Let's not start this blog post by dissing you or anyone who is a great cook in your family. This post is about why food at a restaurant is so amazingly good!
We have all tried to replicate food we fell in love with at a certain restaurant, maybe even asked a reliable server what a secret ingredient was. But despite your best efforts your end result just doesn't turn out quite the same. It's 100 % not your fault, the restaurant definitely has its way and secrets that you might not know. I am here to give you a few tip on how to improve your home cooked meals. Make them taste more like you are dining out!
First things first, kitchen equipment is a special thing to behold! If a line cook showed you a sautee pan they use each night you might not give it a second glance. Maybe it deserves to go in the trash or repurposed as a wall decoration you say... In reality, the wear and tear of that pan has made it incredibly seasoned. Cooking a multitude of dishes 1,000's and 1,000's of times will make each dish taste better than the one prepared before! If anyone would argue that their own mother makes the best pasta sauce you take their word for it, cause her pan has become seasoned to do so! If you ever come across a commercial kitchen auction buy up those used sautee pans, they are like food gold!
Along the same lines as cooking equipment, flat tops and grills are another secret to making great food. Since kitchens can afford to keep grills and flat tops on for many hours a day, they are being seasoned with all kinds of meats and vegetables throughout the day. Many grills and flat tops are seasoned with oil soaked rags (oil that comes from the hot deep fryer), which adds more flavor! Filtered oil from fried chicken can be kept and used a few times so that could be a good home option.
Next major thing is white wine. Many restaurants use white wine to season things such a fish, chicken and vegetables. It's an ingredient that you may not notice right away, but would definitely notice if it weren't there. It provides depth, slight acidity and fruitiness to things that need a little boost. Line cooks keep it in squirt bottles for easy access. Never use a wine for cooking that you would not drink yourself!!
Another tip I can give you is seasoning. Salt and pepper can make or break a dish especially when it comes to meat. An underseasoned steak is a huge no no in my book! But sometimes it's more than salt and pepper, some restaurants use a blend of things to give all of their dishes a more well rounded flavor. A simple mix of kosher salt, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder and white pepper can do wonders for just about anything. The amounts of each ingredient are totally up to your taste just don't go overboard.
My next tip is about that naughty ingredient we all know and love so much...butter. When butter is rendered and milk solids removed, it has a higher smoke point but all its glorious butter flavor. It's used to finish steaks, pastas, veggies and so much more. Going out to eat for some is a regular thing and for others it's a treat. Just know that a lot of places use butter in things and you have every right to ask for it not to be used, but why would you do something crazy like that!
My next tip is about meats, let's start with chicken. Chicken breasts often time come very thick at one end and thin on another. Cooks will take the hassle out of trying to cook an uneven piece of meat and pound it out to the same thickness. Not only will flattening the meat make your chicken cook fast, but it also retains all of its rich juices. Steaks are a whole different ball game. Steaks can often times be marked off in big batches, be kept raw in the middle and placed into a warmer box. They are marked off on the grill, placed into a warmer box, and all throughout the night can be pulled to cook longer on the grill or pulled at a perfect rare or medium rare temperature.While the steaks sit in the warmer they are bathing in a pool of garlic, butter and fresh herbs to make for a next level piece of meat. This is not ideal for all restaurants nor is this method all that common! Most steaks I have seen are grilled to order right then and there when the ticket is rung in.
My last and final tip I can give you is just to have a bit of knowledge about what you are cooking. Seems silly but when you are trying to time everything perfectly it helps to know how long things cook. Line cooks will often cook vegetables 70-80 % of the way through, shock them in ice water and keep cold until needed for an order. It's one of the last things that are cooked and are often times dunked in hot water, then finished in a pan with butter, white wine, salt and pepper.
I hope this helps anyone who is aspiring to cook more at home or needed a few tips! Many more tips to come, thanks so much for reading, have an awesome day!
