How to Tie a Cook's Neckerchief

The chef's neckerchief is optional, unless it is part of a uniform.

The neckerchief is a chef's accessory that is not just worn for style or status. Chefs wear neckerchiefs to absorb perspiration while they cook. You may need to wear a specific color or style of neckerchief for your job, or you may choose to wear one for comfort. Either way, you will need to know how to form the proper square knot to hold this accessory in place.

Instructions

1. Lay the triangular fabric on a flat surface with its narrow point facing you. Fold the fabric away from you so that the point meets the top flat edge of the fabric.

2. Fold the fabric edge that is closest to you over by about ½ inch. Continue folding the fabric over like this until you have made it into a strip of fabric. Press down firmly along the length of your fabric.

3. Place the neckerchief around your neck with the right end hanging down about two inches longer than the left. Wrap the long end around the short end two times. This creates a loop around your neck.

4. Push the long end of fabric through the back of the loop like a necktie and then down through the two folds of the neckerchief. Pull gently on both ends of the neckerchief tp slide the knot up toward your neck. Stop when you have reached a comfortable position and both ends are the same length.

5. Loop both ends around the back of the knot and through the folds in the front to make a square knot.

References

• Neckers: How to tie a Chef's Neckerchief
• "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Success as a Chef"; Leslie Bilderback; 2007