Who Says Chefs Don’t Like Fast Food?

There is a trend developing in the industry now whereby the elite chefs of the world are returning to their humble beginnings and turning their sights toward “chef-driven fast food offerings”. Chefs are now using not only their cooking skills but also their celebrity names as brand power to conjure up some of America’s favorite comfort food, namely burgers.

Bobby Flay has just recently opened up a burger-centric restaurant called “Bobby’s Burger Palace” that sold 950 burgers on the second day of operation. Bobby is not the only one who has caught on to the chef-driven fast food trend. New York’s chef, Laurent Tourondel, has so far opened two outlets of his BLT Burger in Manhattan and Las Vegas, while Hubert Keller has expanded his Burger Bar chain to Las Vegas, which is said to generate annual sales of nearly $7 million.

Chef driven fast food is a trend that will continue to grow especially in these tough economic times. A very small percentage of the dining public gets to eat in expensive restaurants like the “French Laundry”, or the “Messa Grill”. Chefs are creating new options to open their geographic accessibility to a larger market with lower pricing.

Hygienic Wall Cladding

   
The conventional medium for kitchen wall rendering is ceramic tiles. In modern-day kitchen installations, where hygiene and expediency of work are subject to close scrutiny, (viz-a-viz HACCP and Food Hygiene Regulations) one should consider the option of using paneled hygienic wall cladding. A product example is Altro Whiterock.

The installation of tiles requires grouting, which if not applied correctly, is a place for dirt to collect and bacteria to propagate. The same situation arises when tiles are cracked. Water can also seep through the substrate into the wall, possibly causing structural damage in the long term. Hygienic wall cladding provides a smooth, stain-resistant surface, making it easier to clean. This is essential for the prevention of fungal and vermin prevailing. The hygienic cladding often has thermoformed corners; an area where ceramic tiles are particularly vulnerable.

The cladding can be specified to provide the required fire rating according to local and international fire regulations. The cladding is also highly impact- resistant. The wall cladding systems are bonded directly to the substrate using adhesive applied throughout the cladding surface area. With this system, edges and abutments are sealed to ensure that it is both airtight and watertight. This system has the potential to be installed fast, reducing construction period. The system’s panels adhere directly onto the existing block-work or masonry wall, obviating the requirement for plaster rendering, which can contribute to extra construction time and wastage.

When specifying this system, one has to ensure that the applicator or installer is licensed and trained by the manufacturer to ensure that the system is installed according to the manufacturer’s guidelines. This is also to ensure that all warranties are maintained.

The Art of Preservation

We use top-grade ingredients to create fine food products. The quality and the characteristics of these creations need to be persevered. Irinox has developed a preservation system called “CP multi“ holding cabinet which can be used for a variety of delicate products, that can be customized according to the type of production, season and individual needs.

There are three temperature settings: Positive temperature setting (0°C/+15°C) for extremely delicate products that are difficult to preserve; Negative temperature setting (0°C/-35°C) to create a stock with guaranteed temperature stability; Chocolate temperature setting (14°C /15°C), for best preservation of chocolate with constant temperature and very low humidity level. Moreover, Irinox software is customizable on the basis of the required standards. The air and humidity management system make it possible to set and adjust temperature and humidity in the holding cabinet, ensuring maximum uniformity and the right ventilation at any chosen level.

It is very important that the holding cabinet is completely bacteria-free. For this reason, “Sanigen”, a complete air sanitation system is also included, avoiding the mixture of flavours and keeping the original scents and aromas. CP multi ensures considerable energy savings (30-40%) due to the optimized management of the multi-compressors and fans that work alternately to maintain constant temperature. The higher power of the compressors make it possible to recover temperature rapidly every time the door is opened.

In addition, Irinox’s new holding cabinet has a solid stainless steel construction, with CE and electrical certification to current standards. Numerous technological improvements have been adopted, such as the ergonomic handle, hinges with blocking-mechanism, interior LED illumination and other features.

Although this topic may not excite the average person, ask any chef who has a vacuum packing machine in his kitchen and he will wax lyrical about the many blessings of having one. Vacuum packing has been around for a long time and the technology for the most part has stayed the same. By placing a product in a plastic bag made for vacuum packing and rapidly changing the atmosphere of the chamber, we create a vacuum and we can then manipulate how much air is left in the bag, if any at all.

Vacuum packing has become a mainstay in most hotels wanting to prolong the shelf life of their products, particularly for cooking by using the “sous vide” method. Vacuum packing has also become a popular method in Michelin-star kitchens such as “the Fat Duck” or “El Bulli”. They use vacuum packing for many reasons; one reason is to bind ingredients into a smoother form without having to boil the product over direct heat (liquid boils at room temperature in a vacuum). Also, a vacuum can be used to extract moisture from a product as in French Fries. By par boiling homemade french-fries and placing them into a vacuum chamber, we are able to produce a crispier french-fry during the frying process due to the extraction of moisture from the potato.

The Vacuum packing machine’s versatility is immense and is an essential piece of equipment in any kitchen or production area. Chefs will constantly look for new innovations when it comes to vacuum packing, and how it can improve the quality and creativity of their product.