eating out vrs. cooking in

[oldbay]

I worked in a restaurant as a teenager and I have to say that it was kept clean. We cleaned up every day and then there was Monday, when we scrubbed the place top to bottom and every one chipped in, including the servers.

[Mama Mangia]

I know what you mean, Mama. My mother-in-law is that way; she worked as a waitress for years & knows how kitchens used to look compared to the way they look now. She can't understand how some of these resaurants stay open. They are filthy & the cooks aren't any better.

That's what I mean - it just seems that our world has changed so much that it's like we just don't care, don't have the respect, etc. And today things are much easier for restaurants! Sure it's a lot of work - but there are more shortcuts that they can use (re: cooking) and better sanitizers, etc. Give me the good ol' days!

[simcooks]

I'm very old-fashioned - hair must be pulled back, no nailpolish or fake fingernails on cooks, servers, etc. Hairnets must be in place - cleanliness is a must - for cooks, servers, the kitchen, utensils, etc.

My mom would frown on female TV cooks with long hair, and who do not tie up their hair, or cooks who handle food with their hands (like tossing salad with its dressing)! She'd just prefer to use tongs or anything but her hands however clean they are.

So I am with you on the absolute need for cleanliness in the kitchen! And that we can definitely do quality control in our own kitchen.

[vp311]

I personally feel like I prepare food as good as, or usually better than I can buy in a restarant. The times that we do eat out are either because of time, money, or just being too lazy to cook myself.

[alice.b.toklas]

I used to eat lunch at a chain restaurant, and order French onion soup in a bowl made from sourdough bread. I went there regularly, until the day I saw them bring the soup out in a microwave reheated plastic bag. My thinking is that if I'm going to eat our, the food ought to be cooked individually, and not in mass for thousands, and then frozen, packaged in bags, or whatever.

[Mama Mangia]

alice - I agree with you - but unfortunately - most restaurants are cooking that way today. It's very hard to find a restaurant that makes everything from scratch. Too many ingredients are pre-cooked or frozen or bagged, etc. I think that most of these places have gotten too "portion" conscious - everything is the profit margin and not what will satisfy the customer. Do you know that place like Burger King and McDonalds actually have classes on how to squirt ketchup and mustard out of their plastic bottles??? The size of the hole in the tip and the size of the circle given can save those companies millions in a year. Looks like the dollar has spoken with these places.

We have a BBQ place here that precooks everything, freezes it and then just throws it on the grill to warm it when you order it. If I want leftovers I can do it myself and I don't have to worry if it fell on the floor or something!

[loubear]

My husband and I are both awesome cooks and we have a two year old so it is hard for us to go to a restaurant and actually enjoy our dinner. We tend to compare the meal we get to what we make for ourselves and the restaurant usually falls short of our expectations. We also seem to have left overs when we cook for our lunches during the week.

[mtmomj]

Yeah that is the way it is a lot of places. I know where I used to work the soups were all prepackaged Campbells soup.

I can't stand eating out unless it is at a small homecookin restaurant. The food just isn't fresh at these restaurant chains. Especially breakfast. You'd be suprised how long the bacon/sausage/breakfast potatoes sit there. Yuck.

[simcooks]

I think In-And-Out should be fine ya? I see them making their fries fresh.

[medako]

For the most part, I'd rather cook at home. Of course, once in a while everyone needs a break. We usually eat out once a week (lunch) while we're out running around and it's generally somewhere they make the food in front of you (not that it's a guarantee of anything, it just makes me feel better ) We love Qdoba and we like Subway well enough to eat there sometimes when I'm just not in the mood to cook.