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My girlfriend has a favorite restaurant but it's really far out of our way. I'd like to surprise her with her favorite dishes from this place, but one is a black seafood pasta and the other is some kind of lobster and baked egg appetizer eaten with bread. Neither of these foods seem like something that would taste good after a 25- to 35-minute trip, and in fact when I've been in the area and offered to bring some back, she didn't want it for that reason. I think it would be fun to surprise her with dinner some time but I don't want the pasta to be lukewarm and have that weird texture pasta gets when it's been sitting and cooling off in it's sauce for a while, nor would I like to give her the lobster and egg spread thing if it got chilled and firm. Is there anything I can do to reliably keep it all warm ans fresh so that it still looks, tastes, and feels like it would if it was eaten immediately after being served?
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Apr 4, 2018 23:34
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| # ? Apr 19, 2024 19:41 |
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Maybe a cooler? You might be able to put one of those heat packs inside (like for your hands or whatever) instead of an ice pack, but I'm not sure how hot those actually get and they might melt your cooler.
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Apr 5, 2018 00:59
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like with most situations, you should look to the animal kingdom for inspiration. sit on the plate and keep it warm with your body, like a bird roosting on its eggs.
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Apr 5, 2018 02:44
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oliveoil posted:Is there anything I can do to reliably keep it all warm ans fresh so that it still looks, tastes, and feels like it would if it was eaten immediately after being served? Yes. Learn to cook it.
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Apr 5, 2018 04:31
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Arglebargle III posted:Yes. Learn to cook it. This seems like smarmy sarcasm, but seriously. Nothing you described seemed particularly crazy. Cooking up a lobster tail or whatever is shockingly easy. Nevermind baked eggs and bread.
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Apr 5, 2018 04:35
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I know this isn't really the place for common sense advice, but there is possibly a 3rd alternative where you call the restaurant and explain what you want to do - perhaps they can partially-prepare and box it up so you can finish cooking and plating at home. A less ethical person might even assert that they had cooked it themselves.
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Apr 5, 2018 16:57
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I do not remember what exactly it's called but sometimes Nick Wiger on Doughboys used to plug some kind of cooler which keeps food warm. I get the impression that was what they used to transport the food they eat on the show. Keep in mind, though, that the food is pretty lowbrow and sitting in something like that might not make a huge difference.
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Apr 5, 2018 19:17
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Just sit it on the engine, how is this not obvious. 
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Apr 5, 2018 22:14
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Jeremy Clarkson smoked fish using diesel exhaust piped through the bed of a Nissan pickup truck. You could try that. It would give you the black color you’re after.
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Apr 6, 2018 03:05
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Pasta really doesn't like being stored warm, and won't taste as good after it's been steaming itself in a carry-out bag for a half hour. If this is a small, local place then you could ask them for the recipe and cook it at home. It will be much more romantic and thoughtful, even if it doesn't taste exactly right.
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Apr 6, 2018 19:41
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No idea how the food is going to taste. Like one poster said some foods don't really keep. Your average cooler keeps food arm easily for half a hour. If you want to increase the chances of keeping warm. Make a few baked potatoes and put them in the cooler with the food. Potatoes hold heat forever. Grab your self a yeti knock off from Wal mart. Ozark trail. Just as good as a yeti fourth of the price.
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Apr 6, 2018 23:06
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something similar to this: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000246GSE/?coliid=IP5HKPNVGGJJ3&colid=2743DX5DGPXYA&psc=1&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it Just transfer it to the separate containers and you are good for 6 hours.
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Apr 7, 2018 23:09
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Put my mix tape underneath it.
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Apr 12, 2018 18:27
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Anything that depends strongly on moisture content for its mouth feel cannot be held hot for 30 minutes without changing character. Pasta is one of those foods. I wasn't being snarky; learning to cook this may be the only real option. Fried food is even worse than pasta for this.
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Apr 12, 2018 23:37
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Your girlfriend will be disappointed if you try this. The foods you're describing don't hold well. Learn to cook them yourself if you're trying to impress. Hint, the black pasta almost definitely uses squid ink to create that color.
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Apr 16, 2018 14:57
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Does she know you're "dating" her?
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Apr 21, 2018 04:30
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| # ? Apr 19, 2024 19:41 |
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Chip McFuck posted:Pasta really doesn't like being stored warm, and won't taste as good after it's been steaming itself in a carry-out bag for a half hour. If this is a small, local place then you could ask them for the recipe and cook it at home. It will be much more romantic and thoughtful, even if it doesn't taste exactly right. If this restaurant does the same thing as a place I used to work at they might 95% cook the pasta and then bag it in portions in plastic bags and put them in the fridge. Then drop into near boiling water when an order is placed to heat up and serve. So what I'm saying is maybe OP can get the restaurant to give him the bag o' pasta and dump it in water at home (the other stuff might do ok with a warming cooler/heat pack setup).
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Apr 21, 2018 04:51
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