So for kicks and laughs I decided to watch some episodes of Top Chef's latest season. The reason I laugh at Top Chef is because the conditions they work under are pretty incredibly distant from a real kitchen. I would kill to have that much space instead of working ass to ass with the grill/fry guy. Seriously, some nights we could hold a greased spatula between us. I even have to call out low-left or low-right when I'm going for a reach-in so he knows which cheek to turn so we don't squeak.
In the premiere they have a whole big butchered into their big segments. From there, they have to break them down further so each person can do their own dish with different parts of the pig. Each person can only use 1 part and no one else can use that part.
The guy that decides to butcher the loin does this incredibly messy job, seems to have no idea what he's doing and basically destroys the entire thing. My mouth was just hanging open as I watched him go samurai on this beautiful piece of pork. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. I almost started yelling at my monitor.
Yes, he's trying to make a "chop" with a hacksaw because the spine is still attached. I didn't see if he used a knife to get to the the bone then used the hacksaw, but from the porkghetti on the board I'm thinking not. He got kicked out before he got a chance to turn on a burner.
So my question is, do you think that chefs should have basic butchery skills?
My personal thought is that anyone that wants to call themselves a chef needs to be able to butcher and break down a whole pig, cow, lamb, and fish cleanly and neatly. It's not a specialization or sub-category but a basic skill required for any professional cook.
p.s. the ground pig ear ravioli was my favorite.