Monday, October 28, 2013

Re-purposing / Cross Utilization


Planning and purchasing of food has taken a new approach in my life. With thousands of dollars invested in just product, I have to constantly plan. This means that nothing on my menu is just dropped in place because I personally like it or it is easy to make. What happens when there is leftover hamburger? Depending on the amount it becomes a chefs special of chili, or a bolognaise sauce for pasta. Leftover chicken breasts become, yes, you guessed it “chicken taco chili” or add some Sweet Baby Rays, shred the chicken and you have pulled chicken sliders. Planning the soup du jour is anything but haphazard also. Chicken noodle soup becomes chicken corn chowder with the addition of heavy cream, potatoes, corn and rice just as long as you did not put the noodles directly into the soup. Vegetable soup becomes vegetable beef soup by adding chopped up hamburger from previous service. The trick here is to always keep your inventory on your mind, know when perishables are reaching the critical point and have a plan in place for them. With today’s technology and information at your fingertips, there is absolutely no reason to throw much of anything out. Be smart, be creative and most of all be thrifty.

 

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