A SIDE OF FRIES, PLEASE
June 6, 2022
THE SUBTLE ART OF GLOBAL CUISINE
September 19, 2022
THE POWER OF 60 SECONDS
Sixty seconds may not seem like a lot, but it’s more than enough to make a huge impact.
It was great to be back at the NRA Show in Chicago. It was exciting to reconnect with customers and colleagues. Great conversations were had, especially when talking automation and efficiency. I had the opportunity to demonstrate the power of automation through the next generation of Taylor equipment: the L858 Crown Series Grill and a RAM Frozen Food Dispenser.
Over several days we served hundreds of meals off a very small space with minimal labor. One common trait of highly effective cooking is the use of time and understanding of what can be accomplished in a matter of seconds.
Sixty seconds may not seem like a lot, but it can feel like an eternity for some very important tasks in the kitchen that can make a huge impact.
Why use sixty seconds as a benchmark? Because the next generation L858 Crown Series double-sided grill can cook six to eight refrigerated 4-ounce burger patties to food-safe temperatures in 60 seconds. After engaging the one-touch program, the unit performs the tasks required through desired qualitative parameters to result in a great looking and tasting product.
But what can you do during those sixty seconds while the patties cook? Young cooks and head chefs alike have always heard the phrase, “time to lean, time to clean.” Whenever you are given an opportunity to capture some time in the process of cooking, you take it. Here are some tasks that can be accomplished in sixty seconds.
- Check accuracy of order assembly to meet customer expectations
- Stage additional orders queuing in the POS
- Restock prep to ensure continuous operation
- Start additional tasks like frying a new batch of fries
- Clean and sanitize work areas
- Communicate with other stations to ensure correct timing of items coming from other stations
- Focus on the presentation of the products being assembled
- Scrape and squeegee the other grill zones to ensure that the next orders started on the grill will be the same as the previous ones
These are the exact same tasks we demonstrated on the NRA show floor. By setting up a focused kitchen and putting the right people in place, we were able to complete orders within an expedited fashion with a high level of accuracy.
If we can do it on a tradeshow floor, you can certainly do it in your own kitchen. Utilize the power of 60 seconds to grow your business.
Taste:
I can’t say enough about doing research by tasting dishes created by those who grew up cooking and eating them. Eat Korean BBQ in a restaurant that cooks over coal and try every side dish. Experience a meal in a Southeast Asian home versus a commercialized Indian or Chinese restaurant. Tasting the raw ingredients and condiments is highly educational in terms understanding a cuisine. For instance, the differences between Japanese, Indian and Jamaican curry are very stark in nature. Even though they have the same basic spice components, they are completely different dishes with unique balances of heat, sweetness and consistency of texture. Service style is also key, not everything is served on a plate with a knife and fork.
Know your customer:
As soon as words such as spicy, curry, chili, galangal or even fermented black beans show up on a menu, there’ll be some push back as most consumers are not used to these ingredients or profiles.
Test:
Cooking a dish from another country and trying to incorporate the flavors and techniques into a workable and easily executable menu item takes time. The goal is to offer a dish that opens a window into flavors and ingredients from another country. It needs to be approachable by many but provide excitement to create that sense of “Wow. That was really good. I would order that again.”
In this world of cuisine there are many convergences of similar processes and techniques used to convert ordinary ingredients into uniquely different dishes. The most telling factor of what will end up on your plate is where you are in the world. Onions, potatoes and tomatoes are now commonplace in kitchens around the world. Depending on who you are and where you live, a chef can transform them into curries, soups, side dishes and entrees. This is the beauty of global cuisine.
I know how tempting it is to hop on the next big flavor trend, but the difference between adding new flavors to your menu and creating genuine global cuisine is some deep thought and a little experimentation.
