|
Food Secrets You Should Know/Part 4
Home Delivery Prepackaged Foods is the new rave now. Why shop, prepare a meal when you can choose a selection of meals and it will arrive at your doorstep. Just assemble the meal with everything included or pop it in the microwave and its all done. At first when the concept came out, the company that set the precedent did very well. The idea from the corporate standpoint was to provide a nice protein with lots of veggies and carbohydrates and a nice sauce monitoring the percentage of sugar, carbs and fiber and to make it attractive and easy to put together. A family could enjoy a great meal without even doing anything. The food was sent overnight. Who would say not to this arrangement BUT inflation impacted prices so the bottom line for the company's was drastically impacted. Then the cost to send overnight is very expensive and the price of goods increased dramatically. So, more companies jumped on board but they needed to use the cheapest cost of ingredients, sauces that were high in salt and sugar or cutting down on sauces, so the taste might be compromised. Then people that ordered it, never reordered because it eventually got more expensive. Repeat business is the life blood of these companies so although new companies are jumping on board, those companies that started early are being acquired by other multinational or just closing up shop. Yes, you'll get a 2nd reorder at a discount but if you had a bad experience, even if the second is a discount, I would think that you wouldn't consider it. www.chefwoocan.com www.etsy.com/shop/creationsbywoo Amazon Prime Books: The You Can Do It Asian Cookbook #homedeliveryfoods, #prepackagedfoods, #Expeniveprepackagedfoods, # homedeliveryfad Food Secrets You Should Know/Part 3
With inflation going crazy, food establishments both corporate and family businesses are raising prices for all their dishes. They are also reducing the value (quantity) and cutting corners where they can. So, at the end of the meal, you saw the bill and almost had a heart attack and then you ask yourself what did I get for the money and leave totally unsatisfied and even pissed. Is there an alternative? Yes, Chinese take out was the best, you got good value and a reasonable price. Covid took a hit on all food business. Getting the customer back was ongoing, but inflation put a dent on higher prices, so before Covid, you could get Chinese takeout and get value and reasonably pries, but no longer. I teach at the local community college and I teach my students about traditional dishes with unique flavors and not excessive sweet & salty sauces and not deep fried. Now, I show them how to make Chinese takeout dishes, cheaper and better value and very cheaper cost. From beef with broccoli using top round beef that's tough and show them how to make it so tender like filet mignon texture or buy a 2 lb bag of 16-20 shrimp for about on average $18.99 coming out to $ 9.50 a pound which gives you 20 nice szie shrimp. (there would be about 16-20 shrimp per pound) versus take out and if your lucky you'll get 4 large shrimp with lots of vegetables? So, right now its not worth buying Chinese takeout. Take my class and you'll learn so much by saving money and eating better. #Chinesetakeout, #takeoutpricesarecrazy, #chefwoocan, #savemoneycookyourself Food Secrets You Should Know/Part 2
Aaah, cooking oil, which one is best? When it comes to which one to choose. The store shelves have so many varieties like Canola, Vegetable, Corn, Peanut oil. Well, to be honest all these oils are processed and stay away from anything oils that are processed. Then your next question is which one is best. The best oils to use are olive oil, extra virgin olive oil or avocado oil. In Asian cooking, the questions is aren't these olive oils burn quickly and the answer is yes but when stir frying, you don't allow a long time for the oil to be on high heat. So, clean up your act and start using olive oil. Think of it, even if you ingest olive oi, its still good for you. But some say the taste from Asian take out isso different and they think thry need to use peanut oil, but take out cooking uses such high flames and heat, no one can ever copy the same way since out stoves or ranges are limited to a certain temperature. www.chefwoocan.com www.etsy.com/shop/cretionsbywoo YouTube: Chef Woo Can Amazon Prime Books: The You Can Do It Asian Cookbook #badoils, #canolaoil, #vegetableoil, # peanutoil, #cornoil, #goodoliveoil, # extravirginoliveoil, #avocadooil, #processedoilbad, Food Secrets You Should Know/Part 1
Food accessory companies realize if they make pots and pans that are easy to use and clean, they hit a goldmine. Next time you go to the store, check out the pots and pans and you'll be amazed that 95% are made of non stick material. It's very appealing and as long as I can try to cook without ingredients sticking, I'll pay the price and the price is reasonable. But the truth of the matter is this, no matter what fancy words they use, the nonstick coating is still sprayed on and the longer the pan is used, the nonstick surface will wear down whether scratched or not and is ingested and never leaves our bodies. Can't flush it out in any way. But with massive marketing on TV showing how easy the non stick pot and pan is and have celebrities jump on the bandwagon selling the pans, how could we not want to buy a set? Back in the day, pots and pans were different. Cast iron skillet was the bet. Although heavy it conducted heat evenly and no coating was sprayed on. The more you use the cast iron skillet, the more seasoned it becomes and naturally turns into a natural non stick surface. Just don't wash the surface with detergent , just wipe with a paper towel with a dash of oil and rub the inside. The only con with a cast iron skillet is the weight. It's pretty heavy and some ranges with glass tops may state that cast iron material is not appropriate for glass top ranges. An alternative is a high carbon steel wok. The wok needs to be seasoned like a cast iron skillet but is much lighter and you can do stir frying and et healthier. Just wi[e off any debris after you cook and season it with a little oil and your good to go. No worry about a artificially sprayed non stick surface. Cosmetically after wear and tear doesn't always look pretty, needs ample storage due to the size of the wok but you can feel rest assured that your family is eating good food without ingesting non stick particles. www.chefwoocan.com #nonstick, #nonstickpotsandpans, #carbonsteelwok, #castironskillet, #nonsticksurfacedangerous, # chefwoocan, Corporate American Fast & Family Food Chains
I gotta tell you with inflation rising, cost of everything is going up what is corporate American doing with raising prices and passing it to the consumer to spend for mediocre food. They are making million with record profits, they make their shareholders happy but with the millions in profits what do they spend it on? Well, honestly, the food is mediocre, the product portfolio hasn't changed in decades and we get the same old food because its convenience only and to eat something that's satisfying by making u full and bloated. Meanwhile, people are travelling the world, visiting countries that offer a different taste, texture and it's not processed. The experience leaves an impression that they cannot forget, then we come back home and itw the same old food. So, what are American Corporations Fast & Family food chains doing? Apparently, they don't care that their sites are closing in record numbers due to low revenues, it make sense or they redesign the site to make it look more contemporary or modern nd they spend millions to do it even billions to upgrade their appearance. But the food is still the same ole same ole. This is what happens when corporate American is drowning in massive amounts of disposable income and really have no idea what to do with it. As long as the shareholders get their dividends. Then we see a commercial advertising that they will revamp a burger by putting more onions on the burger which will enhance the overall flavor and freshness. They are in a dilemThe modelm a, the old way of thinking is minimize expenses and maximize profits. That's the formula for success. Then they share the wealth with shareholders., so where does that leave the consumer? Frankly, noting at all but paying higher prices for food that's mediocre at best. The business model has changed for decades. Here is my approach. Hire manufacturing engineers and hi tech individuals and pay the salary necessary to get the best talent. Hire focus groups to reevaluate your product line and read and listen to their feed back. Design focus questions that ask probing questions designed to be honest and truthful. Assembly line mentality can no longer apply, nor microwave use ruins the individual flavor of any dish. Example, what's the difference of a hamburger made in a pub versus a basic hamburger at your local fast food. The biggest difference is price and taste. 5 guys exemplifies this approach, customers will pay more for a better quality burger. but the problem is only a small segment appreciate and willing to pay their prices. How do they reduce the price? obviously the kitchen is full of staff and it seems that each staff member is responsible for a certain task. Reconfiguration of job duties can be applied. Repetitive jobs can be robotized cutting down on payroll expense, staff is reduced and current staff will learn to multi task responsibilities which will require better staff personnel that can multi task. If you seen the show Diners Drive-In's and Dives hosted by Guy Fieri, every one of the visits are Mom & Pop and are so crowded with customers, why? Quality material ingredients, pride in their job, satisfaction and cutting no corners. It's the food stupid! Have the manufacturing engineers develop robotics to prepare the mundane tasks that do not contribute to the flavor, Use the tastiest beef, the best rolls and flavorful fries. There is a hamburger stand in Massapequa, NY called "All American Burgers" and why have they last for decades? Still popular and always crowded. I'll be the first to tell yo that they fries are nothing like McDonald's, Burger King or Wendy's. Something to do with soaking the fresh cut potatoes ridding any starch, then deep frying getting the inside of the fry completely done but the surface is slightly crunchy, in a limp status not exactly firm. A good tasting burger is the bet. Add cheese and let it ooze out the sides, fresh onions, fresh tomato, lettuce is extra special along with freshly made bacon. The corporation is running the stores, allow individuals with experience cooking to run the stores and allow corporations to tell thee owners what percentage of fat is needed for a good tasting burger. Let a bun be a bun, Let the focus groups let the corporation if smash burgers are better than the traditional burger, just listen to the customer. #corporateamericafastfood, #whatcancorporatehamburgerjointsimprove #allamericanhamburger, #mcdonalds, #burgerking, #wendys The Red Pepper Sichuan Bistro
11 Allegheny Ave, Towson, MD 21204 410 832 7333 What a way to start the New Year with my first restaurant review of 2024. My new strategy this year will be to invite my friends who are die hard foodies to accompany me to the restaurants. The benefit is instead of ordering 1 dish for myself, I'll be able to order a couple of dishes and have a variety of flavors to review. Well, last night my friends and I traversed to Towson, Maryland, about 40 minutes from Bel Air, MD. Towson, MD is a college town where Towson University is located, lots of gourmet cuisines from all over the world, from Korean, Chinese, Japanese, Thai, Vietnamese, Irish Pub, to Subway, Indian & Spanish to Caribbean food. Last night we went to The Red Pepper Sichuan Bistro, A Northern Chinese restaurant that specializes in hot & spicy. Now, I've been to restaurants who say they specialize in hot & spicy but when push comes to shove, they're not spicy or hot at all until I went to the Red Pepper Sichuan Bistro. Since I had my 4 friends we gave a thumbs up to try this place. It was fairly easy to find and as we entered the place was brightly lit and very clean. Art work surrounded the walls of the restaurant probably done by various artist. The menu was very unique offering large pictures of the specialty dishes which was very different than the typical menu at any restaurant. We browsed through the menu book, choose 3 appetizers that was definitely very spicy. One was spicy hot wonton, Dan Dan Noodles that are traditional spicy with minced pork and a cold spicy hot dish of sliced beef tripe and beef. There was definitely a spicy bite of Sichuan peppercorns with the very hot spicy hot oil. It was very hot that I could barely feel the tip of my tongue. Yes, we had a choice of different degrees of hot but we wanted to see if the normal hot was ok. Well, it was. Then we ordered Fried salty squid, sweet and sour chicken, spicy beef and a soup type base with beef along with a fried beef with chili peppers. Thank good ness we were able to enjoy a beer and our famous Korean Soju. The meal was hot enough that it got pretty warm. Now, I knew going in to eat out that I would have to compromise on certain things. Knowing that inflation would take a bite out of the value was expected. We received just the right amount of each dish, no more than what would usually be served prior to inflation but we understood. The price was as expected but the main reason was we got together with the guys to shoot the breeze and share laughs and a few beers. It was good to get out the first Friday of every month checking out different and interesting foods. The Red Pepper Sichuan Bistro specialized n hot & spicy and I knew the guys would enjoy it. and they did. The salty crispy squid was crunchy and just the right amount of salt with crushed chopped red and green peppers. The spicy wonton was swamped in hot chili oil and very tasty and delicious. The sweet and sour chicken was crunchy but didn't have enough sauce, I guess Northern Chinese cuisine doesn't give a lot of sauce like Cantonese Southern Chinese cuisine. The beef dishes were spicy hot but didn't have a unique beef flavor, just seemed like they added a whole bunch of veggies, well done over cooked and added beef that although very tender didn't really stand out for overall flavor. Just seemed like all sorts of ingredients were thrown in a pot and simmered for a while. If I visit again, I won't be ordering any beef dish that has a gravy. It might not be their specialty. The menu picture looked much different. The beef with hot peppers although spicy lacked some flavor, no sweetness or saltiness balance. Overall, our experience was good from a spicy hot restaurant but the dishes lacked flavor in terms of sweetness or saltiness. they need to balance salty with a sweet just as they should balance spicy with a salt and sweet balance. On a scale of 1-10 with 10 being excellent, I have to rate the spiciness separate and I give that rating a 10. But for flavor I give a 5 and overall cleanliness of establishment and the great lighting a definitely 10 along with service a 10. If you want hot and spicy, I recommend this place but be careful when ordering any dish especially the beef with a gravy. The picture may be very enticing but the flavor wasn't there. Chef Woo Can www.chefwoocan.com Amazon Prime Book: "The You Can Do It Asian Cookbook" #Chefwoocan, #Theredpeppersicuanbistro, #hotandspicycuisine, #szechuanfood, #towsonchineserestaurant, #marylandtheredpeppersicuanbistro |
Archives
December 2024
Categories |
RSS Feed