Through the years, I have noticed that everyday cooks put themselves down because they aren’t Chefs. They don’t think that they possess the skills required to make a great meal. This isn’t the case at all. Most home cooks ARE BETTER THAN THE MAJORITY OF THE “CHEFS” THAT I HAVE MET/WORKED WITH OVER THE YEARS. A large portion of you are probably even better than I am, the only difference is… Trained Chefs have the confidence to try new things, make mistakes, learn, and move on with a better understanding of the science that is behind every dish that they make. Well, at least the good ones come away with a little something… Most of the people that I have worked with only find more creative ways to cover their asses… And keep their job; not fix the problem or learn.
I’ve picked up quite a bit of information during my stint as a Chef, and I intend to share every snippet of knowledge with you; All of the jargon, all of the things that make you go hhhmmm, and quite a few cool and flashy tricks. I will also share the cost controlling techniques that are employed by most restaurants that you frequent on a daily basis. How to cost out a meal to help manage your monthly food budget, and even give you the “why” as it pertains to why you should take my advice on controlling costs, and not just write me off as a no-nothing blogger out to dominate the world. Have you asked “why” yet? I hope you did, because if not you’ll have to read it anyways… or navigate away from this page, and that would make me sad….
The “Why” of Food Costing:
The national average on food costing in the restaurant industry is 32%. In laymen’s terms. Only 32 cents out of every dollar that you spend in a restaurant goes to the price of your food. That doesn’t include drinks, just your food. The markup on drinks is out of this world, the profit margins on soft drinks, teas, coffees, and alcohol could be a 200% markup from the original cost-per-ounce price. Want a little larger scale perspective? If you go out to a restaurant, buy a meal (minus the drink, before taxes, and well before you tip), buy a meal for $14.95…. At the 32% average, the food on your plate only cost the establishment $4.78 cents. That’s a $10.17 difference. You could make a little over three plates for that price at home, at that food cost average. And in all actuality, you can have an average food cost lower than that! Most informed Chefs and restaurants do. Keeping that same $14.95 dish in mind, if you had bought a pasta dish at that restaurant, they may have invested a little over 50 cents for everything on your plate. (75 cents if there was a nice garnish and a piece of garlic bread) I’ll let you do the math on that one. You may be thinking right now that I’m a nut, I’m full of anti-psychotics, on the loose from the loony bin… Well I’m not. Restaurants get amazing prices on food when they buy in bulk… AND YOU CAN TOO!!!
As this blogging ball gets rolling, I’ll show you all of the tips, tricks, and all of the how to’s that you ever wanted to know in the kitchen… And probably a few that you didn’t even think of, let alone want to know. But I’ll show you nonetheless. Why? Because you have the right to know, and you shouldn’t throw your money away on average or below average food! You can make it better than the people who don’t care what it tastes like, or looks like, as long as it’s on your table and they’re getting paid….
If your love is food, or you want to learn more about food, you’ve found the right place; I’m not only going to try to save you money, I’m going to try to share everything that I know about food with you so that you’re more willing to take chances, and be more creative in the kitchen.
Check back soon for more Smoking Hot Tips and Tricks!
Till then,
Chef James
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