Ranking of the 5 Best Stores of Goods for Restaurants
I recently moved to Philadelphia after 10 years in Portland, Oregon, and the transition was easy for two reasons. First, and most importantly, Philadelphia owns bones. Second, with the obvious exception of my friends and family, the only things I really miss Portland are grocery stores: Winco, Sheridan Fruit on SE Grand and most expensive Cash & Carry on SE 7th & Stephens.
Cash & Carry is a chain of private restaurants open to the public. It’s a chain strictly west of the Rockies, but most major metro areas have at least a few grocery stores open to the public, and if you’re an avid chef with access to a car, I can’t recommend them. high enough. (This is doubly so for people with kids, multiple roommates, and / or the habit of throwing parties.) However, there are three things you need to do before you go: confirm that the store is open to the public, measure the inside dimensions of your oven, and dishwasher, and read my 100% objectively true power rating of items in a restaurant supply store.
# 1: soup containers
(Note: There is a difference between gourmet containers and soup containers. The former are quite fragile and made of clear plastic; the latter are much stronger, translucent plastic. You need the latter.)
Soup containers are at the top of my list because they are the perfect storage solution for groceries and more. I can’t count all their benefits, but heck I’m going to try:
Buckets come in several sizes, but the lids are versatile. You can put them in your microwave, dishwasher, or freezer. Empty or full, they fold efficiently. The flexible material makes them very easy to pour: just squeeze the sides slightly to create a spout. They’re recyclable, but they’re so cheap ($ 5-10 per sleeve out of $ 50 depending on where you get them) that throwing a month-long bucket of rotten mysterious liquid right in the trash isn’t the end of the world. …
Moreover, their usefulness goes beyond food storage. If accuracy is not a big deal, you can use soup containers to roughly measure the volume. They can withstand both boiling brine and freezing temperatures, making them an ideal receptacle for pickles in the fridge and freezer. Unlike standard glass jars, soup containers have wide necks that are perfect for blenders, allowing you to prepare salad dressings and mayonnaise right in the storage container. Cut out a cross in the center of the lid, stick in a straw, and you have a portable, dishwasher-safe drinking cup the size of a quart for adult drinks. Fill several buckets with water and use them as an eggplant or tofu baling weight, or fill one with water, close it with a lid, and use this to keep the food bag completely submerged while he prepares thesous vide . The possibilities are truly endless, friends. Pick up some of them – you won’t regret it.
# 2: plastic wrap
If you’ve never used cling film before, I’m really, really sorry. I have nothing to say about this, other than that using it will make you not want to jump in front of the train – but really, what else do you need to know?
Prepare for a slight sticker shock when picking up plastic wrap at a restaurant supply store because a 2,000 square foot PVC cut box will set you back about $ 18. But here’s the thing: less than one cent per square foot. A plastic wrap box from a 100 square foot grocery store for $ 2.99 costs three cents per square foot. Would you rather pay $ 18 for good shit that’s easy to use and last at least 5 years, or $ 3 for real junk that belongs to junk and costs 3 times as much? Receive a CUTTER BOX. However, make sure it has a slider – the one I recently bought does not, and now I need to order the slider from Amazon like a dummy.
# 3: knives and knife accessories
Restaurant knives are cheap, reliable, and nearly indestructible. Victorinox and Challenger regularly top lists of the “best chef’s knives available,” but I’ve never heard anyone talk about Kiwi knives and that’s a shame. Kiwi knives cost five bucks, maybe ten for a cleaver, and they’re good. Their laser cut blades are incredibly sharp right out of the box and stay that way for a long, long time. It took me about eight months of daily use and frequent dishwashers (not @ me) to require honing, and a few passes on steel was all it took. The only downside is affordability: Kiwi knives are hard to find outside of Asian restaurants and supermarkets. You can find them on Amazon, where they are twice as expensive as in stores; However, you’re talking about a $ 10 chef knife that outperforms the $ 30-40 model, so it’s worth it anyway.
It is also worth buying sharpening and sharpening tools from restaurant supply stores. I especially recommend picking up a handheld through-hole sharpener (I use AccuSharp) and honing steel. When used in tandem, these two tools should meet all your knife sharpening needs. If you want everything to be done with his own hands, in the stores of goods for the restaurant also has a sharpening stones .
4. Baking trays, baking trays and wire racks.
Sure, you can get it all elsewhere for the same price, but restaurant stores have the distinct advantage of standardized sizes. Half-size baking trays will work for most home ovens (and dishwashers), but again, measure your situation before doing this. Grab a few pre-cut parchment sheets and chill / baking racks with perfect-sized feet to match your new molds and you’ll be surprised how you’ve ever used anything else.
# 5: squeeze bottles
You might be surprised that a humble squeeze bottle rounds out my list, but these dollar wonders are so rewarding that I couldn’t miss them. They are best used as vegetable oil dispensers, but they will handle any semi-liquid or emulsified material you don’t want to drip all over the place: salad dressings, homemade mayonnaise, pancake batter, or even decanted seasonings from industrial-sized containers.
Honorable Mention: Consumables.
I decided to mention real food only with honor, because some restaurants don’t even sell it, and those that have it have a completely different choice. In addition, the amount may be excessive. But if you live with a lot of people rushing into the pantry, your local restaurant may simply outperform Costco in price and choice.
Here’s a partial list of supplies I’ve bought from Cash & Carry over the years: Frank’s Red Hot and tamari pens, large buckets of curry paste, a box of canned anchovies, huge bags of every fresh herb imaginable, 2 packs of cauliflower , 4lb bags of tofu, whole pepperoni, huge tubs of peanut butter, whole pork shoulder blades, countless gallons of white and apple cider vinegar, 10lb bags of rice, beans and onions, 50lb bags of flour, boxes of Ring Pops, 24 bags of Mexican cola, gallons of olive and grape oil, 5 dozen eggs, and 6 pound cans of tomatoes. I have no regrets, and if any of the above list spoke to you, so do you.
Honorable Mention: Party Supplies
Finally, if you want to throw a grand cocktail party, go to the merchandise store in the restaurant . They have a variety of fancy plastic cups, high quality mixers and flavored syrups, flow restrictors and pouring spouts, straws, toothpicks, umbrellas and swords, ice scoops, ice buckets, punch bowls and ladles, and any side dishes you need. are needed. reasonable prices. Oh, and invite me to your party. I love cocktail parties!
If you are also one of those people who impulsively buy whole pepperoni, I hope this confirms your life experience. And if you live in Portland, I ask you to keep my beautiful Cash & Carry close at hand and cherish it. Our time together was great, but it wasn’t enough.