NulloModo
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Posts posted by NulloModo
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My favorite waiter makes $800/wk in a small trattoria. I think that's a pretty reasonable salary.
40K+ a year is very nice for what is essentially an unskilled profession.
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Markk -
wow, those people are fascinating. My biggest flaw in having people over for dinner is cooking way too much, in fact, my roomate has expressly forbidden me from doing it lately because he fears the leftover and subsequent dish buildup and always follows...
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I also don't have pity that the waitstaff is paid mostly in tips. They got into that profession knowing how it was from the start. Waitstaff aren't the only people paid purely on job performance, there are legions of salespeople paid on commission on only what they do in their day at work, I used to be one of them, and honestly, I like the system, a lot. If you are good enough you can make a ton even on a bad day, but it takes drive, dedication, and the ability to put personal concerns out of your head and put on your work-face. It isn't for everyone, but for those cut out for it, sales or service, it can be a gold-mine.
The flaw with your sales argument is that customers aren't the ones deciding if your commission should be 3%, 6% or 15%.
True to a degree, but in the end the customer decides if it is 0% or whatever the comission is by saying yes or no to the purchase. At least in waitstaff terms even if it is a small tip you are virtually always insured _something_.
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I have to say I disagree with the author. In my opinion anything free is a very good thing, and I am more than willing to be treated as a guinea pig for potential new flavor combinations. If I don't like it, or I can't eat it, I will simply not eat it. Otherwise, bring on the freebies.
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Well, first off, I always tip on the pre-tax part of the bill, but then again, I live in a state with no sales-tax, and feel it is my duty to rebel against the concept of sales-tax in general. Infact, every time I go to Canada I am quite upset that I am charged not one, but two types of sales tax on dinner checks, this is becoming even more painful with the declining dollar.
I also recall when 15% we considered the norm, and from what I understand from other folks, 10% used to be the norm, so it worries me that what is expected keeps going up.
I also don't have pity that the waitstaff is paid mostly in tips. They got into that profession knowing how it was from the start. Waitstaff aren't the only people paid purely on job performance, there are legions of salespeople paid on commission on only what they do in their day at work, I used to be one of them, and honestly, I like the system, a lot. If you are good enough you can make a ton even on a bad day, but it takes drive, dedication, and the ability to put personal concerns out of your head and put on your work-face. It isn't for everyone, but for those cut out for it, sales or service, it can be a gold-mine.
Now, that being said, these days I tend to tip at least 20%, mainly because it is easier mental math than 15%. I also have this odd misgiving about leaving the check at something other than a whole dollar amount, so I add extra cents to my tip to bring it up, but that is more of an OCD thing. I also seem to tip higher because the main time I go out to restaurants is when I am on dates, and I understand girls look at that sorta thing now, oh well. Then again, my crowd and I tend to prefer places that are anything but fine dining, so a 20$ tip is often just $5 or less, so no biggie.
I do often tip a lot more for exceptional service when out with friends. Pretty much our rule is that no matter what we split tip equally, no matter what we each had, so flirty/personable waitstaff have often gotten 100% tips. Then again, around here the kneeling down and drawing smiley faces on checks things tends to draw ire instead of admiration, oh well, I like it.
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Chef Koo, do you really get upset when someone asks to have no potato/rice and extra vegetables (or just no potato/rice and nevermind anything extra)? Does that compromise your artistic vision or whatever?
i don't own my own restaurant so i really do'nt have a right to be upset. but if i did. i would insist that people try it first and then make up their minds. if they don't like it then they can orde something else. if alot of people like what they eat than so be it. if alot of people don't like what they eat than so be it. people call me arrogant, but it's not that i think my way is beter than the customers or that the customer doesn't know anything about food. it's just that i want to cook what i want to cook. adn does that comprimise my artistic vision? of course not. i'm confident in who i am. what people think of me is their own opinion. but if i take what you say to heart than it would make no difference if i worked at burger king, a chinese restaurant, an indian restaurant, or whatever. i chose french cuisine. i would like to accomplish that
Sometimes it goes beyond what the diner wants to try however. I know I have seen lots of entrees involving lots of starch that look very tasty, and I would love to try them, but the fact remains that I can't eat those starches if I want to remain healthy and not obese, and for me at least, that outweighs a sheppard's pie.
I think it is important for chef's to understand that special requests are not an affront to them or their talent, but sometimes just a concious sacrifice being made by the diner as well. I am always very appreciative of any chef who is willing to sub extra veggies for a starch, after all, the main dish is still left intact, what does a change in one of the side items matter? I can even understand a nominal surcharge for the service.
When a chef gets into the mindset of only cranking out dishes exactly as they appear on the menu it removes a lot of the personal touch of independant run restaurants, and takes that chef one step closer to becoming an Applebee's assembly line operation.
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I am a fan of Diet Rite as well, and splenda is much healther than aspartame.
What I wish I could find was a good diet tonic-water for making Gin and Tonics. The Diet Schwepps variety is particularly foul.
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Does MSG encourage water retention like salt?
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Wendy -
Your dessert teaser idea sounds great. I hardly ever order desserts when eating out because a.) I tend to be too full from my meal, and most desserts are too huge, and b.) most are just too pricey and I am already mentally adding up the cost of the entrees, apps, and drinks.
Houlihan's (a chain, I know) a bit ago started offering 'mini-desserts' for 1.99, and I love it. They also have low-carb and low-cal offerings in them, making sure that anyone can endulge. I wish more restaurants would try something like this.
As for your low-carb/low-cal/diabetic desserts, I have been developing a lot of experience in that arena. You can't just sub splenda 1:1 for sugar and expect to get a product that is good as the original. However, with certain products on the market now, it is completly possible to make almost any dessert low-carb and much lower in calories, while retaining 99% of the original flavor/texture/etc.
First off, never use just one artificial sweetener, it wastes money, and provides lesser taste. There is a phenomenon called 'sweetener synergy' that occurs when you combine multiple artificial/non-caloric sweeteners. You can use less of each, they boost each other's sweetness, and you get much less, if any, overall aftertaste. I am particularly fond of a combination of Splenda (find a source to buy the liquid version, the bulk/packet version actually contains a fair bit of sugar/carb (maltodextrin) as a bulking agent, 24 grams per cup), plus liquid splenda is cheaper per unit of sweetness, so anyway, liquid splenda, combined with Stevia (get a good brand, Sweetleaf and NOW are good), and a little Ace-K (acuselfame potassium).
However, you also have to realize that Splenda has none of the bulking/moisture-retention/textural properties of sugar, which is why many low-carb baked goods end up seeming dry and crumbly. To fix this you should use either sugar-alcohols (and you have to be careful here, some, like Malitol, can cause unpleasant GI-tract distress) or a substance such as Polydextrose or Inulin (there is a thread around eG on the wonders of Polydextrose). If you go the sugar-alcohol route Xylitol is quite popular because it is all-natural, and has an incredibly close to sugar taste, while being just a bit sweeter, but I really prefer Erythritol, because it has no chance of causing any unpleasant side-effects from eating it, completely safe for anyone. Polydextrose is much cheaper than Inulin, and has all of the textural properties of sugar. You can melt it, make candy with it, make glazes, toffee, it will hold moisture in baked good, and even sort of carmelize. Both Polydextrose and Inulin are effectively 98% or so dietary fiber, and treated in the body as such, so are completely safe for anyone, including diabetics.
For reducing fat in baked goods, there is a new product out called Z-trim. It is made from corn bran I believe, but has no taste, and is again practically all dietary fiber inside of the body. Basically, you take it, and mix it 50/50 with whatever fat you are baking with, and it takes on the properties/tastes of that fat. You could thus cut in half the amount of calories from butter, sour cream, cream cheese, etc, in certain dishes. I haven't tried it yet myself, but from all reports I have head from others who have, it is pretty much indistinguishable from the real deal.
Anyway, low-carb/low-cal baking/cooking does require a lot of thinking outside of the box to do well, but the rewards are definately worth it. So much of the reputation low-carb has attained is undeserved because people have simply sampled really crappy low-carb baking mixes designed for profit margins and shelf life over actual good taste. I am confident I can bake/prepare almost any dessert, and make it low-carb/low-cal while still making it just as good as the original, and I have no real pastry training. With your strong background in traditional technique I'm sure you could really do some wonderful stuff.
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I think a lot of people are reading way too much into this. I watched 'Sarah's Secrets' here and there, but I never really got that into it, her food seemed a bit dull compared to what some of the other F'N TV chefs whip up. As for there being no other real chefs on the network:
Emeril, for all his fame, is still a great chef, and makes very tasty looking stuff on his shows. Emeril Live bugs me just because I don't like studio audiences, too Oprah, but the 1 on 1 Emeril show is great. Bobbly Flay can get a bit repetitive with his Honey and Cilantro obessions, but I still have learned a ton from watching him, and like his personality or not, he knows how to cook.
Giadia and Mario are still around, and kicking strong it seems. The camera angles on Giadias show make me feel odd, but other than she does explain things well and tends to be a nice step between Sandra Lee and everything from scratch Mario.
Ina Garten and Paula Dean are around for good old fashioned solid home cooking, diets be damned. If diets are your thing Juan Carlos and George Stelle have the bases covered.
As has been stated above, Alton is still around too, and I turned on the TV the other day it who do I behold other than Wolfgang Puck! I'm sure the Puck shows are old, but they are great, and he seems to be very eager to teach in them.
There is a lot going on in Foodnetwork besides just Rachel Ray (who i also like, though I don't watch her celebrity show, that one just seems odd) and Sandra Lee. They are developing a lot of entertainment instead of cooking shows, sure, but if they decide to explore both sides maybe eventually the network will split, ala MTV and MTV2, one network to do everything that is a cooking show, one to do everything else.
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I just watched this one last night.
I really wanted to like Campbell's dishes, and they did look pretty cool, but in the end I think I might have been tempted to go for Mario's fare as well. I do think Campbell was much more creative, as Mario pretty much just stuck with established Italian recipes or variations on them, nothing that totally broke the mold. I like Campbell's plating, I've never eaten anywhere that smeared random stripes of sauces all over the place and used gold foil though, so, maybe I'm just not burnt out on it like some of you.
As for interest dropping off: They need more live ingredients. One of the best parts of ICJ was watching the chefs have to kill live eels or octopi or some big fish. I'd love to see a battle based on something that will put up a fight as the chefs try to kill it before cooking it.
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Anyone have other recommendations on a sub-$1,000 smoker that could handle a large ham?
Check out the cookshack model 008. It is very easy to use (electric, so just put in the wood chunks, set the temp, plug it in, and let it go), produces awesome results, and stays on temp very well. You can get one for under $500.
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Ah, I haven't had ants on a log in a long time, but it was some good stuff. I love celery to dip into dressings (blue cheese, ranch, etc), and it is an absolute must to be served up side by side with buffalo wings, also to be slathered in that blue cheese dressing.
I love it stuffed with peanut butter, with cheddar, with cream cheese, or just drizzled with hot sauce. I love to scoop up sour cream, guacamole, or both with it. I love it when cooked in soups, stews, or in that trinity in gumbo.
The place I can not abide celery (or apples, grapes, or anything else crunchy and/or sweet for that matter) is in tuna/chicken/egg salad. I love tuna salad, I love chicken salad, but I want them to be mushy, mayo-enriched, salty, spicey affairs, devoid or texture, and celery goes way too far towards adding that forbidden texture.
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Interesting, I just assumed that the water from the wash suddenly hitting the hot fat in the pan could lead you some pyrotechnics...
I wonder if it is possible to combine the buttermilk brine and egg-wash methods, just cracking and whisking several eggs into your buttermilk before soaking the chicken overnight in it...
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Brooks - why do you include water in your eggwash? I've always made 'egg-wash' just be whisking togethr lots of eggs, and nothing else. Does the addition of the water help everything to adhere better somehow?
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Regarding the buttermilk - all I can find in my grocery store is 'low-fat buttermilk'. Will this work for the soak, or should I really try to seek out the full-fat stuff?
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I agree that it is totally wrong for chefs to lie about ingredients, such as the anchovy thing. I will go one step further: I disagree with the whole concept of hiding cool ingredients in dishes.
If I saw 'Squid Ink' on a menu it would make me 10x more likely to order the dish, same with monkfish liver or kidney fat, those just sound tasty, and I don't have the means to prepare them at home. Just be open about what is in the food, and if it is good eventually people will order it. After all, you will never educate the dining public if you are pandering to the lowest common denominator.
I also took great exception to the relabeling of 'pomengranite molasses' to 'indonesian soy sauce'. While I can eat soy sauce, molasses is most definately a major dietary no-no, and I would be quite upset to order a dish expecting a salty soy-based sauce only to find it covered in sugar-syrup instead.
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(Some of those names should definitely be banned.)
I don't get it. I did a google search, and the only vaguely offensive name I could find was the Fat Bitch, and even that is only offensive in a minor way unless you are overly sensitive. Where are the really bad ones?
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You might want to try Fennel Seed, it has a slight Anise-y taste but it is much milder/gentler.
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When visiting my grandmom there always seemed to be a surplus of corn-bread after a couple days. One of the best desserts, or even breakfasts I suppose, ever, is to take a couple pieces, slice open so that the uncrusted side is up, heat them up in the microwave (microwave works better here, as you don't want more crust on top) and then slather with lots of butter and drown it all in maple syrup.
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If you want to add moisture retention and texture without a load of calories/sugar try PolyDextrose. It is somewhat of a specialty ingredient, but bakes up just like sugar, retains moisture, etc, but had hardly any sweetness. It acts in the body just like dietary fiber, which is a great thing about bran muffins anyway...
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Enjoy that you have a good story to tell? Are people kidding me? It's a good story if they made good - but they really didn't. If it wasn't an employee, it would be another thing. But the punch line is on the customer, who is out real money for an unpleasant experience.
I think that entirely depends on your outlook on things. It sounds almost like the poor/tardy service ruined the meal more than the drunk manager. Personally myself and my friends would have been incredibly entertained by the whole fiasco, and I might have secretly hoped for more drunken shenanigans when I went back to cash in on my gift-carded meal, but hey, I probably enjoy chaos and drunken antics more than most...
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I don't know anything about Chinese Salmon, almost all I see here is farm raised, which is what I eat, and it tastes fine. I think most of the horror stories are woefully overinflated about farm raised fish. Unless you are subsisting entirely on the salmon and cans of tuna the chances of getting enough heavy metals and etc into you to do damage are so slim as to be ignorable.
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So today after work I had to swing by the supermarket to pick up a corned beef brisket and some cabbages to toss into crockpot tomorrow. Unfortunately there is no killer sale on corned beef yet, so I took advantage of the buy one get one free, and ended up getting two point cuts for about $4 each, not too bad, but I should be able to pick them up for around $2 a point this weekend after they have surplus stock to deal with I figure, not that this has anything to do with fried chicken, so onto the point:
I wanted to pick up some skin on breasts to experiment with for dinner tonight, but those were priced sky high, so I went for some skinless breast tenders instead, which at $2 a lb, were very reasonable.
Since I had no time for a buttermilk brine, I decided to test out a couple methods I have used before, just to refresh myself. Method 1 was egg wash then grated parmesan, method 2 was egg wash and powdered pork rinds, method 3 was egg wash and a dry rub. All three types of strips went straight into the deep fryer to cook.
Notes:
The parmesan crust, as I remembered, gives by far the best looking crust on the strips, and has tons of flavor. I also tossed some italian seasonings into the grated parm (the stuff in the green can works perfectly for this, no need to splurge for the good stuff). I made up some spicey marinara for a dipping sauce for these, a lot like eating, well, chicken parm and fried chicken altogether, a great way to do chicken fingers for a change whether you are low-carbing or not.
The pork rind method can be hit or miss. This time I used some Herr's Spicey Smoked rinds for the power. Powdering pork rinds is messy business, if I'd been thinking ahead I would've swung by the Philipino grocery and picked up some Tito Al's Pork Rind Flour, which is very convenient stuff, but, this was spur of the moment. They provide a nice crispy crust, and there isn't really a pork flavor in the finished product, but the spices in these rinds did give almost a hint of BBQ taste. These were good with the BBQ dipping sauce I whipped up, but also good solo.
Finally, for the naked strips. The egg-wash helps the spices stick much better, and gives almost a faux-crust to the strips. I didn't make a custom blend this time, just used the big jar of 'Chicken Rub' that came with the cookshack smoker. These had a taste very similar to the Popey's NAked Strips, but being done fresh really helps them out a lot. I'm thinking I might try to egg-wash my buffalo wings in the future before I toss them in, just for a little more crispyness.
Tomorrow night is the corned beef, and this weekend I have a special guest staying over, and frying up chicken, while fun, is not the world's most romantic activity, so I may defer the CarbQuick and buttermilk test until next Monday or Tuesday, I will report back when I do.
Customers v Chefs
in Restaurant Life
Posted
Chef Koo -
That is an interesting question, but I still find myself in the camp of favoring with the customer. If it turns out that all the area wants at the moment is spaghetti noodles covered in ketchup, is it the duty of chefs in the area to force them to change? After all, maybe it is better to let the customers be happy and let the tastes evolve as they will.