Stuff I didn't know about restaurants until recently

[samarrange]

I am very old, but I only learned this year that hotel buffet scrambled eggs are usually made from powdered egg. That explains why they are a uniform colour. Scrambled eggs made from scratch have yellow and white bits.

On the plus side, I also learned recently that the chicken (or at least the "Original Recipe" pieces) at KFC is made from scratch in the shop every day from fresh chicken pieces, flour, and herbs'n'spices. I had imagined it was all done in a factory somewhere and then cooked from frozen.

What are some other bits of restaurant knowledge that surprised you?

I reckon Ikea scrambled egg is powdered. It’s like egg custard. And supermarket breakfasts, as well.

Cheap mass eating places rather than hotels.

I've worked in 4 hotels with buffet breakfasts over the last 15 years and all have used fresh eggs for breakfast scramble, commis chef first job on arriving on a morning was to break trays of 30 eggs into many big metal containers, it was then mixed with melted butter and a container put on hob, then into bain marie, next one to be started when the last was 3 quarters empty.

I remember someone in our local Morrisons cafe. They had run out of poached eggs. He asked why they couldn't just get some in-store. He was told they come pre made.

And how many members of staff 'fuss' a customer's dog and then carry on touching plates and cups and making food without washing their hands. Absolutely bloody revolting

yes, when James Martin did that series about improving NHS food, the kitchen used pre made scarmbled egg that came frozen in sachets. He showed them how to bulk make scarmbled eggs from fresh egg. No idea whar happened after the program ended though.

But you make proper gravy with the bits for the roasting pan...

It's common knowledge that KFC is made fresh in store.

Powered eggs, I knew because I chatted to a buffet chef and we spoke about it.

You need to read Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain. Lots of eye opening stories about the restaurant world.

that means that he does it, not that everywhere does or that all fresh egg scramble has white bits.....

Oh, OP is wrong about them all using powered eggs. But powered eggs in buffets are a thing.

I think it's American hotels that use powdered eggs, not UK ones, as a rule.

I quite like them to be fair.

Yes where i used to work, the canteen used powdered eggs to make scrambled eggs, you would see the empty tubs used for storage ect. They would only serve it on Thursday aswell, as seemingly expensive to make and too much waste, so everyone made sure they went to the canteen for breakfast as it was scrambled egg day. Other days was poached or fried eggs which were made on request and from fresh eggs. They all tasted fine to me

I know scrambled eggs at hotel breakfasts are often not just made from eggs as they're often not gluten free. I think some of the liquid egg products have wheat in.

I'm no longer a chef but worked in a couple of v posh places (including a stint as a breakfast chef when I first started) and we never used powdered egg - never even seen it and wouldn't know what to do with it.

One thing that might surprise you is that some restaurant kitchens don't have a microwave. Or if they do, it's just for reheating a staff lunch. The ones I worked in wouldn't allow a microwave to be used for anything.

isn't that just the same as you would make gravy at home but on a larger scale?
What did she find offputting?

I've worked in some really shit pub and hotel kitchens and never used powdered egg. The only place I knew did was little chef

My daughter worked there over 20 yrs ago, they've always made the gravy like that.

Indian restaurants often make raita with mint sauce (the kind you have on a roast dinner) and yoghurt. My sister couldn't believe it but has made it this way ever since and cannot believe tha it tastes just like her favourite restaurants raita.

Liquid eggs are often used for scrambled but rarely powdered. But I have seen boiled egg cylinders used to make sliced egg for sandwiches. It was like 8 inches long and completely uniform, like something out of a sci fi film.

I don't understand. Why would the fact that KFC made proper gravy, rather than adding water to some powder put someone off? Very strange.

Can confirm little chef also had these

Eh. The places I worked used liquid egg, comes in cartons or in some places, huge bags. It is just shelled eggs already whisked together.

Powdered egg lasts on a shelf longer but it is more work to turn into scrambled egg vs liquid egg.

Yes, quite! That’s how you’re supposed to make gravy!

It's how I've always made raita.
natural yoghurt and stir in mint sauce,
Possibly add a splash of lemon juice,.

Dh & I always wondered (how boring are we?) how they make mushrooms in big buffet chain type hotels. The mushrooms are always in a lot of brownish liquid. Are they poached? Braised? Industrial sized microwave? Anyone know?

Interesting. When I worked in a pub 90% of the food was microwaved. Almost nothing was made fresh. Just reheated. Put me off eating out for ages