“If you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen.” Folksy wisdom popularized by former President Harry Truman, it’s not really helpful advice for those who work in restaurants, which the back-of-the-house can become hellishly uncomfortable with summer’s sultry heat. On-the-job exposure to high temperatures is an unavoidable aspect of restaurant work.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, over 70% of cooks and chefs are subject to “extreme heat” on the job, with that condition defined as prolonged exposure to temperatures exceeding 85 degrees Fahrenheit.
By their very nature, commercial kitchens are made uncomfortable by the cooking equipment in use, which typically generates fumes, smoke, and large quantities of excess heat. Air conditioning a restaurant kitchen, especially the “line” where food is cooked and plated, can be prohibitively expensive. Energy-gobbling, high-capacity cooling set-ups and elaborate air-handling technology are required to keep kitchen space, equipped as it is with broilers, ranges, and fryers, both well-vented and cool.
Restaurant kitchen workers themselves have come up with a number of ingenious, low-tech strategies to “keep their cool” when temperatures soar. Lightweight uniforms, T-shirts rather than chef’s coats, and shorts versus long pants are options for some, even though such warm weather garb leaves those wearing it vulnerable to the painful splashes and burns that are common kitchen hazards. Cold towe.
