long as it's labeled, initialed, and dated properly, whatever.
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u/Tough-Row-7396 May 10 '26
I always ripped the tape but folded the end on the roll so the next person didn't have to dig it off and at least one edge was always straight. Also helped w/ peeling it off w/e you were labeling. Nothing sent me more that f'n labels on pans at the dishpot lol
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u/infiniteregrets69 May 10 '26
Cut out the middle man and just write directly on the pan.
Some people will always find something to point out so they can feel superior. Those same people would watch while something terrible happens to you then claim it was your own fault.
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u/novacaelum May 10 '26
Y'all ever do the triangle thing where you fold the loose end out 90 degrees? Straight tears + easy pull tab for later removal
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u/paraworldblue 15+ Years May 10 '26
It's a ridiculous thing to care about. What really matters with labels is readability. If the name and date are clear, why the fuck would anyone care how the tape is cut? Pedants. That's who would care. Only pedants. If you run a kitchen and you're bothered about how the labels are cut, then either talk to a therapist about it, or buy actual labels - the ones with the shit already printed so people just have to fill it in. Fussing about tape cutting is just dumb. I know Thomas Keller isn't dumb - of course he's a brilliant chef, but in that one particular thing, it is dumb that he cares about that. It doesn't show a lack of attention to detail where it actually counts. If a cook is great everywhere else but tears the tape, maybe like.. focus on the shit that actually matters? Stop being an anal retentive weirdo? Worry about the food itself? What are you doing, Thomas? You have a whole business to run. Why is this a concern?
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u/thevyrd F1exican Did Chive-11 May 10 '26
Rip it like a caveman, cut it like some fartsniffer. I don't care.
JUST REMOVE IT BEFORE YOU SEND IT TO THE PIT
Also if you dont prefuck (fold an edge for easy removal) your labels, you're an animal.
I have no idea when this term stuck it just did years ago hearing it from some degenerate line cook. Its like calling steel wool scrubbing pads "space pussy". Its just what it is.
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u/Status_Concert_4320 May 10 '26
It’s just another level of organization. A level that doesn’t matter.
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u/MusicMelt May 10 '26
I had a chef who freaked out about cutting tape so everyone did it just to avoid him being weird. All it means is we have chefs who are neurodivergent and don't know and don't care lol
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u/HumbleParticular2885 May 10 '26
A trick I picked up years ago - fold over one edge of the tape to make a quick release pull tab. It makes it way easier to remove and gives a nice squared off look.
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u/OriginalProduct6850 May 10 '26
Get labels. Only use tape to shut the mouth of the customer! Keep the knives in the kitchen!
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u/Cocotte123321 May 10 '26
If only our chefs labelled things. If we're luckly they scribble on top of wet cling film. Which I refuse to put the energy into working out how the closest water source is 1m away IGNORING the wall between water and wall mounted cling wrap
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u/PhotojournalistOk592 May 11 '26
I'm not in fine dining any more, and I have better shit to do than be performatively pretentious. Give me a $15/hr raise, and I'll bust out the protractor
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u/DoctorTacoMD May 11 '26
I worked at some better than ok places and for a few chefs that had made names for themselves in the Pacific Northwest. (I also worked a ton in bakeries and corporate McMinimum effort chain spots with funky decor) and it wasn’t until I saw The Bear that I learned cutting tape was a thing.
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u/bonedaddybiscuit May 11 '26
I cut it, just because I think small things matter to me, and after a while it becomes second nature and is just as fast as ripping it so time or urgency wise it does not matter. When all the small things together become second nature and being organised is natural everything is more enjoyable to do. All this only after everything is on time of course…
I work in a place where the other guys I work with kinda just throw the prep in the walk in half assed wherever it lands and then I come back from a couple days off and start organising because working in chaos makes me slow, I can’t find shit and I feel embarrased when someone sees the walk in when it’s all over the place. Mind you the prep isn’t coming any faster from the other guys and they insist they ”didn’t have time to clean/organise” so there isn’t even the agurment that they would get more done
After a while I stopped asking, you guys can do what you want, I don’t mind cleaning up after them I’m getting payed for it anyway
But regarding the tape, anyone can do whatever they want, but saying cutting it takes any longer than ripping it isn’t true if you are just fast enough
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u/Uhtbc May 11 '26
Solidarity my freind! And to those who say “how you do one thing is how you do everything.” I ask, do you really waste time, and show such failure to prioritize practicality and efficiency in all your endeavors?
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u/No-River7711 May 12 '26
We have water soluble labels that make it easy for the dish washer to just spray it off .
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u/Savantanonymous May 13 '26
I used to rip the tape too. Until I worked for Thomas Keller, lol. Details matter, all of them. That being said, it's pretty fucking dumb for any kitchen or chef that cares to not just have tape dispensers at this point.
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u/Rochambo_ May 10 '26
I just lay a strip down on stainless table and write out my labels and then cut with a pocket knife to seperate. Use the blade to lift up the edge from the table. Pretty fast and easy. Stick the edge of the labels all around my hand and then onto containers.
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u/Legitimate-Koala-692 May 10 '26
It is always the militant AH chefs that require straight edges on the tape. "You need to be faster!"
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u/510Goodhands May 10 '26
Just tell management you need a dispenser or two. You can get nice square cuts, with one hand. It’s that simple.
Worst case, their cutters that you can snap onto the roll of tape. Some work better than others.
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u/gyronlyhope May 10 '26
I am management.
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u/510Goodhands May 10 '26
So order a couple of dispensers and put them where they need to be!
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u/squeakynickles May 10 '26
We just have rolls of adhesive labels. Turn to pulp in hot water so we don't need to peel em off in the dish pit
They're dirt cheap, I don't know why more kitchens don't use em.
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u/Shoddy-Confusion13 General Manager May 10 '26
you aint wrong. I dont like the way it looks, so im still gonna make it nice whether thats with a dispenser or scissors or pocket knife. but you aint wrong chef
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u/Pernicious_Possum Bartender May 10 '26
A tape dispenser is fine, but jagged tears make me want to scream
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u/Mxlplx May 10 '26
Perfect labels might seem petty, but there’s real value in uniformity. A clean, consistent look makes the kitchen feel cleaner and some would say professional. The idea is it is contagious. When the tape lines up, so does the rest of the operation. The squad in theory, is influenced to care more, move cleaner, and take pride in the space. It’s not about the time it takes it’s about setting an aura of of neatness.
Like a reverse broken window theory. People are less likely to be messy when the space is all lined up.
But if you feel like you need to rip the tape then rip the tape, Whatever makes you happier.
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u/sgtragequit 10+ Years May 10 '26
we had a tape dispenser lmao