CHEF WEAR

We confess: we have an inordinate fondness for chef’s clothing. With the possible exception of surgical scrubs, nothing is ever as comfortable as chef’s wear.

In the Kosher Nexus test kitchen facility, we favor chef wear over just about anything else. Put a pair of chef’s clogs on your feet, and see if your poor, tired, achey legs don’t feel better immediately. Wrap a cotton bandana on your head, and as soon as you stop feeling like Johnny Depp in Pirates of the Caribbean, you will notice that you feel much cooler as you slave over the stove.

Chef’s baggy pants are always made of cool cotton for absorbtion. They come in outrageous styles and colors, and they keep you cool. And if you get them dirty, so what? Pop ’em in the wash and they are good to go once again.

The advantage of a chef’s jacket is that you do not wear a tight, constricting shirt under it. We have found that they tend to be very comfortable, loose fitting, and stylish. We favor knotted buttons and black trim. All we can say is that the wearer always seems to have a measure of panache just by wearing the jacket. And we have found them to be incredibly comfortable. Finally, they are always heavy enough that should hot oil, for example, splash back at you, you do not get burned through the jacket.

A reader once asked if we had any idea why chef’s wear a neckerchief. Yes, we do. The chef soaks the cloth in cold water and then ties it around his neck to keep cool. Really? Yup!

So where do we buy all of our chef wear? Truth be told, we buy most of it at the Restaurant and Food Service Show. But we also buy on the net at: www.chefdirect.com

Wearing chef’s clothes will not make you a chef (hey, witness us!), but it will make you cool and the envy of all your friends.
(RJR)