Kitchens are loud, crowded and full of hot things and knives. Cooks use short calls so everyone knows where everyone is and what is happening.
Key idea
Safety calls: "Behind" (I'm passing behind you), "Corner" (I'm coming around a blind corner), "Hot" (I'm carrying something hot), "Sharp" or "Knife" (I'm carrying a knife), "Open door" (oven door open). Service calls: "Heard" (I understand), "Ordering" (get ready), "Fire" (start cooking), "All day" (total of one item), "86" (we're out of it), "On the fly" (needed right away), "Walking in" (on its way), "In the weeds" (overwhelmed).
Why it works
A cook turning around with a pan of hot oil can't see you behind them. One word prevents an accident. Answering "heard" tells the chef the order was received, so nothing is lost in the noise.
Worked example: What do you say?
You're carrying a hot sheet pan past a cook at the stove.
- Two warnings: where you are, and that it's hot.
Answer: "Hot behind!"
Common mistake
Walking silently behind someone in a kitchen.
Practice at home
- For one week, use "behind", "hot" and "heard" at home whenever you cook with someone else. It becomes a habit fast.