Restaurant make aheads

I challenge Food52 to create every recipe with a restaurant, prepare-ahead option. Please enlighten us all on how restaurants prepare risotto, paella, roasted chicken, and serve it to our table within 20 minutes... I host a four course dinner every Friday, but have school plays and play dates that really fill the last few hours of preparation.

Jenn2323
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4 Comments

Jenn2323
Jenn2323 December 9, 2012
Thank you
 
pierino
pierino December 8, 2012
For risotto and paella a restaurant would turn the rice (halfway cooked)into a sheet pan and hold it covered waiting to finish. BUT this assumes that you are turning tables fairly quickly. You can't keep it out for hours without refrigeration, so it sounds like this technique doesn't fix your problem. With the paella you would add the clams or mussels or snails during the last five minutes of cooking. Risotto should be wet; "al onda" (on the wave) so you will be stirring in more stock. "Play dates" don't make for a happy restaurant.
 
pierino
pierino December 9, 2012
A small misstatement on my part. A restaurant would use a "hotel pan" which is deeper than a sheet pan. Sorry about that.
 
Laurelb
Laurelb December 8, 2012
I found this make ahead risotto recipe but haven't tried it yet
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/member/views/MAKE-AHEAD-RISOTTO-50020637
 
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