Because of my occupation, I’m often invited to various types of conferences. Many times, these meetings begin in the early morning hours. Thankfully, most of the organizations that sponsor these conferences provide the invitees with a continental breakfast. However, at many events, the selection of foods only includes an assortment of donuts and bagels. Because I like to eat healthy, I wish more people would offer fruit for breakfast at these conferences. If you plan the breakfast menu for corporate conferences, consider adding different types of fruit to your standard bread and pastry offerings. On this blog, you will discover the best types of fruit to offer for breakfast at corporate conferences.
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The broiler is an important part of many restaurant kitchens. It's the last stop for cheesy crocks of French onion soup before they hit the table, and it provides you with a fast means of cooking a delicious steak and salmon fillets. When the broiler goes out, many chefs panic. Some even stop service or severely cut back their menus until the repairman arrives to fix the broiler. This reduces profits, which is certainly not in your best interest. Thankfully, there is a way to keep your kitchen running until the broiler repairman arrives. It wont' be easy, and it will take intense cooperation from your kitchen staff, but you can use alternative cooking methods to keep dishes that are usually broiled on the menu.
Here's a look at suggested alternative cooking methods for some of the most common broiled dishes on restaurant menus.
French Onion Soup
There are two ways, other than the broiler, to get the cheese on top of the soup to melt. You could stick the whole crock of soup into a hot oven, or you could use a torch to melt the cheese. The torch method works best when you're dealing with a single crock. Hold the torch a good distance from the top of the soup bowl and go slowly, or you might end up with burnt cheese.
If you have a whole table order a round of soup and you're working with 5 or more crocks, it's probably worthwhile to heat the oven to 400 F, and then place the crocks of soup on a sheet pan before pushing them into the oven. It should take the cheese about 10 minutes to melt nicely.
Broiled Fish
When fish is served broiled, it is usually listed on the menu as "broiled fish." Therefore, the fish you deliver to the table had better mimic real broiled fish pretty convincingly. If you have a hot pizza oven, or any other type of oven that you can crank up to 600 degrees, you're in luck. After seasoning the fish per your usual method, place it on a roasting rack or cooling rack on top of a baking sheet. Since the fish is not resting directly on a pan, it will get crispy on both sides, much as it does during broiling.
You'll need to adjust your cooking times based on the type of fish you're cooking and the thickness of your cuts. The best way to tell if the fish has baked long enough is to take its internal temperature. The USDA states that fish must reach a temperature of 145 F to be considered safe to serve.
Steaks
Many restaurants without access to a grill broil their steaks, but when the broiler goes out, you're left with one other good indoor cooking option: pan-searing and finishing in the oven. This works best with cast iron, but will also work in a stainless steel pan. Just make sure the pan you use can go from the stove top into an oven.
Your cooking times will depend on the thickness of your meat, and how done the customer wants it. You may have to experiment with a few steaks to get it right. (Your kitchen staff won't mind tasting them for you!) However, the basic method is to sear the steak for about 30 seconds per side in a screaming hot pan, and then transfer the entire pan to the oven for the steak to finish cooking.
Coming in to work to find that the broiler is out is never fun. However, if you click here for more info about repairs and use a little innovation and the methods above, you can keep turning out your standard dishes until the broiler gets fixed. These methods are not as easy as sticking some food on a pan and popping it under the broiler, but they work in a pinch and will prevent you from the financial loss you'd experience if you took the dishes off the menu.
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