Tip From a Professional Chef

I first need to preface this by reiterating that I am by no stretch of the imagination a professional chef. I also did not receive this tip in person. I DID read about this tip in a book, tested it in my own kitchen and found that it worked beautifully for me and I continue to use it currently.

First - let me talk about labels. We all use them, whether we are dating a container of leftovers or prepping an ingredient for later in the week. Without labels - and admittedly sometimes even with them - our pantries, cupboards, and refrigerators would be unorganized messes and we would be left opening containers to try to figure our what the heck was in this and when did it get shoved in here. So what do we use? Sometimes we have single use bags that have a labeling section, or we can write right on the bag to label it. More often we end up using some kind of tape on the lid of a jar or container - probably masking tape. Then it gets wet and we peel it off and we end up with something that looks something like this:

Sticky masking tape residue

Sure the tape residue sometimes comes off after a few washings, but until it does you are stuck with it - if you pardon the pun. And even if you do wash it off, it takes some serious elbow grease to really get it done. And this is where I segue to the tip.

I recently have read a couple of books by a food writer Michael Ruhlman. Michael is on a bit of a personal quest to understand the mind of the top cooks - the Master Chefs if you will. So he is trained at the Culinary Institute of America, and begins to shadow chefs in their kitchens looking for the "it" factor that makes a successful chef and a successful restaurant. He finds that it is partially art, partially craft (or skill), partially emotion or passion for the food. Ultimately he ends up in the kitchen of Thomas Keller, the executive chef at the French Laundry in California - one of the top restaurants in the entire country. To spare you the details Thomas DOES label all of the containers he and his staff prepare for their dinners there. However he DOES NOT use masking tape. What he DOES use is this stuff right here:

Blue painter's tape - for labeling

OK so perhaps not that exact stuff - he is able to get lime green painter's tape for his labeling, but the blue stuff looks and works just fine for me. It is as easy to use as the masking tape, the labels are easy enough to read if you use a black Sharpie, and the best part- no sticky residue! The tape comes off easy peasy and there is nothing left behind. If you were like me and are still using masking tape, I suggest you switch as soon as possible. If it is good enough for Thomas Keller, it is certainly good enough for me. 

If you are interested in reading any of Michael Ruhlman's work - and if you love food I highly suggest it - Here is a short list of my favorites: 

• The Making of a Chef: Mastering Heat at the Culinary Institute of America
• The Soul of a Chef - The Journey Toward Perfection