Yeah! we know that working as a chef is hard work. most chefs work long shifts amounting to about 50-70 hours of work per week. that’s not all in addition chefs need to work on their feet. they didn’t get the luxury to sit down while working the way most other professions provide. In this post, we’ll answer why chefs stand all day long.
Some of the chefs would say that they feel like laborers. but remember chefs are professional. It’s been a tradition in the culinary industry to stand on your feet while you’re working. and there are reasons for it. for example … chefs need to stay constantly on the move. doing the prep work while standing increases speed. there is not always much space in the kitchen to sit. standing increases your space for mise-en-place. and many more... In this post, we’ll look into it in detail.
5 Top Reasons Why Professional Chefs Stand All Day Long
Constant movement is required to run the kitchen
Chefs need to stay constantly in motion to run the kitchen. that’s why they are required to work while standing. it increases our productivity.
prep work is easy and fast when you are standing
Don’t take my word for it. try it yourself cutting the veggies yourself while sitting and doing it when you’re standing. record your time on the clock and compare. your clock will prove that standing is superior to sitting when it comes to doing the prep work.
Standing while working in the kitchen makes you more alert
As we’ve discussed above, nearly most of the things in the kitchen are in motion. we play with fire and knives. if in any case, something wrong happens in the kitchen you better be prepared and ready to move. in case of any kitchen hazards, you did be better safe by standing instead of sitting.
Kitchens are not designed for sitting
Kitchens are designed in a way that helps the restaurant make more profit. The lesser the Kitchen area more the dining area. more are the diners more will be income. That’s why the kitchen area is just enough to do its function. The result is not enough space for chefs to sit around.
Standing Increases mobility
while you are standing you can have more mobility than you have while sitting. you can more quickly reach out to things that you need in your mise-en-place. You would have less area for your mise-en-place if you were standing.
one more thing people some chefs who are head chefs or executive chefs they might not be standing all day long. As their job is more managerial. but most chefs stand all day long.
Those were the five top reasons why chefs stand all day long. Standing all day long is not good for your feet. it’s a big pain in the feet. we have made a list of 4 tips to help you deal with your foot pain.
4 Tips to help you with Chef’s foot problem
Get good Shoes that provide you with comfort and safety
You need shoes that can save you from injuries. We recommend you to go with shoes with a maximum of 2-inch heels, a comfortable footbed, and with good padding. take it as an investment that will save you from a lot of pain and your time.
Give yourself a foot massage or get someone to do it for you
it’s simple. you don’t need any qualifications to massage your feet. just sit in a comfortable positing and gently massage the bottom of your feet to help remove soreness and improve blood circulation. if you want to apply oil or any lotion you can do it. it will lubricate your skin which will make massaging your feet easy for you. applying oil or notion is not necessary.
Ice your feet or get pain relievers
if your pain is too much. you can use generic pain relief sprays used by people in sports. we recommend you ice your feet in case of inflammation.
Add some leg stretching yoga exercises to your exercise or movement routine
we recommend you learn some yoga poses or some other stretching exercises for your leg muscles. Do sun salutations every day that will be work out for your full body. in case you don’t know how to do sun salutations here is a short video.
Summary:
We have discussed 5 top reasons why chefs stand all day long. working as a chef is hard work in case you’re new to the culinary industry read this article first. we have also discussed 4 tips to help you with your foot pain.
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