[Sca-cooks] kitchen tips

[Huette von Ahrens]

I agree with everything Margaret says here.  Especially with #2.  Test all the ovens and burners.  Make notes of which works and which doesn't work.
When negotiating for the use of the hall, insist that all non-working items be fixed _before_ the event.  Make it clear that the feast is an important part of the day's events and that if they aren't fixed, a reduction in the hall price will be expected.  One month before the event, call and ask if said items are fixed.  If they say no, ask again when they will be fixed.  If they say yes, call one week before the event and ask for another walk through to test the items and pray that they are fixed as promised.  Make back up arrangements just in case.

I had one feast where the oven, which had been working, died right in the middle of cooking the feast.  The hall had a handyman on site, but he didn't show up to work on the oven until after the feast was over.  Fortunately, the second oven was still working and I was able to make some adjustments.

Huette

--- On Wed, 8/20/08, Gretchen Beck <grm at andrew.cmu.edu> wrote:

> From: Gretchen Beck <grm at andrew.cmu.edu>
> Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] kitchen tips
> To: "Cooks within the SCA" <sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org>
> Date: Wednesday, August 20, 2008, 11:37 AM
> One more, basic planning:
> 
>   1. If you are going to use electric appliances (roasters,
> griddles, 
> fryers, mixers, or [god forbid] a microwave), check which
> outlets go to 
> which breakers ahead of time. Don't trust what the site
> says, don't trust 
> what the owner says -- test it yourself. A small portable
> fan is great for 
> this. It's a big help if you can lay out where to plug
> things in ahead of 
> time.
> 
> (I confess, one feast where the breaker kept blowing on the
> roaster, and 
> the oven/stovetop was full, we finished the hoochee in the
> microwave -- not 
> something I'd recommend as a general practice, but it
> got the job done on 
> time without really affecting the taste)
> 
> 
>   2. In your walkthrough, test the ovens. Turn each one on
> and see how (and 
> if) it heats. If it has a pilot, make sure you know how to
> light the pilot 
> and turn on the oven. If there is more than one oven, turn
> them both on 
> together (I've been amazed with the contortions you
> have to go through to 
> get some site ovens to work properly -- better to know
> ahead than to end up 
> experimenting the day of)
> 
> 3. Measure the insides of the ovens and count the oven
> racks. Don't rely on 
> your or the sites baking sheets fitting into the oven.
> 
> 4. Parchment paper is your friend. Parchment paper is your
> cleanup crew's 
> friend. As is PAM.
> 
> 5. Costco sells those little rubber kitchen mats at
> reasonable prices. They 
> can be the difference between walking and limping at the
> end of the day.
> 
> toodles, margaret