The 11 Most Polarizing Tasks in the Bon Appétit Test Kitchen
If you spend a considerable amount of time cooking, chances are you have some kitchen tasks that you absolutely loathe—and ones you also kinda love. As it turns out, our test kitchen staff has some pretty strong opinions on the matter, too. From killing lobsters to picking herbs, these are the most polarizing chores in our kitchen.
Flickr/conskeptical1/11Chopping Garlic: HATE IT
"I hate chopping garlic. I hate it. It's sticky: It sticks to your knife, it gets all over your fingers, and it just makes a mess." —Claire Saffitz, associate food editor
2/11Making Dough: LOVE IT
"I really like kneading dough; making it by hand. I love how it feels in your fingers; how it's a fully tactile experience. —Claire Saffitz
https://www.flickr.com/photos/fdecomite/3/11Washing Lettuce: HATE IT
"I hate drying lettuce after washing it—It's just that paper towels and salad spinners seem so traumatic. I'd obviously prefer to let it dry in the sun out in some glorious meadow or something, but let's be real." —Alison Roman, senior associate food editor
4/11Peeling Shrimp: LOVE IT
"I like peeling shrimp, turning artichokes…anything that I can make into a game—where the goal is to get it better or more perfect than the last time." —Alison Roman
5/11Breading Chicken: HATE IT
"I really don't like standard breading procedure, with flour, eggs, and panko. I spent the summer making fried chicken, and it's always messy. No matter what, you end up breading your fingers." —Alfia Muzio, test kitchen cook
Photo by Peden + Munk6/11Searing Meat: LOVE IT
"I love anything involving hard heat. I'm very into the Maillard reaction; love the process of deglazing. There's something so satisfying about searing meat and deglazing the pan." —Alfia Muzio
Jamie Chung7/11Pitting Cherries: HATE IT
"Peeling pearl onions—and pitting cherries. The one time I made a cherry pie, it looked like there had been a massacre in my kitchen." —Allie Lewis Clapp, food editor
8/11Picking Herbs: LOVE IT
"I do like to pick herbs if I have the time. It's very meditative." —Dawn Perry, senior food editor**
Julia Kramer9/11Killing Shellfish: HATE IT
"I hate killing things: lobsters, crawfish, crabs. I just don't like doing it." —Dawn Perry
10/11Cleaning Ramps: HATE IT
I hate deveining shrimp, peeling over 10 pounds of potatoes, cleaning large amounts of squid, cleaning ramps, and chopping tons of onions. I hate it because it sucks. —Brad Leone, test kitchen manager
Hirsheimer & Hamilton11/11Shelling Peas: LOVE IT
"I LOVE seemingly monotonous jobs, like shelling 50 pounds of peas or peeling 100 pounds of potatoes—just find a system and a rhythm and go. Mindless tasks allow for time to catch up on some much needed thinking. There's no kitchen task that I really hate!" —Chris Wegan, test kitchen cook
