What’s the Deal with Chef’s Hats?

Maybe you haven’t ever thought at length about the history of a chef’s hat, but my goofy ass is here to share way too much information about it!

Those folds you see in a chef’s hat? They’re kind of like medals: they show rank and experience.

From Reluctant Gourmet:

Their origin came from the idea that the more experience a chef had, the more pleats his hat had. A pleat could signify a technique or recipe he had mastered.

At one time, a chef had 100 pleats in his hat to signify the 100 ways he knew how to prepare eggs. Chef hats today don’t hold so many pleats, but they still signify a chef’s level of experience.

Betcha didn’t care about that. Read more HERE!