Recent content by chefandrewl

I do not hold them for service. We are par cooking them sous vide to rare, then placing them in an ice bath. For Service we take a cold steak that has already been "cooked" to rare and finishing it on either the char broiler or in a pan depending on the preparation. The process of establishing...

We sous vide and chill steaks at my restaurant. Ribeyes are vacuumed sealed with onion brulee, thyme, and some of the dry aged beef fat trimmed from the ribeye. Ribeyes are then sous vide at 55C for 25 minutes, then placed in an iced bath to cool. For service the Ribeye is removed from the...

I would look at this 2 different ways. There is shelf life for quality, and shelf life for food safety. For food safety, look at the ingredient with the most recent use by date. Example, if there is 5 days left on the buttermilk that you put in the ranch dressing, your ranch dressing has a 5...

All the major food vendors provide web based apps that do most of the functions you are asking for. They are value added services and are no additional cost to the user. I currently use the US Foods apps for such things.

Bad news.... your employer is not breaking the law. However I will agree this law in TN looks absurd. Breaks and Meal Periods State law requires that employees must be provided a thirty (30) minute unpaid meal or rest period if scheduled six (6) consecutive hours, except in workplace...

I had a similar situation... for the really dirty stuff like sides of the fryers and back of ranges, I rented a steam powered pressure washer that shot out pressurized steam. I also recommend putting down some eco digester drain cleaner in your floor drains before and after this project. It...

I have been fortunate in most of my career to work for "pro employee" organizations. Places that paid me a decent wage and offered benefits. I made decisions to work in those places. As a manager now, I only work for organizations that take care of their employees. It's simply good for...

It was strictly a revenue sharing agreement, there was no charge for the space.

I once got to final interview stage for a Director of F&B job for a management company at a major Midwestern airport. I did not get the job, so take my 2 cents with the appropriate hesitation. This particular airport every F&B and merchandise outlet was managed by this company. Half of the...

When people ask me how many hours I work a week, I tell them as much as I need too. No more and no less. I have found the more experience I have gained, the less I work. My first Executive Chef Job I worked 70 - 80 hours a week, but as I became a better manager and better leader my work hours...

I once tried to cook prime rib in an insulated Cambro box using Sterno. It didn't work, the box had really good seals on it and did not let enough air into the box so the Sterno's went out. In hindsight, probably not a good idea. I have heard the term "cavecooking" as a BBQ technique. The...

There are two kinds of conversion kits for natural gas to propane and not all equipment can be converted. Most internal equipment that will run on LP from a fixed tank uses a type 3 connection or 3/4 in pipe, however if it it something that will be used outdoors and from a portable tank it must...

Have you tried an oil poach? Replace the water with a decent olive oil and set your circulator at 145F.

Ditto Chefross...... I have been a member and was certified and you get out of it what you put in. However I could no longer justify the expense to my employer, nor did I want to take on the expense personally. Also from a development standpoint, I have worked in both healthcare and country...

I prefer the fruit woods for chicken. Definitely brine and I put the dark meat closer to the heat source. I don't use a pellet smoker but the offset smoker in the back yard uses 3 sticks of peach and gets to about 275. Another trick is to rub the chicken in a seasoned mayo.