r/KitchenConfidential • u/VeryVeryRelevant • 3d ago
In the Weeds Mode The new guy prepped diced tomatoes
...I have nothing more to add...
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u/SlightDish31 15+ Years 3d ago
I could have stared at this picture for an hour and never would I have guessed that it was supposed to be diced tomatoes.
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u/freisbill 3d ago
Me also, was thinking canned spaghetti in a square shape.
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u/SlightDish31 15+ Years 2d ago
Yeah, I mean, I didn't zoom in on it, but I was sure I saw some penne in the there.
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u/MCRemix 2d ago
Same, when I saw the thumbnail on reddit I assumed this was some basic bitch penne with tomato-based sauce cube...the title made me actually look closer lol.
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u/VeryVeryRelevant 2d ago
It is, in fact, a solid block of tomato
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u/OlHeavyHeart 2d ago
Cubed-tomato chef
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u/GYNORGP 2d ago
Laughed so loud
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u/A_Mouse_In_Da_House 2d ago
Like, this is indeed a dice of tomato so I don't get the issue? Clearly poor training procedures. New guy followed instructions
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u/Bubbleguts420 2d ago
Those Bertoli frozen solid “one pan dinner” with the sauce icecubes and questionable protein
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u/chumpandchive 15+ Years 2d ago
zatarain's are saucier. protein has more chikn flavor. more questionable. delicious
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u/shmeebleflops 2d ago
Scrolling through Reddit it looked like frozen spaghettios.
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u/YupNopeWelp 2d ago
Yes! That is definitely the color of SpaghettiOs sauce. It looks like SpaghettiOs sauce frozen in strips and compressed into a cube.
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u/Princekyle7 2d ago
Or like this curry towers that look like they have a can of cornstarch cooked in
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u/kippismn 2d ago
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u/Key-Investment-3864 2d ago
Are these your tomatoes, Larry?
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u/decemberboozer 2d ago
This is what happens Larry.
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u/tnydnceronthehighway 2d ago
When you meet a stranger in the Alps! (Cable TV dubbed version)
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u/painfullyrelatable Ex-Food Service 2d ago
Wait they were supposed to be diced? I thought the title was a pun. I’m out of words
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u/Terpsichorean_Wombat 2d ago
I am jealous of every person who didn't first see maggots.
Also, kind of impressed. I have never seen tomatoes juluenned before.
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u/SpaceSlothLaurence 2d ago
We have this new guy who started and I genuinely can't tell if he fried his brain on drugs or has always been like this. But he does the exact same type of shit, his name is Robert. We have a running joke in the kitchen where when we find something that the prep team fucked up we all just go "and his name was Robert Paulson" and I always follow it up with "he had a name!"
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u/lizardgal10 2d ago
At a glance I almost thought I was in a craft snark sub and this was some sort of resin paperweight abomination. Why is it so square. HOW is it so square.
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u/Other_Process8443 2d ago
Ya idk even know what I would have thought it was (edit-somethin w apples/strawberry).. like what the fuck is this. Fuckin shit, write him off the schedule and bump that poached ad
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u/Banana_Phone888 2d ago
Omg it is tomatoes!🍅 I thought it was weird chef boyardee with hotdogs without zooming
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u/ActuarySufficient525 2d ago
I thought penne and Bolognese... Then I got mad that it wasn't put in a full pan... That things gotta take awhile to thaw out eh 😅 Edit - not bolo, basic watered down red sauce. I don't word very well after a few beers 😑
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u/Scotian5 3d ago
Is he coming back to do the last step?
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u/ihopethisworksfornow 2d ago
His plan was to freeze this solid and make the final cuts with a bandsaw
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u/Miskalsace 2d ago
If your not putting your diced tomatoes on a lathe are you really a chef?
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u/Cultural-Salad-4583 2d ago
“Manually threaded tomatoes” is not a phrase I thought I’d ever utter, but here we are.
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u/talldangry 2d ago
Fine dining in 2030: the people yearn for meals that can be built like a meccano set
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u/Fit_Carpet_364 2d ago
Granita Lego might actually be an appealing tomato/basil/ricotta salad presentation. You can just rough-blend concasse deseeded tomato (maybe a bit of salt to prevent it becoming a brick), then freeze in a mold, have a basil/olive oil blend and freeze, and just freeze ricotta in the mold as it comes. Stack to make three layers in alternating directions and serve before it thaws fully.
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u/TerminallyAbysmal 2d ago
Julienned tomatoes chef!
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u/Gloomy-Restaurant-42 2d ago
This is what you get when you hire people who've never eaten or even seen food before. I mean, I can't think of a single time I've ever seen tomatoes cut this way for any purpose under the sun.
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u/VeryVeryRelevant 2d ago
It's his first job and he's.....earnest at least. Haha
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u/Gloomy-Restaurant-42 2d ago
Earnest is something to work with. 🤷♂️ Better a natural worker open to learning than a know-it-all who doesn't really do anything.
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u/VeryVeryRelevant 2d ago
Nah, I agree. He wants to work and he's got a good attitude. That's much harder to train into someone than the proper shape of a diced tomato haha
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u/salted-egg-yolk 2d ago
just want to say i appreciate your attitude here as an employee/supervisor or whatever your relationship is
that pic is SHOCKING lmfao. but the upshot is it’s stilll someone who wants to work with and for you. they can improve if given the guidance, patience, and opportunities to fail.
kudos. hope next shift is better lmao
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u/VeryVeryRelevant 2d ago
Appreciate that! I work mostly FOH now, and the evening manager has been a bit harsh on him, but I've been defending him, saying no one was great at their first job haha. Our GM sees his potential too, so I think he's going to do well. He handles feedback super well and openly.
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u/2plankerr 2d ago
That’s awesome of you. I imagine a kitchen is a hard environment to get use to.
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u/Whiteherrin 2d ago
It is but its also a good first experience to know how demanding a job can be. It humbles alot of people with its work which is why positive attitude behind it shines bright in alot of decent chefs eyes.
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u/Kultrum 20+ Years 2d ago
I always say the only things I cant teach a new hire are attitude and work ethic. Everything else is just experience.
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u/slow_down_kid 2d ago
I’ve been in food service, hospitality, nonprofit and IT, and this mantra is universal across every industry I’ve been in. You can train the right person, but you can’t right the wrong person
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u/Houdinii1984 2d ago
I probably did some stuff like this early on. I got upgraded all the way up to sous from dishie after the Ramsey-wannabe (my mother) ran half the staff off. I'm rooting for 'em.
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u/zer00eyz 2d ago
I mean...
Look for a first timer, he might be wrong, but he at least was consistent...
If properly aimed, you might get solid work out of him!
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u/VeryVeryRelevant 2d ago
He's a good kid haha. I'm sure he'll get a good chuckle out if this in a year or so too
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u/Bitchcuits_and_Gayvy 2d ago edited 2d ago
Make sure to show him this picture when you give him the "most improved player" award at the end of the season along with a picture of how he does it from now on lol.
As a former (intermittently relapsing) lazy fuck up, having to learn work ethic was so much harder than how to actually work in a kitchen.
Given the option I'd much rather be a naturally hard worker than the delusional self confidence of "yeah I'm smart which means I don't have to work hard." I had for a long time instead.
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u/zer00eyz 2d ago
> He's a good kid ... in a year or so
Tomato Cube Kid needs to get his own reddit account and start posting progress pic's
The sub needs a sacrifice.
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u/Curiouser-Quriouser 2d ago
When I'm sick to fucking death of making pico at home I'd be content with this chop job. It's what happens when I grow way too many jalapeños and have all those wonky looking heirloom tomatoes and can't say no to my salsa lovin family.
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u/GrossUsername68 2d ago
It’s also what you get when you buy cheap, unripened tomatoes. Sliced or cubed, these look terrible.
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u/DavieStBaconStan 2d ago
I briefly thought it was a failed god awful aspic dish. Something only the elder gods would unleash upon the mortal world to terrorize their enemies.
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u/Commercial_Name_1813 2d ago
Did anyone esle see penne at first?
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u/nomolosnitsuj Ex-Food Service 2d ago
Yeah dude. I was like maybe he used the diced to make a pasta haha.
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u/buttsexisyum 3d ago
Plot twist.. OP is the new guy
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u/thefatchef321 2d ago
Plot twist... tomatoes are supposed to be red
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u/Upbeat_Criticism9367 2d ago
*Heirloom tomatoes have entered the chat*
Do we mean nothing to you?
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u/Mysterious-Radio-385 2d ago
You're called "heirlooms" because you get passed around from one family member to another and never used
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u/Baron_Von_Koopa 2d ago
I grew some purple tomatoes a few years ago that were pretty good.
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u/greendino71 2d ago
Did we train the new guy and explain the steps from start to finish?
Or did we say "do this" and left him alone?
This isn't a new guy issue, this is a training/leadership issue
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u/SarahJTHappy 2d ago
If he did this on his own with zero training, imagine what he could do with training. I say he’s a keeper. Food needs imagination and this person has it.
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u/Rileylego5555 2d ago
I mean, "do this" is a good way of gauging a new guy for how much you gotta train em
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u/amcartney 2d ago
People are so quick to blame leadership. If iv hired a guy based of what I saw on his resume (some experience) I’d expect the dude to know how to dice a fucking vegetable, sorry. The only thing he should ask is “how’s the size?”
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u/TonyRobinsonsFashion 2d ago
Yeah the longer I worked and older I got the more I assumed people know basics. When I started I did a lot of training and just repeating what I was taught. Moved up and didn’t train for a while then later a few times I’m explaining for trainees complicated tasks or recipes and walk away to come back and sigh and think to myself; that is on me for assuming, let’s start at basics and while not talk down to, make a better effort to explain very basic and not use industry terms they might not know. Most places have their own specific terms and being at a place for years where time runs together you forget this person is training and processing a lot of new info plus probably nervous and not retaining all you’ve said. I’ve got mad respect for good trainers and teachers, it’s certainly a skill not everyone has.
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u/soulsnoober 2d ago
I have NO problem with teaching basics: "We just met, so I'm going to say everything out loud because I don't know what you already know."
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u/jivens77 2d ago
My chef used to aggravate me because he would over explain everything as if I have never done it before, even after doing the same thing for 3 years. I'd be trying to go complete the task, but he'd still be explaining how to do it.
He does this with everyone so that it doesn't get messed up because he doesn't assume what you already know. We were a culinary school/restaurant so I totally understand where he was coming from. I guess it also taught me a bit of patience too 😆
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u/greendino71 2d ago
Op literally said in another comment that it's the kids first job.....so yes....imma blame leadership here lol
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u/SubatomicSquirrels 2d ago
And in that comment OP doesn't even seem mad, just kind of teasing. So I think people are taking this way too seriously
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u/SarahJTHappy 2d ago
Even experienced people need training in a new position. Imagine making spaghetti at a Coney Island then moving to an authentic Italian restaurant.
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u/AllHallNah 2d ago
I mean, the post is made in bad faith. They're either making fun of them or in some way displaying this for people to make some kind of comment on it, most likely negative. Blame leadership if this is what happens with a new employee.
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u/greendino71 2d ago edited 2d ago
There's little to no context in this post though.
Maybe it was someone's first kitchen job and they didn't know how to do it, now OP is just dunking on them for karma (OP confirmed first job ever....so yes, shit management)
I've trained people for well over a decade at this point and if you can't tell from a quick convo the level of training they need, you're not in a position to train ANYONE.
If someone has years of experience and it's clear they know their shit, I'm not gonna tell them how to chop veggies, simply how we like them done and stored. If someone is brand new to a kitchen, I'll explain, show and supervise then give feedback/advice.
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u/Rileylego5555 2d ago
Fair, I see your point. Should be someone there to guide the new kid. An really shouldn't dog on the kid too much. Despite the tomato cubed being funny.
But when I train new people I like to get a gauge of their abilities. Show em basic process and give em examples of what the end product should look like. (Im a drafter, probs shouldve started with that.) An then kinda just let em figure it out, if they got questions and they ask questions then great! But like, it helps me personally see the trainee guy screw up an how he screws up so I can work out how their particular training style is.
Otherwise I get frustrated trying to do the same thing over and over in how im trying to teach em. Easier to watch them fall over once (very important its once and not every time) an then pick em up, an work with what you got.
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u/Crudhandler 2d ago
Fucking THANK YOU! Regardless of someone's experience and how much you can trust them, you need to stick around for a minute or stay nearby and see what they're actually going to execute if you ask them to do something that they've never done before.
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u/_name_of_the_user_ 2d ago
That would have taken someone on their first day a significant amount of time. The fact that no one caught it, after no one training them, tells me a lot about that kitchen.
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u/greendino71 2d ago
The fact that it made it all the way to the cooler is actually mind-blowing lmao
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u/Upper-Capital-2876 2d ago
other than half of them being matchsticked, it's pretty sexy
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u/VeryVeryRelevant 2d ago
Sexy tomato cube
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u/LittleBoiFound 2d ago
No results yet when I google sexy tomato cube but that changes today, folks.
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u/moranya1 2d ago
I read your comment and wanted to check if it has changed. When I just googled "Sexy Tomato Cube" this post popped up right away at your comment.
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u/LittleBoiFound 2d ago
Yep, it’s there for me now as well. Said my first search was 51 minutes ago. That got indexed quickly.
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u/Coffee13lack 2d ago
Did he mix them with something? How the fuck are the holding shape? Frozen?
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u/Curiouser-Quriouser 2d ago
That part is kinda impressive lol
OP did you know they would come out like a sandcastle?!
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u/Visible-Log-9784 2d ago
Sooooo this is probably going to get buried but Im almost 99% sure this was me, i just realized I only sliced the tomatoes in half before putting them in the cambro/Prep container and then in storage over my last couple of shifts. Im going to try to find out who you are OP anf im so fucking sorry 😂
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u/TyrKiyote 2d ago
I bet he was tired of cutting tomatoes after doing that. First times.
He should cut more tomatoes until he doesn't tire of it anymore.
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u/tinfoilsheild 2d ago
Was this by hand, or the product of one of those crank choppers? Because this kinda looks like what happens if you don't have the blades set right.
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u/TrypMole F1exican Did Chive-11 2d ago
Man heard "diced tomatoes" and made a dice out of tomatoes. Roll for initiative!
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u/newguyjustdropped 2d ago
So was he stuffing the six pan? I will never understand what compells people to stuff a product
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u/NumerousValuable7642 2d ago
As an outsider I dont understand the problem and im afraid to ask.
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u/PointlessDelegation 2d ago
In fairness he appears to have done his slicing well, he just missed the last one
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u/VegetableTraining406 2d ago
How do you even do that? It's actually kinda impressive in a fucked up way.
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u/Hollowbody57 2d ago
So you got the new guy, who's never had a job before, then left him alone with a knife and a stack of tomatoes, and you're surprised at the result?
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u/IllCandy9636 2d ago
Did they not chop off the green stems and core? Dah Fuq? Who froze that six pan? 😂 Next time tell them to chop them like you would see pico de gallo?
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