Food Team
The Food Team serves hot, delicious and nutritious meals, keeping Turtles sustained on their adventures all across Black Rock City.
2024 Docs (imported from Notion)
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Training
Training
Checking Propane Levels (refer to Method 1 from 1:10-2:57 min mark)
- Water Method Check (to be done after each meal): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ukzl8mYFhmk&t=70s
- To check if it is empty (only if propane appears not to be working):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UAUXDvCqmfE
General Food Safety
DO NOT TOUCH THE FOOD!
Do not use bare hand contact with ready-to-eat foods (or drinks / ice). Wear gloves or use tongs, spoons, spatulas, etc when portioning or preparing food. Examples of ready-to-eat foods include all cooked foods, breads, and raw fruits and vegetables that will not be cooked before being eaten.
Wash hands before putting on gloves
You must take off gloves before touching uncooked meat to avoid cross contamination. Also don’t reuse gloves
Propane System
Turning On Propane System - Before Every Meal
- Inside the trailer, confirm that all 16 propane valves and stove/griddle knobs are in the OFF position.
- Go outside to propane tanks. Check for any visual signs of damage to the tanks or hosing. (Tanks should be free of any rust and always painted white - painting them any other color can cause an explosion. Video here)
- Turn on both propane tanks (turn knobs slowly, but all the way)
- Smell for any propane leaks around tanks and hoses.
- Ventilate trailer
- Open window in door and ceiling vent (these MUST be open prior to turning on propane inside trailer due to Carbon Monoxide from pilot lights and burners. Exhaust Fan MUST be on whenever Range, Oven or Griddle are on. Window and ceiling vents must be open when exhaust fan is on for air circulation and to prevent a vacuum from holding the door closed.)
- Turn on Hot Water Heater
- Under the sinks on the right, turn on the Red propane valve video. (Perpendicular to pipe is OFF, parallel with pipe is ON.)
- Turn on power to Hot Water Heater (power button on front. If no power, check circuit breaker)
- For troubleshooting Hot Water Heater see this video
- Turn on Stove / light pilot lights (right before first use)
- Turn on White Propane Valve to left of door
- Turn on Red Propane Valve that leads to Range/Stove
- IMMEDIATELY Light SIX Range Pilot Lights using this lighter
- Note that propane gas is coming out of the open pilot light spigots as soon as you open the valve, so if you don’t light the pilot light, you are just leaking propane gas into the trailer.
- Turn on Griddle / light pilot lights (right before first use)
- Turn on Red Propane Valve that leads to Griddle
- IMMEDIATELY Light FOUR Griddle Pilot Lights using this lighter
Turning Off Propane System - After Every Meal
- Follow all **Turning On Propane System - Before Every Meal** Instructions IN REVERSE
Griddle Cleaning
- **https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7fXbyNAPeIc**
- **https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NaIF1VCNiRQ -includes steps 8-10 for seasoning (skip to 3:23)**
While griddle is still hot (but not on):
- Turn off the thermostat and put on heat-resistant gloves.
- While griddle is hot, scrape surface clean of food debris and grease buildup.
- Apply about a cup of warm/room temp water (no cold water!) onto the surface of the griddle.
- Scrub the surface with a non-abrasive pad (we have orange padded sponges with a handle for this).
- Repeat steps 3 & 4 until there is no food residue, burnt-on bits, or rust spots. The griddle might still be browned or matte due to seasoning (don’t clean this seasoning off).
- If after cleaning it twice, there is still stuff on the griddle, do step 3 again with at most a tiny bit of the specified griddle cleaning soap (not bleach spray).
- Wipe down the entire surface with a wet and then a dry cloth.
- Remove and empty the grease tray.
- Wipe down the body of the griddle with a damp cloth.
Seasoning a Griddle
(The following steps only need to be done every once in a while - not a required step before each meal)
- Turn the griddle on and heat it up (~350°).
- Spread a thin layer of cooking oil onto the hot griddle surface, then wait 30 minutes.
- Wipe down the surface with a clean, dry cloth.
3 Compartment Sink
A 3-compartment sink is a commercial standard for efficient and safe dishwashing. It conserves water by separating washing, rinsing, and sanitizing into three distinct basins.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6wq75tpxxcc
- Start of Shift Prep:
- Fill wash sink with hot water and dish soap, aim for 110F, 1/3 full.
- Fill rinse sink with some water (no soap) 2/3 full if not already filled
- Fill sanitize sink with room temp water (≥75F) 2/3 full if not already filled
- Add about a capful of bleach (1 tsp/gallon) to sanitize sink.
- Test sanitize sink with a bleach strip to verify that it has 50 - 200 PPM Chlorine
- Before Washing
- Scrape off all items before putting in the first sink and put it in a separate container. This will help keep the first sink cleaner, so you can use it longer before needing to change the water and detergent.
- Scraping really helps keep the water clean and helps prevent wasting water
- Wash Compartment
- Wash the item here until it has no visible contaminants
- This water can be very dirty before it needs to be replaced
- Rinse Compartment
- You just need to quickly dunk the item into the rinse compartment
- Sanitize Compartment
- Soak the item in the bleach bath for at least 10 seconds
- Anything that can’t be fully soaked using the bleach bath must instead be sprayed thoroughly with a bleach spray
- Put items on drying rack to dry. If you need the item promptly, you can also dry with a clean paper towel (not reusable towel).
- Shift Cleanup
- Drain the wash sink
- Only drain the rinse / sanitize sinks if the water is cloudy.
- If rinse sink is not drained, add a capful of chlorine bleach to it to prevent fouling
- Quickly rinse off any food residue from drained compartments
Tips for saving water:
Adjust water levels: If you don't have many dishes, you can adjust the water level in the rinse and sanitize sinks to save water or just use the bleach spray for sanitizing.
Bleach spray
- Use this to clean all kitchen food surfaces at the beginning and end of the kitchen shift, as well as all surfaces where food will be served on.
- Dining team should have some to clean the surfaces on which the campers eat on.
- This is also to be used to clean any oversized items, or anything more difficult to sanitize (such as contaminated drink dispensers)
Start of Shift Prep:
- Spray the sprayer labeled “Bleach Spray” on a test strip to test if the bleach spray solution has 50 - 200 PPM Chlorine
- If it doesn’t:
- dump the bottle of bleach spray
- Add bleach to container (1 tsp/gallon)
- Put sprayer back on and shake to mix the liquid
- Spray against the sink 3 times to prime, then test the bleach solution again
Steps:
- Thoroughly spray the surface to clean and allow the solution to sit for at least 10 seconds
- There must be a thin sheet of bleach spray on the entire surface
- Wipe off spray with a clean paper towel (not reusable towel).
Appendix
For additional information, Nevada Dept of Health has a Burning Man specific food safety guide (not mandatory reading)
2018 Burning Man Food Service Guidance Document
2023 Feedback
Insert your Feedback from 2023 below:
Suggestion # | Category | Suggestion Description | Name | Additional Info | Weekend |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
3 | Food Fort | Clearly printed instructions for cleaning the griddle | Benny | ||
7 | Supplies | Purchase and test out something that accurately measures propane levels | Sean | Bluetooth? | |
8 | Food Fort | Printed and visible instructions for turning propane on/off (not just inside the recipe book) | Benny | ||
9 | Food & Meals | Consider having 1-2 non propane meals early in the week to help conserve for later in the week (we ran out after Friday lunch) | Benny | Meal planning signup | |
11 | Food & Meals | We ran out of portable snacks by Friday (trail mix bags, granola & protein bars, etc.) | Benny | ||
12 | Food & Meals | We can get less deli meat | Benny | ||
13 | Food & Meals | Strategically choose some meats to be in the freezer the entire time so that we have a fresh backup supply | Benny | ||
14 | Food & Meals | Extra frozen fruit for the 2nd year in a row | Benny | ||
15 | Food & Meals | Bonanza lettuce needs to be consumed by Wednesday at the latest. Consider this when meal planning. Could consider a mid week bonanza order. We had way too much lettuce even if it hadn't gone bad. | Benny | ||
16 | Food & Meals | We had a lot of extra oranges and apples. Consider a pre-plan to give food away if ordering a similar amount. | Benny | ||
17 | Food & Meals | Better strategy for serving leftovers from meals so that it gets eaten. Maybe a mid week "all leftovers" and misc extra food meal. | Benny | ||
18 | Food & Meals | Breakfast type meals are popular - how can we incorporate more of that | Benny | ||
19 | Food & Meals | Plan with events team to ensure meals don't overlap with events. We should just make the events a little later in the night (i.e., 9-11 instead of 7-9) | Benny | ||
20 | Food Fort | Food fort being parked on a slight downhill angle may have led to water leaks near the circuit breaker. Consider this when parking | Benny | ||
21 | Food Fort | There may have been a cover to the food fort on the roof (check with Neptune who was troubleshooting). Make sure this is addressed ahead of going to Playa. | Benny | ||
22 | Food Fort | Oil was leaking on our way into Playa - make sure this is addressed as we will need to use the generator again before and during transport | Sean | Full replacement | Pre-Trip |
23 | Food Fort | Generator is welded on backwards? Consider reconfiguring | Sean | ||
25 | Food Fort | figure out how to minimize water overflow from tanks (via the overflow pipe) | Sean | Work with RV repair shop | Pre-Trip |
26 | Food Fort | there appeared to be a defect underneath the truck that was leaking water from underneath the sink area | Sean | Work with RV repair shop | |
27 | Food Fort | Potentially replace ice maker with model that doesn’t | Alternative is recycle into grey water tank. | ||
28 | Food Fort | Will the water tanks be moved to inside the gayflower? | Sean/Joel | Thinking of ways to access to drinking water / eliminate outdoor sink | |
29 | Storage solution on- and off-playa | Benny | |||
30 | |||||
31 |
Food Team 2024 Timeline
Page does not transfer from Notion, see page here
https://www.notion.so/1cb2b0e3b0ef452482ed7baa50ab84e4?v=20881bc88b9443369b1506baf6ad1971&pvs=4
2025
Docs related to preparation for Burn 2025
Agendas
Apr 23rd, 2025
Attendees: Jon C, John B, Alejandro R, Brooke D, Ed H., Christophe L.
tldr:
Walk through of Shift Lead role instructions. Reminder on food sensitivities. Food sensitivity survey to go out end of current week.
Can expect 6 hours of Turtle labor during food shifts. Some meals might possibly be assigned an extra turtle if they require extra labor, but you should expect 6 hours labor total.
Walk through of Meal Planning Spreadsheet and critical tabs (2025 Meals).
Run through of Food Fort equipment photos and previous year's equipment list.
Reno work weekend team: Alejandro, Brooke, Michael S, John B
Meeting notes:
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2 key roles: Food shift lead and food czar; food shift lead has more prep needed
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Will get a food allergen/preference survey to the turtles soon
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Comfort food: Christophe: Spicy Korean Pork (potential meal), Ale: Mom’s tostadas (likely not meal), Jon: 10pc nuggets and Filet o Fish (likely not meal), Brooke: Caprese salad, Edward: cheesy baked beans on toast (potential meal), John: Norwegian pastries (likely not a meal)
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Burning man first time: John, Edward, Brooke
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Returning burners: Jon, Christophe, Ale
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Consider components of the meal and planning when we do them for freshness, etc
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Kitchenette: may do a self serve station where folks can build their food items such as fajitas or quesadillas
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Maybe consider jacket potato station
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Refer to Discord links for food team job descriptions
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Food czar - nothing too urgent to do yet for those roles. Think about roles you're interested and tell Christophe
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Main one to focus on now is the Food Shift Lead
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Refer to the Food Planning Google Sheet: 2024 tab for past ideas
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Think through what you want to make for folks; be mindful of care for the camp and feasibility
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Shift lead 2 hour commitment and 2 hour food prep, more turtles will come in part way into this to help with final food prep and clean
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6 hour of labor for this
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Want to be mindful of folks not having to cook too long
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Be mindful of the ingredients you need and you do not need to buy ahead of time unless it’s a specific ingredient. Looking for ingredients that will be straightforward to order and bring to Playa from an existing provider
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Will review the meals as a group for the final list
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ACTION: Think through 2 - 4 meal ideas, will winnow those down
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19 total meals or so to plan for
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Will try to match skill level for folks on the shifts
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There is a wiki that has pictures of the kitchen to get a sense of what we have to work with and a google sheet with list of appliances we have
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Oven is great for quick cooking, have an ice maker, 2 food prep spaces, walk in fridge, ovens
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Should be able to cook most meals - basic appliances
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Consider vegetarian versions of the meals you want to make
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Most food last year was good; one complaint the veggie meal was same meat meal with tofu
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19 meal parts hoping to get 8-10 shift leads
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3 shifts per food team person
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Vegetarian meals were largely a hit last year; lots of chicken meals as well
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ACTION: Fill out the google sheet (2025 tab) with meals you plan to make with ingredients ahead of time
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Trying to get as much prepped food as possible
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Reno work weekend
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Some food prep activities: looking at where things are and how things work
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Things we want to get done: inventory and cleaning + testing equipment
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Inventory + cleaning: Pull anything out of truck and ensure things work; if it doesn’t, throw it out; also review dry goods and see what we need
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Will organize materials into a bin and take a picture so we know what is where
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Testing Equipment: Also good to test to ensure things work; can do this during build week, but better to do this ahead of time. Freezer, ice machine are higher priority for testing
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Follow ups: To do for next meeting (3rd week of May):
- SHIFT LEADS BY MAY 15: Think of 2-4 meal ideas you want to lead. Input in one of the rows on 2025 Meals page
- List out the major and critical ingredients your meal will need. List doesn't need to be exhaustive but cover critical dependencies so no surprises later. Try to stick to ingredients already in the ingredients column data validation, if possible
- Think through feasibility of recipe with Food Fort and Playa. Ask questions in Discord async! Or will discuss at next meeting
Apr 6th, 2025
Overview of tasks and roles before the Burn (see below from Feb 26th).
Expressed interest to participate: Martin (NYC), Ben Schmid, Adam, Edouard, Brooke D, Sean L, Ed (via Alex)
Next steps:
- Register your interest in Food Team in the Google Doc Form so we can make sure Food Team meetings happen at a time convenient for you
- Think about meals you'd like to prepare or czar roles you'd be interested in
- Food Team meeting week commencing April 13th to begin planning
Feb 26th, 2025
Attendees: Romain D, Alejandro R, Will S, Jon C, Sean E
Introductions
Meet and greet
Roles and Tasks
Food team members: pick 2
Shift Lead: leads ~3 meal shifts on playa, working with a team of 2-3 sous chefs to deliver a delicious experience. Responsible for choosing the meal, scoping the required ingredients for ordering and laying out the recipe ahead of time
Work Weekend / Build Week: attend one of the off-Playa events to help get Food Team ready! Primarily will be Reno Work Weekend and Build Week
Czar Roles: take a leadership role in either executing or improving a critical food team function!
Czar Roles
Build Week:
Food Fort Driving and Testing Czar: test all key components of food fort and drive it to Playa
Procurement Czar: ensures all the ingredients, equipment and stuff food team needs gets ordered and makes it to Playa
Advance Prep Czar: ensures we have prepped as much of the shift work before getting to Playa as possible, working across ingredients sourcing and if necessary an advance prep team function during build week
Planning:
Recipes Czar: ensures complete meal recipes (following last year’s template) are collected from shift leads, compile a recipe book with 4 copies of each recipe to bring to Playa
Training Czar: develop and roll out a training plan for food team members on key food fort processes (propane, water, griddle, sinks, cleaning)
Ingredients Czar: ensures ingredients for meals are correctly formatted and are compiled into a master order list for Build Team
Supplies Czar: review current supplies list and identify any additional equipment and supplies required for BM’25.
Dry Snacks Czar: review and update the shelf stable snacks list
Kitchenette Czar: develop and organize a new freely accessible kitchenette in the dining area for Turtles to reheat
Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) Czar: ensure food fort, fridge, kitchenette, snacks is organized and develop standard operating process for how food fort and food spaces are left between shifts. Signage
Food Team Initiative Ideas for BM’25
Pre-preparing ingredients
Reconfigure shift responsibilities to relieve food shift duration
Operation Flexible Dinner
Food Team Roles
This doc provides an overview of the various of roles for the Food Team who help plan and prepare everything food related for the Burn. It is also intended to act as a reference guide for what needs to get done by each role in a concise but comprehensive way.
The three buckets of roles for Food Team Turtles are: Food Shift Lead, Food Czar, and Reno Advance Team.
Some helpful reference docs are compiled here:
Standard Operating Procedures Guides (to come)
Food Shift Lead
The Food team prepares and serves 19 meals over the course of the Burn (from Friday dinner through to Strike Dinner on Sunday). Each meal is planned and led by 1 shift lead with the assistance of 2-3 Turtle chefs.
Food Shift Leads should plan to lead 2 or 3 meals.
Planning for a meal consists of:
- Choosing what will be served. Make it something you'd enjoy preparing and sharing with your fellow Turtles!
- You can choose to serve something of your own creation and new, or pull inspiration from the Turtles recipe book!
- Meal choices should be inclusive and accommodate dietary restrictions. Common dietary restrictions include vegetarian / vegan, shellfish / pork sensitivity, peanut or other food allergies, and others which are raised by Turtles at camp . A survey is sent to Turtles in the Spring to collect dietary restrictions and responses are collected prior to meals choices getting finalized. Many dietary restrictions can be accommodated by serving meal components separately, e.g. meat and vegetarian proteins served apart.
- Meals are typically served buffet style.
- Listing out required ingredients and order quantities ahead of Reno Build Week.
- Documenting the meal recipe in the Turtle recipe book, ensuring it is clear and up to date. Recipes are used to build Turtle tribal knowledge year to year as well as to hang in the Food Fort during meal shifts so shift members can prepare the meal correctly and successfully.
Leading a shift meal consists of:
- Ensuring the food shift team has what it needs ahead of service. If you need a frozen protein to be thawed, think ahead!
- Shift Leads will have 2-3 shift Turtles to help in the preparation, cooking and cleaning of the meal for 2 hours prior to service (10-12pm for lunch, 4-6pm for dinner).
- Shift Leads are welcome to spend more time preparing their meal before arriving to Playa or in the hours or days before the shift time for their meal, however this is your individual responsibility. Do not count on Shift Turtles for help outside the designated 2 hour shift.
- Food Fort is not accessible to any Turtles not assigned to that shift during shift times.
- Turtles get hungry. Hungry Turtles are Sad Turtles. It is important that meals are served on time. Lunch is served at noon and Dinner is served at 6pm.
- Dinner service: ensuring that "reserved for later" signups are prepared separately and bagged away for Turtles who signed up by 4pm that day.
- Ensuring Food Fort is cleaned and checklist procedures are completed for every shift. Do not leave leftover work for the next shift.
Meal choices will be coordinated during 2-3 Food team meetings in the Spring and early Summer before the Burn. We collaborate out of the Master Planning Spreadsheet.
Meetings serve to ensure meal choices are appropriate for the Camp and feasible within the constraints of the Playa. They are a helpful way to prevent any SNAFUs when we're miles from civilization :)
Food Czar
Food Czars lead a workstream, station or initiative. Food Czars do not necessarily do everything required for that division, but they are responsible for ensuring it is done.
Food Czar roles are tentative and may change in the lead up to the Burn and from year to year. Some Czar roles may be consolidated in the lead up to Burn.
Czar Role | Description | Turtle |
Facilities and Training Czar |
Final expert in all things Food Fort operations (equipment and facilities). Ensures Food Turtles are all trained on safety and SOPs. |
|
SOP and Recipes Czar |
Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) and documentation. Ensure food fort, fridge, kitchenette, snacks is organized and develop standard operating process for how food fort and food spaces are left between shifts. Lots of Signage. Ensures complete meal recipes (following last year’s template) are collected from shift leads, compile a recipe book with 4 copies of each recipe to bring to Playa. |
Ben S? |
Operation Kitchenette Czar | Defines the new Health Snacks and self-serve Turtle Kitchenette in the Dining Area. Define and roll out process for Operation Dinner Freedom. |
Ben B? Adam J? |
Dry Snacks Czar |
Plan the dry snacks ordering list. Organize and prepare Turtle self-serve dry snacks station. |
|
Master Planning Spreadsheet Czar |
Ensure spreadsheet linking and formulas work, especially ingredients. Ensure ingredients for meals are correctly formatted and compile into a master order list for Reno Build Team. Update supplies list based on Reno Work Week inventory and collate additional equipment and supplies required for ordering. |
|
Operation Advance Prep Czar | Defines and leads the effort to pre-prepare ingredients and meal components prior to the Burn to minimize Food Shift labor once the Burn begins. Work with ingredients and Reno Build Week team to implement ideas. Will likely require being at Reno Build Week. | Adam J? |
Procurement Czar | Ensures all the ingredients, equipment and stuff that Planning scopes are ordered and loaded for entry to Playa. Requires being at Reno Build Week. | |
Food Fort Driving and Testing Czar | Test all key components of Food Fort and ensures it arrives to Playa on time and in one piece! Requires being at Reno Build Week. | Sean E? |
Reno Advance Team
There are two group Turtle occasions in the Spring and Summer where a few Turtles are on the ground to audit, verify and prepare the Food Team for success on Playa: Reno Work Week and Reno Build Week.
Advance Teams have one designated lead and Turtles supporting the effort.
Reno Work Week (May 9th-11th)
Reno Work Weekend is our first opportunity to get eyes on the Food Fort, gather intel for the Food Team that plans, and perform testing and maintenance to get ahead of any issues ahead of the Burn.
Key Tasks:
- Inventory
- Empty Food Fort of all equipment and leftover dry goods (if any).
- Audit equipment and supplies. Throw out stuff which is broken, unnecessarily duplicative, or not useful.
- Basic cleaning and maintenance of equipment, as appropriate and necessary.
- Organize and group remaining equipment, align to numbered and labeled boxes.
- List equipment in master inventory sheet by box (location) and photograph the contents of boxes. Save photos to Wiki
- Pack and put away boxes
- Cleaning
- Wipe down and clean Food Fort, Walk In Fridge, Freezer, as necessary and appropriate
- Test Equipment
- Test major equipment and ensure operational, so that repair orders can be placed ahead of time, if necessary, to the extent this is feasible. Testing will require hooking up to a generator / power source
- Log testing results
- Testing checklist. Priority Items designated with (*):
- With power generator:
- Lights and power to Truck
- Freezer* (high propensity to have issues)
- Walk in fridge*
- Microwave
- With propane
- Griddle
- Stove
- With water hooked up
- Ice maker
- Water system and sinks
- Drainage
- With power generator:
Reno Build Week (August 18th-23rd)
Simultaneously to Build Week team arriving on Playa and building camp, a Food Advance Team goes to Reno to prepare the Food Fort, acquire supplies, and make any last preparation and
On Friday some of the Reno Build Week team head to Playa along with the Food Fort to join Build Team and prepare Food Fort for all Turtles arrival Saturday.
Key tasks:
- Ensure the Food Fort is operational, all equipment is tested and, if needed, repaired (see above)
- Receive, unpack and prepare supplies and equipment
- Purchase, acquire and load ingredients
- Execute Operation Advance Prep, as scoped
- Set up Food Fort on Playa and Food stations
- Organize walk in, freezer and dry ingredients
- Snacks Station
- Kitchenette
Reno Work Weekend Brief
The goals of Food Team at Work Weekend are to clean, to inventory, and to test equipment to scope any necessary repairs.
Reno Work Weekend Team: Alejandro, John, Brooke, Ben
Clean and Inventory
Cleaning and inventory can be bundled into one task and will be described together.
Task list:
- Find the Food Fort and secure entry
- Pull everything (within reason) out of the Food Fort and lay it out on the ground outside. In past years Turtles have found rotten surprises and items that should not have been left behind after the Burn - do a sweep through the Fort once emptied
- Pots, pans, supplies, shelf stable foods, spices - yes
- Bolted down ice machine, large scale equipment, shelving - no
- Cleaning: demoop food fort floors, drawers, shelving, storage, fridge, etc. Clean down griddle, stovetop, fridge, freezer
- Organize the stuff pulled out of the Food Fort into categories "piles", as they seem to make sense (e.g. cooking utensils, spices, cleaning supplies, etc.)
- Dispose of any items that are obviously broken, unsalvageable, unnecessary (duplicative), useless. This will require exercising some discretion and common sense
- Make note of items that are disposed of which may need to be replaced (e.g. unsalvageable but no adequate duplicate in stock)
- Make note of items which we do not possess but you think we should procure ahead of the Burn
- Note items and counts in inventory spreadsheet, as we did for 2024, in 2025 Inventory tab. I am leaving last year's inventory in place in case it is helpful or a guide for this year and will leave it to you to decide whether it is easier to wipe it clean and start fresh or update line by line
- SPECIAL REQUEST: please test and note which pots and pans work on the induction stove vs not. We will want to clearly know so that we can delineate the equipment between the new self-serve Kitchenette vs what's in the Food Fort for Food Team
- Pack away items into numbered and labeled boxes, noting the box number which the item was packed into on the 2025 Inventory tab. Before packing the box, take a photo of the box and the contents which are about to go in as this will be helpful during Build Week and during the Burn
As you are going through the process of taking and fulfilling inventory, wipe down and clean surfaces, equipment and the Food Fort as it sensible and logical. The Food Fort should be in pretty good shape following the 2024 Burn (fingers crossed, knock on wood, hoping I don't jinx it) and the cleaning should be straightforward, but you will be able to evaluate the situation once you are on the ground and have eyes on the truck.
Testing
Part of the task during Build Week will be to ensure the Food Fort is fully operational and to order and coordinate any necessary repairs before driving it into Playa. If we know about issues or broken equipment earlier (e.g. now) this is very helpful in giving us more time to have the issues addressed without the panicked rush of the impending Burn.
It is not strictly necessary to test every item in the Food Fort. The items are listed by dependency and are in order from the most important to least important to test. By test we mean ensure that the equipment will power on / run once plugged in.
Electricity:
Requires hooking up the generator. The generator should be inside the Food Fort.
To test:
- Lights and power working in the Food Fort
- Microwave
- Walk in fridge
- Freezer
- Ice machine (also requires water hooked up)
The freezer and the ice machine are both highly liable to breakage and have a history of breaking down in the year between Burns and sometimes also on Playa. If all you can test and verify are these items, it will be a win.
Propane:
The Food Fort should have two propane tanks attached to it, of which at least one should have propane. It should be relatively straight forward to get the propane hooked up and turned on although it requires someone who knows how. Alejandro may remember from '24 Burn or ask for help from someone at Work Weekend.
To test:
- Griddle
- Stove - burners and oven
Water:
This will be the most difficult utility to connect as it requires getting a hose up to the truck and hooked in. If possible, it's a very nice to have. Imagine the heroic stories you will tell if it works!
To test:
- Ice maker (also requires electricity)
- Water system (sinks, etc.)
- Drainage, disposal and leaks
Following testing:
Log what was possible to hook in and achieve, what was tested, the results of testing and any repairs required.
Resources
You will likely have questions and run into snags and need help from experienced Turtles. Even experienced Turtles don't know everything and they themselves may need extra help. When you need help, the following points of contact are yours. They are listed in first line of support first and then in escalation order:
- Alejandro - Previously Food Team Turtle and knows the boiler plate basic workings of the Food Fort
- Romain - Previously Food Team Turtle, 2x Turtle, may have additional knowledge but may be busy coordinating Reno Work Weekend to focus on Food lane fully
- Spacemaster (John) - Previously Food Team Turtle, knowledgeable in how things work, where things are, and alternative solutions to problems. Find him around the Tool Fort (which he is leading).
- Joel (Jetpack) - knows pretty much every thing, bother him last when all other avenues have failed
Also - Me! (Christophe) I'm available all weekend for you to reach out and will be monitoring Discord to the extent any activity is there. If you need to reach me my number is 415-269-1339. Don't get stuck, don't hesitate to reach out.
_Evergreen Docs
The Master docs which will be updated, maintained, and grow every year.
Food Team Training
🚨 All Food Turtles (planning, leads and shift cooks) must be trained in food fort operations, safety and procedures. The maintaining of the procedures doc and ensuring Food Turtles every year are trained is the responsibility of the Training Czar.
General Food Safety
DO NOT TOUCH THE FOOD!
Do not use bare hand contact with ready-to-eat foods (or drinks / ice). Wear gloves or use tongs, spoons, spatulas, etc when portioning or preparing food. Examples of ready-to-eat foods include all cooked foods, breads, and raw fruits and vegetables that will not be cooked before being eaten.
Wash hands before putting on gloves
You must take off gloves before touching uncooked meat to avoid cross contamination. Also don’t reuse gloves
Propane System
Checking Propane Levels (refer to Method 1 from 1:10-2:57 min mark)
- Water Method Check (to be done after each meal): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ukzl8mYFhmk&t=70s
- To check if it is empty (only if propane appears not to be working):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UAUXDvCqmfE
Turning On Propane System - Before Every Meal
- Inside the trailer, confirm that all 16 propane valves and stove/griddle knobs are in the OFF position.
- Go outside to propane tanks. Check for any visual signs of damage to the tanks or hosing. (Tanks should be free of any rust and always painted white - painting them any other color can cause an explosion. Video here)
- Turn on both propane tanks (turn knobs slowly, but all the way)
- Smell for any propane leaks around tanks and hoses.
- Ventilate trailer
- Open window in door and ceiling vent (these MUST be open prior to turning on propane inside trailer due to Carbon Monoxide from pilot lights and burners. Exhaust Fan MUST be on whenever Range, Oven or Griddle are on. Window and ceiling vents must be open when exhaust fan is on for air circulation and to prevent a vacuum from holding the door closed.)
- Turn on Hot Water Heater
- Under the sinks on the right, turn on the Red propane valve video. (Perpendicular to pipe is OFF, parallel with pipe is ON.)
- Turn on power to Hot Water Heater (power button on front. If no power, check circuit breaker)
- For troubleshooting Hot Water Heater see this video
- Turn on Stove / light pilot lights (right before first use)
- Turn on White Propane Valve to left of door
- Turn on Red Propane Valve that leads to Range/Stove
- IMMEDIATELY Light SIX Range Pilot Lights using this lighter
- Note that propane gas is coming out of the open pilot light spigots as soon as you open the valve, so if you don’t light the pilot light, you are just leaking propane gas into the trailer.
- Turn on Griddle / light pilot lights (right before first use)
- Turn on Red Propane Valve that leads to Griddle
- IMMEDIATELY Light FOUR Griddle Pilot Lights using this lighter
Turning Off Propane System - After Every Meal
- Follow all **Turning On Propane System - Before Every Meal** Instructions IN REVERSE
Griddle Cleaning
- **https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7fXbyNAPeIc**
- **https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NaIF1VCNiRQ -includes steps 8-10 for seasoning (skip to 3:23)**
While griddle is still hot (but not on):
- Turn off the thermostat and put on heat-resistant gloves.
- While griddle is hot, scrape surface clean of food debris and grease buildup.
- Apply about a cup of warm/room temp water (no cold water!) onto the surface of the griddle.
- Scrub the surface with a non-abrasive pad (we have orange padded sponges with a handle for this).
- Repeat steps 3 & 4 until there is no food residue, burnt-on bits, or rust spots. The griddle might still be browned or matte due to seasoning (don’t clean this seasoning off).
- If after cleaning it twice, there is still stuff on the griddle, do step 3 again with at most a tiny bit of the specified griddle cleaning soap (not bleach spray).
- Wipe down the entire surface with a wet and then a dry cloth.
- Remove and empty the grease tray.
- Wipe down the body of the griddle with a damp cloth.
Seasoning a Griddle
(The following steps only need to be done every once in a while - not a required step before each meal)
- Turn the griddle on and heat it up (~350°).
- Spread a thin layer of cooking oil onto the hot griddle surface, then wait 30 minutes.
- Wipe down the surface with a clean, dry cloth.
3 Compartment Sink
A 3-compartment sink is a commercial standard for efficient and safe dishwashing. It conserves water by separating washing, rinsing, and sanitizing into three distinct basins.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6wq75tpxxcc
- Start of Shift Prep:
- Fill wash sink with hot water and dish soap, aim for 110F, 1/3 full.
- Fill rinse sink with some water (no soap) 2/3 full if not already filled
- Fill sanitize sink with room temp water (≥75F) 2/3 full if not already filled
- Add about a capful of bleach (1 tsp/gallon) to sanitize sink.
- Test sanitize sink with a bleach strip to verify that it has 50 - 200 PPM Chlorine
- Before Washing
- Scrape off all items before putting in the first sink and put it in a separate container. This will help keep the first sink cleaner, so you can use it longer before needing to change the water and detergent.
- Scraping really helps keep the water clean and helps prevent wasting water
- Wash Compartment
- Wash the item here until it has no visible contaminants
- This water can be very dirty before it needs to be replaced
- Rinse Compartment
- You just need to quickly dunk the item into the rinse compartment
- Sanitize Compartment
- Soak the item in the bleach bath for at least 10 seconds
- Anything that can’t be fully soaked using the bleach bath must instead be sprayed thoroughly with a bleach spray
- Put items on drying rack to dry. If you need the item promptly, you can also dry with a clean paper towel (not reusable towel).
- Shift Cleanup
- Drain the wash sink
- Only drain the rinse / sanitize sinks if the water is cloudy.
- If rinse sink is not drained, add a capful of chlorine bleach to it to prevent fouling
- Quickly rinse off any food residue from drained compartments
Tips for saving water:
Adjust water levels: If you don't have many dishes, you can adjust the water level in the rinse and sanitize sinks to save water or just use the bleach spray for sanitizing.
Bleach spray
- Use this to clean all kitchen food surfaces at the beginning and end of the kitchen shift, as well as all surfaces where food will be served on.
- Dining team should have some to clean the surfaces on which the campers eat on.
- This is also to be used to clean any oversized items, or anything more difficult to sanitize (such as contaminated drink dispensers)
Start of Shift Prep:
- Spray the sprayer labeled “Bleach Spray” on a test strip to test if the bleach spray solution has 50 - 200 PPM Chlorine
- If it doesn’t:
- dump the bottle of bleach spray
- Add bleach to container (1 tsp/gallon)
- Put sprayer back on and shake to mix the liquid
- Spray against the sink 3 times to prime, then test the bleach solution again
Steps:
- Thoroughly spray the surface to clean and allow the solution to sit for at least 10 seconds
- There must be a thin sheet of bleach spray on the entire surface
- Wipe off spray with a clean paper towel (not reusable towel).
Appendix
For additional information, Nevada Dept of Health has a Burning Man specific food safety guide (not mandatory reading)
2018 Burning Man Food Service Guidance Document
Future Turtles Recipe Book
Quesobirria Tacos, Elote, and Jicama Slaw
Ingredients
Quesobirria Tacos:
-
Boneless leg of lamb
-
Oyster mushrooms
-
Birria marinade
-
7 large white onions (will be using diced)
-
6 bunches cilantro
-
Corn tortillas
-
Oaxacan cheese
-
15 limes
Elote:
-
25 ears corn
-
4 lbs salted butter
-
Chili powder
-
Sour cream
-
Cotija cheese
Jicama slaw:
-
6 jicama
-
3 large red cabbages (will be using shredded)
-
3 large white onions
Dressing:
-
3 cups olive oil
-
1.5 cups rice vinegar
-
1.5 cups lime juice
-
12 tablespoons honey
To Prep
Before playa - [LEAD]:
-
6 times recipe for birria marinade, steam canned in wide-mouth Ball mason jars.
On Day of Meal:
-
Slice whole white onions into thin strips.
-
Finely chop cilantro.
-
Cut limes into wedges.
-
Separately, portion out lime juice or squeeze limes into juice.
-
Shred Oaxacan cheese.
-
Separate red oil from cooked consomé and reserve.
-
Shuck corn: peel back outer leaves to the base without detaching and remove as much silk as possible, then baste with salted butter and wrap corn in outer leaves.
-
Soak the corn in a large pot of cold water for 10 minutes.
-
If using shucked corn: baste corn with salted butter and wrap in tin foil.
-
Finely shred jicama.
To Cook
At least 5 hours before service - [LEAD]:
-
Combine leg of lamb and birria marinade in a large stock pot, add enough water to cover.
-
Heat (using induction stove) on high until water boils, then reduce to a bare simmer until tender, approximately 4 hours.
-
If done on previous night: cool stock pot outside, then place in fridge.
-
Prepare flan according to recipe.
An hour before service:
-
Preheat griddle to high.
-
Check that meat is tender, remove from liquid and shred.
-
If using cooked birria from the fridge: separate solidified red fat and reserve.
-
If using cooked birria from the fridge: bring stock pot to a simmer for 10 minutes on stove.
-
Baste shredded meat with consomé.
-
Season consomé with salt and pepper.
-
Combine sour cream with lime juice and zest to taste in a bowl.
-
Place the corn on the grill and cook, turning every 3-5 minutes, until all sides are cooked, about 15 minutes.
-
Keep corn warm in the oven at 200-250F.
-
Whisk together dressing ingredients in a bowl, working in batches.
-
Prepare diced onions, chopped cilantro, and lime wedges in containers for garnish.
15 minutes before service:
-
Spread the sour cream mixture over the corn and serve with cotija cheese, chili powder, cilantro, and lime wedges.
-
Pour the dressing over the slaw and toss well to combine.
To Serve
SERVE ELOTE AND SLAW FIRST TO GIVE VALUABLE LEAD TIME FOR TACO MAKING
-
Elote can be served directly from warmer with a warning that it may be hot to the touch.
-
Encourage Turtles to “break corn” with another Turtle or guest (share a single ear of corn).
-
Slaw can be served using tongs from a few communal bowls.
-
Ladle consomé into bowls or stainless steel cups, with plenty of cilantro, lime, and diced white onion on the side.
-
To assemble taco:
-
Dip corn tortilla into red oil.
-
Heat oiled tortilla on griddle.
-
Add meat and cheese and fold.
-
One portion is 3 tacos.
-
When tortilla has an appetizing sear and cheese is melted, remove from heat and serve immediately with consomé, diced onions, chopped cilantro, and lime wedges.
Flan
Ingredients
Custard:
-
24 eggs
-
12 egg yolks
-
6 cans cond. milk
-
6 cans evap. milk
-
6 tablespoons vanilla extract
Caramel:
-
6 cups granulated sugar
-
1.5 cups water
-
Several pinches kosher salt
To Cook
At least 5 hours before service - [LEAD]:
-
Preheat oven to 350F.
-
Prepare water bath with rimmed baking sheets.
-
In a blender, add the eggs, egg yolks, salt, sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk and/or vanilla.
-
Blend until very smooth, about 30 seconds.
-
In a medium saucepan, set over medium-low heat, add the sugar and water.
-
Cook on medium-low heat until the sugar has dissolved into the water completely.
-
Then, turn the heat to high and allow to cook for about 5 full minutes, until the cooked sugar goes from clear to light golden brown.
-
During this process, it should be boiling; this will help cook out the water.
-
Once it starts to turn a light golden brown, immediately lower the heat to medium-low and keep cooking until it turns a golden brown.
-
Immediately pour the caramel into the baking pan and twist it around until it’s in an even layer on the bottom.
-
Allow the caramel to harden a bit, about 5 minutes.
-
Give the custard base a stir, just to make sure it’s still all combined. Pour it on top of the solid caramel. Cover with foil tightly. Transfer the flan to the water bath and fill up the water bath with water from a kettle.
-
Cook for 40 to 45 minutes, until slightly jiggly but still firm. Carefully remove it (it'll be hot!) from the oven and set aside.
-
Allow to cool on the counter for about 30 minutes and then transfer to the fridge to chill for at least 4 hours or overnight.
Turtle Diner
Ingredients
Mains:
-
80 eggs
-
5 packets bacon
-
5 lb hash brown
-
1 packet vegan bacon
-
4 packages vegan pancake mix
Starches:
-
2 loaves bread
-
2 packages English muffins
Milk shakes:
-
3 tubs frappe mix
-
Whipped cream
-
1 gallon whole milk
-
Luxardo cherries
To Cook
30 mins before service:
-
Preheat oven to 400F.
-
Arrange bacon, hash browns in baking sheets. If not enough baking sheets, prioritize bacon and vegan bacon, wrap hash browns in aluminum foil.
-
Mix pancake batter according to instructions.
Grill duty - [LEAD]:
-
Prepare scrambled eggs on one half of grill and pancakes on the other half.
Milkshake duty
-
Blend 0.75 oz milk and 0.5 frappe mix with ice in blender.
-
Decant into cups, serve with whipped cream and Luxardo cherry.
Service duty
-
Distribute bacon and hash browns accordingly, adding uncooked bacon and hash browns to sheet pans for future batches.
-
Distribute cooked eggs and pancakes.
-
Toast bread and muffins on request
Paella
Ingredients
Rice base for 40 servings
-
10 Short Grain White Rice (Dry) (1 cup)
-
15 Peeled Garlic (1 clove)
-
5 Red Pepper Flakes (1 Tbsp)
-
5 Saffron (1 gram)
-
5 Bay Leaves (1 Leaf)
-
2 Fresh Parsley (1 bunch)
-
1.5 (or 6.25 tablespoon) Better Than Bouillon® Seasoned Vegetable Base (1 Oz)
-
10 Fresh Lemons (each)
Meat version for 32 serving
-
8 Chicken Breasts (Skinless, Boneless) (1 Lb)
-
4 Onions (Yellow Or Sweet) (1 large)
-
4 Red/Orange Bell Pepper (each)
-
4 Chorizo Sausage (1 Lb)
-
4 Shrimps (Medium-Large) (1 Lb)
Vegan version for 8 serving
-
16 Artichoke Hearts (1 Oz)
-
0.75 Cremini Mushrooms (1 Lb)
-
16 Canned Cooked Chickpeas (1 Oz)
Condiments
-
2 Extra Virgin Olive Oil (1 Cup)
-
2 Kosher Salt (1 Tbsp)
-
2 Ground Black Pepper (1 Tbsp)
-
8 Paprika (1 Tbsp)
-
8 Oregano (1 Tbsp)
Instructions:
-
Prep
Marinade for chicken (can be done earlier)
-
Cut chicken in 2 inches pieces
-
Mix olive oil (1 cup), paprika, oregano, salt, and pepper for marinade in a bowl.
-
Add chicken and stir to coat. Cover and refrigerate until needed.
Before cooking
-
Rinse rice
-
Cut bell peppers
-
Chop onions
-
Rince shrimps (if needed)
-
Create stock from Better than bouillon
2. Cook
Rice base
-
Heat 1 cup olive oil in a large skillet or paella pan over medium heat. Stir in garlic and pepper flakes, then stir in rice. Cook and stir until rice is coated with oil, about 3 minutes.
-
Add saffron threads, bay leaf, parsley, stock, and lemon zest. Stir until well combined and bring to a boil.
-
Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes.
Pan 1: Vegan topping (while rice is cooking)
-
Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in mushrooms and chickpeas and some water; cook and stir until water has evaporated, about 7 minutes.
Pan 2: Chicken topping (while rice is cooking)
-
Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in marinated chicken and cook for 10 minutes.
Pan 3: Chorizo sausage topping (while rice is cooking)
-
In a skillet over medium heat, break sausages up with a spatula, cook for about 10 minutes.
Pan 4: Shrimp topping (while rice is cooking)
-
In a skillet over medium heat, stir in shrimp until they are bright pink on the outside and the meat is opaque, about 5 minutes (you can add lemon juice).
Pan 5: Bell peppers and onions topping (while rice is cooking)
-
Add half of the bell peppers onions and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes.
3. Serve
Serve in separate dishes to allow people to mix and match.
Breakfast Bagels and Crepes
Crepes
10 min Prep, 40 min cook.
Ingredients (8 crepes “Serves 4 people”, seems more like 3) - Multiply by 8 for 64 crepes.
-
2 large eggs
-
½ cup milk
-
½ cup water
-
¼ teaspoon salt
-
1 cup all-purpose flour
-
2 tablespoons butter, melted
Prep:
-
1 person melt butter, one person: Whisk eggs, milk, water, and salt together in a large mixing bowl; add flour and butter and whisk vigorously until smooth.
Cook:
-
Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium-high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the pan, using approximately 1/4 cup for each crêpe. Tilt the pan with a circular motion so that the batter coats the surface evenly.
-
Cook until the top of the crêpe is no longer wet and the bottom has turned light brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Run a spatula around the edge of the skillet to loosen the crêpe; flip and cook until the other side has turned light brown, about 1 minute more.
-
If needed: store covered in the oven at 175 Degrees.
Serve:
-
Serve as a pile untopped, so that campers can add their own toppings.
https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/16383/basic-crepes/
Savory Crepe Addon (Second meal only)
10 min prep, 20 min cook.
Ingredients - Aim to serve 8 people - 24 crepes
-
2 brie wheel
-
Any other leftover ingredients (eg chicken, spinach) that would go well for a savory crepe.
-
16 crepes from main crepe recipe
-
Salt and pepper
Prep:
-
Preheat oven to 300 Degrees
-
Brie: Cut the rind off of the brie wheel and then slide the brie into long, quarter inch thick slices
-
If the other ingredient needs to be cooked first, saute until done.
-
Divide other ingredients and brie evenly among the crepes
-
Roll each crepe and place on a sheet pan.
Cook:
-
Bake to melt the cheese, 6-8 minutes.
Oatmeal
Cook Time 10 minutes (Can sit on simmer for extended amount of time)
-
Follow instructions on box, make 12 servings to start
Bagels
Toast 2 dozen bagels 20 min before serving time:
-
Prep: Slice bagels and store on tray with parchment paper
-
Cook: Put bagels through the conveyor toaster
-
Preheat the oven to 375 Fahrenheit. Toast in the oven until golden brown (4-5 minutes).
Toppings
Needs Prep (20 min), then set out:
-
Onions - dice 2 large onions, and set out with serving spoon
-
Bananas (First Meal Only) - Slice into disks for people to eat, set out with serving spoon
-
Small number of sliced, untoasted bagels?
Serve: Just set the following out each in its separate container for people to use:
-
Cream Cheese
-
Peanut Butter
-
Smoked Salmon [Don’t set this one out early]
-
Capers
-
Canned whip cream
-
Fruit preserve jam
-
Nutella
-
Fresh Raspberries(First meal only)
Japanese Curry
Ingredients
Carrots (1lb) |
Potatoes (1lb) |
Onions (Yellow Or Sweet) (1 large) |
Fresh Apples - Red (Anything But Red Delicious) (each) |
Peeled Garlic (1 clove) |
Chicken Thigh (Skinless, Boneless) (1 Lb) |
Fresh Ginger (1 oz) |
Soy Sauce (1 fl oz) |
Pickled ginger (8 oz) |
Japanese curry paste (1 box) |
Kosher Salt (1 Tbsp) |
Sesame Vinaigrette Salad Dressing (1 Cup) |
Green Cabage (1 Head) |
Matcha (5 oz) |
Cream Cheese (8 oz) |
Oreos (18oz box) |
Butter (1 Stick) Unsalted |
Confectioners' (White) Sugar (1 Cup ≈ 8Oz) |
Heavy cream (16oz) |
Instructions:
-
Prep
-
Dice onions – if pre-diced are out
-
Fine dice apples
-
Peel & large dice carrots and potatoes
-
Marinate chicken in garlic, ginger, and soy sauce
-
Cook
-
Make curry
-
Saute onions (~30 min, as caramelized as possible) and apples
-
Add water, bring to boil, then add carrots & cook (~30min)
-
Add potato and cook until potatoes are tender (~40min)
-
Add curry paste, cook until thickened
-
Meanwhile, make rice in rice cooker
-
~30min mark, start grilling chicken on griddle. Make teriyaki sauce from soy + sugar
-
Make the cabbage salad with pre-shredded cabbage and dressing
-
Make the dessert (time allowing):
-
Make sure cream cheese is room temp!
-
Beat cream cheese until soft
-
“Brew” the matcha in part of the heavy cream align with the sugar to dissolve it
-
Add this hot matcha cream to the cream cheese
-
Whip the rest of the heavy cream until stiff peaks, then fold in batches into the match mix
-
Crush oreos, then add melted butter, then use to line bottom of serving tray for serving cups
-
Layer on matcha cream, chill for a while
-
Serve
-
Serve family style in large pots: rice, curry, chicken, salad, ginger for garnish (optional),
-
dessert served later to give time to chill
Express Panda Express
Ingredients
Frozen Orange chicken (1 bag = ? oz) |
Short Grain White Rice (Dry) (1 cup) |
Peeled Garlic (1 clove) |
Spring Onions or Chives (1 Bunches) |
Frozen carrots and peas (8oz bag) |
Eggs (1 Egg) |
Red/Orange Bell Pepper (each) |
Shredded Carrots (1 oz) |
Frozen dumplings (1 pack of ~20 dumplings) |
Broccoli (1 crown) |
Soy Sauce (1 fl oz) |
Corn starch (16oz) |
Extra Virgin Olive Oil (1 Cup) |
Instructions:
-
Prep
-
Make rice for fried rice (perhaps the night before, if possible, to go stale)
-
Chop veggies for fried rice: garlic, green onions
-
Chop veggies for veggie stir fry – definitely broccoli & bell peppers, but any others on hand
-
Cook
-
Station 1: Make orange chicken in oven according to packaging
-
Station 2: Make fried rice on griddle top: saute aromatics, then frozen veggies, then egg, then rice
-
Station 3: Make veggies stir fry with all chopped veggies; make a sauce from soy + corn starch + sugar + sesame oil
-
Station 4: Make pot stickers (just boil them? Griddle top? – whichever is easiest based on the kitchen)
-
Serve
-
Serve family style in foil serving dishes: fried rice, veggie stir fry, orange chicken, pot stickers
Chocolate Chip cookie recipe (cookies for whenever; scale up 4x):
-
1 cup salted butter, softened
-
3/4 cup granulated sugar
-
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
-
1 tsp vanilla extract
-
2 eggs
-
2 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
-
1 tsp baking soda
-
1 tsp salt
-
2 cups nestle toll house semi-sweet chocolate morsels
-
350F, 12-15min
Healthy!
Ingredients
-
14 Chicken Breasts (Skinless, Boneless) (1 Lb)
-
2 Medium-firm Tofu (1 14oz pack)
-
6 Shredded Lettuce (1 Lb)
-
6 Spinach (1 Lb)
-
6 Arugula (1 Lb)
-
8 Moroccan Couscous (1 Lb)
-
2 Quinoa (1 Lb)
-
60 Tomatoes (each)
-
40 Eggs (1 Egg)
-
20 Pita Bread (1 Pita)
-
4 Sesame Vinaigrette Salad Dressing (1 Cup)
-
4 Shredded Almond (1 cup)
Instructions:
-
Prep
Cut chicken in 2 inches pieces
Cut tofu in 1 inches pieces
-
Cut tomatoes
-
Cook
-
Eggs:
-
Boil water and add eggs.
-
Lower the heat slightly but water is still at a gentle boil. Cook for 10 minutes.
-
Transfer into a large bowl or sink of cold water. Peel under water.
-
Chicken
-
Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in chicken and cook for 10 minutes. (add salt and pepper)
-
Tofu
-
Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in tofu and cook for 10 minutes. (add salt and pepper / soy sauce)
-
Couscous
-
Add your couscous, vegetable broth (optional) and olive oil to the rice cooker (1:1 water:couscous ratio)
-
Cook your couscous on the white rice setting.
-
When the rice cooker turns to warm, keep the lid on for an additional 5 minutes.
-
Quinoa
-
Add your couscous, vegetable broth (optional) and olive oil to a pot (1 3/4:1 water:quinoa ratio)
-
Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce the heat. Simmer for 15 minutes.
-
Remove the pot from the heat and let it sit, covered, for 10 minutes more.
-
Serve
-
Mix in as many bowl as necessary:
-
Base: Lettuce, Spinach, Arugula
-
Cereal: Quinoa, Couscous
-
Tomatoes
-
Dressing
-
In separate dish:
-
Chicken
-
Tofu
-
Egg (cut)
-
Cut Pita (in half)
-
Almond
Lemon Risotto with Summer Squash
Ingredients
Risotto
-
12L of chicken or vegetable stock
-
14tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
-
4cup minced onion
-
Salt to taste
-
7pound summer squash (mixed varieties), diced
-
11 cups arborio rice
-
7 garlic gloves
-
Freshly ground pepper to taste
-
4 cup dry white wine
-
14 teaspoons finely chopped lemon zest
-
10 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice (to taste)
-
14 tablespoons finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
-
4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Protein
-
4 boxes of Tofu
-
14 Lbs chicken thighs
-
Marinade: lemons to juice, olive oil, italian seasoning
To Prep
-
Zest 10 lemons and chop the zest
-
Dice squash
-
Chop garlic gloves
-
Chop parsley
-
Chop onions (should be already minced frozen onions so no need)
-
Dice tofu
-
Marinate chicken thighs and tofu with lemon juice, olive oil, italian seasoning
To Cook
-
Put the stock into a saucepan, and bring it to a simmer over low heat
-
Heat the olive oil over medium heat, add the onion, about five minutes until tender
-
Add the squash and a generous pinch of salt.
-
Turn the heat up to medium high, and cook, stirring often, until the squash is translucent but not too soft, about five minutes.
-
Stir in the rice and the garlic, and stir until the grains separate and begin to crackle
-
Add the wine, and stir until it has been absorbed.
-
Turn the heat back down to medium, and begin adding the simmering stock 1 cup at a time.
-
Cook, stirring often, until the rice is just about absorbed. Keep repeating the process of adding 1-2 cup of stock until absorbed, and repeat.
-
During this process, cook the marinated chicken thighs and tofu on the griddle
-
When the rice is tender all the way through but still chewy, it is done.
-
Adjust seasoning, adding salt and pepper to taste.
-
Add another cup of stock to the rice. Stir in the lemon zest, lemon juice, parsley and Parmesan.
-
Remove from the heat. The mixture should be creamy (add more stock if it isn’t).
To Serve
-
Serve right away in wide soup bowls or on plates, spreading the risotto in a thin layer rather than a mound.
Glazed salmon & veggie curry
Ingredients
-
Asian Glazed Salmon in Foil
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1.75 cup soy sauce low sodium
-
21 tablespoons honey
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14 tablespoons sweet chili sauce
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14 tablespoons lime juice freshly squeezed
-
7 teaspoon fresh ginger minced
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21 cloves garlic minced
-
1 teaspoon salt or to taste
-
1 teaspoon pepper or to taste
-
15 pound salmon fillet
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For serving
-
7 tablespoon sesame seeds
-
14 green onions chopped
-
Curry
-
6 tsp coconut oil
-
21 green cardamom pods (slightly crushed)
-
3 tsp turmeric
-
8 tbsp curry powder
-
74 oz coconut milk
-
7 teaspoon fresh ginger minced
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6 medium yellow onion diced
-
11 medium sweet potatoes (diced into ½-inch cubes)
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11 medium potatoes (yellow or red is fine, diced into ½-inch cubes)
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5 large carrot (sliced into thin rounds)
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5 large green bell pepper (diced)
-
8 cups vegetable stock (or water)
-
74 oz chickpeas (canned or cooked from scratch. Drain thoroughly before adding)
-
16 scallions
-
11 tablespoons lemon juice
-
11 tablespoons cilantro
-
Salt to taste
-
Tofu - 2 packs
To Prep
-
Salmon
-
Mince garlic
-
Mince ginger
-
Squeeze lemons for juice
-
Chop green onions
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Curry
-
Mince garlic
-
Mince ginger
-
Chop cilantro
-
Dice onions
-
Dice sweet potatoes
-
Dice potatoes
-
Slice carrots
-
Dice green peppers
-
Drain chickpeas
-
Tofu - dice
To Cook
Curry
-
Heat the oil. Add the onions saute over medium heat until the onions start to sweat and turn translucent.
-
Add the turmeric, cayenne and ginger garlic paste and stir-fry for 30 seconds.
-
Add the sweet potatoes, potatoes, and carrots. Season with some salt and cover the pan. Turn the heat to low and let the vegetables cook about five minutes. If the veggies start to stick, add some water.
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Add green peppers and 4 cup of water. Cover again and cook five more minutes.
-
Check to see if the potatoes and sweet potatoes are cooked and fork-tender. If they are not, continue to cook, covered, for a few more minutes.
-
Stir in the chickpeas, curry powder and another cup of vegetable stock. Bring the mixture to a boil.
-
Add the coconut milk and scallions, and just let the curry heat through.
-
Stir in the lemon and cilantro and add more salt if needed. Serve hot.
Rice
-
Use rice cooker to cook 14 cups of rice
Salmon
-
Preheat your oven to 375℉. Place foil sheets on a baking sheet → enough sheet to be able to wrap the foil around salmon
-
whisk together the soy sauce, honey, sweet chili sauce, lime juice, fresh ginger, garlic, pepper.
-
Place the salmon fillet over the foil then pour about half the marinade over to cover the entire surface of the fish. Turn the fish over and pour the rest of the marinade.
-
Fold the edges of the aluminum foil over the salmon so that it is fully wrapped. Bake for about 20 to 25 minutes, depending on the size of your salmon.
-
Open the foil and garnish with sesame seeds and chopped green onions.
Tofu
-
Glaze with the same marinade as salmon
-
Cook on griddle
To Serve
-
Curry on rice
-
Protein by the side of it
Italian Pasta Bar
- Alejandro
Ingredients
-
Proteins
-
6lbs frozen italian meatballs (thaw 48 hours in advance)
-
30 italian sausages
-
8 vegan Beyond Sausages
-
Sauce
-
18 oz tomato sauce
-
1 bottle red wine
-
32 oz marinara sauce
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5 cloves of garlic
-
3 red bell peppers
-
3 orange bell peppers
-
1 large yellow onion
-
10 tbsp italian seasoning
-
8 tbsp salt
-
8 tbsp pepper
-
8 tbsp paprika
-
Pasta
-
6 lbs penne pasta
-
1 lb chickpea pasta
-
Caprese Salad
-
9 tomatoes
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36 oz mozzarella cheese
-
36 oz basil leaves
-
1 cup balsamic vinegar
-
7 tbsp honey
-
Toppings
-
24 oz shredded parmesan cheese
-
IN ADVANCE: Thaw frozen meatballs (and potentially breadsticks) in the refrigerator at least 48 hours in advance of the meal being prepared. Lead is to familiarize themselves with package directions for meatballs, sausages, breadsticks, and pasta.
-
[LEAD]: Open the bottle of wine to allow it to breathe. Finely dice the onion and bell peppers, mince the garlic.
-
[LEAD]: Preheat the oven according to package directions for the meatballs, sausages, and breadsticks. Time breadsticks in the oven to finish with the pasta.
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Person 1: Stir the balsamic vinegar and 5 tbsp honey together in a small saucepan and place over high heat. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low and simmer until the vinegar mixture has reduced to about 1/3 cup (about 10 minutes). Taste, mix in some of the remainder of honey, if any, if needed. Set the balsamic reduction aside to cool.
-
Person 2: In a saucepan or pot that will eventually hold the sauce, saute the onion and bell peppers in olive oil over medium heat. Stir occasionally until the onion is nearly translucent and the bell peppers are tender. Add the minced garlic and saute everything for another minute, being careful to not burn the garlic.
-
Add about a cup of red wine to the onions and peppers and allow to simmer until the wine significantly reduces. Stir occasionally. In the meantime, prepare the sausages, meatballs, and breadsticks on sheet pans to be placed into the oven according to package directions.
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[LEAD]: Once the sauce has reduced, add tomato sauce and marinara and bring the mixture to a consistent simmer, stirring occasionally. Add 5 tbsp italian seasoning and 1 tbsp paprika. Salt & pepper. Once the sauce warms up, taste, and add more seasoning to taste. Simmer for about 30 minutes to marry all of the flavors.
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[LEAD]: When the sauce and proteins are about 30 minutes from being done, bring a large pot of water (penne) and a small pot of water (chickpea) to a boil. Add about a teaspoon of salt per pound of pasta being boiled. Boil the pasta according to package directions. When the pasta water is drained, save 2 cups on the side for the penne and 1 cup on the side for the chickpea pasta.
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Person 1: Before the pasta is done boiling, slice the tomatoes and mozzarella in circles to build a classic caprese salad. Coarsely chop most of the basil, leaving some leaves for presentation. Decoratively arrange alternating slices of tomato and mozzarella on your serving platter. Gently sprinkle it with salt and black pepper. Spread fresh basil leaves over the top of the salad and drizzle with olive oil and the balsamic reduction.
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Person 2: Return each pasta to its original pot, add half the amount of water saved for each pasta back to its respective pot. Split the sauce proportionally to each pot as well, gently fold everything together. Add more water as needed, adding a little at a time.
To serve
-
Place breadsticks and caprese salad at the beginning of the serving area, followed by pastas, and then the protein options in their respective serving dishes. Have shredded parmesan at the end to add as a topping.
Lebanese Kafta
Ingredients:
Ground Meat 4lb
Yellow Onions 2 Large
Parsley 0.5 bunch
All spice
Recipe:
Making kafta is similar to making meatballs which requires some moisture to help it bind and stay juicy. The fat provides that much-needed moisture since we’re not using eggs.
Pulse the beef only with the onions and parsley. It’s important to already have the parsley and onions chopped and then just pulse lightly with the beef in order to avoid over-mixing. Over-mixing can lead to overworked dry meat.
Form the beef kafta into evenly sized shapes. This ensures that everything is finished cooking together making it all tender and juicy without anything being overcooked.
Steps:
Shop Onions
Remove stems and chop parsley
Mix onions, parsely, meat and spices
Mold into Kafta pieces
Grill
Fattoush:
Steps:
CHOP CHOP CHOP - lettuce, tomatoes, mint, cucumber, radish, peppers, green onions.
Mix pomegranate, olive oil, salt, sumac in a bowl and put into the salad
Give it a good toss and done!
Lentils & Rice:
Chop Onions - 4
Rinse rice - 14 cups
Caramelize onions with olive oil while rice being rinsed
Add on water and bring to a boil
Add in rice and lentils and cover
KBBQ night
Components
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Bulgogi beef
-
Bulgogi tofu and mushroom
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Korean spicy chicken
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Namul (spinach)
-
Kongnamul (bean sprout)
-
Ssamjang
-
Kimchi
Ingredients
-
Thin sliced rib eye
-
Chicken thigh
-
Onions
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Green onion
-
Tofu
-
Mushroom
-
Jarred bulgogi marinade
-
Gochujang
-
Kimchi
-
Sesame oil
-
Ssamjang
-
Garlic
-
Spinach
-
Bean Sprout
-
Lettuce
-
Rice
-
Sugar
-
Korean chilil powder
-
Sesame seeds
-
Honey
-
Soy Sauce
Cook
Prep
-
Onions
-
Slice 2/3rds into quarter inch strips
-
Dice 1/3rd with medium dice
-
Garlic
-
Mince
-
Green onion
-
Fine chop, separate greens and whites
-
Chicken thighs
-
Trim excess fat and tendons
-
Cut into bite size cubes
-
Gochujang sauce: Mix 3Part Gochujang, 3Part soy sauce, 3P minced garlic, 3P sugar or honey, 2P sesame oil, 1P cornstarch
-
Marinade chicken in sauce with diced onion for 30 mins to 2 hours (longer better)
-
Mushrooms
-
Dry wipe with paper towel to remove excess dirt
-
Cut into strips
-
Tofu
-
Drain and pat dry
-
Cut into cubes
-
If time allows, briefly blanch for 1-2 mins in salted water
-
Beef
-
Separate slices and if slices are too long cut in half
-
Marinade beef in bulgogi sauce with ½ of sliced onions for 30 mins to 2 hours
Cook
-
Wash the rice. Cook the rice.
-
Bring large pot of water to a boil and salt
-
Progressively blanch spinach for 30-60 seconds, remove, drain and run through cold water. Squeeze spinach dry. Squeeze real good. Real dry. Ok to smush the spinach in process. Set aside
-
Wash bean sprouts. Blanch for 30 seconds to 2 mins. Remove and drain, rinse in cold water. Set aside
-
Spinach
-
Take squeeze dried spinach in large mixing bowl. Add 4P green onion whites, 4P sesame oil, 2P soy sauce, 1P sugar, 1P salt, 1P minced garlic, 1P sesame seeds, 1/2P salt. Mix by hand. Adjust sauce mix to taste
-
Bean sprout
-
Take rinsed and drained bean sprout in large mixing bowl. Add 2P sesame oil, 1P soy sauce, 1P sesame seeds, 3P garlic, 1P green onion whites, 1P korean hot pepper flake, 1P salt. Mix by hand. Adjust sauce mix to taste
-
Tofu and mushroom
-
In large pan, stir fry tofu and mushroom and ½ of sliced onions. Begin with mushroom, after a few minutes add tofu, then onions. Add bulgogi sauce when mostly cooked. Add splash of soy sauce and garlic when adding sauce
-
Garnish with green onion greens and sesame seeds
-
Beef
-
Stir fry in large pan until cooked
-
Garnish with green onion greens and sesame seeds
-
Chicken
-
Stir fry in large pan until cooked
-
Garnish with green onion greens and sesame seeds
-
Lettuce and Ssamjang and kimchi
-
Separate lettuce into leaves, removing hardest and stalkiest white part of the bottoms
-
Wash and dry lettuce
-
Serve lettuce on platter, serve alongside ssamjang in a side dish
-
Slice kimchi into cubes if not already sliced and serve on a side dish