Searing flames, angry chefs and blood, sweat and tears - that's what I imagined a professional kitchen to look like. Of course, my expectation came from watching far too many series of Hell's Kitchen and MasterChef: The Professionals - so I knew it wasn't entirely accurate. But still, the thought of spending a day in a restaurant kitchen slightly terrified me.
My cooking skills are basic - good enough to whip up a decent dinner, but not superior enough to expect anyone else to actually pay for it. I know my staple pesto pasta certainly wouldn't meet the standards of a head chef. Though thankfully, there was no stern-faced Gordon Ramsey waiting for me at Honest Burgers in Bristol, just Rhys Huntley with a big smile.
"You'll need to get into uniform, take off any jewellery and put your hair up," Rhys told me on arrival, handing over a blue hair net and green cap.
I had plans to shadow experienced head chef and green jacket Rhys for the day, alongside his team of chefs Miguel and Yabal.
Today they were on 9-5 shifts which meant two hours of prepping and chopping ingredients followed by a busy lunch service and Uber orders.
First thing on the agenda was the delivery, which Miguel talked me through: "Protein always needs to be below 5C, if it's above 8C we don't accept it."
"It's also a legal requirement to do quality control every morning," he explained, cooking a medium-rare patty, a portion of chips and an onion ring as a test.
I was given the role of slicing peppers and gluten-free buns, but before I could lend a hand, I was reminded to wash my hands properly to avoid cross-contamination.
"You don't need qualifications to become a chef, as long as you have the will to learn and skill to be taught," Rhys explained to me.
Rhys, who has been a chef for 18 years, said he looks for someone with a "down-to-earth personality" that will bring good vibes to the team.
"It's important that everyone gets on," he added - and just looking at the small, intimate size of the kitchen, I could understand why.
"It's hot and it's hard work but we all have fun. We are happy chefs that love food and enjoy what we do," Rhys added.
Looking down at his choice of footwear, I was intrigued to see that he didn't have steel toe cap boots on like I'd expect, but a pair of black crocs.
"We're on our feet for 15 hours a day sometimes and there isn't a chance to sit down - so you've got to be comfy," he said.
As well as bistro crocs, Rhys recommended that all aspiring chefs invest in a sharp knife and a mandoline for precise slicing.
"A perfect burger has a toasted bun, a medium pink patty with lots of flavour and seasoning - and I personally love pickles on top," Rhys said.
And the secret to getting a perfectly cooked patty? Learn exactly what a medium-rare burger feels like with tongs.
"If you press your thumb and middle finger together and feel the squishy part of your hand - that's what a burger feels like when it's medium-rare," he explained.
Rhys admitted that he'd be put off eating burgers elsewhere - because they just can't cook them as well and the ingredients might not be as fresh.
"I'm definitely more picky eating out because I'm a chef. I once went to a steak restaurant with an open kitchen and watched the chef pick up raw meat and potato rostis with the same tongs," Rhys said.
"It completely put me off. But my biggest pet peeve is probably the price of food - maybe I'm just stingy.
"For example, I know Hunter's Chicken costs £2.50 maximum to make, but they charge £15 for it."
At 11am, the service began and we got our first ticket order through the machine - their special Bristol burger that's made up of cheese curds, cider and bacon gravy and shoestring fries.
It was absolutely humongous and made my mouth water as we started to build it from scratch.
"On a busy day, we will cook 500 burgers easily," Miguel told me, using a blue plastic glove to place a patty on the hot grill.
He got multitasking as the orders came in, while Yabal worked around him with ease - neither of them feeling the heat of the kitchen.
"My favourite part is the grill. You need to be focused and everything has to be timed and cooked to perfection but I love it," Miguel said.
"The person building the buns has to keep an eye on the fryers. We have a lot of sides - chicken wings, buffalo chicken, onion rings."
Immediately I knew what my favourite part would be - making up the burger buns and getting creative with sauces and toppings.
Miguel told me that he never gets sick of eating burgers, but "it's not healthy to have a burger every single day".
As we got into the swing of things, I enjoyed the fast pace of the work and the laidback personalities of the chefs - it was a joy to get the job done.
Once I'd built up a bit of confidence, Miguel let me have a go at flipping - but I was clearly a tad too comfortable, picking up the basting lid with my bare hands.
He jumped out of his skin and I feared I'd never be let back in the kitchen again as he shouted: "That's what the tongs are for!"
It took me a while to understand the tickets, and tossing the chips in rosemary salt surprisingly required a lot of elbow grease - which I didn't have.
By the time I reached the end of my shift, my clothes were covered in oil stains and I smelt of beef.
I was exhausted from the heat of the kitchen and I'd seen enough burgers to actually make me not crave one for dinner - despite how delicious they looked at the start.
"You can take your last plate out to the customers if you like," Rhys said, showing me how to balance two dishes on one arm.
When I returned, feeling proud and slightly like a fraudulent chef, the boys were loading the dishwasher and cleaning around the surfaces.
"You can start next week," Miguel joked - though I think I'll stick to eating burgers instead of flipping them.
