AlaMoi

you might want to consider a chef or santuko knife style. the wider blade keeps the fingers off the board. the advantage is - many lengths/style/price points available..... my dear wife has the same issue - trying to slice radishes (for example) with a paring knife on a 2" thick maple board. it's painful to watch and more painful to suggest a solution.....

have you considered the prof is out-smartering the team? he's likely been at this a while and has handed you an known impossible assignment to see how much you've actually learned..... there are so many conflicting and contradictory statements / premises to this "problem" that I hesitate on any attempt to lay it out. besides, are we doing your homework? - it's a limited customer base - who have to make their preferences known 24 hrs in advance - the establishment requires sufficient staff to research, plan, cost and communicate with the customer on a RIGHT NOW basis - what happens when the customer who demanded ground beef but from a left handed meat grinder does not respond to communications? - no conventional costing model will work because purchasing is limited to the open market and paying top dollar, in addition to "custom shopping time" and lots of extra prep/research time. not much chance to order stuff up from Sysco, for example - the theory that a good kitchen staff can whip up a delicious anything from any random recipe the customer provides is quite unworkable and absolutely guaranteed to produce customer dissatisfaction about 80-90% of the time. the reason chefs get to be so tyrannical is simply because after the time&effort to tweak a recipe, when somebody gets creative there's not enough "Yes, Chef!"s to avoid a good butt kicking. - what is Plan B when a dish fails? - what is the plan to handle (the likely many) instances of "It costs how much? Thanks but not tomorrow." huge waste of resources.

it's all a fascinating idea / concept / discussion - but them d*mn brass tacks keep coming to the surface. at the very basic level, this is a personal chef cooking at _his_ place, not yours. not actually going to survive on (3x4=12 or 3x6=18) x $30/each = max $540+/- gross revenues per day. now, iffin' you are a world reknown 20 star chef aiming to please three tables at a clip - i.e. http://restaurantjezebel.com - that's peachy keen except when it gets to the $20-30 price point. here's the snippet from the web site: "As Parind launched his global catering business he is catering from Europe, Caribbean to any city in the US. " that, my deer, is not happening at $30 per person; or $60; or $90. there are sites where one can "hire" a private chef to show up at your place with all the fixings for your heart's delight. highly local. here's a cute headline from one site: "Dedicated to finding the perfect match for your home, yacht or private jet." methinks youse likely need _both_ the yacht _and_ the jet before this kind of stuff is a financial reality. besides, after jetting your buyer to the Himalayas to get that special high altitude yak cheese, how do you handle the cancellation? as for replicating Granny's meat loaf - give it up all ye' who even think that can be done even by a 300 year old classically trained best in class 2,000 star chef. I have the index / recipe cards _in their handwriting_ from past generations and I'm _still_ trying to re-create some of my childhood favorites. actually, I think my recollections are faulty. Pinterest does not stand the remotest chance.

reminds me of multiple "contest" type cooking shows. Hi Chef - here's your mystery basket! oops - you're fired. where is it written that any given kitchen can take any requested ingredients and produce any request "dish" with any degree of "tastes good" ?

. . . we need an automatic sesame seeder for the bread stick machine..... yum! this is my A.M. brunch loaf - it's the classic no-knead approach - 14 hours on the counter at 68'F it's neat cause I can mix it at night, when I get up - preheat the oven - turn out the dough - 15 minutes covered + 20 minutes uncovered and bingo - fresh bread for breakfast. when going free form I reduce the hydration to 75% so it does not spread quite so prolifically.

so . . . before the salts from the urine gets too deep on the shoes - would ya'll consider clarifying whether you're talking "watts of light" or "watts of electricity"? NO of course NOT they are not the same thing. see any package - a "60 watt light bulb" that uses only 9 watts - get the measures & units straight.

my concern is if used shredded&raw, they may not cook-to-my-liking given the fairly short egg cook time.... so, time to 'sperrymint..... squeeze out . . . indeed. hadn't thought of that - bit like kotoffel-klosse....

I was thinking to grate them raw, then either boil or steam in a strainer. I have the idea cooking prior to shredding might not work out - would they not be so soft as to mash rather than grate? ... a bag of pre-shredded frozen would probably die of freezer burn before cooking-4-2 would use them up (g)

DW does a "breakfast group" - new restaurant this trip. came home raving over a super delicious omelet. brought some home in a doggie bag to be deconstructed... I'd call it a frittata more than an omelet as all the "goodies" are cooked into beaten egg vs. a typical "filling" - looked to be made in an 8 inch pan. fried methinks - it was a bit crispy / crusted on the outside. but anyway.... a main additive is shredded potato. my question is does one cook / parboil the shreds prior to use in the egg dish? diced onion and diced crisped bacon completed the add-ins; folded in half for service & topped with shredded cheddar,

there also a ceramic version http://www.hearth-oven.com/ if one thoroughly preheats, I don't see these would be of much "use" past the pizza stone concept.

well, I be in serious bigtime trubbles..... because for the last 20 years or so: I buy the $0.99 2.5 or 3 inch wide disposable paint brushes at Home Depot. the same "brand" ones you see in BB&B as "pastry brushes" for $2.99 each. they get used for lye; they get used for water / butter / oil on strudel / puff dough / filo / salmon / trout / etc / etc / etc. they get a good rinse - hot or cold depending on butter/aqueous brushee - and go thru the dishwasher. I can understand the silicon brush thingies would be seriously unsatisfactory. somebody gave me one for Xmas one year - I think I tried it twice before it chucked it....

oh there's be billions and billions of variants to any "authentic" dish. German potato salad - also one (most) regions prepare with a vinaigrette style "dressing" - but indeed there is a known and documented "creamy version" "Feld Salat" - another item essentially not replicated in (multiple) forms . . . sits right next to a "Kraeuter salat" Schweinehaxen vs. Eisbein . . . names, words - reality may not be so different.... etc & etc.

The Joy of Cooking White Bread Plus - qty reduced for two loaves..... I started baking this recipe in the 70's - it is cited as doable with a hand mixer - also starts in hot or cold oven - two 9x5 loaves. very reliable recipe - keeps well.

for a "German style" cucumber salad I use 50-50 cider vinegar + olive oil - slightly different twist. salt&pepper + celery seed. about 1/2 thinly sliced onion by volume to cucumber slices. no sugar. no paprika (in Hungary methinks everything gets . . . ) the Penna Amish are fond of sugar in their version, and also in pepperslaw - I suppose it's a regional thing - but I much prefer without. white vinegar will likely taste even stronger and more "raw" - I'd suggest you start with the 50-50 mix, taste - add more water until the bite decreases to your liking.

if frozen, some liquid will appear. check the label - if it lists anything, that's likely a "preservative" aka water sop....

probably one of the easiest dishes to do - a round or two experience and you'll be expert. dry - yes, if you can get them. look for frozen types in a bag labeled "No Preservatives" - the TSP is a 'preservative' and that's what makes them "wet" (couple other compounds are used - but TSP is the biggiest.) if you can't get "dry pack" the pat dry thing is extremely important. double pat double dry.... thaw them _completely_ a full 24 hours minimum in the fridge. failure to thaw completely is not a good thing . . . 60 minutes before the dinner bell: pat them dry, lightly salt them, back on a plate in the fridge. 30 minutes before the dinner bell: pull them out of the fridge to the counter to warm up a bit. they take about 3 minutes per side; so that's six minutes tops per batch, in a 10" pan you can do roughly six - do not crowd use a heavy pan. cast iron is my fav. preheat to hot. a pat of butter for flavor - enough to coat the pan bottom - when the water has bubbled out and the butter just starts to brown pat dry the scallops and put them in the pan. have some oil handy if the pan dries up too much - just a bit - enough to keep the bottom coated. like all proteins, they'll stick at first - move them _not_ until they crust up a bit. typically you can shake the pan and they'll bust loose. _listen_ to the pan - adjust the heat so the pop&sizzle remains "consistent" - for scallops-in-a-hot-pan you want a fast / rapid sizzle & pop. failure to monitor&control the heat can be a problem. if the pan goes cold, you don't get the sear, if it goes too hot, you could get more color in the sear than you wanted, aka "charcoal" after about 2 mins on the first side, use a sharp pointy carving fork, or ice pick, or skewer, or .... to poke them. doing the first side you should not feel any firmness until about the lower 1/3. then flip. the second side will likely take a minute or so less. poke them - you don't want "firm" all the way through - that'd be 'over done' - if you have difficulty with the poking & firm thing - sacrifice one scallop, keep cooking it and keep poking it, flip it, cook&poke until you notice 'the dang thing is hard!' - cut and sample/taste. "over doing it" is one easy way to learn how the poke-to-check-doneness thing works. the general recommendation is to season them right after they come out of the pan. options vary - drizzle a spoonful of butter out of the pan; fresh pepper, seafood boil, wilted scallion, pan sauce w/ reduce white wine...

as heidih pointed out, there's "protein crusty crunchy" and there's "sugar crisped" I actually did something similar - it worked out well. it is a bit of 'last minute' so it may not work in this situation. (I'm assuming the typical tenderloin size I get in the supermarket - two strips (about 8-10 ounces each) Cryovac'd . . . trim, etc and bring the tenderloin to room temp. salt all sides; allow to stand at least an hour for the salt to do its thing. lightly oil the pieces and thence directly into a relatively dry pan ( for me = cast iron with it's usual unwashed coating of fat....) and hot pan, sear the outside to a crispy finish. do not 'cook through' at this point. hot = as if left more than 3-4 minutes you're moving to char.... remove from pan, attack with sharp knife, slicing it in half longways. lightly oil the fresh cut and plunk freshly cut side down in the hot pan and put a crispy crust on it. pay close attention to the 'tail' i.e. the thin end - you may have to hold it up off the pan to avoid overcooking it. take the patient's temperature. if it has not come up to +/- 145'F internal, put it on a rack in a 250'F-ish oven for a couple minutes until the internal comes up to temp. slice on the bias.

24 x 24 and 24 x 28 sheets http://www.webstaurantstore.com/455/cling-wrap-and-plastic-food-wrap.html?filter=length:24~28*-inches 24 inch wide rolls avail same site 18 inch wide is also common - how big is big for your needs?

"...hold an edge..." irrelevant to people who covet such knives. every other fish they take the knife/(s) "back to the stones"

if one designs some method / means of cooking food fast, does that not make it by definition "fast food?" are you in fact not intending to create non-fast food in 2 minutes or less? more salt, more fat, microwave power 70, it'll work, and taste good too. trust me.

I am far from any kind of 'expert' in 'things chocolate' except for a PhD in eating chocolate.... however some things from history: how chocolate melts/behaves/cools is hugely dependent on crystal size/shape/form/type. sugar is not blanket case "sugar" - sucrose, fructose, dextrose are the three major chemical forms of stuff labelled "sugar" and yes Virginia, they react differently due to their chemical differences. "chocolate and temperature" have an ancient and often failurizing relationship......compounded by 'zactly what sugar did you melt? if you have used this recipe before and it worked, and now it does not work, something has changed. Thou shalt not argue with "something has changed / is different" - because there is no other possible explanation. water content of the ingredients would be my first guess. no, unsalted butter is not unsalted butter. brands differ. same with chocolate chips - brand differ. double checked the oven temps? thermostats do go wonky.....

I wonder if they're actually chinese knock-offs....

Ash Protein Wheat flour type US German French ~0.4% ~9% pastry flour 405 45 ~0.55% ~11% all-purpose flour 550 55 ~0.8% ~14% high gluten flour 812 80 ~1% ~15% first clear flour 1050 110 >1.5% ~13% white whole wheat 1600 150 this is a table I keep hanging around. it's probably most accurate for "store brand" flours - for example KA is higher protein/gluten all around.

so, lemme unnerstood this.... a restaurant that charges a premium price for excellent food and excellent service may not be diss'ed when the food and the service is neither?

I don't bake professionally - but doncha' just hate it when a tried&true recipe flops? which is why I do not just buy any flour on sale - I stick with a "brand name" that has a reputation for consistent quality. store brands come from any mill that has a good price this quarter/year. it can vary - and makes for flops..... and I use a scale. and grams - makes the math so much easier....