Amtrak Cooking Methods

[penfrydd]

I've read somewhere that Amtrak uses sous vide cooking. (It's a water bath at a specific temperature that you drop your special plastic wrapped food into for a specified amount of time. The food never overcoods (so they say), because the temperature never exceeds that which would yield, for instance, a medium rare steak. Then, in the case of a steak, you take it out of the package, sear it on the grill very briefly, and serve.

It would make sense if they do use this method, but I'm just curious. I've been reading a lot about this method lately.

Anybody know the details of "how" Amtrak cooks?

 

[billthebarn]

I'm not sure of the cooking method. Or if there is only one method used. I've had very good meals on Amtrak and very bad. When it comes to eating in a diner on a train, I'm grateful for attempt (of Amtrak trying to provide this service).

When I hear complaints about the food, I imagine what it was like for the American pioneers who crossed the country in their covered wagons. They had to make all their meals from scratch. Women were giving birth along the way. No hotels or inns. They were out in the elements...snow, rain, sleet and intense heat. Most of us could not do what they did.

I think about this when my steak is not done "just right" or my coffee is not quite hot enough.

 

[Notelvis]

You are correct OP in that much of Amtrak's cooking is a matter of reheating meals that were prepared off the train ahead of time.

Some things are still done onboard...... such as eggs and on some routes steaks.

I believe that many of the items are indeed delivered in sealed plastic bags which are heated by dropping them in boiling water. The 'Flat Iron Steak' is a menu item on some trains prepared in this way. The consistency of that dish is more like pot roast but it has always been good to very good each time I have had it. Now the french toast, if prepared this way, doesn't fare quite as well.

 

[Ryan]

The 'Flat Iron Steak' is a menu item on some trains prepared in this way. The consistency of that dish is more like pot roast but it has always been good to very good each time I have had it.

It's funny you should say that - at dinner on the LSL last week I had the steak (and it was delicious, the model of what a grilled steak should taste like) and I overheard the guy at the next table tell our sever "Hey, that steak was great! Much better than that Flat Iron steak you guys used to serve!". The server chuckled a bit and said "Sir, that actually was a flat iron steak - it's all in how it's prepared, and our chef is pretty good at it".

I couldn't tell you if it was sous vide and then finished on the grill or not, but it was a darn good steak!

 

[penfrydd]

If you read up on sous vide, on the internet, you'll see that It's a matter of time and temperature (of course); but the important thing, in relation to cheaper cuts of meat, is that the time at a specific temperature is what makes tougher connective tissue, etc, breakdown and become tender.

I was going to put a sous vide cooker in my home kitchen until I found out that the bags (which are of a special plastic which doesn't leach out at high temperatures, cost about 50 cents each, which, to a thrifty old Yankee, is too much money.

 

[Ispolkom]

If you read up on sous vide, on the internet, you'll see that It's a matter of time and temperature (of course); but the important thing, in relation to cheaper cuts of meat, is that the time at a specific temperature is what makes tougher connective tissue, etc, breakdown and become tender.

I was going to put a sous vide cooker in my home kitchen until I found out that the bags (which are of a special plastic which doesn't leach out at high temperatures, cost about 50 cents each, which, to a thrifty old Yankee, is too much money.

I too was put off by the very high price of a sous vide cooker, vs. the crock pot I already own. I'm sure that the sous vide device gives exactly identical, perfect results every time, which of course is what you want in a restaurant or dining car. I'm willing to accept a bit of variability in my braises at home.

Hmm, it's getting to be pot roast weather again...

 

[Eric in MA]

I'm not sure of the cooking method. Or if there is only one method used. I've had very good meals on Amtrak and very bad. When it comes to eating in a diner on a train, I'm grateful for attempt (of Amtrak trying to provide this service).

When I hear complaints about the food, I imagine what it was like for the American pioneers who crossed the country in their covered wagons. They had to make all their meals from scratch. Women were giving birth along the way. No hotels or inns. They were out in the elements...snow, rain, sleet and intense heat. Most of us could not do what they did.

I think about this when my steak is not done "just right" or my coffee is not quite hot enough.

So Amtrak is equivalent to crossing the prairies in a Conestoga wagon? Lol - one of the best rationalizations I've seen to date. Is reality that tough to deal with?
Poorly-prepared food is just that.

Attendants/service personnel with bad attitudes are just that.

A late train is late.

How can anything improve when all people do is tap dance around the problems?

 

[OlympianHiawatha]

I too was put off by the very high price of a sous vide cooker, vs. the crock pot I already own. I'm sure that the sous vide device gives exactly identical, perfect results every time, which of course is what you want in a restaurant or dining car. I'm willing to accept a bit of variability in my braises at home.


Hmm, it's getting to be pot roast weather again...

That is one of the few good things about Winter-firing up the Crock Pot and making good Soups, Stews and Chili. But beware if you have a cat as Crock Pot+Cat=Stolen Meal!

Too bad we can't have more Crock Pot type Meals on Amtrak, something along the lines of the old "Soup Station" that was in the Superliner Diners.

 

[CoachSlumber]

I'm not sure of the cooking method. Or if there is only one method used. I've had very good meals on Amtrak and very bad. When it comes to eating in a diner on a train, I'm grateful for attempt (of Amtrak trying to provide this service).

When I hear complaints about the food, I imagine what it was like for the American pioneers who crossed the country in their covered wagons. They had to make all their meals from scratch. Women were giving birth along the way. No hotels or inns. They were out in the elements...snow, rain, sleet and intense heat. Most of us could not do what they did.

I think about this when my steak is not done "just right" or my coffee is not quite hot enough.

So Amtrak is equivalent to crossing the prairies in a Conestoga wagon? Lol - one of the best rationalizations I've seen to date. Is reality that tough to deal with?
Poorly-prepared food is just that.

Attendants/service personnel with bad attitudes are just that.

A late train is late.

How can anything improve when all people do is tap dance around the problems?

I know. I try to be forgiving, and I find the food generally decent considering their cost restraints, but when people excuse truly bad service and goods, I think, what would Pullman have said? Earlier this year, I noted an SCA who was almost invisible for 20 hours, and a remarkable number of people made excuses for him.

 

[CoachSlumber]

I've read somewhere that Amtrak uses sous vide cooking. (It's a water bath at a specific temperature that you drop your special plastic wrapped food into for a specified amount of time. The food never overcoods (so they say), because the temperature never exceeds that which would yield, for instance, a medium rare steak. Then, in the case of a steak, you take it out of the package, sear it on the grill very briefly, and serve.

It would make sense if they do use this method, but I'm just curious. I've been reading a lot about this method lately.

Anybody know the details of "how" Amtrak cooks?

If it's not exactly that it must be something like it, because the meals are definitely better than frozen entrees you buy or that are (or were) served on an airplane.

 

[Garethe7]

I've been searching for pictures of the superliner galley's for quite some time because I've always wondered about the cooking methods, does anybody know where I can locate one?

 

[buddy559]

The only place I have seen Amtrak "tout" their cooking method is for the Acela. If you look on the website at the Acela route, they proudly claim that many of their entrees are prepared using the "Sous Vide" method.

 

[me_little_me]

That is one of the few good things about Winter-firing up the Crock Pot and making good Soups, Stews and Chili. But beware if you have a cat as Crock Pot+Cat=Stolen Meal!

Too bad we can't have more Crock Pot type Meals on Amtrak, something along the lines of the old "Soup Station" that was in the Superliner Diners.

That wouldn't happen in my house! It would be Crock Put + Cat = Stewed Tabby. MMmmm!

 

[rickycourtney]

I've been searching for pictures of the superliner galley's for quite some time because I've always wondered about the cooking methods, does anybody know where I can locate one?

I actually found a short video tour of one online. He's in the "kitchen" area at first (where the grill and ovens are), passes by the dumbwaiters and finishes in the refrigerators/scullery area (where the dirty dishes would be washed, if the train actually uses china and not plastic plates.)

 

[buddy559]

Thank you for that, I have only seen pictures as well. Much more realistic to see it all together like that. That looks like a pretty fully equipped kitchen.

It looks like it is stripped right now, which is why it appears so roomy. I assume atlas containers would fill all those upper "cabinet areas"

 

[Aaron]

The only place I have seen Amtrak "tout" their cooking method is for the Acela. If you look on the website at the Acela route, they proudly claim that many of their entrees are prepared using the "Sous Vide" method.

I too have heard that many Amtrak entrees are cooked using sous vide. However, I don't believe that's referring to the cooking actually happening on the train. I saw a couple of articles which said that the sealed food is cooked sous vide to the right level of doneness, then immediately refrigerated or frozen and sent through the commissary system to be eventually loaded onto a train. The actual on-train prep is more finishing, involving microwaving or baking or grilling. Sous vide is sort of a slow cooking method, so I can't imagine that it would be employed onboard for cooking from scratch. Maybe for reheating, but it's still slow for that.

 

[AlanB]

The actual on-train prep is more finishing, involving microwaving or baking or grilling.

No Microwaving; Amtrak uses convection ovens.

 

[billthebarn]

Eric in MA,

Amtrak can improve in many ways. They can do a better job screening out people who are not naturally friendly and outgoing. Some people do not make good "service providers". A person could be an excellent computer programer but a really bad tour guide.

Amtrak can do a better job training its employees to enforce the on-board policies. The restrooms must be constantly looked after. There is little supervision (in my opinion) that this is being done. There are many good employees in the Amtrak system. It shouldn't be difficult to replace a "bad" one. I've learned here that the union may be the problem. Management and the union have to come to some understanding.

All of the above can be taken care of if the right people were in place. If there was accountability. The human resource and training departments are already there. They just have to do a better job.

When it comes to the diner, there isn't a whole lot that one cook can do. I am grateful for the attempt to provide a dining experience on the long-distance trains. Not an easy task. If one were to expect a first class meal on an Amtrak diner, one could also expect that more people would have to be hired for the kitchen.

The long-distance trains are losing money at this time. The main culprit is the diner. I don't know how long you have been following Amtrak, but they've actually have been downgrading food service and reducing the number of service people in the diner. If you want to improve the dining experience, more people would have to be hired. And they're pretty well-paid people.

All of us would like "better". Let's start in areas where increases in operating expenses are not needed.

 

[penfrydd]

From my experience, sous vide cooking does save money. I'm glad Amtrak does it. I have no problem with Amtrak food in general. The whole point of sous vide, is that you don't put the sealed pouch into boiling water. That would likely lead to overcooking. Rather, you put the pouch into water that approximates very closely, the level of doneness, you want in, say, a steak. I'm sure that Amtrak cooks the meat in a sous vide method, then freezes it; then heats it again in a water bath. For that good steak flavor, all that's needed after that is a quick sear on the grill, if available. Using sous vide, you can also marinate very inexpensively.

 

[Garethe7]

I've been searching for pictures of the superliner galley's for quite some time because I've always wondered about the cooking methods, does anybody know where I can locate one?

I actually found a short video tour of one online. He's in the "kitchen" area at first (where the grill and ovens are), passes by the dumbwaiters and finishes in the refrigerators/scullery area (where the dirty dishes would be washed, if the train actually uses china and not plastic plates.)

Thank you. That was way more simple looking than I expected, I guess I imagined a bunch of futuristic looking appliances, especially after hearing about this "sous vide" method. It looked like the one side had dishwashing and a lot of storage/refrigeration compartments, I couldn't tell since the video didn't really go to that side.

 

[Ryan]

Any sous vide that's done is done off the train before the meals are loaded.

Same reason you won't see a deep fryer, hot liquids would be a a real downer on a train rocking back and forth.

 

[train person]

From my experience, sous vide cooking does save money. I'm glad Amtrak does it. I have no problem with Amtrak food in general. The whole point of sous vide, is that you don't put the sealed pouch into boiling water. That would likely lead to overcooking. Rather, you put the pouch into water that approximates very closely, the level of doneness, you want in, say, a steak. I'm sure that Amtrak cooks the meat in a sous vide method, then freezes it; then heats it again in a water bath. For that good steak flavor, all that's needed after that is a quick sear on the grill, if available. Using sous vide, you can also marinate very inexpensively.

So taking a piece of meat, cooking it, freezing it, heating it and then putting it on a grill 'for that good steak flavor' saves money over just slapping the meat straight on the grill for a few minutes each side?

Of course it does. No wonder Amtrak is loosing $85 gazillion a second on the diners!

 

[train_fan]

From my experience, sous vide cooking does save money. I'm glad Amtrak does it. I have no problem with Amtrak food in general. The whole point of sous vide, is that you don't put the sealed pouch into boiling water. That would likely lead to overcooking. Rather, you put the pouch into water that approximates very closely, the level of doneness, you want in, say, a steak. I'm sure that Amtrak cooks the meat in a sous vide method, then freezes it; then heats it again in a water bath. For that good steak flavor, all that's needed after that is a quick sear on the grill, if available. Using sous vide, you can also marinate very inexpensively.

So taking a piece of meat, cooking it, freezing it, heating it and then putting it on a grill 'for that good steak flavor' saves money over just slapping the meat straight on the grill for a few minutes each side?

Of course it does. No wonder Amtrak is loosing $85 gazillion a second on the diners!

No wonder! Silly of the rest of us, and Amtrak, not to figure that out. Thanks for your insight.

 

[buddy559]

From my experience, sous vide cooking does save money. I'm glad Amtrak does it. I have no problem with Amtrak food in general. The whole point of sous vide, is that you don't put the sealed pouch into boiling water. That would likely lead to overcooking. Rather, you put the pouch into water that approximates very closely, the level of doneness, you want in, say, a steak. I'm sure that Amtrak cooks the meat in a sous vide method, then freezes it; then heats it again in a water bath. For that good steak flavor, all that's needed after that is a quick sear on the grill, if available. Using sous vide, you can also marinate very inexpensively.

So taking a piece of meat, cooking it, freezing it, heating it and then putting it on a grill 'for that good steak flavor' saves money over just slapping the meat straight on the grill for a few minutes each side?

Of course it does. No wonder Amtrak is loosing $85 gazillion a second on the diners!

It's more than likely an issue of safe food handling, and avoiding spoilage, than for flavor. Raw product is very unforgiving in storage and preparation.

 

[steve smith]

Wasn't too long ago there was a Chef and he had two assistants and they actually primarily cooked the meals from scratch----Amtrak is always about cutting costs, never about improving the product to increase sales....typical government outfit...