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Glossary entry

Italian term or phrase:

bruciapentole

English translation:

Ham and egger

Added to glossary by Cedric Randolph
May 11, 2016 06:25
8 yrs ago
Italian term

bruciapentole

Italian to English Other Cooking / Culinary Curtains
Hello everyone. I'm translating a short article for a magazine which starts with a description of all the worst things that could happen to you in a restaurant. One of these is to find "la cucina agghiacciante dei bruciapentole". Anyone any idea how to translate that "bruciapentole"? Many thanks in advance.
Proposed translations (English)
4 Ham and egger
4 Pan-burner
4 slopjockey
3 +1 incompetent chef
4 all bottlewashers and no cook
3 kitchen hand
Change log

May 12, 2016 14:50: Cedric Randolph Created KOG entry

Discussion

Lara Barnett May 11, 2016:
Italian Vs English terms Maybe the idea of a burnt pan has slightly stronger connotations in Italian so it may be the wrong idea to use. We have horror stories in UK of kitchens, but they relate to greasiness, mouldy food in the fridge, over-cooked meat etc There must be something on these lines.
Sarah Gregg (asker) May 11, 2016:
Sorry, I don't really have any other context. It's an article talking in general about restaurants, with a fleeting mention of the risk of encountering "la cucina agghiacciante" of these "bruciapentole2.
Lara Barnett May 11, 2016:
Buttered fingers Or easy "greasy" fingers. The point is that this oily, greasy substance is hazardous and cannot be put in the hands of a clumsy person as they will inevitably cause problems through its use - be it through burning or slipping.
Lisa Jane May 11, 2016:
yes we still use 'butter fingers' although it's usually for people who keep dropping things-clumsey with their hands.
Lara Barnett May 11, 2016:
@ Lisa Jane Yes. It sounds a bit old - fashioned. An old school teacher of mine used to say someone had "buttered fingers" if they were clumsy. Is that up-to-date?
Lisa Jane May 11, 2016:
yes I'd never heard of slop jockey it gives me images of old fashioned workhouse kitchens or soup kitchens where they would serve 'slop' for food to a queue of hungry people and also 'slop' it onto your plate so I'm not sure of it in this context. The only other terms that spring to mind are 'careless/clumsey cook' or cak-handed but nothing more specific which is why I went for a literal translation.
Lara Barnett May 11, 2016:
3rd option I also like Janice's idea. "Slopjockey" sounds like the right idea if the term is regarding sloppiness at work in the kitchen - as an alternative to trying to keep the "pan burning" idea in the English. But surely there is something more common on these lines?
Kate Chaffer May 11, 2016:
Cucina I automatically took this to mean the dishes available rather than the kitchen. Can you clarify this Sarah?
Lisa Jane May 11, 2016:
@Cedric I think a pan burner's kitchen is self explanatory and anybody reading would understand that it is a messy or careless cook's kitchen. To burn a pan is a pretty standard mishap in any kitchen-I do it all the time:)
Lisa Jane May 11, 2016:
Hi Lara my suggestion is literal as I think the text is basically referring to someone who is a careless cook maybe not a pro-and often leaves the pans unattended thus burning them-this is how I understand the Italian term, On my part I would ask for some clarification from the asker about the context, the target of the magazine for example-I see the category is curtains so does that mean curtains should be concealing this unprofessional cook's damage or what?
Lara Barnett May 11, 2016:
Answer I am not putting forward an answer, but I cannot decide between Kate and Lisa's answers in terms of agreement (those are the two that sound better to me). If anyone can provide more info on the background to this term and the context here, at least I will be able to make my choice. Information so far is still a bit vague considering the diversity of possibilities put forward so far.
Shabelula May 11, 2016:
io ho sentito parlare di "bruciasughi...."

Proposed translations

32 mins
Selected

Ham and egger

One online Italian dictionary says this for bruciapentole, regionale spregiativo nell'uso settentrionale: sguattero, cuoco. Keeping in tone and context in English a ham and egger is a disdainful remark directed at someone deemed worthless or undesirable. I might put it this way, "It had a horrific kitchen, where ham and eggers reign."
'Pan burners' makes no sense in English and means nothing to a casual reader.

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Note added at 1 day8 hrs (2016-05-12 14:51:46 GMT) Post-grading
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I'm just glad I could be of some help. Italian can be very difficult to interpret.
Peer comment(s):
neutral Janice Giffin : It could be used, but I see it is a much more general term that is applied in non-kitchen contexts
2 hrs
Something went wrong...
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "Very difficult to chose, but given the lighthearted vein of the rest of the text, this seems to fit the bill perfectly. Thanks to you all. "
4 mins

Pan-burner

Literally I suppose!
A pan-burner's kitchen.

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Note added at 5 mins (2016-05-11 06:31:39 GMT)
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Or the kitchen of a pan/pot-burner
Something went wrong...
3 hrs

kitchen hand

To be honest, if I was reading a magazine that used any of the other three terms suggested, I'd be a bit confused. I think basically all they're trying to say is that the food was cooked by a skivvy in the kitchen, the lowest of the low. See the examples below:

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q="cooked n a kitchen hand"&...
Something went wrong...
2 hrs

slopjockey

According to the urban dictionary...."a half-assed cook...". Some research on this term brings up some fairly disgusting descriptions. The general idea is that of careless, sloppy kitchen work, the opposite of culinary expertise. Often used in association with military kitchens.

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Note added at 4 hrs (2016-05-11 10:36:22 GMT)
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I have also happened upon "shoemaker" as the definition of an untalented, uncaring cook. This is a new one for me. http://blog.ruhlman.com/2008/05/elements-of-coo/
http://www.cheftalk.com/t/66522/my-chef-is-a-shoemaker-help
Example sentence:

You call yourself a professional chef, but you're nothing but a slopjockey!!

Reference:

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=slop%20jockey

http://www.encyclo.co.uk/meaning-of-Slop%20Jockey

Something went wrong...
+1
9 hrs

incompetent chef

I think this simply means an incompetent or inexperienced chef. The other suggestions seem too colloquial, although mine does lack the colour of the Italian original!





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Note added at 9 hrs (2016-05-11 16:15:20 GMT)
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Something like "finding oneself on the receiving end of culinary incompetence" might work.
Peer comment(s):
agree Marzia Nicole Bucca
8 hrs
Something went wrong...
1 day 3 hrs

all bottlewashers and no cook

The dictionary gives, "scullery boy" which doesn't really work. This idea is taken from the saying "chief cook and bottlewasher" and should be easily understandable by most people worldwide.

https://www.google.it/search?source=ig&hl=it&rlz=&=&q="chief...

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Note added at 1 day3 hrs (2016-05-12 10:21:32 GMT)
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Obviously it is the kitchen which is hair raisingly all bottelwashers and no cook.
Something went wrong...
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