This company CloudKitchens, started by the Uber guy, appears to be a tech solution (ie. cashing in) for cloud/ghost kitchens. Their pitch is setting you up in a commercial kitchen and helping get your business working with the delivery services.

I know what you're thinking, "Yes that's obviously how ghost kitchens work, so why the fuck do I need this company to help with that?" Well that's my question too

I was looking for a commercial kitchen space for my meal prep business when I found them. I got in touch and the first phone call was weird. Someone from out of state called, knew nothing of the food service laws in my state, couldn't tell me where their kitchen was, and kept trying to sell me on the 'ghost kitchen concept' even tho I said I didn't want to do that I just need a kitchen

To get setup with them they want me to sign a one year lease, and pay $4,000 a month lmao. I told them I could get an actual restaurant with full dining room for that price

I asked to see the kitchen and instead I'm getting a zoom meeting for a "virtual tour" lol. Like, why virtual? Sound like the place may not even exist yet. I dunno. Super sketchy

Anyone else talk to these people?

Oh, also they're funded by Saudi blood money.

Read these articles for more info:

Ousted Uber cofounder Travis Kalanick has reportedly spent $130 million on his ghost kitchen startup. Here's what it's like inside one of the secretive locations

Ousted Uber CEO Travis Kalanick sparks mayhem with his new ghost kitchen start-up

Uber Founder Turns Real-Estate Mogul for Ghost Kitchen Startup

Ex-Uber CEO Travis Kalanick Plans to Lure Actual Humans to His San Jose Ghost Kitchen

Uber's Kalanick Pours $130M Into Ghost Kitchen Properties

Report: Saudis Pour $400M Into Travis Kalanick’s Ghost Kitchen Startup

Odd question, but bear with me - I went to eat at a burger joint today and I used the wash room to wash my hands. The smell the soap left behind was so flowery that it ruined the experience of the burger.

So here's a dumb question - has anyone ever thought of keying the smell of their bathroom soaps to a particular theme? Let's say you have a BBQ place where people eat with their hands. Would a smoke (or other scent - i'm spitballing here) hand soap heighten the experience?

Failing that, would it make more sense that we use neutral smelling soaps in the bathroom so as not to compete with our food?

Does all this sound nuts?

Ghost Kitchens function as production facilities for delivery only restaurants.

These Virtual restaurants provide no dine-in service. The food can only be ordered online via apps, hence the term cloud or ghost kitchen.

I've started a new sub related to this topic.

r/GhostKitchens

Okay, just to be totally clear, I don't mean fertilizer grade bonemeal, nor the stuff you mix in your pets food. I'm aware that its got scraps and ash and metal and whatever other junk we can't eat.

I'm talking about taking bones, drying them out, grinding them to a powder somehow, and then using it as flour. It would be gluten free and contain a little protein. Mix it with other gluten free flours and you could end up with something thats closer to a wheat flour product. (which is what celiacs want, right?)

Has anyone worked with bonemeal or heard of anything similar?

Let's push it on other food subs and the like to get more action and traffic. It's such a cool idea.

I have been cooking for over ten years and have always struggled with plating. I have noticed some people grasp plating more quickly than others and with a stronger depth. Lets all become better cooks together and offer personal experiences, tips, and constructive criticism. /r/culinaryplating

Example: Fish and Red Wine - Tuna and burre rouge or Asparagus and white chocolate - lobster and vanilla sauce with white asparagus.

Hey all, just started experimenting with sauteéd watermelon. I did it in butter and a little cracked pepper. It was interesting, but felt like it lacked flavor. Was thinking about soaking it in a citrus before doing it next time. Thoughts?

Got a free one and took home most of it and froze it. How can I incorporate it into something? I think i should heat it in a saucepan and then add chicken stock and a diced large potato. Let cook, add cream, s&p. Any suggestions or pitfalls?

I love the idea of peanut butter powder (HUGE PB fan here..), but not totally sure how to use it. Does anyone have any good recipes with PBP?

I've been noticing chefs freezing cuttlefish and slicing it thin like noodles, for a different texture and presentation, and it got me thinking about how we can substitute something like squid/cuttlefish out for ACTUAL noodles in things.

I made something of a cuttlefish ramen the other day, with a roasted duck broth finished with yuzu juice. It was tasty, and was pretty cool texturally, the only downfall was that the broth was a little bit too powerful for the cuttlefish, but it was a cool idea that I think can sprout lots of other things. Here are some other ideas that I've had:

Cuttlefish "shabu shabu", chilled and marinated cuttlefish with charred eggplant and scallion, caramelized pork stock poured tableside to cook the fish instantly.

Cuttlefish "carbonara", traditional carbonara flavours but with cuttlefish noodles. Like cuttlefish warmed slowly with beurre monte with a crispy guanciale/padano crumble, parsley coulis, a confit egg yolk.

What do you guys think?

So, I am working on some ice cream flavors for a friend. Long story that I am not gonna get into, I want to do some crazy ice cream ideas based on puns of awesome band names.

So far I gots:

Almond Duul Cluster: Bitter Almond ice cream with Barenjager syrup and candied roast almond clusters.

Guitar Wolf Crunch: Black Sesame ice cream, red bean puree (topguy), Karinto and possibly cinnamon red hots.

Roky Road: Spicy chocolate ice cream, Cocoa Nibs, marshmallows, chocolate pentagrams?, peanuts.

Rum DMC: Rum and amchur ice cream with rum macerated Dates, Dried Mango and Currants.

Parlamint-Chocadelic: Double chocolate ice cream with mint swirl and basil truffles.

De Peche ala Mode: Roasted peach ice cream and Vanilla ice cream swirled with raspberry and peach jams

I know the puns are horrible and the flavors are kinda boring, lets see what we can come up with.

POST PUNS AND REPLY WITH FLAVOR IDEAS.

Here is the other post.

Harvard School of Applied Sciences: Science and Food Lecture Series

Public lectures by some of the best chefs in the world along with a scientific breakdown of their demonstrated principles.

Avg run time/ video: 1.5hr

Figure you guys might enjoy this.

Intro

Sous Vide

Desserts

Thickeners and mouthfeel

Viscosity and Olive Oil

Heat and Chocolate

Texture and Flavor

Emulsions

Gelation

Browning and Oxidizaiton

Meat Glue

Cultivating Flavor

Creativity and Limitaitons

Edit: Cross Posted from r/ Food

I'll be hosting a dinner party with a four course meal centered around helping friends try different types of whiskey. Looking for feedback on food and whiskey pairings:

Course 1 - Appetizer - Cheese and chive stone ground grits, collard greens, and burnt ends with a spicy bourbon corn relish Paired with WL Weller 12 Year Bourbon Whiskey

Course 2 - Salad - Spring and chard salad with green apple, walnut, feta, and a honey vinaigrette Paired with Crown Royal Northern Harvest Rye Canadian Whiskey

Course 3 - Entrée - Seared rosemary and thyme sirloin, roasted asparagus with lemon butter sauce, and hot potato salad with bacon and cucumber Paired with Macallan 12 Scotch Whiskey

Course 4 - Dessert - Traditional german chocolate cake and coffee with Buffalo Trace bourbon cream

Hey guys, I'm working on a summer themed tasting menu, and I want to do a foie gras s'more. Without diving into the other components too much, I'm wondering how I would you would go about making a foie gras marshmallow? My two ideas that I've had (though I haven't tried either yet, just wondering about what you guys would do before I start) are:

1. rendering down the foie fat and then folding it in with the egg whites before adding in the gelatin, but adding in less gelatin to accommodate for the fat solidifying once it cools, or

2. freezing foie torchon, and microplaning it into the egg so it picks up the flavour, then setting it with gelatin after.

What would you guys suggest?