When calling the wheel, which items should you call first?

When calling the wheel, prioritizing items with the longest cook times is essential for maintaining an efficient and timely service. By calling these items first, the kitchen ensures that they have ample time to properly prepare and cook each dish. This practice accommodates the overall workflow in the kitchen, allowing other items with shorter cook times to be prepared and finished simultaneously without delaying service.

Calling items with the longest cook times first means that they can start coming to completion earlier, reducing the risk of items being rushed or overcooked. When these dishes are established in the preparation sequence, it allows for better organization and timing, ensuring that all components of each dish can be ready to serve cohesively.

In contrast, focusing on items ready to serve or those that are easiest to prepare disrupts the workflow, as it can lead to delays for dishes that truly require more time to prepare. Likewise, prioritizing items with the shortest cook times might lead to a situation where those items are completed, but the longer-cooking components are not ready, ultimately impacting the service quality. Therefore, emphasizing longer cook times is a strategic approach to ensuring that all dishes meet quality and timing standards during meal service.