Food Science: Chefs in the Laboratory

A catering company test kitchen may not have scientists in lab coats conducting experiments with beakers, test tubes and microscopes, but that doesn't mean there aren't plenty of breakthroughs being made in them.

Whenever someone attends a 3,000-person sit-down luncheon and wonders how a black-pepper sauce over a perfectly seared filet mignon with a side of layered au gratin potatoes and green beans, slow-cooked until they're so tender they melt in the mouth, all tastes good and looks pretty, it's because chefs have figured out in a test kitchen beforehand what recipes work — or don't — for such a big group.

Often before a big event, meeting planners will come to Centerplate's test kitchen, located inside the San Diego Convention Center, to meet (and eat) with Brett Lewis, the company's corporate executive chef. He will put together what he calls a "chef's table" in the center of the kitchen so a prospective client can taste a number of different dishes at the same time.

"We prepare the food around them and start out with a basic menu," Lewis said. "We may shift the food around and redesign the meal depending on what they're looking for."

One of the things he encourages clients to take into consideration is what he calls the "architecture on the plate." He added, "If you have a cart full of plates and you're rolling it a long distance, it could look great when it leaves the kitchen but fall apart on the plate before it gets to the table."

Through some trial and error and some experimentation with recipes, Lewis and his team determine what combinations of food will last longest on a plate and help steer clients in the right direction when they make their choices.

Bennett Fass, Aramark's director of culinary standards for the convention center and cultural attractions group, also sets up a presentation table at the company's test kitchen in Philadelphia for prospective clients.

Every item that's supposed to be on the plate — sauces, vegetables, meat, chicken or fish — is laid out on the table so people can mix and match to come up with a combination they're happy with, Fass said.

"We might tell them that asparagus might hold up better than broccoli, but if they want broccoli we will make it work," he added.

Performing a tasting is just one function of a test kitchen. It's also the place where new products are tried out before becoming staples at the venues a company serves.

When Centerplate wanted a new hot dog for its sporting facilities, Lewis and his team were called on.

"We flew in every brand of hot dog item we were familiar with," he said. "It was beneficial because we could try them side by side."

Forty hot dogs were put to the test before they found the right one.

For Fass, his challenge was to come up with a greater variety of chowders. Besides the standbys, New England and Manhattan, he was challenged with discovering new ones.

"We were able to use different types across the country," he said.

Of course, something can look and taste good, be everything the client wants — and still end up at the table ice cold. Keeping the food hot while dishing up a large gathering is the bane of a chef's existence, but with some techniques perfected in the test kitchen, Fass and Lewis have also overcome that obstacle.

"We can dish up 1,000 plates in 30 minutes," Lewis said. "We have conveyor belts and a number of staff on hand to get the food out."

Even with fast hands in the kitchen and the dining room, there are some little tricks Lewis employs to save time, such as pre-marking and pre-searing the proteins the day before. For example, a filet mignon can be cooked the day before on a grill to a certain point and then completed the next day right before it goes on a plate.

"With some things you can cook it to where it needs to be and hold it," Fass said. But something like seared ahi tuna, for instance, would not hold up.

Fass also said marking a steak with a criss-cross pattern on a grill the day before and seasoning it helps speed up the process before service the next day. "It gives it a flavor of distinction," he said. "Then we fire it right before we plate up."