Chef Profile: Keith Griffin
The Chef: Keith Griffin of Bacchus Restaurant and Winebar in Georgetown on Grand Cayman.
The Toolbox: “It’s actually a knife drawer, jam-packed with knives,” he says.
The Tools: “There are six knives that I use constantly, including a cleaver, a 6-inch chef knife, and a 2-inch prep knife. I also can’t work without a fish slicer, a pair of tongs, a thin spatula, and a bottle opener.”
The Tool That Grew Legs: An electric carving knife. “It’s the fastest tool out there for banquets, terrines and pates,” he says. “It doesn’t leave a knife mark.” But aren’t they old-fashioned? “I was first introduced to them ten years ago, and I thought it was for housewives. Since then, I’ve replaced it four or five times over the years because people steal them. It’s my own fault, I say, ‘Try it,’ and it disappears. It’s an off-the-shelf Black & Decker with a slim grip.”
His You’re Kidding, Right? Tool: “I use screwdrivers and wood chisels to carve swans, turtles, and dragons, for ice, fruit, and vegetable displays.”
His Love Tool: A 10-inch Wusthof Chef’s knife.
Sharpie Love? Sharpie Love. “I use thick black Sharpies to label and date food, for lunch deliveries, for everything,” he says. “They disappear, and I never quite get to finish them. I go through a dozen every two weeks.”
The Tool That Let Him Down: “I bought a spiral-cut Japanese mandoline to do a potato-crusted snapper dish, but it took ten minutes to do one and we were doing 160 covers that night,” he says. “But I still use it for garnishes, so it wasn’t a total disaster.”
What A Psychologist Would Say About Your Toolbox: “That I was incredibly disorganized and untidy, it’s almost chaos in there,” he says. “I can’t bear to part with some because of the memory they hold. My oldest tool is a sharpening steel that was given to me 26 years ago, but I’ve never used it and the previous owner’s name is still etched in the handle.”
The Wrap-Up: “I’m always surprised at how few tools you really need,” he admits. “Most tools are a luxury. If I have a pair of tongs and three knives — 2, 6, and 10-inch — I can do anything in the kitchen. I also need a bottle opener in case I arrive at a demo and can’t open a bottle of wine.”
It sounds like I’m not alone in my minimalist ideas of what should go in a kit! I try to buy multifunctional tools, too—besides, does anyone really NEED ten knives?