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🔥 3 Kitchen Hacks Every Firehouse Chef Needs To Know

Fuel. Grind. Lead.

AuthorAuthor

Kait Price & Martin Lemay
April 14, 2025

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👨‍🍳 These aren’t just cooking hacks, they’re firehouse survival skills…

Let’s be real, cooking at the station can feel more chaotic than a three-alarm call during shift change. You’re juggling screaming timers, flying veggie scraps, and a cutting board that’s trying to escape the counter (the worst). But here’s the deal: the madness doesn’t start when the skillet sizzles, it starts before you even flip the burner on.

Lucky for you, a few smart mise en place moves can turn the kitchen chaos into a smooth, well-oiled machine. These quick habits will save your sanity and maybe even get you to chow time before the tones drop again… maybe.

🗑️ 1. The Trash Bowl Trick
No more sprinting to the trash like it’s a relay event. Keep a bowl next to your cutting board for scraps - faster cleanup, cleaner workspace, and fewer floor peels trying to trip you mid-shift. This tip seems simple, but try it - you’ll thank me later.

🧻 2. The Towel Lockdown
Slide a damp paper towel under your cutting board. You can also use an extra piece of non-slip drawer liner if you happen to have that lying around. BOOM - No more board surfing across the counter while you're dicing onions.

🧹 3. Start with a Clean Kitchen
Messy kitchen, messy mind. Clear your space before you start, and you’ll move through prep like a well-oiled engine with less stress, less shouting, and more chow.

🧄 BONUS: Microplane That Flavor
Chopping ingredients like garlic and ginger isn’t always the easiest. Grab a microplane grater and grate like a station boss - quicker prep, bolder flavor, and zero risk of mincing your fingertips.

✅ Proper prep starts with the right tools - you can use a microplane grater for numerous things in the kitchen - hard cheeses, garlic, ginger, zesting citrus… the list goes on. For $10 on Amazon, you can’t go wrong.

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Fuel

🔥 If you’re anything like my wife, she puts this stuff on EVERYTHING.

The quickest way to derail a healthy meal is by adding high-calorie, high-fat sauces – which is a lot easier than you think. The bottles at the store have almost triple the calories than this homemade Low Calorie Yum Yum sauce, and you won’t even be able to tell the difference. Get the recipe here!

Follow along with me in this video and I’ll show you how easy this is!

🤷‍♂️ What’s The Big Deal About Sauce?

  • Hidden Calories: High-fat sauces can add hundreds of extra calories without you realizing it, hindering weight management.

  • Blood Sugar Spikes: Many creamy sauces contain refined oils and sugars, which can cause blood sugar spikes and energy crashes.

  • Heart Disease Risk: Sauces high in saturated fats, like Alfredo, can raise cholesterol levels and increase heart disease risk.

  • Digestive Discomfort: Fatty sauces can cause bloating, indigestion, or heartburn, especially in large amounts.

🔪 Whether you're gifting or upgrading your own kitchen game, this is the last one you’ll ever need to buy. 👇️ Hundreds of styles and customizable to YOU. Sleek, smart, and built to impress - use code STATION for 10% off

My favorite is the Teak End Grain Carving Board which I use every single day!

Lead

⚓️ ​​What do the Titanic and the fire service have in common?

On April 15, 1912, the RMS Titanic, deemed "practically unsinkable," tragically sank on its maiden voyage after hitting an iceberg, resulting in the loss of 1,517 lives. Investigations revealed that overconfidence, ignored warnings, poor communication, and leadership failures contributed to this disaster. This wasn’t just a maritime disaster - it’s a masterclass in what not to do. Let’s break down what the fire service can learn from the day the legend sank.

📣 1. Speak Up, Even If It's Uncomfortable

Alexander Carlisle, who advocated for more lifeboats, regretted not pressing harder when overruled. In firefighting, voicing concerns about safety or procedures, even against opposition, can prevent disasters.​

❌ 2. Learn from Near Misses

Prior incidents with Titanic's sister ship, Olympic, were overlooked, reinforcing a false sense of security. Fire services should treat every close call as a learning opportunity to improve safety measures.​

🦸 3. Avoid Overconfidence

Captain Smith believed modern ships couldn't sink, leading to complacency. Firefighters must remain vigilant, recognizing that experience doesn't make one invincible.​

📞 4. Break Down Communication Silos

Titanic's radio operators, focused on passenger messages, and failed to relay critical iceberg warnings to the bridge. Effective communication across all departments is vital in firefighting operations.​

🔥 The Titanic's story isn't just maritime history; it's a cautionary tale emphasizing the importance of proactive leadership, open communication, and continuous learning principles that are equally critical in the fire service.

Read the full article here by Pedro C. Ribeiro from ASK Magazine.

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