I’m hunting for roles that value tinkering — think koji-brushed laminations, aquafaba pâte à choux, and dialing 0.25% pectin NH for freeze–thaw stability on a 10-qt mixer and combi oven. If you’ve landed similar work, did it come through restaurant groups, CPG test kitchens, or food-tech startups — and are trial days or sample bakes the norm?
CPG test kitchens and food‑tech R&D are where I’ve seen that hired; they almost always run a short ‘bench test’ — a science fair with butter. Try the Research Chefs Association board (https://www.culinology.org/jobs) and lead with a one‑pager showing your koji lamination, % pectin NH, and freeze–thaw notes; restaurant groups bite only when there’s a concept fit — what city are you in?
In a 34°F room, go Mahr MarCal 16 EWR (IP67) — inductive scale holds zero in brine and cleans up fast without much fog: https://www.mahr.com/en/products/calipers/marcal-16-ewr. I rinse with warm water before sanitizer and use SR44 cells instead of LR44 to avoid the lockups. Are you spraying them down or dunking?
I’ve landed gigs by dropping a “spec box”: a few frozen pieces with a one‑pager (formula %, Aw, freeze–thaw curve), then offering a 90‑min on‑site bench; hotel‑group innovation labs got back fastest for me, but confirm pay and ingredient coverage. @kberry553’s note on gear is real — bring your own temp/logger so your data maps cleanly to theirs; what city are you in?