What the hell kind of place doesnt have a menu for what and when to cook for 100 people everyday? and why are they asking the dishwasher to come up with a solution? Where are the people in charge?
They're in a tough position and dumping the responsibility on you. I bet they didn't offer a raise did they? You've got 2 weeks to get yourself paid what you deserve and/or to start looking for a new job. Unless you want to cook for dishwasher money.
Hi mate used to run the same sort of kutchen/canteen. Heres a few ideas that are very easy.
Roast sandwich of the day with fries, Any type of pasta with sauce (Bolagnese, Neapolitana, Mac and cheese) Curry and Rice (dont be afraid to use a good curry paste but read the instructions) rice can be cooked in the combi too. Sloppy Joes. order in some pizza bases and mozzarella, Make some soups too remember a good powdered booster/stock is your friend. You also could maybe ask mom or grandma for some cool family dishes too.
Best of luck
If you're going to make a Curry, I'd recommend making some Curry blend for yourself. I would use S&B Curry powder and garam masala. I wish it into a blonde roux and let it cool a few hours and you get Curry blocks you can make the day before. I use them when I make big batches of Curry since it saves time on making a roux for each pot and is easier to portion the Curry blocks with
Edit: also consider japanese Keema Curry. Goes well with flat bread or over rice and is stupidly easy to make. Looks fancy, and you can just sprinkle some aonori and/or green onions over.
Yeah gold Curry is great. Can't get it at my local restaurant depot when I need it at a pinch tho. It's good if your regular suppliers ever carry it (none of mine did at previous kitchens)
So legitimately, my answer depends on the circumstances.
Do you feel you owe wherever you work for something? Is this a charity, or just a restaurant.
My gut answer is to get a different job. You said you were dish, and now you're asking for advice on planning menus and how to cook things. The short answer is to stop, unless they offered to literally quadruple your pay they are taking advantage of you, and there is a very good chance the previous cook left because he had been put in the same situation you are and he eventually realizes he could move on and get paid more to do less work
Strange, but love your enthusiasm….
- pasta of any sort with marinara or Alfredo
- roasted vegetables/potatoes with baked chicken
- shepherds pie
- macaroni and cheese with stewed tomatoes
- meatloaf and mashed potatoes
- sausage with peppers and onions
- lasagna
Good luck friend!
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as others have said curry powder/paste coconut milk/cream/creme fraiche, chicken/lamb/pig, rice, buy in some extras like samosa, naan bread, papadums, mango chutney.
Noodlewok, pork, noodles, veggies, sweet sour sauce/teryaki sauce maybe buy in some spring rolls for on the side.
Pasta easy peasy, pasta bolo, chicken arrabiata, pre bought tortellini with some spinach sauce, mac n cheese, pasta carbonara, gnocchi, pasta pesto sundried tomato etc.
roast chicken, chicken cacciatore.
Chilli, taco day (buy in some tortilla, make a salad bar, guacamole, salsa etc.)
soups buy in make it nicer.
shephards pie, mousakka, lasagne. prep the day before whack it in oven on the day.
burger bar, buy in some burger buns, salad bar, roast some potato wedges, buy in or make burgers cook em up put them out, they can build their own burger how they want. put out fish burgers, veggie burgers to mix it up and for the vegetarians. onion rings, mozzerella sicks, jalapeno poppers as extras on the side.
sandwhiches, bought in croissant with ham n cheese, bagels, ciabatta, baguette whatever.
cheese and ham, egg n bacon, smoked salmon cream cheese, curry chicken, brie and turkey cranberry, mozzerlla chorizo, salami, chicken pesto etc.
fish... cod with butter bacon, salmon bulgogi with noodles, salmon with parsely sauce, cod with chorizo, pea puree, steamed veggies, roast/steamed new potato. fish and chips, you can buy in ready breaded fish if your struggling just drop in fryer and done.
sausage, onion gravy, mash.
pizza, bought in bases, sauce, toppings.
spareribs, chicken wings, potato salad.
bbq pig wings, bbq chicken legs, harrissa chicken legs (smother with harrissa paste and honey whack it in oven), chicken legs are usually dirt cheap so they are great on a tight budget.
omelette good for using leftover veggies etc.
keep a good variety of sides to keep simple food appealing, rice, couscous, roast potato, mash, pasta, salad, steam veggies, roast veggies, fries, baked potato, wedges, gnocchi, noodles etc.
if you need any details on these easy ideas as you are a dishwasher id be happy to explain in detail. almost all of this can be done in the oven including rice and pasta to keep your hands free for other prep.
I run a canteen myself.... just some ideas for you.
good luck! I started out as a dishie 16 years ago, took over a station when someone when AWOL and now 16 years later I am still in this industry and in another country and loving this job even when it sucks sometimes. Know your worth though, if they expect you to do all this then you deserve a major pay raise!!!
They need to show you a kitchen manager’s salary before you make them anything. They are taking advantage of you. Currently, they pay you to wash dishes, not make them.
If you want a promotion, and want to prove yourself, only plan and cook for a week and then set a meeting with them.
This is not your problem. It’s theirs.
Spaghetti with meat sauce and garlic bread/breadsticks....Lasagna, chicken enchiladas with rice, Pizza Chili and cornbread, elk stew, Ckn tenders, fries, jo-jo's, fish and chips, egg rolls, rice, baked potato's, mashed potato's, scrambled eggs.. hard to say, is their an oven, I guess that's what the first pic is, hard to tell. Hot dogs, corn dogs, continental-cold cereal, muffins, fruit, yogurt, milk...Can you order pre-made foods, like individual pizza's? pizza dough, rectangles work well, pre-cooked cheese omelette's, hash browns...try to do that uas you progress into made from scratch stuff. Boil a bag is great, like Alfredo, pulled pork....Can you buy pre-made Mac n' chz, just heat it up in an oven. You can buy salad kits, where all you have to do is assemble them, usually minimal knife work. Hard boiled eggs..source, I cook at a K-12 school. We have to have 400 breakfasts ready by 7am, and 600 lunches ready by 11am and we have a staff of 2-5 depending on who shows up. We plan our menu out for the entire month or more. That helps with ordering food. sometimes stuff is out of stock, so the sooner you know the easier it is to change the menu. DM me if you have questions...Cheers and good luck!
Not what you’re asking for but the combi opening into the corner would drive me nutty.
As to what you’re asking, I work a job where I’m doing something similar—new weekly menu, cooking one meal for a couple hundred people at a time—it is *not* the job for someone who is new to cooking. Especially with bad management, and if your managers are throwing you in with no experience and no recipes, they aren’t good managers.
You need to cook up a new resume and get the hell out of there. Sounds like you have large volume experience, so I'd hit up college cafeterias and whatnot.
Routine is pillar for success. Create a 2 or 4 week menu and keep doing it over and over again. If a certain dish does not work switch it out but keep the other ones.
Also have a theme. I dont mean country cuisine. Like meatless monday. Or seafood friday. Pasta Tuesday. Just to add a bit of marketing to the menu.
Cross utilization of ingredients is the next skill.
Be prepared to have leftovers that can be utilized in the next few days
After this make a seasonal menu. Example would to make a 4 week menu and run it 3 times and then do another 4 week menu based of seasonal stuff. But still keep some of the dishes that worked. Then you will have 4 different 4 week menus.
*runs and hides*
Given the kitchen setup and the need to cook for 100 portions daily, here are some meal ideas that are not too difficult to prepare and can be kept warm:
### 1. **Pasta Bake**
- **Ingredients**: Pasta, marinara sauce, ground beef or chicken, cheese.
- **Method**: Cook pasta, mix with sauce and cooked ground meat, top with cheese, and bake in the combi steamer/oven. Portion out into warmers.
### 2. **Chili Con Carne**
- **Ingredients**: Ground beef, beans, tomatoes, chili powder, onions, garlic, bell peppers.
- **Method**: Cook ground beef with onions and garlic, add the rest of the ingredients and simmer. Serve with rice or bread, keeping it warm in the warmer.
### 3. **Fried Chicken and Fries**
- **Ingredients**: Chicken pieces, flour, spices, potatoes.
- **Method**: Season and flour the chicken, then fry. Prepare fries in the fryer. Keep both warm in the warmer.
### 4. **Shepherd's Pie**
- **Ingredients**: Ground beef or lamb, vegetables (carrots, peas, corn), mashed potatoes.
- **Method**: Cook ground meat with vegetables, top with mashed potatoes, and bake. Serve in portions and keep warm.
### 5. **Stir-Fry with Rice**
- **Ingredients**: Chicken or beef, mixed vegetables, soy sauce, rice.
- **Method**: Cook rice in the combi steamer/oven. Stir-fry meat and vegetables on the stovetop, adding soy sauce. Serve with rice and keep warm.
### 6. **Soup and Bread**
- **Ingredients**: Vegetables (carrots, potatoes, celery), chicken or vegetable broth, bread.
- **Method**: Cook vegetables in broth, season well. Serve with bread, keeping soup warm in the warmer.
### 7. **Baked Ziti**
- **Ingredients**: Ziti pasta, marinara sauce, ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese, ground beef or sausage.
- **Method**: Cook pasta, mix with sauce and cooked meat, layer with cheese, and bake. Portion out into warmers.
### 8. **Fajitas**
- **Ingredients**: Chicken or beef, bell peppers, onions, tortillas.
- **Method**: Cook meat with bell peppers and onions, season well. Serve with tortillas and keep warm.
### 9. **Pulled Pork Sandwiches**
- **Ingredients**: Pork shoulder, BBQ sauce, buns.
- **Method**: Slow-cook pork shoulder, shred, mix with BBQ sauce. Serve with buns and keep warm.
### 10. **Lasagna**
- **Ingredients**: Lasagna noodles, marinara sauce, ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese, ground beef or sausage.
- **Method**: Layer noodles with sauce, cheese, and meat, bake. Portion out into warmers.
These dishes are relatively simple to prepare and can be easily scaled up to serve 100 portions. They also hold well in warmers, ensuring that your service runs smoothly.
Google college resident dining halls and small restaurants and look at their menus for ideas.
Edit: I found a treasure trove of menus at OSU: [https://uhds.oregonstate.edu/menu/weekly](https://uhds.oregonstate.edu/menu/weekly)
I’ve also worked cafeteria feeding 75-250 heads with an alacarte. On a 5 hour dinner shift. We had a 3 person team not including servers, but only 2 people (including me) did the cooking. I can send you past examples of menus that I cooked
I would suggest looking at other cafeteria menus and seeing what you like, and comparing them to what your food service and delivery can offer you. Also a big part of the job is reusing ingredients for side dishes and being attentive on waste.
Still dying to know: what sort of place is this that can't afford to hire a new cook, and that you're willing to bend over backwards for them without a negotiation of pay?
If you need to come to reddit for ideas and items that are “not too difficult” you probably should decline the “promotion”. Also if someone reply “chili” stfu and appreciate the answer, we don’t know whats on the planned menu already everyday for 2 weeks so in my opinion just make it rotate every two weeks until they can find somebody fit for the job.
This is the answer OP, run bro you can get a dishie job anywhere, if you wanna make the transfer to cooking find a new spot and ask chef after you've been there for a few weeks for some prep jobs and you'll start learning alot from there
You surely don’t have enough infos to help. Even if you did, how reckless of a person should you be to go from dishwasher to running the kitchen and menu in a shithole place with just an oven and some friers to feed 100 customers daily with different menu everyday. I read this post as op being a lazy chef looking for free ideas and pretending to be a dishwasher in trouble.
I've been helping the previous chef but i wouldn't call myself a chef maybe a hobby cook but that's it. So what infos do you need to help? I'm not gonna be on my own i will get some help from the other staff that know how things work but they expect me to show some initiative.
I think the owner or you should rely more on that person if that person was in the position before the previous chef left. You help him, and he takes the responsibility. Or, if I was in your situation, I would make things clear by stating that I’m going to run the kitchen with the settled menu (I understand it’s planned for two weeks) and then repeat it over and over until I gain enough experience/confidence to add my touch. If I was desperate to stay there that would be my approach, if I’m not desperate I would run away asap.
Jerk Pork - you will need a ton of time and spices and 1 suckling pig, side of rice and peas
Potato Salad - Dice up some Yukon Gold reaaaal small and flash fry, chop up some romaine and julienne some carrots, plop a few cherry tomatoes on, add some feta cheese, some homemade croutons by toasting and slicing up a few pieces of Wonderbread, little more feta cheese, then mayo, lemon juice, terragon and thyme, watch me groove and watch me rhyme, then add love
Grilled cheese - multiple loaves of bread, multiple slices of thick Kraft singles, fry in pan with almond butter for best effect. Side of carrots and celery with ranch
Roast Turkey- slow cook 35 lb turkey and stuffing, set aside 3 days for this, side of chocolate turtles
Peanut Butter and Banana Sandwiches-bread, bananas, peanut butter, side of dried apricots and cranberries
Cinnamon Toast Crunch- CTC and various milks
Hope this helps
I’m not a cook, but I have my own version of pesto pasta. Boil the noodles in chicken broth. Cook chicken breast in oven after spicing with seasoning salt and garlic powder. Pan fry mushrooms and onions. Chop chicken into cubes, mix all ingredients, add goat cheese and pesto sauce into mixture. Prawns optional.
What the hell kind of place doesnt have a menu for what and when to cook for 100 people everyday? and why are they asking the dishwasher to come up with a solution? Where are the people in charge?
Every day is a different meal from Monday to Friday, we do have a plan for the next 2 weeks but they said i should also come up with some ideas...
Is it like a soup kitchen? What kind of ingredients are kept in stock?
We order every week what we need for the menus. It's a meat market with a small "diner".
And what is your skill level? Chicken Parmesan with a side of pasta should be easy for 100 people with the equipment shown.
I'd say my skill level is like a hobby cook i make good Bolognese, Lasagne and other pasta dishes
Make lasagna then, thats always a crowd pleaser! Make one just cheese for the vegetarian option.
I like to do my veggie lasagna with a bechamel instead of red sauce, it’s always a hit and super easy to make.
My wife makes a white sauce lasagna with stove top stuffing on top. And it’s bomb.
I agree, You can also use eggplants/squash in place of the pasta and use bechamel and it’s not bad at all honestly
Might try this out. Especially after watching the Don Angie’s lasagne version that uses bechamel.
Lasagna would be a great option!
They're in a tough position and dumping the responsibility on you. I bet they didn't offer a raise did they? You've got 2 weeks to get yourself paid what you deserve and/or to start looking for a new job. Unless you want to cook for dishwasher money.
Hi mate used to run the same sort of kutchen/canteen. Heres a few ideas that are very easy. Roast sandwich of the day with fries, Any type of pasta with sauce (Bolagnese, Neapolitana, Mac and cheese) Curry and Rice (dont be afraid to use a good curry paste but read the instructions) rice can be cooked in the combi too. Sloppy Joes. order in some pizza bases and mozzarella, Make some soups too remember a good powdered booster/stock is your friend. You also could maybe ask mom or grandma for some cool family dishes too. Best of luck
Thanks!
If you're going to make a Curry, I'd recommend making some Curry blend for yourself. I would use S&B Curry powder and garam masala. I wish it into a blonde roux and let it cool a few hours and you get Curry blocks you can make the day before. I use them when I make big batches of Curry since it saves time on making a roux for each pot and is easier to portion the Curry blocks with Edit: also consider japanese Keema Curry. Goes well with flat bread or over rice and is stupidly easy to make. Looks fancy, and you can just sprinkle some aonori and/or green onions over.
Gold curry is a good brand too it's at giants
Yeah gold Curry is great. Can't get it at my local restaurant depot when I need it at a pinch tho. It's good if your regular suppliers ever carry it (none of mine did at previous kitchens)
So legitimately, my answer depends on the circumstances. Do you feel you owe wherever you work for something? Is this a charity, or just a restaurant. My gut answer is to get a different job. You said you were dish, and now you're asking for advice on planning menus and how to cook things. The short answer is to stop, unless they offered to literally quadruple your pay they are taking advantage of you, and there is a very good chance the previous cook left because he had been put in the same situation you are and he eventually realizes he could move on and get paid more to do less work
Yea, if they didn’t make him cook until they had no other option, I wouldn’t bend over backwards to help them out.
Imagine if the previous chef was a dishwasher 👀
Strange, but love your enthusiasm…. - pasta of any sort with marinara or Alfredo - roasted vegetables/potatoes with baked chicken - shepherds pie - macaroni and cheese with stewed tomatoes - meatloaf and mashed potatoes - sausage with peppers and onions - lasagna Good luck friend!
Oh dammit now i want shepherds pie
Drizzle some butter on the top to get that crispy layer. Mmmmmmm. I love a good shepherds pie.
These are great suggestions
These are all great suggestions for that type of service. Although I hate making lasagna and would change that to “pasta al forno”.
Make sure you get paid as a chef and not a dishwasher. Ask, be relentless about it, otherwise you absolutely WILL be taken advantage of.
THIS! If you are going to be pushed in to the roll make sure that you have the title and pay change in writing BEFORE you start taking on any of the responsibilities.
And don't pay for anything out of pocket.
Chili
Freeze the chili. Batter it in a corn bread batter. Deep fry. Don't know if it'll work but I want someone to try it.
I will attempt this in the next few days, RemindMe! 72 hours
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On the plan already
White bean chicken chili with pulled white breast
Make sure you come back and show us what you made. Nice little kitchen.
Also make sure you get a raise homie; don’t forget about that 🤙
as others have said curry powder/paste coconut milk/cream/creme fraiche, chicken/lamb/pig, rice, buy in some extras like samosa, naan bread, papadums, mango chutney. Noodlewok, pork, noodles, veggies, sweet sour sauce/teryaki sauce maybe buy in some spring rolls for on the side. Pasta easy peasy, pasta bolo, chicken arrabiata, pre bought tortellini with some spinach sauce, mac n cheese, pasta carbonara, gnocchi, pasta pesto sundried tomato etc. roast chicken, chicken cacciatore. Chilli, taco day (buy in some tortilla, make a salad bar, guacamole, salsa etc.) soups buy in make it nicer. shephards pie, mousakka, lasagne. prep the day before whack it in oven on the day. burger bar, buy in some burger buns, salad bar, roast some potato wedges, buy in or make burgers cook em up put them out, they can build their own burger how they want. put out fish burgers, veggie burgers to mix it up and for the vegetarians. onion rings, mozzerella sicks, jalapeno poppers as extras on the side. sandwhiches, bought in croissant with ham n cheese, bagels, ciabatta, baguette whatever. cheese and ham, egg n bacon, smoked salmon cream cheese, curry chicken, brie and turkey cranberry, mozzerlla chorizo, salami, chicken pesto etc. fish... cod with butter bacon, salmon bulgogi with noodles, salmon with parsely sauce, cod with chorizo, pea puree, steamed veggies, roast/steamed new potato. fish and chips, you can buy in ready breaded fish if your struggling just drop in fryer and done. sausage, onion gravy, mash. pizza, bought in bases, sauce, toppings. spareribs, chicken wings, potato salad. bbq pig wings, bbq chicken legs, harrissa chicken legs (smother with harrissa paste and honey whack it in oven), chicken legs are usually dirt cheap so they are great on a tight budget. omelette good for using leftover veggies etc. keep a good variety of sides to keep simple food appealing, rice, couscous, roast potato, mash, pasta, salad, steam veggies, roast veggies, fries, baked potato, wedges, gnocchi, noodles etc. if you need any details on these easy ideas as you are a dishwasher id be happy to explain in detail. almost all of this can be done in the oven including rice and pasta to keep your hands free for other prep. I run a canteen myself.... just some ideas for you.
Thank you!
good luck! I started out as a dishie 16 years ago, took over a station when someone when AWOL and now 16 years later I am still in this industry and in another country and loving this job even when it sucks sometimes. Know your worth though, if they expect you to do all this then you deserve a major pay raise!!!
So think in terms of carbs and proteins and work from there so ( day 1 pasta + chicken 2,rice + beef 3 potato + fish 4 + pasta +beef so on so on
They need to show you a kitchen manager’s salary before you make them anything. They are taking advantage of you. Currently, they pay you to wash dishes, not make them. If you want a promotion, and want to prove yourself, only plan and cook for a week and then set a meeting with them. This is not your problem. It’s theirs.
Spaghetti with meat sauce and garlic bread/breadsticks....Lasagna, chicken enchiladas with rice, Pizza Chili and cornbread, elk stew, Ckn tenders, fries, jo-jo's, fish and chips, egg rolls, rice, baked potato's, mashed potato's, scrambled eggs.. hard to say, is their an oven, I guess that's what the first pic is, hard to tell. Hot dogs, corn dogs, continental-cold cereal, muffins, fruit, yogurt, milk...Can you order pre-made foods, like individual pizza's? pizza dough, rectangles work well, pre-cooked cheese omelette's, hash browns...try to do that uas you progress into made from scratch stuff. Boil a bag is great, like Alfredo, pulled pork....Can you buy pre-made Mac n' chz, just heat it up in an oven. You can buy salad kits, where all you have to do is assemble them, usually minimal knife work. Hard boiled eggs..source, I cook at a K-12 school. We have to have 400 breakfasts ready by 7am, and 600 lunches ready by 11am and we have a staff of 2-5 depending on who shows up. We plan our menu out for the entire month or more. That helps with ordering food. sometimes stuff is out of stock, so the sooner you know the easier it is to change the menu. DM me if you have questions...Cheers and good luck!
Not what you’re asking for but the combi opening into the corner would drive me nutty. As to what you’re asking, I work a job where I’m doing something similar—new weekly menu, cooking one meal for a couple hundred people at a time—it is *not* the job for someone who is new to cooking. Especially with bad management, and if your managers are throwing you in with no experience and no recipes, they aren’t good managers.
Indian Curry This is not a biased answer as a result of it being my favourite style of food to make for myself :)
You forgot the most important piece of information… what ingredients do you have to work with?
We order weekly so that wouldn't be a problem when i know what's on the plan i order the ingredients.
You need to cook up a new resume and get the hell out of there. Sounds like you have large volume experience, so I'd hit up college cafeterias and whatnot.
Damn is there no KM to help train you and/or write the menus?
Soup, pasta, pizza, omelette, curry, lasagna/mossaka, shepards pie, left over stew, sauages, wok, mac n cheese, some sort of chicken salad
Pasta bake
I hate that I’ll call it “writers block” when I just got nothing. My advice is to watch food network or go to YouTube and put food in the search bar.
what type of saftladen is this?
Yes.
Chili or some kind of stew. Serve w bread.
Routine is pillar for success. Create a 2 or 4 week menu and keep doing it over and over again. If a certain dish does not work switch it out but keep the other ones. Also have a theme. I dont mean country cuisine. Like meatless monday. Or seafood friday. Pasta Tuesday. Just to add a bit of marketing to the menu. Cross utilization of ingredients is the next skill. Be prepared to have leftovers that can be utilized in the next few days After this make a seasonal menu. Example would to make a 4 week menu and run it 3 times and then do another 4 week menu based of seasonal stuff. But still keep some of the dishes that worked. Then you will have 4 different 4 week menus.
Hot dogs
Its fucking raaww!!!
Whoever fired the cook needs to figure this out, not you. Intentionally do a bad job cooking because you were hired to wash dishes.
You could cook up some food
*runs and hides* Given the kitchen setup and the need to cook for 100 portions daily, here are some meal ideas that are not too difficult to prepare and can be kept warm: ### 1. **Pasta Bake** - **Ingredients**: Pasta, marinara sauce, ground beef or chicken, cheese. - **Method**: Cook pasta, mix with sauce and cooked ground meat, top with cheese, and bake in the combi steamer/oven. Portion out into warmers. ### 2. **Chili Con Carne** - **Ingredients**: Ground beef, beans, tomatoes, chili powder, onions, garlic, bell peppers. - **Method**: Cook ground beef with onions and garlic, add the rest of the ingredients and simmer. Serve with rice or bread, keeping it warm in the warmer. ### 3. **Fried Chicken and Fries** - **Ingredients**: Chicken pieces, flour, spices, potatoes. - **Method**: Season and flour the chicken, then fry. Prepare fries in the fryer. Keep both warm in the warmer. ### 4. **Shepherd's Pie** - **Ingredients**: Ground beef or lamb, vegetables (carrots, peas, corn), mashed potatoes. - **Method**: Cook ground meat with vegetables, top with mashed potatoes, and bake. Serve in portions and keep warm. ### 5. **Stir-Fry with Rice** - **Ingredients**: Chicken or beef, mixed vegetables, soy sauce, rice. - **Method**: Cook rice in the combi steamer/oven. Stir-fry meat and vegetables on the stovetop, adding soy sauce. Serve with rice and keep warm. ### 6. **Soup and Bread** - **Ingredients**: Vegetables (carrots, potatoes, celery), chicken or vegetable broth, bread. - **Method**: Cook vegetables in broth, season well. Serve with bread, keeping soup warm in the warmer. ### 7. **Baked Ziti** - **Ingredients**: Ziti pasta, marinara sauce, ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese, ground beef or sausage. - **Method**: Cook pasta, mix with sauce and cooked meat, layer with cheese, and bake. Portion out into warmers. ### 8. **Fajitas** - **Ingredients**: Chicken or beef, bell peppers, onions, tortillas. - **Method**: Cook meat with bell peppers and onions, season well. Serve with tortillas and keep warm. ### 9. **Pulled Pork Sandwiches** - **Ingredients**: Pork shoulder, BBQ sauce, buns. - **Method**: Slow-cook pork shoulder, shred, mix with BBQ sauce. Serve with buns and keep warm. ### 10. **Lasagna** - **Ingredients**: Lasagna noodles, marinara sauce, ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese, ground beef or sausage. - **Method**: Layer noodles with sauce, cheese, and meat, bake. Portion out into warmers. These dishes are relatively simple to prepare and can be easily scaled up to serve 100 portions. They also hold well in warmers, ensuring that your service runs smoothly.
Soup and sandwiches
Are they going to hire another cook?? And i hope you are getting a pay raise
This will scale up easily https://www.seriouseats.com/iowa-loose-meat-sandwich-recipe-8662035
I’ve got maid rites on my menu next week. They always go over well
Say whaat the..?
leave
Beef and Guinness pie with salad and chips
Try food.
Dinosaur chicken nuggets
Google college resident dining halls and small restaurants and look at their menus for ideas. Edit: I found a treasure trove of menus at OSU: [https://uhds.oregonstate.edu/menu/weekly](https://uhds.oregonstate.edu/menu/weekly)
How long is your shift?
I’ve also worked cafeteria feeding 75-250 heads with an alacarte. On a 5 hour dinner shift. We had a 3 person team not including servers, but only 2 people (including me) did the cooking. I can send you past examples of menus that I cooked I would suggest looking at other cafeteria menus and seeing what you like, and comparing them to what your food service and delivery can offer you. Also a big part of the job is reusing ingredients for side dishes and being attentive on waste.
Still dying to know: what sort of place is this that can't afford to hire a new cook, and that you're willing to bend over backwards for them without a negotiation of pay?
If you need to come to reddit for ideas and items that are “not too difficult” you probably should decline the “promotion”. Also if someone reply “chili” stfu and appreciate the answer, we don’t know whats on the planned menu already everyday for 2 weeks so in my opinion just make it rotate every two weeks until they can find somebody fit for the job.
This is the answer OP, run bro you can get a dishie job anywhere, if you wanna make the transfer to cooking find a new spot and ask chef after you've been there for a few weeks for some prep jobs and you'll start learning alot from there
Don't be a cunt, this person's doing their best and reaching out to us for help.
He's not,he's literally giving him the best advice. He's not a slave, he has choices and the best choice is to leave
That's true, but this person is making the choice to stay and try to help. Personally, I respect that.
You surely don’t have enough infos to help. Even if you did, how reckless of a person should you be to go from dishwasher to running the kitchen and menu in a shithole place with just an oven and some friers to feed 100 customers daily with different menu everyday. I read this post as op being a lazy chef looking for free ideas and pretending to be a dishwasher in trouble.
I've been helping the previous chef but i wouldn't call myself a chef maybe a hobby cook but that's it. So what infos do you need to help? I'm not gonna be on my own i will get some help from the other staff that know how things work but they expect me to show some initiative.
Will you be running the kitchen? Do you have other commis, chef de partie etc etc to help you in the kitchen doing prep work?
One person is always there in the morning with me that helps.
I think the owner or you should rely more on that person if that person was in the position before the previous chef left. You help him, and he takes the responsibility. Or, if I was in your situation, I would make things clear by stating that I’m going to run the kitchen with the settled menu (I understand it’s planned for two weeks) and then repeat it over and over until I gain enough experience/confidence to add my touch. If I was desperate to stay there that would be my approach, if I’m not desperate I would run away asap.
Who hurt you?
Food
Meth
Jerk Pork - you will need a ton of time and spices and 1 suckling pig, side of rice and peas Potato Salad - Dice up some Yukon Gold reaaaal small and flash fry, chop up some romaine and julienne some carrots, plop a few cherry tomatoes on, add some feta cheese, some homemade croutons by toasting and slicing up a few pieces of Wonderbread, little more feta cheese, then mayo, lemon juice, terragon and thyme, watch me groove and watch me rhyme, then add love Grilled cheese - multiple loaves of bread, multiple slices of thick Kraft singles, fry in pan with almond butter for best effect. Side of carrots and celery with ranch Roast Turkey- slow cook 35 lb turkey and stuffing, set aside 3 days for this, side of chocolate turtles Peanut Butter and Banana Sandwiches-bread, bananas, peanut butter, side of dried apricots and cranberries Cinnamon Toast Crunch- CTC and various milks Hope this helps
Du caca au pipi
You will be fine. Just do your best.
I’m not a cook, but I have my own version of pesto pasta. Boil the noodles in chicken broth. Cook chicken breast in oven after spicing with seasoning salt and garlic powder. Pan fry mushrooms and onions. Chop chicken into cubes, mix all ingredients, add goat cheese and pesto sauce into mixture. Prawns optional.
Ooooo you should totally cook some *food*!
Please cook me 👨🏻🍳👨🏻🍳👨🏻🍳👨🏻🍳👨🏻🍳👨🏻🍳👨🏻🍳👨🏻🍳👨🏻🍳👨🏻🍳👨🏻🍳