You may be wondering what on earth we’re talking about – actually, we’re bragging a little because we’ve been checking out various chef’s schools in Durban to see who’s chef’s jackets are whiter than white. We have to conclude that our Durban Campus Culinary Arts students should take the crown. Whilst there may be a touch of bias in that statement, we have to hand it to our students for their clean, white, crisp and stain-free chef jackets that they always wear so proudly every day.

 

Having a crisp white chef jacket really does make an impression – to visitors on campus, to staff who teach our students and to the students themselves who wear their jackets like a badge of honour. Having stained or greasy looking threads just isn’t a great look in any industry or profession. And quite honestly, if hotel management students need to look good in their business suits, shouldn’t chefs be held to the same standards?

Image caption: Keeping your chef jacket white simply requires a great cleaning recipe) (Image credit: www.bragard.fr

We asked our Durban Campus Culinary Arts students just how they kept their jackets white and those awful stains away. These are their ideas and suggestions, however, feel free to comment below if you have any ideas of your own that also work – we would love to hear your thoughts.

Washing tips:

• Before you start with your big wash, remember the golden rule for cleaning your chef jacket: PRE-SOAKING your jacket for 24 hours before washing it is the winning ticket for keeping it sparkling clean. There’s no other way to get the results that you’re looking for – soaking in LUKE WARM water with a little bit of hand washing powder is a great start.
• Don’t soak your chef jacket in bleach if you have a logo or piping on the jacket as you will bleach all the colour out of your jacket. (If you have an all-white jacket, of course feel free to use a little bleach in your pre-soak.)
• Make up this washing powder recipe that we recommend and use it every time you need to wash your chef jacket after a 24-hour soak. Here’s the recipe for the washing powder mixture:
  • 2kg normal washing powder (we suggest Skip White for great results)
  • 750g – 1kg Triple Concentrate Washing Powder
  • 300g Borax (you can find this in the washing powder section of a supermarket or alternatively, at your local Pharmacy)
• Hand wash your jacket well and rinse twice after washing. On the second rise, add a capful of fabric softener.
• Throw the jacket into the washing machine and begin your wash cycle.

Washing don’ts:

• Don’t add bleach to your washing water – rather pre-treat tough stains with bleach by “spot-bleaching” it and wait for 5 minutes before starting the washing cycle.
• Don’t soak or wash your jackets in hot water. If you have a protein stain, the hot water will cook the stain into the fabric, and ultimately make the jacket look worse.
• If you are able to use bleach, don’t overdo the bleaching (if your jacket doesn’t have a logo or piping on it). Bleach won’t always remove a stubborn stain, and excessive bleaching can leave your jackets thin and eventually they may even get holes in them. Be responsible when bleaching. In fact, too much bleaching can turn a chef jacket yellow.

Stain removal:

• Oil or grease stains can be removed by applying a little bit of Sunlight Liquid directly to the oil stain and rubbing it in. Use an old toothbrush to assist with the rubbing in process.
• Other types of stains can be pre-treated by making a slurry with the washing powder and rubbing it into the stain. Leave it to work for approximately 10 minutes before washing.
• Vanish liquid stain remover works also very well to remove stains. Apply directly to the stained areas 10 minutes prior to washing.
• For really bad oil stains, spray Doom on the affected area and leave for 10 minutes before tossing into the washing machine. Don’t laugh, it really does work. (This only works if you haven’t already soaked, bleached or washed the stain before applying Doom)

If you follow these guidelines from our students you’ll have zero issues with your chef jackets, and your whites will never, ever grow grey or yellowy again!