When we choose a place to get our food from, for either quick lunch, takeaway or fine dine, we all look for freshness. The formula behind a successful restaurant over a quiet place comes down to freshness. When running your restaurant/food business (without any kitchen, chef experience) make sure your kitchen produces fresh food, not selling some thing which was cooked a week ago. Yes, with sky high costs, wages control and all other factors it can be hard: as I said in my previous blog "keep your mind at the wright place" to take such decisions. Cook every day or max 6 to 10 hours before the service. Cook less, control your wastage and its okay to be sold out. I see it as a good sign of healthy business. Places which cook less and fresh will always tell you that we have only X number of portions left.
I love hand picking my local produce when ever I can. I am not a big fan of tin products. I will only use them if I don't have a choice.
Less is more when it comes to bulk cooking in a commercial kitchen. It helps in controlling wastage and keeps every thing nice and fresh. Thats the key to success, freshness drives the customers.
Kitchen Formula
It keeps the team motivated, repetition of cooking same dishes over and over again brings perfection and chefs master the dishes of the menu. We all know that our grandma cooks great food, don't forget it comes down to the time she would have spent in kitchen mastering all the dishes which she makes over number of years. Same formula applies in the commercial kitchens with young chefs trying to build their name.
It was the case for me too. I still cannot function in the restaurant kitchen without my diary. I love to be the first one in the restaurant as the only noice I can hear is the fridge motor vibrating in the background. Thats the time when I would talk to the dishes I'll make and keep working on them over and over again till I get the best result out of them. Every single change will be noted in my diary for future reference and trust me, it helps big time.
With my new baby Sacred Bites, I can't wait to open my secret diary and get inside my zone to do what I love doing "Cooking". I have been working my menu in back of my head from months, even after 15 years of experience it some time scares me. I get asked this question a lot of times, why do chefs take it personally if there food is criticised. I explain by saying that they are artists, just like a painter there canvas is their plate and they put hart and sole in a dish and sometimes it becomes personal :) Keeping it fresh is half the battle won when it comes to boosting the dish, colours, crunch vibrant are all the names which comes with freshness. Also great chance for chefs to perfect there canvas.
Comments