A Sous Chef's Manual to Live By.

Over Christmas, I had the joy of cooking with my parents for our Christmas celebration with my mom's side of the family. My mom was head chef, my dad was sous chef, and I was the assistant to the sous chef and scribe of the Sous Chef's Manual. This manual was created with great laughter and love and of course, my dad and I's shared sense of humor. This humor can, at times, drive my mom a little batty, and for very good reason, as our jokes are typically less than funny and always punny. So without further adieu from the First in Class from Sous Chef School of Eldorado Township A Sous Chef's Manual to Live By.

1. Be so careful.
2. Provide the chef with reassurance and support.
3. Always have a big knife.
4. Comedic relief is invaluable.
5. Make loud noises when doing physical labor tasks of chopping or cutting to let the chef know you are hard at work.
6.  If the chef does not see you, you can lick the spatula and use it again.
7.  For an aromatic kitchen, musical fruit is not allowed.
8. Very important: know the difference between tbsp and tsp.
9.  Powdered sugar can be used as a substitute for baking powder if no one sees you.
10.  Daisies do not equal flour.
11.  Cutting in butter does not involve a knife.
12. Set out ingredients and measuring implements to be right ready for the chef.
13.  Know the difference between aus jus and juice.
14. A good sous chef must not add salt to his cured, smoked ham.
15.  Remember to say “two for his heels” especially when discussing bread.
16. Be flexible and adapt timelines according to cooking times.
17. Wisely determine where to borrow missing ingredients. 
18. Use the neighbor’s oven when the chef’s is too small.
19. "A good sous chef needs to have a chef keeping him in line…and that’s the truth." Says chef Pearl.
20. Have superior math skills for scaling recipes.
21. A sous chef must be capable of being bossed.
22. Balk at one out of ten directions/instructions issued by the chef.
23. Have an active audience when writing your sous chef memoirs.