Article Submitted by Foodtradeconsultants
At this early stage of your catering business, you have to create a menu selection for your clients. Developing a catering menu is not the same as when you would create one for a restaurant or a café. You have to make sure that your menu revolves around dishes that you can transport from your kitchen to another location. Thus, aside from knowing which dishes are perfect to be served in a catering business, you also have to know which ones will have lesser chances of working well.
Hot Seafood
It can be tricky to transport hot dishes to offsite locations. Some may be easy to transport, while dishes made seafood might be a little challenging to serve. Seafood such as fish has the tendency to get overcooked if you place it inside a warming cabinet. In addition, storing seafood dishes for a period time within warm condition can lead to the development of unpleasant smell.
Hot Pasta
Pasta strands can get starchy, dry or overcooked when they are reheated again on site. If you have more time, you may boil the pasta once you get to the location. Place the sauce that you have prepared prior to the trip before you put the dish on the buffet table.
Meats
Almost all kinds of meats are difficult to transport since they need to be prepared just before they will be served. Cutting it beforehand will dry the meat from its juices, but leaving it as it is can make it unappetizing.
Fried Foods
Food when fried can turn soggy once it gets cold. You can try to fry it on location or transport fried foods in a container with holes for ventilation. Once you arrive on site, reheat the food using a portable oven.
Rice and Risotto
Rice can either get mushy or dry when transported and reheated on site. The same way happens with risotto. This rice dish is notorious for solidifying and sticking together when left unmoved for a time.