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‘“The Scoop” Kitchen Guide’ Category

  1. Thanksgiving Timeline Planning

    November 18, 2011 by Jarrett

    Planning a timeline for Thanksgiving Dinner Festivities

     

    In the restaurant/food service business the key to everything being done at the same time is pre-planning.  As hectic as it is around many homes during the holiday season I thought that I would lay out a little timeline to help relieve some of the stress and make the day a little more enjoyable for all concerned.

    Here’s my Plan for the week. Obviously, it needs to be tweaked to fit the individual family.

    Saturday:

    • Take the turkey out of the freezer and put it into the fridge to defrost slowly
    • Bake the sweet potatoes in the oven until they’re fork tender. Refrigerate them until next week.
    • Make a menu
    • Go shopping (Make a list)
    • Make sure the tablecloth is clean

     

    Sunday:

    • More planning and/or shopping
    • Make cranberry relish

     

    Monday:

    • Peel and cook white potatoes. Refrigerate in tightly covered container.
    • Bake fresh pumpkin until fork tender. Clean and process and refrigerate
    • Bake dinner rolls and freeze, tightly wrapped  (The oven will be quite full on Thanksgiving day)

     

    Tuesday:

    • Mash up white potatoes and make garlic mashed potatoes
    • Mash up and make sweet potato casserole
    • Cover both dishes and refrigerate until Thursday

     

    Wednesday:

    • Make green bean casserole. Bake. Refrigerate and reheat Thursday.
    • Make pumpkin pie

     

    Thursday AM:

    • Prep turkey for or roasting, make stuffing
    • Cut up veggies for veggie tray
    • Remove dinner rolls from freezer
    • Start cooking turkey

     

    Thursday PM

    • Heat garlic mashed potatoes and sweet potato casserole in oven
    • Heat green bean casserole in oven
    • Put veggies and dip on tray
    • Put cranberry relish into serving bowl
    • Carve turkey
    • Make gravy
    • Heat dinner rolls
    • Put everything on the table with serving utensils

     

    Eat dinner!!!

    • Clean up leftovers
    • Clean up kitchen
    • Go for a long walk or take a long nap

     

    Thanksgiving evening:

    • Heat pies
    • Make whipped cream
    • Make coffee
    • Serve dessert
    It’s entirely possible that I’ve forgetten steps.  For me, one of the most important steps of planning is shopping. Almost every year, I come up with something critical that I’ve forgotten to buy. Finding stores open on Thanksgiving Day isn’t easy. Writing everything out ahead of time really helps to avoid that last minute panic and dash to the store for whipping cream.
    Perhaps the biggest benefit is taking some time NOW to plan for Thanksgiving Dinner is that you can really will be free to spend some time reflecting on all the many reasons you have to be VERY thankful!
    Good luck, and happy holidays from Chef Phil and the entire staff here at J.E.S. Restaurant Equipment.
    - Chef Phil

    Category "The Scoop" Kitchen Guide, How To's, Kitchen Guides | Tags: ,,, | 1 Comment

  2. CHEF’S TIP #172

    October 17, 2011 by Jarrett

    A nonreactive pan—stainless steel, enamel-coated or glass — is necessary when cooking acidic foods, such as cranberries, to prevent the food from reacting with the pan. Reactive pans, such as aluminum and cast-iron, can impart an off color and/or off flavor in acidic foods.

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  3. How to Roast Peppers

    August 30, 2011 by Jarrett


    CHEF’S TIP #17

     

    HOW TO ROAST PEPPERS:

    Roasted peppers are a wonderful addition to many meals. Roasted peppers are great in pasta sauces, salsas, pasta salads and just about anything else that you’d like to add a sweet, smoky flavor to.

    These days you can buy many types of roasted peppers in jars at your local grocery store*, but it’s easy and much tastier if you make your own at home. Roasted peppers are not hard to make. In fact, it’s the one time burning something in the kitchen is the goal.
    There are several ways to make roasted peppers, depending on the equipment in your kitchen. If you have a gas stove, you can roast peppers on a burner. Just turn the flame on medium and place the pepper directly on the burner. Use tongs to turn it every few minutes until the whole pepper is charred black, but the flesh beneath still feels soft.

    If you don’t have a gas stove, you can make roasted peppers in your oven or toaster oven. Preheat the oven to 400 and cook until the skin is blistered. You can also use the outdoor grill or a grill pan on your stove top to roast peppers in the same manner as on a gas flame.

    After they have charred, remove from heat and put in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap to cool The heat and steam will loosen the skin for easy removal.

    The biggest mistake people make is to rinse the pepper with water to remove skin and seeds, this washes away a lot of the flavor that comes from the release of the natural oils.

    Enjoy,
    Chef Phil

      If you use store bought, they will more than likely be pack in oil. SAVE this oil, it is great for sautes of meats etc.


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  4. CREPE MAKING QUICK TIPS

    July 6, 2011 by Daniel

    CECIJ4 Eurodib Krampouz Electric Crepe Griddle

    Making crepes is not hard. If you can make pancakes, you can make crepes. Before we start, we at J.E.S. Restaurant Equipment have a few tips:

    Don’t worry about getting the thinnest possible crepes. I have had people tell me that when they make crepes, they aren’t thin enough. Crepes don’t need to be perfectly thin, and they often aren’t. When I ate crepes from a street vendor in Tel Aviv, they were about the same thickness as the ones I make, and they were not thin as paper. Relax, your crepes are not too thick.

    You’ll probably mess up a couple of the crepes when you make a batch. So what? I’ve made lots of crepes, and I still mess up at least one per batch. Sprinkle some sugar on it and enjoy it as a snack. Don’t let it worry you.

    If you’re making enough crepes to serve a lot of people, there are three easy ways to handle it. First, you can stick the crepes on a plate in a barely warm (200°F) oven, where they’ll stay warm until you are ready to assemble them. Second, you can serve them as you make them. When serving family on a busy night, it’s sometimes okay if people eat them as they are served. Third, it’s not a big deal if the crepes cool down a little bit before you eat. If the filling is warm, it makes up for it.

    Although crepes are fairly easy to make, there are devices now on the market to simplify the process even further. These are crepe makers and they come in a variety styles, sizes and capabilities.

    Now, what is the difference between a crepe pan and a crepe maker? A crepe pan is essentially a shallow, steel frying pan or a griddle, which heats quickly and bakes the crepe, under some supervision, of course. The electric crepe maker does most of the work as far as cooking the crepes is concerned. It signals you as to when the temperature is just right for cooking crepes, as well as when the crepe is cooked.

    Rest assured that however you want to get into the crepe making process we, at J.E.S. Restaurant Equipment and Kitchen Emporium have the knowledgeable people and the equipment you will need to get started. Do not hesitate to call or shoot us a question on the web site.

    Thanks for reading,

    Chef Phil

    Category Quick Tips | Tags: ,,,,,,,,, | 1 Comment

  5. CHEF’S TIP: COOKING TIME FOR STANDING RIB ROAST

    April 26, 2011 by Daniel

    Thank you for the question Nancy,

    First thing that we have to understand is that any chart or recipe giving cooking times is based on the premise that the meat is at ROOM TEMPERATURE, so allow the meat to set out for at least 1 hour.

    After you have prepared the roast with your chosen spices, coat the roast with the seasonings, put it in a preheated 450 degree oven,
    let it roast at that temperature for 15 minutes. Lower the oven to 350 degrees and cook for 25 minutes/pound for RARE or 28 minutes/ pound for MEDIUM RARE. To insure against over cooking, I would start checking the internal temperature with an instant read thermometer about 15-20 minutes before the time is up. You will be looking for an internal temp of 125-130 degrees. When you reach that temp, pull it out of the oven, put an aluminum “tent” on it and let it rest. Two things will happen, 1) carry over cooking will take the temperature up another 10-12 degrees due to residual heat in the roast, and 2) the juices will settle back into the meat so you won’t lose the flavorful juices when you carve this “king of the roasts”

    I hope this answers your question, and enjoy your roast !

    Chef Phil

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  6. RESPONSE TO CYNTHIA

    March 16, 2011 by Daniel

    Cynthia,

    Thank you for a very interesting question.

    Assuming that you saw the “about me” tab on the web site you already know that professional cheffing was my second career that began in my mid 40s. Not knowing your age for sure I am going to go on the assumption that this is perhaps your first choice for a vocation. With that in mind, I will quote my high school guidance counselor, “never underestimate the value of a good education”, now with the help of 20/20 hindsight I realize how right he was.

    Now the question arises, how do I get this good education? Do I get it through experience in the field, or do I go the formal training route? I was lucky in that I had a little of both. I had good exposure to the chef’s world by growing up in a restaurant setting with a very well-trained French chef who, when time (and temperament) allowed, would put up with the “whys” of a 12 year old kid on a daily basis. I guess what I really learned from Max was that I wanted to become a chef. Unfortunately, I would not get that chance for another 30+ years.

    I have worked for and with “chefs” that have had no formal training and they could cook circles around others that have gone to culinary schools. I once wrote a letter of recommendation for a co-worker and he would not accept it because I referred to him as a “chef” and he had not gone to culinary college. I had to explain to him that he was a graduate of the “Culinary College of Hard Knocks”.

    When I chose to enter culinary school, I was following a passion, that is the first criteria of a chef, you must have that inner feeling that you can be the next great entity in the culinary world. Culinary school is an expensive investment, my 15 months in Baltimore and Dublin, Ireland were just shy of $35,000. Do I think I got my money’s worth….most definitely. Although age and physical problems caught up with me and I retired from active cheffing and teaching some years back I feel that I quelled that inner passion to MY satisfaction.

    So I guess the bottom line is, how soon do you want to be making the money that everyone thinks chefs make? Five to six years as a line cook, as opposed to 12-24 months in a culinary arts program? That is a question that only you can answer. I will say that a chef’s life can be very demanding of ones time and that being in good physical shape will help a great deal. The rewards, they are the best, not just for the money but the looks on people’s faces as they enjoy a fine meal at your hands.

    Whatever your decision, Cynthia, I wish you the best, and DO NOT let anyone tell you that women have no place in the professional kitchen. In fact, four of my chef instructors were female, and giving it a little thought right now, I feel I learned the most from two of them.

    Any other question please do not hesitate to ask .

    Thanks again for the inquiry.

    Phil Clark, C.W.C., C.C.I.

    Category Quick Tips | Tags: ,,,, | No Comments

  7. A BRIEF HISTORY ABOUT ST. PATRICK’S DAY

    March 9, 2011 by Daniel

    About Saint Patrick’s Day

    Saint Patrick’s Day is celebrated each year on March 17th.  In Ireland, Saint Patrick’s Day is both a holy day and a national holiday.  Saint Patrick is the patron saint of Ireland as he was the one who brought Christianity to the Irish.

    According to legend, Saint Patrick used a shamrock to explain about God.  The shamrock, which looks like clover, has three leaves on each stem.  Saint Patrick told the people that the shamrock was like the idea of the Trinity – that in the one God there are three divine beings:  the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.  The shamrock was sacred to the Druids, so Saint Patrick’s use of it in explaining the trinity was very wise.

    Although it began in Ireland, Saint Patrick’s Day is celebrated in countries around the world.  People with Irish heritage remind themselves of the beautiful green countryside of Ireland by wearing green and taking part in the festivities.

    Saint Patrick’s Day is usually celebrated with a parade.  The one in Dublin, Ireland is known to some as the Irish Mardi Gras.  But the one in New York City is actually one of the biggest.  It lasts for hours.  Two Irish wolfhounds, the mascots of the New York National Guard infantry regiment the “Fighting 69th”, always lead the parade.  More than one hundred bands and a hundred thousand marchers follow the wolfhounds in the parade.

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  8. QUICK TIPS: TYPES OF KNIVES

    February 25, 2011 by Daniel

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  9. CHEF TIP: AN IRON RICH DIET

    February 22, 2011 by Daniel

    We at J.E.S. Restaurant Equipment like to stay in touch with things happening in the food service/food equipment arena. In doing this, we like to pass on information we think to be important to our customers.

    Given our close affiliation with Lodge Manufacturing, the largest cast iron utensil manufacturer in the country, I found this information to be very interesting and worth passing one.

    Cooking foods in cast iron pans can increase iron consumption. A 2007 study showed that cooking tomato sauce in an iron skillet increases the amount of iron in the sauce and also increased iron status among teen-aged and young adults. The authors considered it important for the food cooked to be both acidic and water-based, such as tomato sauce.

    We here at J.E.S. Restaurant Equipment offer a wide selection in Lodge Manufacturing products, not only beautiful but now healthy too.

    Iron in your diet:
    Why is iron important?

    Iron is very important because it helps your body to make hemoglobin. Hemoglobin, or ‘Hb’, is the protein found in red blood cells that carries oxygen around your body and gives blood its red color.
    What can happen if you have low iron levels?

    If the level of iron in your body falls, your red blood cells may not contain enough hemoglobin. At first you may not notice any difference, however, if the amount of hemoglobin falls further, you can start to feel tired. If the shortage of iron is more severe, you can feel unusually weak or breathless. This is called anemia.

    There are different types of anemia, but the most common is caused by a shortage of iron.
    Getting enough iron will help your body to work more efficiently and may speed your recovery following surgery.

    To your health,

    Chef Phil

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  10. NATIONAL HEART HEALTH MONTH

    February 21, 2011 by Daniel

    National Heart Health Month

    February is national heart health month, fitting since Valentine’s Day signifies love, relationships, family and the heart. With all this celebration centering on the heart I would like to discuss how you can take better care of your heart given that cardiovascular disease remains the No. 1 killer in U.S. adults. Heart disease should be a concern no matter what your age, especially given that we have seen high blood pressure, high cholesterol and atherosclerosis in children. The majority of cardiovascular disease is preventable and treatable with dietary changes. I can not make you exercise more and would never presume to tell you what dietary supplements to use as I have no expertise in those areas, and can’t really come up with a good exercise program for myself.

    What I can do, however, is post some good healthy heart recipes. So, for this week all the posted recipes will be “heart friendly” and contain the nutritional value information so you can track your intakes. Surprisingly, I have found that these recipes are very tasty, to the point that I caution all that moderation is the key to a healthy diet.

    Hope you enjoy the recipes,

    Chef Phil

    Category Quick Tips | Tags: ,,,,, | 1 Comment

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