Is Garnish Actually The Hardest Station On Hell's Kitchen?
Anyone who has watched even one season of Gordon Ramsay's "Hell's Kitchen" has probably contemplated which dinner service station is the hardest. It seems no matter who is on what station, problems can arise, and Ramsay even has a history of kicking teams out of the kitchen when they consistently underperform on dinner orders.
The garnish station essentially finishes off the dishes with their proper garnishes or sides. For this reason, it's sometimes viewed by contestants as the easiest area to work because it doesn't deal with the complexities of cooking meat or fish or tackling a tough dessert. Become A Chef says that the garnish station, "may have a chef de partie working on it, in the higher quality and larger kitchens although a strong commis chef or demi chef de partie may be working this section in the smaller brigades."
Despite what it's known for, chefs have consistently messed up here, leading their team members to see them as poor cooks. However, Reddit users recently entered into a debate about whether the garnish station is fairly named the easiest — some actually think it's the opposite. One person even says it "couldn't be further from the truth."
Is the garnish station as easy as it seems?
According to Reddit, garnish is actually overlooked as one of the more difficult stations. After the original poster said garnish might be the hardest station on "Hell's Kitchen," other users chimed in to give their opinions.
"Garnish is the most difficult because it requires good communication and leadership ... As far as actual cooking it's incredibly easy," one person wrote. Someone else added, "Garnish is pretty much on every dish so you can't let up even for a second or it screws the whole ticket." Other people disagreed with the idea that garnish was the hardest, opting to go with fish or dessert instead. "[Fish] seems to be the one that can give even pretty strong cooks the greatest fits," one person commented, comparing it to the ease of filet or ribeye, which are more commonly prepared in restaurant kitchens.
Another Reddit thread, looking to settle this issue "once and for all," prompted one commenter to invoke their own kitchen experiences. "Garnish is very easy when you have experienced and competent chefs behind you that have their times down and are good at communicating ... it has been the hardest station I've ever worked when the chefs behind you are not as competent," they shared.
The majority agreed that garnish required a level of skill different from cooking alone. Garnish is involved in every single meal, and the same can't be said for fish or meat.