Do restaurants really serve microwaved 'ready meals'?

[AtleastitsnotMonday]

As it says really. This has come up several times on threads about eating out recently. Basically people saying they are not paying restaurant price for microwaved food. Is this really true? What's the point in having chefs if it's a case of sticking things in a microwave? Surely they wouldn't get away with it. It's often mentioned in discussion about pasta dishes in Italian chain restaurants, surely buying in ready made meals would cost them a whole lot more that cooking a bit of pasta and sauce anyway.

From what I know, not just the meals. Even the puddings which are hot puddings are microwaved and any custard etc that goes with them.

They don't microwave chips surely!

I got as far as omelette on the Brakes page!

Hello.

Interesting question but the answers will be as varied as the answers to, "what makes a happy couple?"

The process will vary from an eat-in Kebab, McDonalds, KFC, etc to the smart causal chains - Wagamama, Pizza Express, Zizzi Zizzi to a Michelin star restaurant in Mayfair.

Up to the high end, most dishes will be prepped and the 'Chefs' - read Cooks - will be finishing them off. This keeps costs low, maintains consistency and reduces the chance of food poisoning.

Most trained Chef's are expensive, commercially inept, don't like being told what to do and have massive ego's. They are a distraction most of the chains can easily do without.

Personally, I'd be more concerned about hygiene and cleanliness standards behind the scenes. Food is generally of a high standard in the UK regardless of where you eat it. Ambiance, service and people watching count for a lot for me.

Best wishes to all.

Zack 😚@IgnoreTheNonsense

Depends on your definition of microwave meals.

When I catered in a pub one summer the kitchen was closed on Mondays. On that day, I would make a huge cauldron sized pot of that weeks meat and meat free curry, I would roast chicken and pre make the chicken wings.
That way, I could have less wastage, and customers wouldn't have to wait an hour or more for food.
Everything else was done fresh to order.

I would put portions of curry and chicken wings in plastic catering tubs with date stickers on and they would be defrosted and reheated. The chicken would be served Sundays for roasts as we only did those on a Sunday and it was wrapped and frozen. I didn't use as some do the fake roast potatoes or cheap frozen veg and gravy that was all done fresh by me. I knew of one previous chef before me who used mash potato pellets from the freezer that looked gross so when you order mash don't be surprised if that's been reanimated in the manner of smash.

I can reassure that it was all made on site it's just when you're in a boiling hot pub kitchen, with 6 meals ordered at once, and the pub opens from 10am for food, it meant people didn't go hungry and we had some great reviews

I loved that job! Sadly the pub owner went under due to huge debts and a massive coke addiction but would do it again.

They also use high pressure steaming ovens, many don't even have chefs cook the meals, they're prepackaged and prepared, especially desserts. I think applies mainly to the chains and not so much to individual restaurants, but even these use some prep food, we all know how long it takes to prepare and cook a nice meal.

Haha that reminds me of a visit to a Little Chef (years ago obviously 🤣). No omelettes as they didn’t have any left, but brought an all day breakfast with a fried egg on it.

They should not be allowed to be called restaurants. Call them fast food outlets or microwave eateries or something similar. Restaurant should be a protected name where you know you're getting proper food cooked by a properly trained chef.

I think restaurants should have to legally tell you if the food has been prepared and cooked in the premises.

The convenience can be had at home, if it's ready made, the surroundings and service in restaurants that mike everything is likely to be....questionable.

The word restaurant comes from the French restaurer meaning 'to provide food for' so you're on a hiding to nothing with that one.

My DD had breakfast at The Ivy in Glasgow, mashed avocado on toast and an omelette, both cooked fresh and delicious

I do hope there isn't a restaurant in the land that would use frozen toast and microwave it!

We in the restaurant business call chains, snip and ping same with certain pubs like green King etc. do you think they employ proper chefs? Miller and Carter have pictures on the wall of how the food should look. Although fullers cook from scratch.

Most couldn’t afford that.

But it’s not always more convenient to cook at home. There are 100s of reasons that it’s more convenient to eat out.

Hundreds? What could be more convenient than convenience food at home? Not that I'm advocating using them........but the clue is in the name.

Yes definitely. If you had something like lasagne/curry etc ina pub it would 100% be-a microwave meal.
I used to work in pub kitchens and we frequently called ourselves microwave technicians.
if you want freshly cooked you’d be best choosing something like burger or steak.

Ask for an ingredient to be taken out, if they can’t then you know.

Reanimated mash......!

One of my siblings works for a chain pub restaurant ( not one of the cheapest either) and tells me absolutely everything is frozen and then microwaved even the veg.

Not sure I could get to the hundreds, but:

• Away from home
• Working late
• Needing a meal between end of one commitment/engagement and another one, e.g. work and theatre trip
• Meeting up with someone who lives a long way off at a mutually convenient midpoint
• Home kitchen flooded or otherwise unusable, e.g. because new units are going in
• Power cut or water off in home area
• Unable to cook, unwilling to learn, rich enough to eat out instead

I didn't state hundreds, it was pp.
If the kitchen is flooded, then yes, anything..........that's not saying it is the most convenient way of eating. Rich, you have choices; we're talking convenience.

I knew some pubs did but am surprised even the non chains one do. My mum works in a independent restaurant. Everything is home made with local ingredients. Yes they do freeze things and batch cook but they make it all themselves. Despite being fully booked every night they only just break even and also struggle getting staff so it makes sense that places have to do this to make a profit.

I’m pretty sure it says on the menu that they’re from M&S

At the supermarket where I work when the cafe closed at the beginning of COVID staff were allowed to help themselves to the cafe supplies in the freezer. I brought a bag of the omelettes home and they where lovely. Whenever dh or I fancied one it was just a quick zap in the microwave and nothing but a plate to wash up afterwards definitely easier and I thought nicer than using a frying pan.