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What do you do being a chef?

What can a non-chef learn from a seasoned chef's approach to menu creation and ingredient shopping?

  • I want to think more like a chef. What does a seasoned chef consider when building a menu and shopping for ingredients?

  • Answer:

    As chefs we think about food differently than cooks. Our main focus points are: replicability - can this dish be made 100,000 times to the exactly same consistency, temperature, taste, portion, and in the same time, by an ever-changing staff? desirability - do our diners who come from near and far want to eat this? ease of creation - can this dish be made in a reasonable time by our staff given the tools we have at hand? storage - can we store the ingredients for this dish in a way that the speed of sale does not lead to spoilage? price - can I sell this for a profit? reusable components - can I use components for dish A in dish B? observable results - can I perform quality control on the dish at all stages? As a home cook you can take a lot away from this: price - find out where your food has the best price/product ratio. Some food is naturally more expensive because either it is in shorter supply or it is made in a more expensive way. Think about your final result and if it really matters that you just paid twice as much for half as much product. desirability - if you are into organic and desire that or local and desire it or have specific foods you like a lot, develop relationships with the ones who sell it. We're constantly reading over yield charts for local businesses if we're a local restaurant - our livelihood depends on not running out in the middle of a good run. So if there's a chance local okra will become scarce in August (to pick this year's example) we either find out if there's equivalent acceptable other sources or we avoid okra. You don't have to do this, no one will abandon your friendship just because you can't make a specific dish, but reading about yield, seasons, new food ideas, will make you a better cook. ease of creation - make food that's fun to make. storage - keep an eye on your pantry and fridge. Nothing is more abominable in the food world than people who let food spoil. Don't do that. An animal gave its life for this steak, the least you can do for it is honor it by using the steak, making it the best it can be, and not letting it spoil. By knowing your pantry and fridge you can also shop with ideas in mind. "Oh, if I pick up this kale and use it with the stale bread I have I can make breaded kale chips with the chicken I bought yesterday. All I need is some oil for the frying." You can develop your "menu" every Sunday or as you go when shopping. Try to play the menu over a week, that means have something with a starchy center (pasta, rice, potato gratin) one day followed by something with a protein center (rice and beans, meats) the next day, something like a salad following that day, maybe some fish following that. You don't have to make 400 diners happy for one day but you have to keep 1+ diners happy every day.

Jonas Mikka Luster at Quora Visit the source

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When I'm writing a menu, I think first about what is at the best quality and price at the time of year.  Peas and asparagus and lamb in spring, root vegetables in winter, tomatoes in august.  Second I think about my equipment needs and usage.  In a restaurant this usually means not overloading one station beyond its capacity, at home it's the opposite.  At work, I try not to put too many things on the grill, or in the fryer because we'll get backed up.  At home I try to put everything in the oven, or on the stove top or on the grill, so I don't need to turn on too much equipment. Third I think about cross utilization.  I try to use the same raw ingredients for many different applications.  If I can't find three spots on the menu for an item, it won't get turned fast enough for my liking.  There are exceptions, but if it's perishable I always try to cross utilize.

Jay Racavich

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