Tobias Funke

I was simply responding to your comment about diners having to 'wait for food to be cooked'. Some things are cooked a la minute, some things are prepared well ahead of time and simply reheated to order. Cooking time is almost never a limit on what a restaurant can offer on the menu.

Many restaurants serve 'tough cuts'. Short ribs, lamb shanks, etc. In fact, you should consider yourself lucky if you're being served a batch from the day before. IMO stews and braises are almost always better the second day.

I bought a strong duffel bag from Target for $20. Then I bought a few hard plastic rubbermaid-type containers that fit inside the duffel. One is large, and two are shorter and stacked on each other. The containers essentially just barely fit inside the duffel, and add a structure to it that protects the contents. I adjusted the strap to go corner-to-corner for more stability when carrying it. My knives go in a netbook case from TJ Maxx ($10) that I attached to the side of the duffel with carabiners. I keep plastic guards on the knives so they can all go in together. Even though the netbook case is not very large, it holds a chinese cleaver and two 8" knives (chef's and santoku) while still being able to close. It's cheap but actually looks better than it sounds, and is very functional. I specifically bought a duffel with a number of pockets, so there are plenty of places for personal items, mp3 players, medkits, various odds and ends. Plus I can take dinner home in it and know it will be upright when I get home, because our to-go containers fit perfectly in the rubbermaid containers.