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Chefs should always exercise extreme caution when they are handling and storing food produce. After all, they hold in their hands the safety and wellbeing of the guests who enter the restaurant and eat their dishes. This caution to protect the health of the guests even includes choosing the safest food storage containers. For this reason, here are the tips on how to choose food storage containers.
Choose BPA-Free Plastic Containers
Chefs should only choose and make use of plastic storage containers that does not contain BPA or Bisphenol A. BPA is known to cause some damage to the human body as it upsets the normal level of the hormones, thus, disrupting how these hormones function inside our body.
When choosing the containers, they should check the bottom of the container and make sure that the numbers located inside the recycling triangle sign are numbers from one through five. This means that they are safe and are free of BPA. Plastic containers with numbers six or seven have BPA, so these containers should be avoided.
Shopping for BPA-Free Plastic Containers
If the chef really wants the assurance that he is paying for the most excellent type of plastic container, then he can certainly make use of the Internet before making his purchase.
In the World Wide Web, he will find many reviews about branded plastic containers, and through these reviews and testimonials, he can make a good decision.
If he, however, does not have the time to read reviews, then he can simply visit a kitchenware store and ask for their assistance. The staff there knows the products, and they can help him choose the best one for his restaurant. Of course, he still has to check and see if the number located at the bottom of the container is from one to five.
Things to Consider
It would also not hurt his cause to take a good look at the label. For this reason, he should choose those that can be used in a microwave and washed in a dishwashing machine safely. It has to have a high tolerance to heat. Another factor that he should consider is if it is freezer safe. Again, the plastic container should also be able to tolerate cold temperature.
Of course, because the chef would naturally want to preserve the freshness of the food, he should also take into consideration the freshness seals. He should see to it that it is airtight and watertight, and one way of making sure that it can, indeed, preserve the freshness is by looking for silicone lining the lid.
Aside from all those mentioned above, the chef should also choose the plastic containers based on their size and shape. The best shape for plastic containers are square or rectangle ones. This way, they can easily fit into the refrigerators and freezers without wasting too much space, unlike round ones that waste space.
Lastly, choose plastic storage containers that can nest or be stored inside each other with their lids on. This way, they will not take up too much space when storing the containers. Plus, loss of lids is reduced.
What is Nano Silver Technology?
There are chefs who utilize plastic containers made with nano silver technology. In a nutshell, this technology makes use of silver nanoparticles in coatings. Plastic containers with nano silver have antibacterial properties, so this helps slow down food spoilage, thus, keeping the food fresher for a longer period of time. Now, as a chef, he can purchase this type of plastic food storage container if he wants to better protect the health and wellbeing of the guests.
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Little did chefs know that the Internet is going to work miracles for their careers and restaurants. Through the Internet, they were given a platform not only to introduce themselves but to also a venue to showcase their culinary skills. Nowadays, it has become a fad for chefs to put up their own websites and blogs in the Internet, and this fad has quickly become an integral part for some as they reap the rewards of having their names known online.
Chefs Going Online
It is not that hard for chefs to go online as they would only need a computer and access to the Internet. For chefs who have the time to study creating their own website, they can easily do so as there are so many tutorials and sites that will teach them about putting up their own websites and blogs – from web designing to web hosting. Now, for those who do not have the time and the inclination to going through the process, they can simply hire the services of someone who can do the hard work for them. They can look for professional web designers in the Internet as there are a lot of freelance web designers in many job search sites, or they can simply ask around. Chances are, he knows someone who can do the Internet job for him.
Quality Contents and Use of Right Keywords and Key Phrases
Aside from the website or blog, the chef also has to think of the articles that he will be posting in his site. Now, the first article is usually about himself. It can be a short biography of his life – where he is from, where he studied, where he apprenticed, and where he worked. It could also contain a short account of his culinary career – where his passion came from and how he pursued it. Of course, it should also contain his “vision and mission” for putting up the blog or website. This will be a very good way of introducing himself to his readers and visitors.
With introductions out of the way, he then has to focus on the content of his blog or website. He should focus on his vision and mission, what he wants to his readers to read and what he wants them to know. These articles could include relevant information about the happenings in the culinary world, who is who, what is new, and recent culinary fads and trends. These could also include articles about famous restaurants and chefs as well as health topics. This is particularly important since more and more people are becoming very health conscious and are in need of informative articles regarding healthier food choices. Of course, posting recipes as well as simple tips and how-to’s are also a good way of attracting traffic and keeping readers.
Really, there are so many things that the online chef can write about, with only his imagination limiting him. However, to make his website or blog a success, there are a few more things that he should know about. For this reason, keyword research is very important, especially if he wants to draw the right type of traffic. There are keyword research tools, some of them free, that he can use for this purpose. The important thing is that he should know the right keywords or key phrases to use and use them in his articles accordingly so that, when visitors type in the keyword or key phrase, his website or blog will be at the top of the search engine page, thus, giving him relevant traffic.
Importance of Social Networking Sites, Forums, and Blog Commenting
Let us say for example that he already has his website or blog ready and quality articles ready to be posted, the next thing that he should do is to capitalize on the various social networking platforms.
Social networking sites are a great way to draw more relevant traffic into his website or blog. Aside from this, this is also a great way to interact more with his visitors as these social networking sites give a more personal feel to the relationship of the online chef and his viewers. Some of the top social networking sites include Facebook and Twitter, two platforms that are proving to be a great help to online chefs.
It would also be to the benefit of the online chef if he joins relevant forums. Again, this is a great way to share ideas and gain some in return. Plus, if he creates a good name in these forums, there are very good chances then that other members will drop by his website or blog.
Lastly, blog commenting is another way of gaining traffic. Not only does he get the chance of link building, but he also gets the chance of becoming a “guest writer” at some of the more popular and higher ranking culinary blogs and websites. This is a good way of increasing his online presence and attracting more relevant traffic.
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Who cannot love buffet restaurants, right? If you are lucky enough to have found an excellent buffet restaurant, you would always come back for more. Buffet restaurants seem like they are offering bottomless food because the trays would always seem full. Of course, one could not help but think, what happens to the leftover buffet food? With that many foods cooked and served, there is bound to be some leftover food, right?
No More Mystery
Buffet restaurants as well as major hotel chains have a very strict policy when it comes to buffet foods. To protect the wellbeing and health of their guests, any food that has been left out for a couple of hours or more should be discarded. It does not matter if the food is still warm, but foods left standing should be thrown away.
Some buffet restaurants commonly serve the leftover food to the staff at the staff canteen; however, this practice should not be allowed for the very same reason of protecting the health and wellbeing of the staff, too. On the other hand, pastries as well as breads and other types of desserts are typically and more commonly served at the staff canteen, just not the hot dishes though. As stated above, hot dishes should be discarded.
Now, there is one thing that is sure to pop into your mind – that it is going to be a huge waste of food and money to throw out trays and trays of leftover food when there are millions of hungry people who do not have any food to eat. In fact, there are hundreds of hungry people in the vicinity, so why not just donate them so that the food will not go to waste? Not only will food not be wasted, but the buffet restaurant also gets to help these hungry people.
Again, the reason is the same – to protect the health and wellbeing of people. As a buffet restaurant, it will be a very bad publicity to donate leftover food only to put these people’s health at risk. It will not do them a lot of good to do good only to have their good deed turn into a nightmare of food poisoning, hospitalizations, and lawsuits.
So, yes, leftover buffet food is a waste of good food and money.
So, What Can Be Done?
Before buffet restaurants practice the ugly habit of throwing food and money away, there is, after all, these two very simple words that can do a lot of wonders to any type of restaurant for that matter – documenting and budgeting.
Before buffet restaurants open, they have to study the market, their location, the foot traffic, and the type of customers that will be coming into the restaurant. Aside from this, the buffet restaurant should also study the dishes that they can serve, particularly those dishes and desserts that will not spoil too easily. Another factor that they have to consider is the quantity of the dishes that they can serve without wasting too much money and food, especially if the buffet restaurant is just going to open.
The amount of food and dishes is going to be a trial and error thing. Of course, as a newly-opened restaurant, it would be ultimately better to serve a limited quantity of dishes as compared to going overboard and serving bottomless trays of food. Yes, there is the possibility of running out of food, particularly if your guests enjoyed them, but in the end, you will get to save huge amount of money if they do not.
Now, this is where documenting will come into play. The things that you will have to take note of are the following:
- The number of guests who arrived.
- The types of foods that your guests enjoyed.
- The quantity of the dishes that you served.
- The quantity of dishes consumed.
- The quantity of leftover food.
- The return of profit.
- The loss.
It would also not hurt your business to take down notes of the dishes that your guests are looking for. Of course, you should only note those that are commonly looked for and those that you think will increase your profit.
When you have documented everything, you can now make a very good budget for the next rounds. Again, as stated above, it is going to be a trial and error period, so it will take some time to come up with a good business recipe, so to speak.
Through these simple steps, you can lessen your profit loss and increase your revenues.
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I am a buyer of books in Amazon and for weeks, I have noticed that the book “Cake Pops: Tips, Tricks, and Recipes for More Than 40 Irresistible Mini Treats” by Angie Dudley has been in the bestseller list for quite some time now. So, I decided to check out the book, read a few reviews and even visited Bakeralla, the author’s website. Needless to say, I was quite intrigue by what I’ve read, so I decided to get the book and check it out myself. So, did I like it? No, as a chef, I can honestly say that I didn’t like it. I, however, loved it! So, what is it about?
The book is all about Cake Pops!
That’s not something you hear everyday – or eat every day. Oh, sure, you have probably eaten your fair share of cakes, but if you have not tried cake pops, then you are definitely in for a treat! Not everyone, however, is familiar with cake pops; although the name quite speaks for itself. In fact, not all chefs – even Michelin-starred ones – have actually tried baking or preparing cake pops.
If you are familiar with cake pops, however, then you are probably familiar with Bakeralla, the website of an Atlanta-based pastry maker, Angie Dudley. It was in this site that Ms. Dudley first introduced the cake pops to her readers. She first started creating cake balls. A cake ball is actually a candy-coated mixture of cake and frosting. She stuck these balls onto a lollipop sticks and effectively created what she calls cake pops! Since then, she has developed even more interesting and equally delicious ideas to further improve her cake pops. She has different molding ideas which allow her to create all kinds of cake pops. She has cake pops for Halloween or weddings. She even has fun cake pops like her Sesame Street cake pops.
If you would like to try your hand at creating cake pops and you would like a few awesome recipes that you can start with, you should definitely check out Angie Dudley’s book “Cake Pops: Tips, Tricks, and Recipes for More Than 40 Irresistible Mini Treats”
The book has turned Angie Dudley’s cake pops into an international sensation. Her book offers an alternative to traditional cake usually prepared for parties or get-togethers. In fact, Martha Stewart loved her book so much that she even invited Ms. Dudley to appear o her show just so the baker/blogger/writer can demonstrate how to make the cake pops. With this book, you can have access to the step-by-step clear instructions on how to create these amazing treats. Chefs, despite our experience and training, can still benefit from opening ourselves to new experiences. Cake pops are fun – and we can definitely benefit from fun cooking or baking every now and then.
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Australian Chef- Matthew J. Goudge is the mastermind behind the formation of the ProChef360 platform.