The dough comes from large cold tubs, scooped out rock hard like ice cream unto cookie sheets. The cookies are baked in the big kitchen fan oven, hot as a furnace, with the volunteer responsible for pulling them out before they burn to a crisp and stink up the entire Senior Center. (I use my Apple Watch timer.)
Unless you are Martha Stewart, perfect cookie uniformity isn't a big deal at home. Not so in a restaurant, where portions should all be the same size, for obvious reasons.
They just switched the cookie dough to a gourmet brand, and now they spread all over the sheet. The chocolate chip ones especially, the peanut butter not so much. Oh, the trials of commercial kitchen work. Mine looked pretty bad yesterday. The old lardy dough was easier and faster for the volunteers and frankly the seniors didn't care. But then I don't run the show.
Anyway, I'm a good home cook but in this setting I feel all thumbs. The Cafe manager constantly points out the many mistakes volunteers make-- anything from setting something down on the wrong surface to bad cookie scooping technique. Well, that's her job and I learned long ago at Microsoft to never take job criticism personally. So fire me.
I don't think they will, because I heard chef talking about changing the "Free Cookie for Members" to my work day. A constant stream of seniors waiting for a cookie, and not just any cookie. Guess that's my reward for doing a good job. Ha.
Speaking of hell's kitchen, if you like dark, black comedy, don't miss the 2022 movie "The Menu," starring the brilliant Ralph Fiennes. Kinda puts things in perspective.
Free cookie day? Sign me up. If they fire you, will you have to sign a NDA?
ReplyDeleteOne free cookie a week, and you've paid for your annual Senior Center membership. Yes, I might have to sign a NDA-- oh the things I've seen in that kitchen!
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