I'm thinking one of two categories:
Category A: Buy it once, have it for life. $$$$$
Category B: Cheap out, replace when needed. $$$
(For Category B, not TOO cheap. I don't wanna buy another one in two months.)
I'm all ears.
In the market to put a chef base under the griddle and I don't wanna cheap out.
Anyone brand-loyal? If so, what brand?
Cheers!
I wanna move away from the generic stuff and actually have some branding on the to-go stuff.
Naturally, I wanna keep my margins as close as I have them ... but I don't mind paying a few more cents per cup/box/bag to get some branding out there.
Anybody "gotta guy" with a warehouse (even if it's overseas) that's reputable?
Cheers.
This might not work for everyone, but I run a fast-casual spot and pay my four full-time employees $20/hr across the board. They're all scheduled 10hr shifts.
I'm only open 5 days a week, so this looks like 50 hours for everyone, but the relief: They all get a 2hr break (staggered) in "the quiet place" (AKA 2pm-6pm).
The apartment is right across the street, so they clock out, head over, and they're free to:
-nap
- shower
-do laundry (work clothes)
-play video games
-doomscroll and lounge around
... or they can just go run errands. Whatever. (Most go to the apartment, though.)
My 4 full-time employees are the SOUL of this place, hence why I pay them decently for our tiny town. (Idk any other restaurant that pays more than $16/hr here, for what it's worth. We're a REALLY small town: think 10k people.)
With the four taking two hour breaks, I save $3,467/month on labor and can have them for the lunch and dinner rushes. (They're so goated and it makes life and service so much simpler for everyone.)
The 1BR/1bth apartment (after utilities) is ~$1500/month. Nobody's there outside the quiet place, so it's cheap on bills.
That means even with the apartment, I'm still saving $1,967 every single month and the crew is happy with the arrangement.
I know they're 10-hour days, but with the long break dead in the middle, it's not so bad.
My CPA asked me why I wouldn't just tell them to go home (etc) for two hours instead of renting "a whole-ass apartment," but I love these guys and gals.
Thing is, if you make people WANT to work for you (instead of feeling like they HAVE to), you get loyal workers who show the love right back.
Anyway ... just an idea for those who might be looking for little ways to save.
Edit: Ope -- I'm found out! You gumshoes sussed me out as a dystopian capitalist who wants prisoners and not employees. I had them fooled with the "better pay than anyone around here offers" and the "nice place to chill while the part-timers clean their stations and prep for dinner." I'm sure they'll run like their hair is on fire after they wake up, shower, get their fresh clothes from the dryer, and hop back into a sparkling, stocked station.
I've got a tight grill at my shop and toasting the buns on the grill is slowin' us down pretty bad.
Anyone use a vertical bun toaster ... and if so, does it toast the entire thing? (I want to keep the tops pillowy soft.)
If you've got the fix, I'd love a make/model to check out.
Thanks!
I'm gonna have a food challenge for an event and I'm looking for spicy ideas.
I know there are lots of choices out there, but I want something that doesn't taste disgusting and is only "hot for hot's sake."
I wanna burn these nerds up, but I don't wanna make them gag the entire time lol.
All ears, ChefIt
I want to get as close to authentic as possible as I make some dishes.
I'm a small lunch/dinner spot with a small menu that uses a fryer for cheese sticks, fries, and fried chicken.
At home, I use tallow for just about everything. (Apart from being a whole food, it just feels less greasy and gross after you rip through some wings.)
I know I can price out blocks of tallow versus jugs of veggie oil (ues, it's pricier), but I'd like to hear from those with experience:
Is it worth it?
Are there properties to commercial-scale tallow that make it better/worse?
How's the feedback from guests?
I'm all ears for your experiences.
Edit: Oh, yay. Fkn politics. 🙄🙄🙄
(And not to mention cheaper on labor in the long run.)
I'm a veggie-heavy establishment and it takes FAR too long for the crew to get everything not only done, but uniform.
We're a lean crew, so I wanna invest in some worthwhile gadgets (electronic or manual) that will speed the process along and make life easier for every single one of us.
Thanks in advance!
Preface: I've been on a Reta and KLOW stack for almost 2 weeks.
Recently, I developed what's known as Morton's Neuroma, where one or more nerve endings in your feet (generally between your toes) will thicken and literally feel like you've got a pebble in your shoe (when mild) to you've got burning/stinging/zapping in the same spot (at worst).
I didn't even think about how the Wolverine Stack + KPV for added inflammation-control might head straight for that god-forsaken neuroma and bounce it like security at Club Foot.
I woke up this morning, headed for the bathroom, and noticed I didn't feel that friggin' pebble beneath my foot each step. (Wait, what?)
As I did my business, I pressed the pad of my foot hard into the floor to try and locate it.
I couldn't.
What the ...?
I've had this annoying little shit for the past 8 months! I've bought special shoes, socks, toe spreaders, you name it! I've been so bummed that surgery's the only "fix" and it doesn't always work.
You mean to tell me the (potential) fix is found in peptides?!
Anyway ... it's only been 2 weeks. If this keeps up, that swollen nerve ending will be chipped at and outta here in no time if it's still actually there.
Anyone else noticed your Morton's "drying up" on GLOW/KLO?
My house has variable temps room to room (old house, two stories, lower has HVAC, upper is extreme in summer/winter).
By that, I mean I need a tiny fridge that'll keep a steady temp that doesn't vary much ... maybe 5-10 degrees in extreme changes.
Anyone got a suggestion for preserving these goodies?
NGL: One of the anecdotal plusses of Reta for me comes from the "eww, no thanks" reports of folks who love to get drunk, but suddenly found themselves repulsed by the idea of imbibing.
It's been a huge struggle for me all my life.
I managed to kick cigs, caffeine, and herb ... but the booze (4x/week or so) has malingered for at LEAST 15 years after I ditched everything else.
I'm lookin' for a miracle, fam.
Anyone out there managed to feel (shockingly) disgusted by alcohol on Reta?
(And please: No lectures. I'm lookin' for a drinker who suddenly just wasn't, thanks to retatrutide.)
Cheers!
I want to learn from your "hard ways," as I'm opening a diner in a small college town that
My background is currently catering and meal prep from a commercial kitchen. I cut my teeth FOH and BOH before college, then recently got back into food service to do this. Got sick of running around, am leasing a space to open a small diner.
She's an absolute MENACE, omg.
Sookie's decided that I can only get on the couch/bed under undisclosed circumstances. She'll kick those back legs in warning when I intend to land ... then play-bow and yipe my head off for the next 3-7 mins if I don't explain myself properly.
ON MY OWN FURNITURE!
(I love it, though.)
Anybody got a gatekeeping lil shit?
Crazy fun.
Zero seed oils (except for a BIT of sesame oil).
Masamun curry, two varieties of stuffed potatoes (one chk-bacon ranch/one chili-cheese), shrimp fried rice, chk egg roll in a bowl, pork stir fry, steak teriyaki, honey-garlic chicken, Korean beef.
I'm plum wore out.
By request, my (very simple) curry recipe and I'll make it enough for two:
You need these things specifically:
Maesri masaman paste
Aroy-D coconut milk (link to German-branded as it's cheaper somehow)
Kaffir Lime Kaffir Lime
Sriracha
Chicken Thigh or Breast
Carrot
Fresh green beans
Corn starch (important)
Crushed peanuts
Limes (for garnish and to squeeze into curry)
Optional secret weaponry:
Mushroom Soy
PB powder
Before you begin, get your jasmine rice working. Then you:
Prep:
-Cut your chicken into relatively thin strips.
-Cut off the parts of the green bean you don't want to eat, then halve them.
-Peel/cut your carrots on the bias. (None of these things will be cooking long in the curry mixture, so you need them pretty small for a quick, safe cook.)
-Cut one lime in half down the middle (for juicing into the curry), cut the other lime into wedges (to squeeze onto your plate later).
Ready?
3b. If you've got mushroom sauce and the PB powder, add now but be SUPER-conservative with the mushroom soy. Four or five dashes tops. The PB powder, about a teaspoon's worth. (Why not peanut butter? Because the gloop is tough to incorporate and I don't like all the seed oil, sugar, and "etc" they add. Go straight to the essence and get the powder. Took me years to figure out.)
Pop in a single lime leaf, then squeeze a whole lime for its juice.
Squeeze in a bit of sriracha to start. Spice travels fast in curry. Be moderate, then add if it's not hot enough.
Put it on medium, cover, wait for it to boil.
Throw in the green beans and carrots, cover, let boil for 10 minutes.
Throw in chicken, cover for 10 minutes. (Should still be on medium) If you didn't manage to cut the chicken thin, let's go ahead and get that heat up to medium-high.
While that's cooking, go ahead and make a corn starch slurry. You're gonna get a small cup of cold water (tap is fine), then put a teaspoon of corn starch in it. I like to stir it with a fork. Whatever it takes, just make sure it's cloudy and there are no lumps.
Chicken should almost be near the end of the 10 min cooktime. Take the lid off, slowwwwwly pour in half the cornstarch, stir to incorporate. You'll notice within 30 seconds that the curry is thickening. Just like spice, this is to your taste. If the thickness is good for your style, cover and let it finish. If you want that THICC (like what I got up there, which is good for meal prep re-heats), give it the business and pour the rest of that slurry in.
Turn off the heat, but let it sit with the lid on for a bit. Let the ingredients settle in like a nice cuddle after some intense incorporating ... and you give them some space while you make a nice plate of rice. (I like plates because the rice doesn't get as soggy. You can spread it out and when you put the curry on, it stays firmer longer.)
Squeeze a lime wedge onto the rice ... top the rice with some curry ... sprinkle crushed peanuts on top of the whole thing.
Enjoy the magic, babies.
(ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:・ﾟ✧
PS: Don't eat the lime leaf, lol. My mom used to tell guests that it was good luck to get it and if you present it, you'll get a free Thai tea. (That was really just her way of saying, "I forgot to take that out. Don't be mad. Have a sweet treat and walk tall, you lime-leaf winner, you.")
PPS: Some folks like potatoes in their masamun and that's word. Since I have so much rice, I went for a lower carb option. If you want taters, baby, cut em pretty small, then let them cook for 10 mins alone with the curry ... THEN add your carrots/beans for another then ... then the chicken for another 10. (I simply gave the recipe for the one pictured.)
