Menu Planning

Here's some ground rules for planning your menus to make the best of what you purchase. Following these rules lowers your food costs. It's also fun (in a nerdy culinary way) to stare at menus at nice restaurants and try to see what other uses they have for those crazy mushrooms used for the special.

1. Use all edible trim (this means using mushroom stems to flavor stocks, meat trim to make soups, etc. Perhaps this is why they have soups of the day?)
2. Don't add an item to the menu unless you can use the trim
3. Plan production to avoid leftovers (unless you're at home, then leftovers are fantastic)
4. Plan ahead for use of leftovers (like if you make roast chickens one night, have chicken salad sandwiches on the menu for the next day using leftover roast chickens)
5. Avoid minimum use perishable ingredients (can your super special perishable ingredient be substituted for something you can use in several dishes without loss of quality?)

Another thing I learned from watching Kitchen Nightmares is that you don't want your guests going home with food. This skyrockets your food costs. If possible, trim portion sizes, perhaps even lower the menu costs, until most plates come back empty or nearly empty. This also allows them room for dessert. How many times have I lusted after the passion fruit creme brulee only to find myself stuffed at the end of the meal and unable to fathom eating another bite?