Company Festive Season parties and family dinners – the most beautiful time of year for some, but for chef it means one thing: work. During the holiday season, almost all restaurants are working at peak levels and the days in the kitchen are stressful and long. We asked Simon Parke-Davis Managing Director RATIONAL Kitchen & Catering Equipment Trading FZCO, what he recommends for the work day during the festive season.
Mr Parke-Davis, you have been working in the hospitality industry for 27 years yourself and so you know only too well what it is like in the kitchen during the festive period. What advice would you give your colleagues?
The festive period is always an exceptional time, because every single minute has to be put to good use. As soon as it became possible, I started using the nightime for production. Today I will be giving my customers a detailed demonstration of the overnight cooking function both in the SelfCookingCenter and in the VarioCookingCenter. For example, I recommend the “overnight roasting” function in the combi-steamer for various meat and poultry such as duck, goose, turkey or roasted meats. Establishments that have also installed our VarioCookingCenter can use the nightime more effectively, as they can also boil and braise overnight, such as for boiled beef or game casserole and beef roulades. For me, it is not just about gaining time, but also about the food quality resulting from the gentle cooking. The meat becomes particularly tender and juicy and shrinkage and cutting losses are reduced considerably.
Does this mean that you recommend time-delayed food production?
Yes, it makes absolute sense for the festive period. If the food is produced in advance and chilled quickly, this will preserve its quality for as long as several days. The SelfCookingCenter has the Finishing function, which can be used to finish the cold-plated food shortly before service. This also works for buffets – pre-produced, chilled and prepared in containers.
Mr Parke-Davis, thank you for your suggestions. Do you have one final secret tip for our readers? I don’t really think it is a secret tip, but I think it is important not to lose the festive spirit amongst the stress in the kitchen during the holiday season. A little gift for the team on the feast day or listening to some festive songs on the radio can help. But our SelfCookingCenter also offers something special: simply set the ringtone to the special festive melody.
You can find a video guide below:
