Topic: Bulk cooking, how?

[chewytikka]

I

[littlechilie]

I would like that large pot of curry please Chewy ;D photo is awesome.

[Sverige]

On the main portal page once logged in, just search for bulk and you'll come across them.

Thanks. I found this example and a couple of similar ones:
http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php/topic,12388.msg100324.html#msg100324
The surprising method is to add the spices to base gravy and tomatoes and cook that until it becomes a spice paste, this being done in a large industrial sized pan. So the answer starts to become clearer for me, you can only really cook lots of portions at once by going up in size to a mega-pan.

This has been a useful thread for me. Thank you for all contributions as my thoughts are now clearer. I think little chilie's proposed method appears the most effective for bulk cooking at home.

[Sverige]

This Kiwi school chef gives a good bulk example using a bought in spice mix. (The kids love it!)

http://youtu.be/uGvai2N5J60

Interesting. The use of a premade (and prefried) spice mix makes sense in this setting as it makes the process easy, but I'm sure he could also buy individual spices in bulk and fry them up in that brat pan much cheaper.  I reckon one of those ready-to-go spice mixes with a thick base from this site, like JB base and you could churn out BIR at scale quite cheaply and quicker than standing over a pan cooking individual portions.

[Sverige]

Sorry, but I don't have a magic bullet for this one. We do exactly as Little Chilie says. You can cook double or even treble portions to speed things up but I don't usually bother because it just leads to mistakes.  I spent weeks trying to create bulk recipes but failed completely - even simple sauces like a korma just didn't come out right.

If anyone has some tips of their own I'm all ears. I have always said that if you could crack this, the Tesco contract alone would be worth millions

Thanks mate, understood. I bet supermarkets could quite easily commission a factory to cook BIR recipe meals at scale but the things which stop them doing so are simple economics (it takes a long time and the recipes are complex) and shelf life considerations. Supermarket ready meals need to be acidic to have a 2 week shelf life (taking into account the several days in the supply chain before it even hits the shelf) so they make them with fruit based sauces with a low ph.

[macferret]

What you say makes sense Sverige - I dislike the acid taste of many of these ready meals but hadn't realized it was to improve shelf life.

[littlechilie]

Hey all I will be bulk cooking for 40 on Friday night and Sat morning ;D will see if I have time to post some images as time will be very limited.

I finish work at 9pm Friday's and must have bulk curry and rice ready for 9.30 AM, Im not fazed in the slightest! but should be a fun few hours ;D

I will make base Friday night and prep! Cook catering size chicken Madras curry in the (AM)  along with the rice. Simples 

[PappaT]

Say you want to bulk cook a madras curry, prepare all the thinks you would need for 10 portions, next to the hob your working on place a large pot.
Start cooking your single portion of madras, when finished add to the pot then scrape pan do not wash and cook your next 9 portions this way.
End result is a pot of bulk madras as it should taste! I have used this method to serve 15 portions with stunning results., I have a post on the forum with photos for this very method.
You can warm this pot in oven before service if you choose.

I find this is the only way to truly replicate in bulk cooking, and it's awesome practice for you to perfect a dish, as by the 15th portion you now exactly how to tweak the dish.

Regards.

That is such a simple idea it is amazing it needs to be posted,lol. Thankfully it was because I'm on to my 6th tweeking of a and it is nearly there. Thanks for the post.