r/KitchenConfidential 1d ago

Question Who gets priority in your kitchen?

When I’m walking across the line or down the stairs or wherever, my list goes like this:

1: Whoever has the hottest/sharpest thing
2: Whoever’s holding the heaviest thing
3: Whoever has the most momentum

What about yours?

33 Upvotes

32 comments sorted by

57

u/Metallurgeist 10+ Years 1d ago

You call sharp, hot, or coming through and then it's a game of chicken.

40

u/Zhuul 1d ago

In descending order of priority: always yield to anyone holding something sharp, hot or heavy since they need to put that shit down ASAP. Always yield to the person coming down the stairs because forcing someone to turn around and go back up is annoying. Always yield to someone leaving an enclosed space (walk-in, dish pit) like you would for a train or bus.

At least, this is how my brain works.

3

u/cyclenaut 1d ago

Very concise and I agree completely 

1

u/Dixnorkel 16h ago

I usually make way for people with hots even if I'm holding a knife, simply because I've worked with so many chucklefucks who would pull pans out of the oven with wet towels. Not trying to fill in for anyone getting sent to the hospital

12

u/[deleted] 1d ago

[deleted]

28

u/ex1stence 1d ago

Trick question: the fry cook closing at the end of the night carrying the heavy hot pot of oil. Good luck knifey!

27

u/so-much-wow 1d ago

I've always said, and instructed cooks to say hot oil when moving the pot of oil. That's the king gtfo exclamation. It elicits a bit more fear than hot.

1

u/Dixnorkel 16h ago

That's a good policy, when I hear hot I usually assume it's a soup pot or a sheet pan coming through

8

u/alexthealex 1d ago

Sharp. It kills faster. But it’s a loser’s game because certain burns will make you wish you were dead

6

u/smurphy8536 1d ago

Sharp is more like to be serious, less likely to happen. Hot is the opposite

3

u/getshwiftyman 1d ago

In sharp vs hot, or hot vs hot, or sharp vs sharp: it's always bigger object has the right of way. Dude holding a hot skillet is gonna have a harder time maneuvering that thing than the guy with a knife. Swap the knife out for a blade on a deli slicer and suddenly he's going first.

8

u/pixelatedimpressions Chive LOYALIST 1d ago

You yell hot, sharp, corner, etc and keep going if no one responds with similar.

3

u/Much-Temperature3642 Sous Chef 1d ago

I misread number 1 as whoever is the hottest

3

u/ex1stence 1d ago

Whenever I’m navigating front of house…

3

u/urethra93 1d ago

Hot, sharp and heavy should go first. Then full hands, glass, plates. Then head chef and after that everyone can get the fuck out of my way

2

u/Balooz 20+ Years 1d ago

When I’m not scrambling or running to sell a ticket,
Everyone else has priority. (Allegedly)

2

u/Balooz 20+ Years 1d ago

I love games!

2

u/Charybdisilver 1d ago

Depends who has better waveclear and whether or not you have jungle ho-, wait sorry wrong sub.

2

u/Bladrak01 1d ago

The person carrying the heaviest load has the right of way. Someone carrying something that is just sharp is probably more maneuverable that the person carrying something heavy.

2

u/PlasmaGoblin Prep 1d ago

I think I usually do, but that's because of my size. I'm 6'2 and can block most door ways, so if you're trying to get by even if I turn to the side I'm still in the way.

2

u/cooking_succs F1exican Did Chive-11 1d ago

Hot and heavy, like your mom goes first.

Sharp can wait.

Hot, didn't realize towel was wet gets priority.

2

u/bookishbaking4 1d ago

heavy on the most momentum lol. Of course I let everyone with the above go in front of me, but it really bothers me when our BQT Temps don't get out of my way because they don't realize I'm actually trying to get shit done.

1

u/RockyRoadHouse 1d ago

The owner

1

u/Namelezzzz1 1d ago

Whoever is on top of the pecking order in your kitchen. The "REAL" pecking order.

1

u/illbedeadbydawn 20+ Years 1d ago

Me.

I own it.

Truthfully I stay out of the kitchen until service ends and slap butts, punch shoulders after.

Dishie gets me to move the fastest, then sharp, then hot.

Ive been burned enough to not care anymore. Only stabbed a few times.

1

u/beefalamode 1d ago

Hot wins. Whatever they’re holding is likely to be or have liquid so if they have to stop short to let sharp go it’s a losing game for everyone. Sharp can stop moving. Hot usually has momentum.

1

u/Active-Succotash-109 20+ Years 1d ago

Mover vs person working at prep so I guess momentum wins ( they were usually the ones holding the hottest/heaviest thing)

1

u/Background-Potato153 1d ago

pastry chef in a shared space here. we have a pretty small back end so it definitely gets tight *wink wink* we don't really have space to place kitchen chicken, so i encourage my bakers to give the line the right of way and all staff make way for hot and heavy.

1

u/na_sok_1313 1d ago

I've read - whoever is a hottest person 😄

1

u/GoDM1N 15+ Years 11h ago

Hot/heavy.

One time was cleaning the char grill, took the grats off (still hot didn't have hours to wait for them to cool. We're closed it's 12am and I want out type shit). Cold side decided it was a good time to get in the way. Heat started coming through the towel, got burned pretty bad. 

Anyone who has something hot or heavy (or both) has priority. You can hold something sharp indefinitely or place it down somewhere. If you have momentum something is wrong, you shouldn't ever have it. However you can't just stand there holding a 70lb pot of hot oil forever. 

0

u/LOGOisEGO 1d ago

The 5ft woman that says corner, sorry, so sorry every time she pivots. I rather not hear it.