Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

I just had to revive this thread to share one of my proudest moments.

Last night, I made hot dog buns from scratch (long story), minced some red onions, cooked hot dogs in casings on a griddle (you know how those puppies explode?), and ate said hot dogs (including yellow mustard, red onions and Tapatio hot sauce) without getting even the tiniest splatter of anything on my very expensive cream-colored angora/mohair sweater! In fact, I forgot I was wearing it until I had already put the food on the table, so I wasn't wearing an apron or being the least bit careful! And I never once stopped to think that I might drip the world's most impossible to remove substance (yellow mustard) on it while eating!

Woo Hoo!!!

Okay. I know that was weird, but hey... Thanks for my moment... carry on!

I always keep one chef's coat for "meeting and greeting." No one has to read the menu on my cooking clothes. I'm pretty neat about cooking but I do have mishaps. It's best that clients see you in clean whites - it perpetuates the illusion I'm a perfect cook! :D

I'll jump on that bagel-bitch boat... please keep those darned onion or everything or garlic bagels separate!!! And not just from the sweet ones. Keep 'em away from ALL the others! I hate it when my perfect sesame bagel tastes like an onion bagel!

Regarding aprons, I generally have at least two at any given time, but usually remember to wear none. Of course, when I do wear one, it never fails that I will splatter something onto a part of myself that's NOT covered by apron. I'm not even exaggerating. Seriously. This just happened around the holidays (again). I was wearing a crewneck T-shirt, the apron just covers my bust, and I managed to splatter gravy all above the top of the apron around the crew neck. Of course, my house is filled with comedians, and I never heard the end of it. "Only YOU could end up with food on your clothes while the apron remains spotless," or things to that effect. I've even ended up with stuff on my back! What the...???

I've actually been thinking that I need a chef's jacket, simply because everything would be covered. Or a smock. One with sleeves. Like artists and sculptors use. Of course, they're billowy, so I'd probably catch myself on fire. Which might be only slightly more of a problem than all the stains!

Thick slices of heirloom tomatoes layered with fresh mozzarella & fresh basil & olive oil (room temp), home grown lettuces (so tender), any berry, corn on the grill with sweet butter, potato salad, a tall any-drink with lots of ice drunk while under my umbrella, bare feet....85 degrees out.

PerkyMac, I hated those coats. I wasn't in a fancy kitchen by any means, but it was my first stint at cooking that intensely, and I was often a mess.

Apparently, the idea is that a fully competent chef doesn't get splattered or spill on her/himself. My boss preferred the chef jacket, so it took me a while to realize that many of the cooks in London wear an apron (dark blue with white stripes). I went to that and it was a vast improvement:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/images/B0002WYRQO/ref=dp_image_0/202-6659069-5142241?ie=UTF8&n=283926&s=dvd

I desperately need to buy myself an apron.

All kinds of summer fruit - peaches and melons and berries. Winter fruit is okay (in Summer I bemoan the lack of really tasty citrus), but there's just nothing like biting into a super-ripe nectarine.

Oh, and beefsteak tomatoes and corn on the cob.

Grilled trout with basil butter, Silver Queen corn on the cob, gazpacho with fresh bread, bing cherries, key lime margaritas on a day with nothing else going on, heirloom tomato tart with chevre, crab custard tart, cook-outs with country ribs, panzanella, grilled shrimp tacos with plenty of avocado, and blackberry ice cream in a cone (it's not the same in the winter).

cucumbers, fresh dill, tomatoes, yellow summer squash, sigh.......