AboutChef Wendy Perry Expertise Ready to launch your own Successful Personal Chef Service? The Personal Chefs Network is the place to call home. Founded by working Personal Chefs, we offer the newest and most Comprehensive educational materials available on the market..."The Making of a Personal Chef!(c)" We provide unique benefits to our membership and unsurpassed Support! Chef Wendy Perry will be glad to answer all your questions as you pursue this exciting new career, and guide you every step of the way!
Experience After over 20 years in the catering industry, Chef Wendy refocused her services to the Personal Chef industry and has been a successful Personal Chef for several years. Along with Co-Founder Chef Sharon Worster, she launched the Personal Chefs Network offering innovative educational materials for new PCs along with Network membership for those already providing the service. PCN membership spans the US and Canada!
Organizations Personal Chefs Network, International Association of Culinary Professionals
Publications Chef Wendy writes a syndicated newspaper column and has appeared on WRAL tv (CBS affiliate), WTVD tv(ABC affiliate) and local radio talk shows. Chef Wendy is a Primary Contributor and Editor of "The Making of a Personal Chef," and has written one cookbook of her own.
Education/Credentials B.S. Home Economics Education from East Carolina University; has taught numerous cooking classes and participates in ongoing educational courses. Hosts chats at the Personal Chefs Network on various topics.
Expert: Chef Wendy Perry Date: 7/14/2008 Subject: freezing half-prepped food
Question Hi. I'm running a Tex-Mex and American restaurant overseas. I'm one of those fools who started from nothing with no experience. two years later we're doing ok but I'd like to see our smoothness and speed in the kitchen get better. I'm wondering about things like fried fish, chicken tenders, and onion rings...we are using a batter similar to Chilli's chicken crispers. It seems like it should go fast to just dip it and fry it but for some reason it slows my kitchen down to do each piece one at a time into the fryer. I'm wondering if I can pre-batter them and freeze them and then go straight into the fryer? It seems that with that drippy wet batter we would need to even fry them halfway before freezing them? Is that possible? any tips?
Also, we don't do large volume so lots of our food is hard to do and keep fresh. I've never done mashed potatoes because I'm not sure if they would keep...do those freeze well?
Answer Well, take a look in the grocery store freezer section. There's all sorts of things like you're talking about completely fried and ready to drop in hot oil to crisp up and make hot. Take your cues from what you see being done like that. I wouldn't think "half-frying" or pre-battering is something that would work. Sounds like a mushy mess to me. I'm not understanding why fresh-frying things is causing such a delay in your kitchen, so I'd take a look at that process and find the "problem" because restaurants do that every day.
I freeze mashed potatoes all the time. They freeze just great!
Sorry for the delay in answering you, I did not get the initial notification.
