Endless Uses for the Many Varieties of Mushrooms
Mushrooms: The King of Fungi
Although most people treat mushrooms as vegetables, they are part of the fungi family, which means they don’t need soil or light to grow. Mushrooms, unlike fruits and vegetables, do not contain chlorophyll and so they do not photosynthesize. Mushrooms are just one of the many species of fungi that exist; however, because there are so many different species, they have been given their own kingdom: the Kingdom of Fungi.
The History of Mushrooms
Although undocumented, there is a good chance that mushrooms have been eaten for as long as there are people inhabiting the Earth. Before mushrooms were cultivated, they grew wild, and our ancestors ate mushrooms that they found in fields and forests. Historians have seen wild mushrooms on the menus of the Romans, Aztecs, and Egyptians, who considered mushrooms to be the “food of the Gods.”
The shift from edible wild mushrooms to cultivated mushrooms began in the middle of the seventeenth century, when a French melon grower accidentally poured water, used to wash wild mushrooms, over some melons discarded in a field. He soon noticed that many mushrooms sprouted in the spot, launching the era of cultivated mushrooms. The mushroom was named the “champignon de Paris,” which has since become the most common and versatile mushroom in the world.
Who isn’t looking to squeeze a few more fruits and vegetables into their diets these days? In fact, the National Restaurant Association featured several health-related topics in its 2016 roundup of the 
We’re all familiar with the old adage insisting that “cleanliness is next to godliness.” This sentiment holds no more true than in the restaurant business.
Staffing is one of a restaurant manager’s greatest challenges. From knowing how many people you’ll need during each service to managing employee turnover, it can feel like a constant struggle — one with the ability to directly impact your bottom line.
Imagine taking a bite out of a smoking hot, crisp, perfectly grilled Panini oozing with all kinds of cheeses. Sounds pretty good, huh? Well, America thinks so too. Paninis have become one of the choice sandwiches in the past 15 years, and seem to boast promising income potential for venues around the country. But Panini makers can be expensive and bulky, which may deter some venues from purchasing them. However, once they realize the full scope of uses for which Panini presses can be employed, they may be convinced of the worthiness of the appliance. Here are six unconventional ingredients which can be prepared with a 
Flatware is undeniably an integral piece of restaurant equipment. Different types of flatware offer different advantages, whether price, durability, or feel are taken into consideration. But no matter how luxurious the flatware, it will still be susceptible to wear and tear from use as well as the natural environment. The extent to which flatware can be used in a restaurant greatly depends on the amount of wear and tear it has received as well as the care and attention which has been given to itatt. With proper and consistent care, flatware can be used in a venue for the longest amount of time possible.
Pizza is a top favorite dish and relatively easy to prepare, which may be why so many venues offer it on their menus. From street fare to pizza shops to fine dining venues, pizza has reached every nook and cranny of the food world. The commonality of pizza on menus emphasizes the importance of advertising and marketing in order to draw in customers and convince them that your pizza is worth a try. Here are some of our pizza marketing tips.
One gram or one teaspoon here or there can sometimes have a serious impact on a food. Just imagine the sticky mess that can result from adding just a drop too much water to a dough, or the awful taste of pepper spilled into soup while attempting to eyeball the amount added. I’d say most of us have been there, done that, and ended up tossing our hard work. One of my serious considerations for going to culinary school, as opposed to pastry school, was that I don’t have the patience to meticulously measure out every ingredient. And on top of that, there’s the different measurement systems. There’s no escaping the recipes in grams and milliliters, nor pounds and cups. I was drawn to the idea of knowing the ingredients so well that I could eyeball the amounts. Yet there are some things that are just not eyeball-able, but rather require measuring tools to be used.
Food safety is a concern that every food business has heard about. Strict legislation has been passed on the topic, and the public has taken note of the damage which can be wreaked when food safety is compromised. Catered events pose a particularly difficult challenge when it comes to food safety, due to the nature of food service at such events. Many additional measures must be taken when handling and serving food at a catered event, as opposed to a regular restaurant. Catering businesses should map out the process from the time the raw ingredients are received, to the time to food reaches their diners, and pinpoint critical control points where food safety may be compromised. These points are often at the transitions between heating and cooling, where there are optimal conditions for harmful bacteria to grow. When analyzing the items and conditions which present a hazard to food safety, as a general rule of thumb, bacteria like what we do: all types of food, at room temperature to body temperature, and, like us, they also require water to grow. When applying this rule, it becomes clear that dry croutons are less of a risk for bacterial contamination than rice, for example.
Caring about which glass to serve wine in may seem pretentious, but with basic understanding about why each glass complements a certain type of wine, businesses can improve the quality of service they offer their customers. Though a wine glass probably will not make or break a wine drinking experience, serving wine in a glass that suits it can subtly improve the taste, smell, and feel of the wine. Listed below are some of the types of wine glasses available along with information about why they are best for certain types of wines.
Bakeware is a necessity for venues offering homemade baked goods such as breads, muffins, pies, and cakes. Such venues can use their bakeware for preparing and serving both baked goods and other foods. Even venues not focusing on baked products can make use of various types of bakeware in order to serve foods in unusual ways. Below are some ideas for how to make the most of various bakeware items.
Food safety is a constant and major concern for commercial kitchens as well as many home cooks. In an effort to prevent cross-contamination, many regulating bodies require separate cutting boards to be used for poultry, fish, meat, and produce. Little labels are sometimes used to mark food preparation equipment based on the type of ingredients it is used for. But labels can sometimes go unnoticed which presents a danger of cross-contamination in the kitchen. Color coding food preparation equipment can provide an easy and stand-out way to identify and notice which equipment should be used for which foods. Follow these steps to get started.
Pasta may be the world’s most universally beloved food. From digging into heaping bowl of Grandma’s famous spaghetti and meatballs to enjoying a gourmet pasta dish at a 4-star Michelin restaurant, there are endless ways to enjoy this culinary world favorite. And there’s no better time to acknowledge all things pasta than on World Pasta Day this October 25th.
Chafers are those fantastic contraptions that allow food to be served on a buffet, while being kept warm, usually by a flame under the chafer, a water bath heated by a flame, or by induction. They are seen at the buffet service of almost every event, hotel meals, and even home buffets. Though the any chafer will provide a tool for caterers, home entertainers, and hotels to comfortable and elegantly serve their guests, choosing the right chafer shape can have a subtle, yet defined influence on the overall dining experience. For example, soup should be served in a deep, circular chafer, in order to allow guests to comfortably scoop it out with a ladle. The same effect would not be had with a square chafer, even if it was deep, since the corners would make the ladling process more inconvenient. Chafer shapes can also have an influence on the ambience of an event. Choosing sharp edges versus soft edges can change the look of a buffet, while having a combination must be done carefully and with taste, set up implicitly and with purpose, so as not to look disorganized.
Flatware is present in every restaurant, on every table, but the quality and look selected by the venue differs from restaurant to restaurant. Some venues offer a wide range of flatware tools, specific to many different types of foods and drinks, while others only offer a few basics. The latter type of venues will often prefer to save the extra expense and forgo purchasing such specifically geared flatware tools. Beyond the different types of flatware tools available, the numbers used to describe stainless steel products and the different flatware weights offered can be confusing as well. This guide will put some of the options into perspective.
Every cook has felt the dismay of realizing that those roasted vegetables are in no way going to make it off that tray in one piece. You should have put more oil on the pan, or on the vegetables, or both. How are you going to cover it up so the plating doesn’t come out looking sloppy? You don’t have a choice, the order must go out, so you plate it as well as you can and try to cover up the imperfections.
According to the National Coffee Association, 54% of Americans over the age of 18 drink coffee every day. I, for one, view drinking a cup of coffee as the defining point in starting my day. The public’s addiction to coffee has been expressed in more than just statistics of $40 billion spent of coffee in the U.S. each year; the many different types which have been created over time in all parts of the world, attest to the popularity of the drink.
Chafing dishes, also known as chafers, are an important tool for buffets. They make it easy for food businesses to offer customers large amounts of food for taking at their own leisure, with a minimal number of employees constantly dealing with serving the food, and without sacrificing on temperature. Caterers and hotel buffets may be the biggest users of chafers, but even restaurants and college dining services offering catering for special events may choose to use chafers for convenience. Whereas service counters in venues with permanent buffet stations have a more permanent and usually less fancy feel, chafers can be set up in any location to give the buffet service a higher-class feel. Though well-maintained chafers can give events a classy vibe, without proper care chafers can be irreversibly damaged. Since appearance is one of the most defining factors in diners’ perceptions of events, having attractive chafers can help create good reputation for the food preparation services by making the event feel classy and clean.
Paring knives are a basic, multipurpose kitchen essential that can be used by every cook. They are relatively small and often made to look like mini chef knives, but their uses vary greatly. Paring knives are the best option when controlled cutting or cutting of small ingredients needs to be done. They can also be used for fruit and vegetable carving as well as cutting other small details. For example, they are probably the best solution for hulling strawberries, removing the ends of green beans, mincing garlic, and sectioning citrus. Yet no number of paring knives will make such processes worthy of plating, unless a good quality and comfortable paring knife is used. Here are some things to look out for when choosing a paring knife.
When pricing menu items and planning dishes, the defining factor is portion size. Whereas some potential customers will look for large portion sizes as the indication of a satisfactory venue, others will be happy with smaller portions, when they are offered a high level of food. Either way, the portions must be consistent. It simply won’t do to serve a small portion one time and a huge portion the next. Loyal customers will only be loyal if they expect the venue to keep up their standards. And on the business side of things, serving portions which are too large can cause the profit margin on the dish to be negligible, making the business less profitable. Food portioners offer a simple, efficient, and affordable solution for portioning most food items. This guide provides a review of some basic options available and outlines their potential uses.
I’ve met so many home cooks who just don’t get why chefs are so attached to their knives and why they need so many different types. Some even think it pretentious that cooks insist on high quality, versatile knife collections. They cannot fathom the added speed and facility which good knives can give during food preparation. They are unaware of the dangers of using the wrong type of knife for a certain purpose or one with a dull edge. Here are short descriptions of five types of usual and slightly unusual knives and how they can help in a professional kitchen.
“Pan” is a general name for cookware most often used to prepare foods on the stovetop. Pan-cooked food is a restaurant’s dream, since it’s usually quick to cook and easy to observe, lowering the chances of ending up with a burnt product. Almost every type of cuisine uses a pan-like cooking method- from laffas cooked on taboons in Middle-Eastern cuisine to French crêpes. As cookware has become more sophisticates, the types of pans available have increased. This article provides a short summary of important factors to consider when selecting types of pans that will serve restaurants and caterers.
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