How do restaurants manage to pack in so many calories and so much sodium????
atypicalsmith
Posts: 2,742 Member
I don't get it. At IHOP, a two egg breakfast without meat is 860 calories and 2,060 mg of sodium. Look at other chains - Chili's meal with the least calories is a salad at almost 700 (without the dressing). Does anyone here work at a restaurant and can explain just what is done to make eating out nearly impossible for someone trying to lose weight?
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Replies
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Not a restaurant worker, but I will say butter, oil, and salt.
If you want to eat out frequently, you'll likely have to make compromises around what you choose from the menu, and how big the portions are that you'll allow yourself.0 -
Deep fried, fatty, salty, cheesy and sweet. We'll leap tall buildings. This they know. They prepare foods not readily available at home. When these become less attractive, the restaurants will adjust. I see the low carb trend creeping in to the menus. One can order a burger wrapped in lettuce for instance.0
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Deep fried, fatty, salty, cheesy and sweet. We'll leap tall buildings. This they know. They prepare foods not readily available at home. When these become less attractive, the restaurants will adjust. I see the low carb trend creeping in to the menus. One can order a burger wrapped in lettuce for instance.
Yep, a couple of places offer lettuce wraps instead of bread, but still have a ton of sodium!
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Salt = cheap flavour. Same with fat.0
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Salt enhances the flavor. Have you ever seen/tried salt-free cheese?
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The same way I could manage to. Trust me, if I didn't have to think about calories/weight my meal would have had a lot more butter and salt in it tonight.0
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Yet my homemade meals without all the sodium and fat tastes better. How is that?0
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arditarose wrote: »The same way I could manage to. Trust me, if I didn't have to think about calories/weight my meal would have had a lot more butter and salt in it tonight.
OhmygoshYes. When I'm cooking for company, there is butter and salt and cheese EVERYWHERE.0 -
atypicalsmith wrote: »Yet my homemade meals without all the sodium and calories taste better. How is that?
I don't know. You're a good cook? You prefer less grease?0 -
atypicalsmith wrote: »Yet my homemade meals without all the sodium and fat tastes better. How is that?
Personal preference.0 -
arditarose wrote: »atypicalsmith wrote: »Yet my homemade meals without all the sodium and calories taste better. How is that?
I don't know. You're a good cook? You prefer less grease?
I shouldn't be a better cook than a chef at a restaurant!0 -
atypicalsmith wrote: »arditarose wrote: »atypicalsmith wrote: »Yet my homemade meals without all the sodium and calories taste better. How is that?
I don't know. You're a good cook? You prefer less grease?
I shouldn't be a better cook than a chef at a restaurant!
You mentioned Chili's and IHOP...0 -
There is or was a Food Network show called "Secrets of a Restaurant Chef" which I caught a couple of times. Definitely LOTS and LOTS of salt and fat seemed to be a major part of the secret.0
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arditarose wrote: »atypicalsmith wrote: »arditarose wrote: »atypicalsmith wrote: »Yet my homemade meals without all the sodium and calories taste better. How is that?
I don't know. You're a good cook? You prefer less grease?
I shouldn't be a better cook than a chef at a restaurant!
You mentioned Chili's and IHOP...
LOL! You nailed me!0 -
atypicalsmith wrote: »arditarose wrote: »atypicalsmith wrote: »Yet my homemade meals without all the sodium and calories taste better. How is that?
I don't know. You're a good cook? You prefer less grease?
I shouldn't be a better cook than a chef at a restaurant!
I don't think ole Jimmy working the line at Ihop is a "chef"..
actually, I know that because back in the day I was a dishwasher at Shoney's and they promoted me to "line cook" aka chef and I had zero experience in the kitchen….0 -
arditarose wrote: »atypicalsmith wrote: »arditarose wrote: »atypicalsmith wrote: »Yet my homemade meals without all the sodium and calories taste better. How is that?
I don't know. You're a good cook? You prefer less grease?
I shouldn't be a better cook than a chef at a restaurant!
You mentioned Chili's and IHOP...
Haahaa yeah. I think you mean "fry cook".0 -
atypicalsmith wrote: »arditarose wrote: »atypicalsmith wrote: »Yet my homemade meals without all the sodium and calories taste better. How is that?
I don't know. You're a good cook? You prefer less grease?
I shouldn't be a better cook than a chef at a restaurant!
I don't think ole Jimmy working the line at Ihop is a "chef"..
actually, I know that because back in the day I was a dishwasher at Shoney's and they promoted me to "line cook" aka chef and I had zero experience in the kitchen….
Agreed. I've gone from dishwasher to "cook" as well, with no experience in the kitchen.0 -
atypicalsmith wrote: »arditarose wrote: »atypicalsmith wrote: »arditarose wrote: »atypicalsmith wrote: »Yet my homemade meals without all the sodium and calories taste better. How is that?
I don't know. You're a good cook? You prefer less grease?
I shouldn't be a better cook than a chef at a restaurant!
You mentioned Chili's and IHOP...
LOL! You nailed me!
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atypicalsmith wrote: »arditarose wrote: »atypicalsmith wrote: »Yet my homemade meals without all the sodium and calories taste better. How is that?
I don't know. You're a good cook? You prefer less grease?
I shouldn't be a better cook than a chef at a restaurant!
I don't think ole Jimmy working the line at Ihop is a "chef"..
actually, I know that because back in the day I was a dishwasher at Shoney's and they promoted me to "line cook" aka chef and I had zero experience in the kitchen….
Hah hah!
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arditarose wrote: »atypicalsmith wrote: »arditarose wrote: »atypicalsmith wrote: »Yet my homemade meals without all the sodium and calories taste better. How is that?
I don't know. You're a good cook? You prefer less grease?
I shouldn't be a better cook than a chef at a restaurant!
I don't think ole Jimmy working the line at Ihop is a "chef"..
actually, I know that because back in the day I was a dishwasher at Shoney's and they promoted me to "line cook" aka chef and I had zero experience in the kitchen….
Agreed. I've gone from dishwasher to "cook" as well, with no experience in the kitchen.
yea, they were just like it is easy fry this, grill this, do this etc…
OP - also most of the food at these places - Ihop, Applebee's, etc - is pretty much pre cooked in a bag which is why so much sodium because it needs a longer 'shelf life'0 -
I cook for a caterer.
We use SO MUCH butter and other full-fat dairy to make things yummy --especially breakfast items. IHOP egg dishes probably have cream whisked in and are then fried with a LOT of butter -- more butter than most people would even consider using at home. Eggs are sometimes even basted with butter as they fry. Toast slices could have 1/2 T butter on each slice.
The Chili's salad probably has lots of cheese, one or more high-fat meat, candied nuts (high in fat and sugar and usually in large amounts in a chain restaurant salad), and then of course the dressing.
The poppy seed dressing we make for our spinach salad at work has almost as much sugar as oil. A newby was making the poppy seed dressing once and thought the recipe must have a typo. Nope. Just lots of sugar. People love it.
We never, ever use anything but whole milk or cream. We never use low-fat cheese. We use a lot of coconut milk. Our chowders or bisques are delicious -- and at least 1/2 cream. Quiche? Almost entirely cream, egg, cheese, all atop the very rich and buttery crust.
Our braised meats are so yummy. But the braises often combine some kind of sugary liquid with lots of butter.
The goal at most restaurants is a delicious dish that most people will enjoy-- not a low-calorie dish.
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Actually, iHop's secret to their scrambled eggs is that they add pancake batter to the mix!0
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Alatariel75 wrote: »Actually, iHop's secret to their scrambled eggs is that they add pancake batter to the mix!
truth0 -
Alatariel75 wrote: »Actually, iHop's secret to their scrambled eggs is that they add pancake batter to the mix!
Really?0 -
arditarose wrote: »Alatariel75 wrote: »Actually, iHop's secret to their scrambled eggs is that they add pancake batter to the mix!
Really?
Yup! Thickens them up, makes them fluffier and creamy!0 -
Alatariel75 wrote: »Actually, iHop's secret to their scrambled eggs is that they add pancake batter to the mix!
I have cooked a lot of egg recipes and have never heard of such a thing. I'd be interested to hear more about that. We could try it at work!
Maybe it changes the structure so they look nicer (less runny?) on the plate?
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Alatariel75 wrote: »arditarose wrote: »Alatariel75 wrote: »Actually, iHop's secret to their scrambled eggs is that they add pancake batter to the mix!
Really?
Yup! Thickens them up, makes them fluffier and creamy!
Interesting...My mom used to add a little cream but I've never heard of adding pancake mix.0 -
Alatariel75 wrote: »Actually, iHop's secret to their scrambled eggs is that they add pancake batter to the mix!
Yes. Which totally and completely grosses me out for some reason.0 -
[quote="ndj1979;31741917Agreed. I've gone from dishwasher to "cook" as well, with no experience in the kitchen. [/quote]
OP - also most of the food at these places - Ihop, Applebee's, etc - is pretty much pre cooked in a bag which is why so much sodium because it needs a longer 'shelf life' [/quote]
I was grossed out by McDonald's Southwestern salad. I bought one the night before to take to a seminar where we had to bring our lunch the next day. I took it out of the refrigerator and it sloshed. Huh? I was thinking something else spilled from my refrigerator into it, but there was no sign. I picked up the bag with my salad in its foam container inside and dropped it into my sink. I opened it up and ewwwwww! It looked like bad spinach soup. I called the McDonald's and they said their salads only had a 10-12 hour shelf life and offered me another salad, but not my money back. Later I learned that even though when served the salad looked fresh, but was actually two or three weeks old and kept fresh-looking. I haven't eaten there since.0 -
Alatariel75 wrote: »Actually, iHop's secret to their scrambled eggs is that they add pancake batter to the mix!
I have cooked a lot of egg recipes and have never heard of such a thing. I'd be interested to hear more about that. We could try it at work!
Maybe it changes the structure so they look nicer (less runny?) on the plate?
I looked it up. The batter adds fluffiness. Makes sense -- there's got to be baking powder in there.
Of course, I can make a nice fluffy omelette without pancake batter, if I must say so myself.0
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