Food Costs Formula: How to Calculate Restaurant Food Cost Percentage

In this blog post, I put a You Tube video on food costs. If you want to open an eatery, this short video will be very informative. The instructor is a chef and entrepreneur. He states that many people working in the food service industry in key positions do not know the basics on what a plate of food costs. That is one of the most basic things anyone in business must know. And that is how much did it cost you to purchase your items to be sold. To make a profit, you aren't going to purchase expensive ground beef like $50.00 per pound, and expect to make any money by selling a 1/2 pounder with cheese for 12.99. If you are you are an idiot big time. Even drug dealers are more aware on their costs. Hey if you go into business, you need some street smarts. I'd take the street smart guy anyday, and by-pass the university grad.

The Restaurant Boss

_________________________________________________________________________________

www.goldensteerlasvegas.com

Should I Start A Food Truck?

Money guru Dave Ramsey in this video listens to one of his callers who is a woman that want to open her own food truck in Texas. If you are thinking of opening up any business this short video is interesting. Not like Shart Tank, however the caller explains the cost to Dave, as he interupts her at times to explain that she does not need certain components at her stage of the game, as she is a newby to the food truck industry. She explains that she wants to hire employees, and Dave gives her a thumbs down on that, as he explains to her that she will be doing most of the work. Dave keeps it real. And that's just the way business are born. Starting with very little and growing it day by day, on sale at a time.

Dave Ramsey

The Dave Ramsey Show

_________________________________________________________________________________

www.goldensteerlasvegas.com

Induction Cooktops That Are Heating up the Food Industry

In this video, you will see for just a few minutes, what induction cooking is doing for the professional kitchens and chefs. Vollrath is a company based in Sheboygan, Wisconsin. They manufacture almost everything a restaurant will need in large numbers. The Vollrath name can be found in almost every kitchen around the globe. Take a peek inside of your favorite local diner, I bet you anything you will see the Vollrath name on a pot or pan, or maybe the salad bar. Go to their website and check it out. 

Induction cooking has many good points. It is based on magnetics. A cooking vessel must contain steel. The induction cook top does not get physically hot, hence you can put your hand on the surface even with the power on and not feel the heat. The friction by magnetics causes the steel vessel to get heated. Chefs are finding out that induction cooking has many benefits. 

Benefits include precise cooking temperatures. Unlike cooking with a gas produced flame that can be unreliable, the induction production of heat can be dialed in correctly almost 100 % of the time. Old school cooking methods using flame as a source for heat would have a chef making a Hollandaise sauce using a double boiler. However with induction cooking, a chef can dial in to a lower temperature and hold it at that for a long time. Hence an egg sauce will not burn, nor melting chocolates. Watch this video of what Vollrath has to offer if you want to open an eatery. Or if you just want some induction equipment for your home. Vollrath manufactures some very handsome, fine quality home cookware as well.

Vollrath Induction Cooking

_________________________________________________________________________________

www.goldensteerlasvegas.com

GRAPHIC: GIANT LIVE Maine Lobster HUGE Sushi Roll | Guga Foods Collab!

Hiroyuki Terada is one of my favorite You Tube chefs. He specializes in sushi making. Afterall he is a master sushi chef from Japan. In this video he breaks apart a huge ass live Maine lobster. He steams the huge claws, body and tail and proceeds to make a huge ass lobster sushi roll. His Deba looked small compared to the huge 10 + pound lobster. 

Now here's a few tips on steaming times for a whole lobster.

3/4-1 pound in boiling water for about 8 minutes

1- 1 1/4 pound about 10 minutes

1 1/2 - 2 pounds 11 minutes.

Obviously this lobster that Hiroyuki is steaming was too huge for any pot he had in his studio. So he broke down each piece and using a digital scale weighed each piece he steamed. He actually went 9 minutes per pound. Adding 2 minutes per additional pound. This is key. Enjoy the video, I did.

Chef Hiroyuki Terada

Giant Maine Lobster HUGE Sushi Roll!

_________________________________________________________________________________

www.goldensteerlasvegas.com

Sausage Gravy recipe by the BBQ Pit Boys

In this video the BBQ Pit Boys are going to make a Sausage Gravy. It's great anytime to eat. Breakfast, lunch, snack, dinner. After a night of boozing, whenever. This is comfort food deluxe. I love this stuff with flaky biscuits with lots of butter. Not good for my hypertension or gout, but you know what I mean. This is good stuff man. Love this kind of food! OK watch the video, and enjoy.

BBQ Pit Boys

Sausage Gravy Recipe

_________________________________________________________________________________

www.goldensteerlasvegas.com

Fool - Proof Prime Rib Youtube

In this video, we are going to watch a home cook make his prime rib with the bone on. He's got a simple method, just watch. I've never made prime rib this way, because he puts a 6 pounder in the oven at 500 deg. F, for 30 minutes. Then offs the heat, and lets the prime rib sit in the closed oven for 2 hours, and it comes out perfect, medium rare. I usually go slow and low, like maybe 4 hours at 300 degrees, and just watch the inserted thermometer until it reaches around 130 deg F. Whatever your style, or you are just interested watch this video it's a cool take on home cooking.

_________________________________________________________________________________

www.goldensteerlasvegas.com

Ezekiel 4:9 Organic Bread Ultimate Mock Chicken Sandwich

In this blog I'll introduce you to 
EZEKIEL 4:9 ORGANIC ALL GRAIN BREAD. Flourless, low glycemic bread perfect for diabetics as well as people with hypertension. Of course it all depends if you are going to eat this with healthy ingredients. I mean, you wouldn't want to make greasy grilled cheese sandwiches with this bread. But nobody is stopping you at all.

Ezekiel 4:9 products are crafted in the likeness of the Holy Scripture verse Ezekiel 4:9 to ensure unrivaled honest nutrition and pure, delicious flavors.

"Take also unto thee wheat, and barley, and beans, and lentils and millet, and spelt and put them in one vessel…" Ezekiel 4:9

It’s this special, unique combination of 6 grains and legumes that harvests benefits beyond what we normally expect from our breads, pastas, cereals, and other foods.

• Source of Complete Protein - Rated 84.3% as efficient as the highest source of protein (comparable to that of milk or eggs)
• Contains 18 Amino Acids - Including all 9 essential amino acids
• Increased Digestibility - Sprouting breaks down
  starches in grains into simple sugars so your body can digest them easily.
• Increased Absorption of Minerals – Sprouting breaks down enzyme inhibitors, so your body can more easily absorb calcium, magnesium, iron, copper and zinc.
• Increased Vitamin C - Sprouting produces vitamin C.
• Increased Vitamin B - Sprouting increases the vitamin B2, B5 & B6.
• Great source of Fiber - Combining sprouted grains and legumes gives a good amount of natural fiber in each serving.

And as is true with all our Food for Life Sprouted Grain Products, we only use the very best ingredients and baking methods to ensure you truly get the very most out of your food.

• We use only freshly sprouted certified organic grains.
• Our products are kosher.
• We use absolutely no flour. Studies have shown that grinding grains into flour increases the surface area upon which enzymes in the body can work to more quickly convert starch into glucose.
• We don’t use any genetically modified organisms (GMO’s)
• We don’t use refined sugars. When sugar is refined and processed there are many harmful ingredients that are added to the sugar as a result. Instead, we use malted barley, a natural sweetener produced from sprouted barley, which is basically a carbohydrate comprised mostly of complex carbohydrates rather than the "sugar" carbohydrates.
• We don’t use anything artificial – no preservatives or shortenings.
• We use a unique slow-bake process to preserve the natural fiber and bran benefits of grains.

Our Ezekiel 4:9 Organic Sprouted Whole Grain Offerings

• Breads
• Buns
• Cereals
• English Muffins
• Pasta
• Pocket Breads
• Tortillas
• Waffles
• See all products

 Ezekiel 4:9 Sprouted Grain Bread

Here's what you can do for a healthy sandwich. I'll call this the 

Ultimate Mock Chicken Sandwich.

INGREDIENTS

1-14 oz. block of firm tofu (organic). Drained of water. Sliced into 6 pieces, so you'll have 6 steaks.

1/2 cup of organic tamari soy sauce

1 tsp. honey

1 tbsp. apple cider vinegar (organic)

2 cups of mock chicken powder

2 cups of nutritiona yeast

____________________________________________

1 cup of Veganaise (organic vegan mayonnaise)

1 cup of organic stone grain mustard

6 pieces of organic lettuce leaves

6 slices of organic tomato

6 slices of organic red onion

6 slices of all-natural organic Swiss cheese

12 slices of Ezekiel 4:9 bread (6 sandwiches)

Directions

In a small mixing bowl, add in the tamari soy sauce, apple cider vinegar, and honey. In another medium bowl, add in the mock chicken powder and nutritional yeast, mix well.

Soak each slice of tofu into the tamari mixture one at a time. Then dredge in the powered mixture. Set aside all 6 slices.

Take 6 slices of bread and spread the Vegenaise and mustard mixture on each slice. Then place a slice of seasoned tofu on each slice. Then add each of the vegetables. Top with cheese, and last piece of bread. 

Boom!

_________________________________________________________

www.goldensteerlasvegas.com

200 McDonald's Burger Burrito - Epic Meal Time

It's that time again for some crazy foodies from Canada, the gang from Epic Meal Time, as they create the largest burrito. These goofballs are funny. They went out and bought a lot of burgers and fries from Mc Donald's, and some pizza from Little Caesars. They joined together a lot of flour tortillas using an iron you would use to get the wrinkles out from your clothes. Just watch, as some of you for sure will find this entertaining, while some of you may find this rather sickening. I think it's funny. But it's not funny if you told me, "Ron there's a lot of starving people on the streets, and these guys are just wasting food." Yeah I'd feel bad. But- for what it is... it's funny. I'm sure these guys donate whatever they can to just causes. I don't think they are A holes. But I've never met them. 

______________________________________________________

www.goldensteerlasvegas.com

PURE APPLE JUICE, SWEETEN THE COFFEE

Diabetes has gotten hold of many of my good friends and associates. It's a topic of converstation many times at the table when sharing meals. Someone will shy away from eating that cream puff fearing a spike in their sugar level. Others will ask if the restaurant they are eating at will serve something other than white sticky rice or garlic bread. Possibly quinoa or an all-grain bread, or steamed vegetables. Having diabetes can be difficult. 

I'm not an expert, so before you use this method of sweetening your coffee, or tea, consult with your certified nutritionist or physician. But what I'm about to say is some of my friends with diabetes have been using natural sweeteners and still do good with their blood checks. Instead of artificial sweeteners that can cause other illnesses, one friend has been using raw sugar, and many times apple juice. 

What takes oragnic apples and puts it in a food processor and mashes it up with the juices coming out. All natural sweet. Of course you don't want to over dose on apples or brown sugar, just watch your intake. So for an 8 oz. cup of hot coffee, he adds in a little low fat cream, and like a couple tablespoons of mashed up apples and its juices. It doesn't spike his numbers much. 

So check with your doctor or nutritionist, and see if that could be a sweetener alternative for your morning coffee or tea. When you think about it, it's not processed, it's whole food. But always double check with your heatlh professionals. Remember that everyone's body is different.
______________________________________________________

www.goldensteerlasvegas.com

MAN VS. FOOD DAYTONA BEACH

Man vs. Food Daytona Beach, another fun food show. Although it's taking me some time to get used to this new guy Casey Webb. I was used to seeing Adam Richman all these years. Adam was the man, he was the face of this show. However, I got used to watching Brian Johnson replacing Bonn Scott in ACDC. I got used to Arnel Pineda replacing Steve Augeri, who replaced Steve Perry in Journey. So I guess I'll get used to this guy.

Casey needs to scarf down a towering sandwich. Let's watch and enjoy this crazy food show. Which I like. I'm over the so-called chef shows. Chefs are a ______ing dime a dozen, can't stand those egotistical jerks! Haha!

Man vs. Food

Daytona Beach

_________________________________________________________________________________

www.goldensteerlasvegas.com

FOODS THAT ARE NAY FOR HYPERTENSION

In this post let's look at some foods that are Nay :(  for hypertension. And it's all around us. So let's take a look.






Stay away from these Nay foods.

High sodium soy sauce
Fast food salty french fries
Most canned foods, tuna, Spam etc.
Cold cuts or cured meats
High caffeine drinks
Tacos at fast food joints
Fast food pizzas
Potato chips
Corn chips
Salad dressings
Fatty meats
Beer
Ramen (unless it's made from scratch omitting the sodium)
Omelets with sausage or ham
Gravy unless made from scratch
Canned soups, stocks, broths unless it's really low sodium
Pastrami
Kimchi
Fish cakes
Poke' (cubed raw fish) usually with soy sauce
Grilled cheese
Katsu (pork or chicken)
Fish sticks
Cutlets
Some stir fries
Some roasts
Some desserts that have lots of fat
Donuts, cinnamon buns, cakes etc.
Teriyaki
Kabli

    If you can cook your own food and learn to use less sodium in anything. You'll be OK. Really it's the processed foods that have a long shelf life is what you want to omit in your diet as much as possible. Cooking your own food or purchasing healthy whole foods is the best for you. If you need to eat at fast food restaurants, what you can do, is eat the most healthiest foods that you can find on the menu. And drink lots of water. Water instead of sodas, and juices. Even diet sodas can be harmful with all the man made ingredients. You can be healthy, you can live without your medication if you change your life. It's not easy. But it is possible.

Take care!

KID'S MEALS LOW SODIUM, TURKEY MEATBALL SPAGHETTI

In this post, we'll do some delicious turkey meatballs with spaghetti noodles. Make it low in sodium so that we minimize our high blood pressure. And that goes just as well for our kids. The importance of keeping our blood pressure in check is no doubt vital. My nephew is not even 20 yet, and he has hypertension. Controlling our emotions also keeps our pressure low and in check. Instead of road rage, take a deep breath. Afterall we can't really control other people's driving. Like my dad always said, "You can't win in this life." Well, we can have our victories, but really we can't control certain events is what he really meant. Plus we are all going to be gone from this planet sooner or later.

OK off to the kid's spaghetti.

INGREDIENTS

1 lb. of spaghetti cooked per instructions on the package, drained and set aside.

1 1/2 lbs. of ground turkey. (Organic if you can buy it)

1 1/2 cups of bread crumbs, I use panko flakes, or unflavored and unsalted bread crumbs

1 egg beaten

2 tbsp. of real mayonnaise

1/2 cup minced onion

1 tsp. white pepper

1 tsp. sea salt

1 tbsp. ketchup

1 tbsp. ground mustard

* Store bought low sodium spaghetti sauce, Prego, Ragu etc. Use as much as you want to sauce up your noodles.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Preheat your oven to 375 deg. F.

Line a large cookie sheet with baking paper, spray some nonstick spray on it.

Mix the ground turkey with ingredients. Form your turkey meatballs, any size you want. Place all meatballs on to the cookie sheet and bake them for about 25-30 minutes or until heated through real well.

In a deep skillet, add your baked turkey meatballs and as much as the spaghetti sauce as you want. Bring to a boil, then lower to simmer, add in the cooked spaghetti noodles, cook through well. Let the noodles sop up the sauce. 

Sprinkle some parmesan cheese, serve with garlic all grain bread.

______________________________________________________

www.goldensteerlasvegas.com

Chow Fun Video

I found an old video of me getting nuts cooking chowfun. It was done 3 years ago almost. Simple stuff. I've posted this before, so if you've seen it, you're right, after 3 years I should do some new videos. Oh well. Here goes hope you love this kind of stuff, if not. Hey go watch porno or something!

Chowfun Video

_________________________________________________________________________________

www.goldensteerlasvegas.com

CHEF CULTURE

Let's take a look at the definition of a chef.

chef |SHef| 
nouna professional cook, typically the chief cook in a restaurant or hotel.
That's the definition out of my dictionary off of my MacBook Air. The definition is correct. Chef. The true chef puts in years of hard work to perfect his or her game in the professional kitchen. I mean years. I can never honestly call some kid straight out of C school a chef. Though some graduate and work for a restaurant, and immediately they are chefs, or because of social media are self proclaimed chefs. Not even close. It's like taking judo, joining a dojo, and you get a black belt real fast. When you are put to the test, you better show action, if not you'll be run out of town fast. Sushi chefs take years to perfect their craft. And that's just making the rice. So Johnny at Shopping Center Sushi that learned how to roll a Cali can't be a chef right then and there. He's just a twister. 
Chefs that paid their dues are knowledgeable about their cuisine. Usually if an Italian chef stays the course and not go into other genres, he will no doubt be a master by the time he retires. Understand, you need to do the time to be called a chef. A chef, understands his methods, techniques, his suppliers, his kitchen setup, costs of everything, food, employees. He or she does the scheduling of all staff. A chef comes into the kitchen early, and usually is the last to leave. That's the true chef. I observe some of these young guys in their early 30's with tattoos that have that chef coat on, and some of them conduct themselves totally unprofessional. Sure they can sear a piece of ahi and drizzle some concoction over it, and make the plate pretty, but they haven't done the time yet. Thanks to social media, and shows like the Food Network, kids think being a chef is easy. Go to C school, get cerified, work for a well known restaurant under a well known rock star chef and they are perfect. They'll be featured in their local paper, and they'll get hundreds of likes from social media. Big deal? Well- yeah it is, but like I said, put in the time.
When you watch a professional retire, he or she will have proof they were bad ass. A doctor, attorney, carpenter, engineer, business owner. When these types retire, they will have a list of accomplishments several miles long. Kobe Bryant, 20 years in the NBA, 5 titles! Michael Jordan, 6 titles. Magic Johnson 5 titles. Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods in golf, accomplishments, championships. If you like them or not, in their particular field they are proven. Chefs? Hey put your time in first. 
Respect comes from getting dirty with your team. Not just barking orders, "Hey move it, cut those bags of onions!" No, respect comes from the lowest person on staff when they see the chief of the kitchen get down and dirty, prepping, slicing, chopping to help out. Even lending a hand to the dishwasher. Leaders serve first. Chefs I worked with that did the dirty work, I'd do anything for if asked, within professional reason of course. So if any young up and coming chef is reading this, you better lead by example. Yes you need to be firm, and strong if not your staff will run all over you. However, you can be firm, professional, and still a good person to your staff. And I know chefs got egos. I got chefs in my family. And working for them in the kitchen, it's all hard ball baby! If you can't stand getting yelled at, stay away from the kitchen and go park cars. I been yelled at by chefs, called names by chefs. But they are the way they are. After the shift, we usually share a few beers. I've seen others wilt. But the chefs that yelled at me to move my ass, well they had every right to. Why? I can be a lazy ass haha. But like I said, those guys ran the trenches, they helped out. I worked for flakes as well. Guys that just sat in their office with the hot waitress chick. F him. No respect for those ball sacks!
A true chef understands his kitchen to a T. He is familiar with the electrical set up. He can even get that pipe wrench and fix a leaky pipe. A true chef is strong, not weak. If the chillers need to be moved for some new ones, he will gather his team to move it. They don't wait, they take control. True chefs don't hesitate, they move quickly. Their decison making process is swift. If they need to prepare a VIP dinner for 1,000 they will plan in advance. They understand all the variables. Where is this to be staged? Indoors or outside? How many are vegans, how man have allergies. For 1,000 people, what's the total cost going to be for the menu prepared? They have to be swift in math. Their minds are made for multi-tasking. If you can't deal with multiple items at any one time, forget being a chef. Go park cars buddy! And true chefs are never sloppy. They are impecable. A dirty towel sits on the prep table? Someone's ass is going to be chewed out. Rinse water not clear? Mr. Dishman will get an earful. Too much meat on that chicken carcass? Prepcook will get his! True chefs will never waste anything. 
Chefs will work well with the owners of the restaurant. Or if he or she is the owner, they will work well with landlords, and local officials that put local rules or laws regarding the food and beverage industry into effect. Yeah they need to be people who can work with people. 
Skills. A true chef understand how to do the butchering of meats. (Unless he or she is a vegan chef).. Even breaking down large fish like tunas, salmon and the like. I've worked with so-called chefs that had no basic idea on how to take meat off of a whole chicken. Or filet a fish. I'm serious. I'm like, "What fck school did you attened? You can't even figure out how to debone a fck chicken? Really?" No respect for those so-called chefs.
Here's the thing. Chefs in training, stick to one cuisine first and be totally masterful of that. If you are learning Japanese, spend years at it. Perfecting your craft. There's nothing wrong with working for many different restaurants. However, I have a chef friend that is good at many cuisines, but master at none. She's very mediocre at best. She jumps around from Mexican, to Italian, to India, to Chinese to Hawaiian foods. But she doesn't spend years perfecting any of those. She learns a little bit, and puts her own cute twist on everything. It's like if I was learning building maintenance. If I just watched a plumbler for a few days, and then the electrician for a few days, and the carpenter for a few days and said, "Hey I got it." Then go out on trouble calls and completely do a half ass job at the apartment complex, I'd be the laughing stock. Words of the wise, spend years perfecting your craft. If you want to be the best barbeque chef, spend time at that craft. If you want to be a Chinese chef, spend time at the wok. Master it. Become it. The problem today is these young kids don't want to put in the time. Just because you can make a decent pan sauce, does not make you bad ass folks. 
True chefs at the end of their careers look it. I mean they do. Even if they workout, they look worn out. And that's because they paid their dues. So don't be fooled by those pretty chefs on television. Makeup artists you know, they make people look good. Chefs got bad backs, sore bodies, wornout knees. True chefs are really like athletes. So, for me, I'll see how a chef operates before I can really say, "Yeah this chef is true to his craft, to his profession. He respects it in all aspects." And also, just because you wanted to learn about food and beverage and got your certificate, unless you've put in your time. You are just a backyard cook or bartender with a certificate. If you aren't going pro with your goods, you're just a neighborhood foodie.

COOKING WITH BEER - EMERIL LIVE

In this post, I'm going back in time. Most of you that know me, understand my dislike of the new age cooking or food shows. Too gimicky. Must be older age. Anyhow, one of my favorite shows was on the Food Network, and that was Emeril Live. Emeril was an entertainer, he knew how to work a crowd. A lot of my true chef associates cannot stand him. I think, it could be... jelousy? Maybe eh? Well I for one loved his live show with his band playing. It was like David Letterman meets the Galloping Gourmet. On this classic episode, Emeril cooks with beer. If you like him or not, here is the You Tube video.

Emeril Live

Cooking with Beer

Food Network

_________________________________________________________________________________

www.goldensteerlasvegas.com

President Bill Clinton at McDonald's - SNL

One thing that television shows always instilled was food. Every show on t.v. had something to do with food. Cop shows, two detectives eating a donut in their unmarked car. Alice from the Brady Bunch cooking for the kids in her blue uniform. Cheers, patrons drinking beer and eating bar food. So one of my favorite weekend shows Saturday Night Live did a spoof on President Clinton back in 1992, I had to post this. It was classic comedy. The late Phil Hartman portrayed the president to a T. Perfect. The writers did a great job using Mc Donald's as the foundation to this sketch. In the sketch, Hartman as Clinton goes for a jog with two secret service agents. One of the agents tells Clinton "We only jogged three blocks." That's when the fun begins because it was said in a Mc Donalds that was busy with lots of people who knew who he was. Chris Farley who also died portrayed a hardware store owner, as he sat in a booth with his son. Clinton visits, and eats Farley's son's pickles that were left out of the kid's sandwich because the kid dislikes pickles. Watch this comedy sketch as laughter is also a part of living a healthy life. And since this is a food blog, well- Mc Donald's comes into the picture, in a humorous way.

Saturday Night Live 1992

Phil Hartman as Bill Clinton in a Mc Donalds.

_________________________________________________________________________________

www.goldensteerlasvegas.com