View Full Version : I am so happy to be working at a restaurant!!
Different Socks
09-23-2010, 00:53
Head chef told me some of the prices for spices and I couldn't believe how cheap they were. Some of the qt sizes were the same price of a tiny little store bought bottle!! So I'll be getting all my spices thru the restaurant(unless someone can convince me that purchasing them at a bulk food place is even cheaper).
Gotta start looking thru recipes in the bping books I have, order a few from others on WB(you know who you are), and getting an idea of what spices to buy. Can't wait to taste some of the foods I'll be eating on the trail.
Trailweaver
09-23-2010, 02:45
Unless you cook a lot (and I mean a LOT) I wouldn't recommend buying spices in bulk. They lose their freshness before you can use them. . . thus, they sell them in small bottles for individual household use.
Unless you cook a lot (and I mean a LOT) I wouldn't recommend buying spices in bulk. They lose their freshness before you can use them. . . thus, they sell them in small bottles for individual household use.
Agreed. If your spices are stale you might as well be cooking with shredded newspaper.
warraghiyagey
09-23-2010, 07:27
The sports section usually tastes best. . . .
The sports section usually tastes best. . . .
Yeah if your a goat........ I mean warraghiyagey!
LaurieAnn
09-23-2010, 09:07
I have to agree with the stale spice comments and it's best to buy in smaller quantities... or go in together with a few friends and split the spices up. As for purchasing at a bulk store. I have some thoughts on that. Bulk food store spices are exposed to air and light and are most often stale. I also avoid dates and raisins from the bulk store because they are less moist than the ones factory sealed in bags.
Different Socks
09-23-2010, 09:24
So spices kept in airtight containers will still go bad?
What about the spices put into meals prepped for the trail and sent to PO's months in advance? Wouldn't they also go stale?
LaurieAnn
09-23-2010, 10:07
Whole herbs and spices can be stored for up to one year and ground spices for 3 to 6 months. Obviously they can be stored for longer but the quality will deteriorate... that's all. I replace my ground spices every year if I haven't gone through them all and I store my meals in the freezer until they are ready to be used or shipped. That will preserve the flavor longer. Some dried foods go stale... sweet potatoes for example. Those should only be stored, dried for 3 to 4 months before you have flavor loss.
Exposure to light and air getting into the package are the biggest culprits with flavor loss. Get as much of the air out of the ziplocs and remember that they are in a box. The fact that they aren't being repeatedly opened and closed will prolong their life.
The issue is more in our kitchens where we have the humidity from cooking and we are opening and closing the jars. Also, if you are going to have spices out on the shelf or counter make sure you use opaque jars to keep the light out. Don't open and serve the spice right out of the jar near or over your pot/pan either. This allows humidity in the jar which isn't good... not to mention you could spill and add too much of something.
Hope that helps. If you have any questions about spices, my close friend works for Club House/McCormack's, so I have a great resource at my finger tips.
Rocket Jones
09-23-2010, 11:38
One of my kitchen tricks is to go through and replace my spices at the beginning of November. That way Thanksgiving dinner, and later Christmas dinner, taste their absolute best.
One of my kitchen tricks is to go through and replace my spices at the beginning of November. That way Thanksgiving dinner, and later Christmas dinner, taste their absolute best.
Cool! I do the same thing with cinnamon in early February. For some reason cinnamon reminds me of Valentines Day.....
Dicentra
09-23-2010, 14:04
I go through mine so fast that they often get replaced 2-3 times a year. The bulk bins are my friend. :)
DC2.2GSR
09-23-2010, 16:04
am i the only one that can't stand spices added to anything? even salt, i dunno, i just hink it ruins the natural flavors of everything.
am i the only one that can't stand spices added to anything? even salt, i dunno, i just think it ruins the natural flavors of everything.
Perhaps.
But remember, the spice trade was responsible for the discovery of the American continent.
Amazing.
I buy mine at Costco - the main ones. I use a lot of spices and herbs so I do go through them :) But I also make it a goal to cycle through as fast as I can with all of them.
But you got to love cooking!
IronGutsTommy
09-23-2010, 22:49
working in a restaurant definitely has its perks. if you get along good with the head chef you may be able to check thru the vendors he orders from. there may be items he doesnt order that you can put to good use, like dried fruits and the like. i buy dried fruits, barley and rice, and other trail friendly items in smaller bulk sizes at cost and make like a champ. also since spices DO go stale, see if you can buy part of a bulk order, say 1/4 of what the restaurant gets in, from the restaurant. this way you can still get the bulk pricing values without the bulk.
Skidsteer
09-23-2010, 22:50
am i the only one that can't stand spices added to anything? even salt, i dunno, i just hink it ruins the natural flavors of everything.
You don't add oregano or basil to your spaghetti sauce? :eek:
Let me guess. You're British.
IronGutsTommy
09-23-2010, 23:03
spices themselves are natural flavors. not using them is just blasphemy. why not tell your wife to stop shaving her legs and pits, as the shaving ruins her natural beauty?
LaurieAnn
09-23-2010, 23:08
working in a restaurant definitely has its perks. if you get along good with the head chef you may be able to check thru the vendors he orders from. there may be items he doesnt order that you can put to good use, like dried fruits and the like. i buy dried fruits, barley and rice, and other trail friendly items in smaller bulk sizes at cost and make like a champ. also since spices DO go stale, see if you can buy part of a bulk order, say 1/4 of what the restaurant gets in, from the restaurant. this way you can still get the bulk pricing values without the bulk.
My close friend Shelley does something similar. She's a health care aide in a nursing home and she's good friends with the head of the kitchen there. She gets in a case of the little Hellman's packets and one of Miracle Whip packs and then sells/trades with her friends. It works out to something like $10 a case.
IronGutsTommy
09-23-2010, 23:16
yeah no reason to let a bulk size determine how much you purchase, if the restaurant already orders the stuff. honestly i take wayy advantage of my job at a restaurant, even buying my paper towels, trash bags, and toilet paper in bulk. membership has its priveleges. each job has its own perks. a worker at a car dealership doesnt ride around on a bus. and a chef or kitchen help eats well and, if smart, orders well
LaurieAnn
09-23-2010, 23:25
yeah no reason to let a bulk size determine how much you purchase, if the restaurant already orders the stuff. honestly i take wayy advantage of my job at a restaurant, even buying my paper towels, trash bags, and toilet paper in bulk. membership has its priveleges. each job has its own perks. a worker at a car dealership doesnt ride around on a bus. and a chef or kitchen help eats well and, if smart, orders well
and being a self-employed cookbook author even has it's advantages... dinner on the trail is a tax write-off
IronGutsTommy
09-23-2010, 23:30
lol yeh a business expense. is the wilderness cooking hyperlink a link to your website? id be interested in ordering your work
IronGutsTommy
09-23-2010, 23:34
just ordered "A fork in the trail".. plan to make it my trail book. hope its a good read!
LaurieAnn
09-23-2010, 23:37
Thanks... it's a bit more gourmet than some of the others and it will require that you actually do some cooking at home. There is a little for every style of camping too. I tried to write it in an interesting way and include a bit of the history of each recipe or something unique about it. You should get a kick out of some of the mishaps I've witnessed or the eggs-plosion. I still haven't lived the latter down.
LaurieAnn
09-23-2010, 23:40
Okay... this is somewhat off-topic but still spice related. I mentioned earlier that my friend works for a major spice company. This afternoon his son stopped by with a present for me. A metal tin that once held about $5000 worth of top quality saffron - that's not a typo either. There wasn't any saffron left (pout) and the tins just get recycled. But it's really cool to have because I would never have been able to afford or use that much saffron.
Yes, I know I am a little strange to be excited about this... but I can't help myself.
IronGutsTommy
09-23-2010, 23:42
gourmets the way, thats for sure. i tend to shock ppl when they come for dinner as i usually serve a five course meal rather than a standard one plater.
IronGutsTommy
09-23-2010, 23:44
saffron is the most expensive spice thats for sure, people are always shocked by that. its right up there with white truffles as far as price per bite is concerned
LaurieAnn
09-23-2010, 23:46
gourmets the way, thats for sure. i tend to shock ppl when they come for dinner as i usually serve a five course meal rather than a standard one plater.
Where do you live again? What time is dinner? (just kidding - lol).
LaurieAnn
09-23-2010, 23:50
saffron is the most expensive spice thats for sure, people are always shocked by that. its right up there with white truffles as far as price per bite is concerned
Okay... don't laugh too hard... but I asked for 1 white truffle and 1 black truffle for my birthday and Christmas this year. And a truffle slicer. Wait until Bryan sees how much that sets him back... lol.
Seeing as we are talking spices... it would be neat to know what everyone's favorite spice, herb or mix is.
I think mine would be either Saffron or Herbes de Provence.
IronGutsTommy
09-24-2010, 00:07
my favorite is cooking with a "Bouquet Garni", which to the uninitiated is parsley stems, thyme and a large bay leaf wrapped in a bundle with cheescloth thats floated in a sauce or broth. thats the basic but you can cook with lots of herbs this way, imparting the flavor and simply removing the bag when finished cooking
LaurieAnn
09-24-2010, 00:16
my favorite is cooking with a "Bouquet Garni", which to the uninitiated is parsley stems, thyme and a large bay leaf wrapped in a bundle with cheescloth thats floated in a sauce or broth. thats the basic but you can cook with lots of herbs this way, imparting the flavor and simply removing the bag when finished cooking
You know what really works great for this... one of those larger stainless steel mesh tea balls made for putting in a tea pot.
IronGutsTommy
09-24-2010, 00:43
youre right about that. i also like using ginger (always fresh), and my favorite trail spice is simply celery salt. celery salt is the key ingredient in old bay seasoning, and adds a nice depth of flavor when used in place of standard salt. works great with virtually all proteins
Danielsen
09-24-2010, 01:19
Favorite seasonings? Hmmm... I like to take a salmon steak, sprinkle on a bit of cayenne pepper, a good amount of turmeric, some garlic salt, and some black pepper, and then pan-fry it lightly in butter. While it's frying, a handful of frozen raspberries in a bowl go in the microwave for a couple minutes at a low power setting, where they turn themselves into a mushy sauce by magic! Mix some lemon juice and cinnamon into the raspberry slurry to complete your sauce, spread it on the fried salmon, serve with a salad of tender spinach and blueberries... my favorite dinner and favorite combo of spices.
Also, caraway seed for burgers/meatballs.
IronGutsTommy
09-24-2010, 01:31
yeah fruit compotes make nice sauces. however, microwaves are not for cooking! theyre for two things and two things only...reheating and popcorn lol
Farr Away
09-24-2010, 10:08
If garlic is a spice, that would be my hands-down favorite. There aren't too many meals that I don't use garlic in. Next would be oregano, marjoram and rosemary. Hmm, also my homemade curry powder.
Okay, I give up; I just like herbs and spices. Just as accents though - nothing overpowering.
-FA
Danielsen
09-24-2010, 10:29
yeah fruit compotes make nice sauces. however, microwaves are not for cooking! theyre for two things and two things only...reheating and popcorn lol
I generally agree but instantly turning frozen berries into a delicious sauce with no mess is hard to argue with. ;)
I find it far too easy to make a mess of the kitchen while cooking, so every little bit helps...
Paprika is something you can bring alot of because it is essentially dehydrated sweet peppers, so can add alot of it, so it becomes more of a dehydrated food than a spice. Roughly 3-4kcal/g like most foods. Good with lentils and soups. Haven't tried it in my oatmeal???
My favourite herbs are the stuff I make chai with, and all tend to go well with tea, some with coffee aslo, and most with oatmeal also. I like to play around with amounts though, so its nice to pack them separately. Plastic isn't really best for this, but for a hike it is probably ok, then use it up quickly what's left when you get back.
I don't have nice spice containers yet, for hiking. Maybe thin leather, as long as it didn't change the taste in a bad way. It could have several pockets and then just fold and roll up maybe. Hmmm. Might help to bring more of it in whole form, like I do with cloves and nutmeg.
My Spice List:
Cardamom
Ginger
Anise
Cinnamon
Cloves
Nutmeg
Black Pepper
I should look into what I can gather locally as I go. Sea salt I suppose, along the coast rather than carrying it. There must be alot of stuff out there though. Pine needles. Cedar. Some might count as herbs, but some might count as spices. Wood sorrel is kind of like an herb.
I am not much for premixed seasonings, but some make sense.
I should look into celery salt. What is it exactly?
So i looked into celery salt and it is salt mixed with ground celery seed and lovage seed. So then I looked into lovage. Interesting plant. I think it grows around here. So anyway, it would be interesting what wild plant seeds might be similarly ground and salted, for use as a seasoning.
I'd just use ground celery seed over celery salt - but that is me though. If you have a tiny mortar and pestle it is a few second job. I picked up a super tiny one at Whole Foods a couple years ago for spices, made of marble.
for christmas gifts I have bought bulk spices and broke them down into sizes to go into standard containers, labeled ziplocks and every one gets fresh spices
Danielsen
09-24-2010, 21:24
My favourite herbs are the stuff I make chai with...
My Spice List:
Cardamom
Ginger
Anise
Cinnamon
Cloves
Nutmeg
Black Pepper
I'm curious, how exactly do you make your chai? Does one heat milk and let the flavors seep in? Prepare an infusion in boiling water and then add milk? How does it work?
I'm crazy about good, real chai, but I find all the teabag-style "chai teas" and whatnot a bit unsatisfying. Particularly the cloves and cinnamon I just can't get enough of. Maybe I should just google "chai" but I keep forgetting and I'd rather hear from someone who makes their own regularly. If you don't mind. :)
LaurieAnn
09-25-2010, 07:56
for christmas gifts I have bought bulk spices and broke them down into sizes to go into standard containers, labeled ziplocks and every one gets fresh spices
Gee George... that's a great idea. I'm going to use it, with your permission. I did little coffee bodums last year with my own blend of coffee. I used loose tea for the tea drinkers. It would be neat to do something with spices.
LaurieAnn
09-25-2010, 07:59
I'm curious, how exactly do you make your chai? Does one heat milk and let the flavors seep in? Prepare an infusion in boiling water and then add milk? How does it work?
I'm crazy about good, real chai, but I find all the teabag-style "chai teas" and whatnot a bit unsatisfying. Particularly the cloves and cinnamon I just can't get enough of. Maybe I should just google "chai" but I keep forgetting and I'd rather hear from someone who makes their own regularly. If you don't mind. :)
I can't answer for JAK but I do have both Sri Lankan and Indian friends. When Kala or Neeru make chai for us it is always a pot of milk on the heat and the tea/spices are added in while it heats. Kala toasts the spices first and she uses whole spices. That's how I make it at home too - if I want it to be authentic. On a Monday morning I use a chai-flavoured tea bag and water - then add milk and Kala teases me... she calls that "chai water".
Different Socks
09-25-2010, 17:36
Thanks for the advice about buying in quantities larger than the local store. I'd like to think that I a adding enough meals from scratch that I would use all the spices.
Nobody answered the question about the spices that sit in already prepared meals that sit for months before being used. Wouldn't those spices also lose potency after awhile?
Rocket Jones
09-25-2010, 19:14
Nobody answered the question about the spices that sit in already prepared meals that sit for months before being used. Wouldn't those spices also lose potency after awhile?
Not as much because they're sealed and presumably in a dark place (depends on the packaging).
Danielsen
09-25-2010, 23:29
I can't answer for JAK but I do have both Sri Lankan and Indian friends. When Kala or Neeru make chai for us it is always a pot of milk on the heat and the tea/spices are added in while it heats. Kala toasts the spices first and she uses whole spices. That's how I make it at home too - if I want it to be authentic. On a Monday morning I use a chai-flavoured tea bag and water - then add milk and Kala teases me... she calls that "chai water".
Mmm. I'm going to have to try that sometime.
I love this forum. :D
LaurieAnn
09-26-2010, 09:44
Mmm. I'm going to have to try that sometime.
I love this forum. :D
Me too! Last night I made hot chocolate chai. Tobias, my 9 year old, had asked me to make one of my special hot chocolates for him (I generally make him and orange or banana laced one). I think it's a keeper.
On Chai? Try this recipe: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/aarti-sequeira/chai-recipe/index.html
It is pretty much what they serve in vast quantities in the tech areas of India - my husband loves the stuff and was happy to see this recipe - he had been trying to find one the tasted like the Chai he was served constantly there.
LaurieAnn
09-26-2010, 11:52
I forgot to mention that Chai is basically just the Indian word for tea and what we usually call Chai here they sometimes refer to as Masala Chai. I drink a lot of tea - not just Chai and for teas where I make it by the cup or pot I make sure I preheat the vessel.
Here is an article I wrote some tiime ago for an Outdoors Club in Ottawa...
Tea in the Wilderness (http://www.wildernesscooking.com/tea.htm)
I use tea in all sorts of things including baking a Chai Tea Breakfast Cake in my Outback Oven. The results....
http://www.outdooradventurecanada.com/laurie/chaicake.jpg