Cooking on the job

[EMTGuard]

Anyone here regularly cook at work while on shift?
My assignment at the steel mill is a really laid back job and we have the advantage of being posted in a building which has a small kitchenette. The building houses the guard shack as well as the plant truck weigh scale house. It's not uncommon for the scale operators or guards to get together and plan meals.

Scale op: You guys want to do burgers tommorrow?
Guard: Sure. You need me to bring something? I have a pack of buns at the house.
Guard/EMT: And I just picked up a couple bags of chips at Wal-mart.
Scale Op: OK. I'll bring the patties and some stuff to put on them.

or

Guard: Anyone feel like breakfast tommorrow? I got some eggs to use up. I could bring in some sausage too.
Guard/EMT: Works for me. Here's a couple of bucks to cover my share.
Scale OP: (yelling down the hall from scale house) I'm in. I'll bring some Grands biscuits.

And like that we have plans for a late night dinner/breakfast at the main gate.
Maybe it's my partner Steve B. mixing up some Sloppy Joes to put on the buns I brought like in the photo below-
http://img211.imageshack.us/img211/1245/workchef01za3.jpg
Another night we may make biscuits and scrambled eggs with sausage in it like he's making here-
http://img214.imageshack.us/img214/9360/workchef05rc1.jpg
Another night we may be sitting at our desk at 3 am with pancakes and sausage in front of us. Have to move the laptop and log book out of the way to make room my plate.
http://img214.imageshack.us/img214/6237/workchef04ib2.jpg
We don't do this every night. Most of the time it's a brown bag lunch we bring in and microwave during the night. Maybe we order pizza. Often, if we are ordering we all chip in together to make one order everyone can share.
The truth is that we have it pretty good at our site.
I am curious if anyone else has had the chance to cook up their meals beyound the usual microwavable TV dinner.

[HotelSecurity]

Don't need to cool when you work at an hotel! Just don't get the cooks mad at you or they might add something extra to the food.

[Lawson]

Damn that would be sweet. Those pancakes look mighty fine right about now. :) Out here its just the usual microwave dinners... or I can make a trip out to a fast food joint or a grocery store.

[Mall Director]

That is awesome! LOL! You have it made!

I have the same mall food joints to look at all the time, and after having to deal with halfthe employees, I rather not go near them as I am sure they will add a surprise! So its a brown bag every day here..

You have a good set-up!

[N. A. Corbier]

Food was:

- Sammiches at 7-11 (I wouldn't call them samwhiches, cause...)
- MREs heated in the engine compartment on a 12 hour vehicle post
- Papa Johns (Love internet ordering, order in BFE without a phone)
- Lunchables

[Andy Taylor]

Don't need to cool when you work at an hotel! Just don't get the cooks mad at you or they might add something extra to the food.

Same here, just substitute the word "casino" for "hotel". :D

[Mr. Security]

Man that looks good!! Can you "beam" a burger up here? ;)

[Lawson]

When I worked for Wackenhut at a distribution warehouse, there was a cafe built in staffed by cooks. We always made real good with the cooks and they would make us up some nice meals and give us free sodas and whatnot. Whenever I used to get a breakfast burrito, it was funny to look at the size of the one they made me, compared to the pre-made ones they sold to everyone else :D

If it wasn't for such poor management (and the site being a billion miles away), I would have loved to stay at that place.

[GCMC Security]

Food was:

- Sammiches at 7-11 (I wouldn't call them samwhiches, cause...)
- MREs heated in the engine compartment on a 12 hour vehicle post
- Papa Johns (Love internet ordering, order in BFE without a phone)
- Lunchables

Used to do that on humvees in the field :) works great!

[flashlightcop509]

Cooking at work?

Well Hell, every chance I get (which is slim since site policy is no 2 Officers in the office at the same time)... When I started at the site I'm at now, the office didn't have thing one to heat up foodstuffs with, save for the computer case top that is :p ...

So after a few months of going broke buying Nuke food from the joints on the Access Road (this is Killington, VT mind you; a tuna wrap with lettuce and some kinda sauce at the ski lodges commands a $10 price tag :eek: )

I decided to bring in my spare microwave oven and a toaster oven as well, for the food that just doesn't come out right Nuclearized ;)... Problem is, now (well, soon anyway) it's gonna be getting hectic around the mountain, and the hot food thingy is probably gonna be dust in the wind; Figure if I can stock up on slice bologna, cheese, and bread, I can keep it in my patrol vehicle and throw a sammich together between guest service calls and building patrols and call it good...

[Eric]

Which Fire Department do you work for? :D

If you are able to prepare meals and still get the work done, that is a great bonus. On a few overnight shifts, I have brought in a chunk of ham and a couple of eggs. Microwaved scrambled eggs are not for everyone though, but a hot meal at 0400 is great.

[Lawson]

I used to play the microwaved scrambled egg game. I just cant seem to stomach it anymore without massive amounts of tabasco pepper sauce, pepper and/or ketchup... basically, if I cant cover up the taste, I cant eat it :D

It would be nice to have a fresh hot meal at work though. Thats for damn sure.

When I was down in Louisiana, I had the best best best best site ever. We had caterers, breakfast, lunch and dinner. I am a BIG fan of southern cooking too and these guys had it right.

Every morning it was a buffet style, eat till youre full breakfast... scrambled eggs, pancakes, waffles, sausages, biscuits and gravy, grits (never had em until I was down there), ham, bacon, a real home style meal. Then there was an unlimited supply of cereal and muffins for those "lightweights" :D

Then for lunch there was always something good like fried chicken, beef briscuit sandwich, red beans and rice with a link, Shrimp/Beef/Chicken "Po-Boy's" Mmm Mmm Mm..

Then for dinner we were treated to meals such as chicken fried steak with a creole sauce, crawdads (which I found Im not too fond of), Fried Buttered up catfish, Steak and baked potatos, it goes on and on...

This was positively some of the best eatin' I've ever had, and the cooks were always friendly and were willing to dish you up a plate any time of the day...

Why I came home... I have NO idea. :confused:

[N. A. Corbier]

BAH.

Ok, tips on scrambled eggs...
1. Don't use real eggs, use that liquid egg stuff.
2. If you microwave it, do it on defrost so that the cycle is on-off.
3. If you have the resources, get a George Foreman and some tin foil. Put the tin foil in a cold george to make a little "skillet," turn it on, put some oil or butter in, and there you go. Close it and it's an omlet. I've done this when the apartment had our stove replaced for a day, its rather useful. :)

I want a buffet now. :(

[Lawson]

BAH.

Ok, tips on scrambled eggs...
1. Don't use real eggs, use that liquid egg stuff.

You must be crazy.

[N. A. Corbier]

You must be crazy.
Honestly, it fluffs up better. You can use real eggs, but you have to whip the hell out of them first, so that they're the same even consistancy.

[Lawson]

Honestly, it fluffs up better. You can use real eggs, but you have to whip the hell out of them first, so that they're the same even consistancy.
I would never use a fake egg in place of a real one... never.

[N. A. Corbier]

I would never use a fake egg in place of a real one... never.

Well, its still a real egg, its just in liquid form. :)

[Lawson]

Ah... my mother has used this "egg substitute" stuff in the past, its like an egg, but it just ain't right I tell ya.. It comes in a carton like milk, I just dont like it. I dont do the liquid egg though, I wisk my own up because theres just this perfect texture I like to get.

[N. A. Corbier]

Ah... my mother has used this "egg substitute" stuff in the past, its like an egg, but it just ain't right I tell ya.. It comes in a carton like milk, I just dont like it. I dont do the liquid egg though, I wisk my own up because theres just this perfect texture I like to get.
Its just not natural! :)

Seriously, though, I do understand what you mean. I have seen "egg substitute," and wasn't sure what it was myself. Its probably just egg whites with coloring.

[Eric]

Honestly, it fluffs up better. You can use real eggs, but you have to whip the hell out of them first, so that they're the same even consistancy.

Do you add a bit of milk? That may help, as for whip the hell out of them, we get paid by the hour :D

[Bill Warnock]

In the Air Force, I've used those portable Sterno one-man, one item stoves to boil instant coffee, Coleman one burner stove to cook a variety of items, one at a time. The most bizarre heating source was a small ball of C-4 placed under a canteen-half to boil water for coffee. Our sergeant cut off a piece of C-4 for each of us to roll into a marble size ball and light it under an empty Sterno stove. His warning, never, never step on it to put it out unless you can rapidly grow a new foot. Pretty blue flame and heat galore.
Enjoy the day,
Bill

[N. A. Corbier]

I remember reading the C4 is thermally stable, you can burn it all day long, since its an impact sensitive explosive. :) I think a lot of people don't understand the difference between detonation and incineration.

[N. A. Corbier]

Do you add a bit of milk? That may help, as for whip the hell out of them, we get paid by the hour :D

Heh. When making scrambled eggs with real eggs, I use:

3 eggs
"Some" milk
1 slice of cheese broken up
"Some" bacon or other meat product
1 tsp butter (goes in the eggs)

Then another 3 tsp goes into the pan to spash on the eggs. Emeril, I am not. Oh, and don't forget the lemon pepper seasoning and cumin.

[james2go30]

Don't need to cool when you work at an hotel! Just don't get the cooks mad at you or they might add something extra to the food.
I work overnight...no here to cook...only vending machine we have is a coke machine...cant even get chips lol

[Mr. Security]

To bump spam. :)

[Chucky]

I transferred from a corp that had a lunch room and plenty of vending machines around to a post that I can barely leave to take a pee. I am losing weight at approx 4 lbs a month and love the concept. Losing weight and getting paid good deal.

BTW is it more proper to say give a Pee than take a Pee as I really never took anything but did give something. Hmmmm :) http://bestsmileys.com/peeing/1.gif

[Mr. Security]

....
BTW is it more proper to say give a Pee than take a Pee as I really never took anything but did give something. Hmmmm :)...

Do a report and get back to us. :D

[Mr. Security]

Extra Thin sliced chicken breast, washed in cold water, patted in a mixture of italian bread crumbs, parm cheese, and onion powder, placed in a frying pan with a little high quaility olive oil until golden brown, pasta with light sause, string beans or other veggie, and garlick bread. :O) Enjoy.

Sounds delicious. Did I ever tell you you're alright? When and where is dinner? ;)

[Mr. Security]

Where are the spam busters??

[N. A. Corbier]

Where are the spam busters??
Stop bumping and start reporting.

[Mr. Security]

Stop bumping and start reporting.

I did. I bump until you can delete. I'm surprised you can't see who reports spam. If you can tell who reports it, I'm not sure what the problem is. :confused:

Somebody got out of the wrong side of bed today. :rolleyes:

[davis002]

The extent of my experience of cooking on the job is Maruchan Instant Lunch. Otherwise it's usually Subway, Chipotle, Taco Bell, etc. :p

[N. A. Corbier]

I did. I bump until you can delete. I'm surprised you can't see who reports spam. If you can tell who reports it, I'm not sure what the problem is. :confused:

Somebody got out of the wrong side of bed today. :rolleyes:

For whatever reason, it looks like the reports are going straight to the administrator, not the moderators. This is lovely.

As to bumping, what does this accomplish for you? I see no benefits of it, but you must, for you do it. Hence, I would like to know what it accomplishes.

I view new posts in "New Posts," and read every one, hence I don't see how it displaces spam.

[Mr. Security]

For whatever reason, it looks like the reports are going straight to the administrator, not the moderators. This is lovely.

As to bumping, what does this accomplish for you? I see no benefits of it, but you must, for you do it. Hence, I would like to know what it accomplishes.

I view new posts in "New Posts," and read every one, hence I don't see how it displaces spam.

"Bumping" moves the thread that the spammer started from a prominent space on the forum. That means it's less likely to be viewed by members/visitors which is exactly what the spammer doesn't want. Why advertise if no one is looking?

PS: Not all members/visitors click on new posts.

[N. A. Corbier]

That's what I figured. Ok, one thing about the spammer. They aren't after our eyeballs, they're after Google seeing the links. That's why they're formatted so horribly, they want to get higher page rank.

If I wanted to get a ridiciliously high page rank for XYZ, I could pay 1000 people to post 1000 forum posts on different sites, with specific keywords, such as.

<Start Link>Web Design</End Link> <Start Link>Giant Poultry Dealers</End Link>

Over and over, and Google will notice all those sites linking to XYZ.com talking about giant chickens and web design.

That's why I try to delete the posts so quickly, to rob them of page rank building, before Google does its spider sweep every two weeks. If Google doesn't index the site while the links are there, then the spammers won't get the benefit and will move on.

Unfortunately, most of our spammers are bots, designed to know how to create an account and login to a vBulletin forum.

[Curtis Baillie]

For whatever reason, it looks like the reports are going straight to the administrator, not the moderators. This is lovely.

As to bumping, what does this accomplish for you? I see no benefits of it, but you must, for you do it. Hence, I would like to know what it accomplishes.

I view new posts in "New Posts," and read every one, hence I don't see how it displaces spam.The two reports I have received were sent directly to my email address.

[N. A. Corbier]

The two reports I have received were sent directly to my email address.
I should check to see if the anti-spam filter is eating the reports, then. Hmm. Thanks.

[Mr. Security]

That's what I figured. Ok, one thing about the spammer. They aren't after our eyeballs, they're after Google seeing the links. That's why they're formatted so horribly, they want to get higher page rank.

If I wanted to get a ridiciliously high page rank for XYZ, I could pay 1000 people to post 1000 forum posts on different sites, with specific keywords, such as.

<Start Link>Web Design</End Link> <Start Link>Giant Poultry Dealers</End Link>

Over and over, and Google will notice all those sites linking to XYZ.com talking about giant chickens and web design.

That's why I try to delete the posts so quickly, to rob them of page rank building, before Google does its spider sweep every two weeks. If Google doesn't index the site while the links are there, then the spammers won't get the benefit and will move on.

Unfortunately, most of our spammers are bots, designed to know how to create an account and login to a vBulletin forum.

Yeah. I knew that....not. :o

[Curtis Baillie]

My first job - right out of the Marine Corps was working for NASA Security. We had first class facilities along with a full kitchen.

[Chucky]

If I remember right that is why most sites have a little box with convoluted digits that you must confirm because the bots can not duplicate them and therefore not enter the site.

[N. A. Corbier]

If I remember right that is why most sites have a little box with convoluted digits that you must confirm because the bots can not duplicate them and therefore not enter the site.

Called a CAPTCHA, the box with letters is a Turing Test to tell if you're human or not. The problem with CAPTCHAs is that 50% of all non-insane CAPTCHA codes can be read via OCR software. The ones that can't... We have trouble deciphering, too.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CAPTCHA

[ctbgpo]

Where I work now we eat the same food as the patients (It's prepared by the kitchen staff not the patients) but when I worked at the nuke plant we had a full kitchen in the control room so the engineers who were required to be in the room all night would cook and all the guards would kick in money for them. Or the laborers would have a barbeque every Friday night on the 3 rd shift. It was great $5.00 got you steak,baked potato, biscut, and salad. What restaurantes gonna do that for ya?

[Mr. Security]

Where I work now we eat the same food as the patients (It's prepared by the kitchen staff not the patients) but when I worked at the nuke plant we had a full kitchen in the control room so the engineers who were required to be in the room all night would cook and all the guards would kick in money for them. Or the laborers would have a barbeque every Friday night on the 3 rd shift. It was great $5.00 got you steak,baked potato, biscut, and salad. What restaurantes gonna do that for ya?

Adds real meaning to the phrase "nuke-it" when microwaving food. :p

[Professional Rent-a-Cop]

We have a full blown kitchen in my office at where I work inhouse. Comes with a fridge, micro, etc. The fireboard and some of the camera panels that copy the feed from the desk are in there so we can monitor the property during lunch. The maintenance guys bleed into the security office, and vice-versa (lovely management has everyone on the property doing everything), and the maintenance office has a stovetop/oven. During the holidays, we bake cookies and turkies and do hot stovetop soups, and during spring/summer we cook mac and cheese and cakes. On top of that, our 1700+ residents love the guards, so our desk is always filled with goodies and full-blown homecooked dinners. If no one wants to cook, or eat what's at the desk, we can always leave the property. In Salt Lake City, there are 24hr Mexican places that serve REAL Mexican food cooked by REAL AUTHENTIC Mexican immigrants that only speak de espanol. And nothing beats 0130hr coffee run at the 7/11, and pick up a breakfast burrito or plate of nachos (both of which could easily feed the entire guard squad, still having leftovers) for about $3-5 a plate. Myself and Utah Protection Force worked an event last week- the client representatives on the graves were 2 HUGE guys that both ate 3 burritos each to themselves in one sitting. Then we strung up the CAUTION tape to the bathroom door after they came out.

[HotelSecurity]

The best I ever ate was at my first hotel. Unlike my present one where the restaurant & namquet facilities are concessions, at the first one they belonged to the hotel. That bow closed hotel (Hotel Windsor) was famous for it's banquets. Some of the cities biggest balls were held there. (The Queen stayed when she visited Montrral). The staff got to eat left-overs from these banquets. I eate some of the best roast beef ever :)

[EMTGuard]

I made Hamburger Helper Cheeseburger Macaroni last night at work.
http://i105.photobucket.com/albums/m229/cellblock776/workdinnerready2.jpg

I served it with peas and cream corn and a soft drink. Got my Army Times paper to read.
http://i105.photobucket.com/albums/m229/cellblock776/workdinnerplate.jpg

My coworker is worried about her weight and decided to have a salad.
http://i105.photobucket.com/albums/m229/cellblock776/shawnworkdinner.jpg

[EMTGuard]

Chilli dogs are a good nighttime dinner.
http://i105.photobucket.com/albums/m229/cellblock776/dinner9807.jpg
Notice the store brand cola. I can't afford the namebrand stuff.

[EMTGuard]

This past weekend the plant had it's annual employee picnic. Not to leave out those workers who were scheduled to work that day the bosses made sure to send 90 dinner boxes for the day shift and another 90 boxes for the night crew. Of course it was up to us evil contract secrutiy guards to call the department heads and help pass out the plates. Lucky for us, many emplyees didn't want to pick up their plates so we stocked the fridge in the guard shack kitchen with more than a dozen of them.
I'm too poor to pass up a chance at free food so between the day and night shifts we ate well this weekend. There were even plates left this morning so I brought 6 boxes home to put in my fridge.
Here's what we got-
BBQ pulled Brisket, Grilled Sausage, Potato Salad, Pork and Beans, and bread.
Looks good, huh?
http://i105.photobucket.com/albums/m229/cellblock776/picnicdinner.jpg

[NRM_Oz]

1 client I worked with had a massive clothing company chain outlet and when they opened up a new store they would turn it around to open in 10 days. We had trades staff and store staff, deliveries and the like with over 400 staff moving around in the day. Friday's lunch was often Pizza hut and the order would be 250+ pizzas, drinks, garlic bread, etc. 1 order came to over $3k and the poor driver had his car LOADED to the roof with boxes and was scared of being ripped off by us. We all went to the car and the manager signed off on the voucher telling me to round it up to $3,500. As we don't tip in Australia - the tip was like 2 days wages for the driver who was shaking.

The night crew were always happy to know that some of the pizzas had been liberated for them for the evening meal as they always missed out on the free stuff from his legendary client.

[craig333]

The doctors and nurses are always having caterers coming in. Thats tough to see all that food going by and just watching.

[EMTGuard]

Tuesday evening the Scale House operator came into the guard shack and said she had a steak from home that she didn't feel like eating. I'm too poor to pass up free food and steak is a bonus.
I threw it in a pan on medium heat for a few minutes then covered it in A-1 sauce.
http://i105.photobucket.com/albums/m229/cellblock776/steakplate.jpg
It was good. I put the bone and fatty scraps on a paper towel and put it out on the curb of the cats which roam the plant. An hour later I looked and the scraps were gone. Some cat had a good dinner treat that night. :)

[EMTGuard]

Wednesday evening my coworker, Officer Shawn, fried up a burger.
http://i105.photobucket.com/albums/m229/cellblock776/shawnworkburger.jpg
Everyone repeat after me, "You want fries with that?".
:D

[EMTGuard]

Man can't live by beef alone. So this week I had a salad for a couple of my meals.
http://i105.photobucket.com/albums/m229/cellblock776/worksalad.jpg
Green lettuce, Winn Dixie brand Lite Italian dressing and bacon bits and a glass of ice cold Winn Dixie brand Diet Cola.
on the laptop I am watching a TV show I down loaded.

[EMTGuard]

I've been too poor to buy hamburger meat lately but I've got plenty of rice and beans.
http://i105.photobucket.com/albums/m229/cellblock776/workredbeans.jpg
So a couple of times this week I've enjoyed a hot bowl of Red Beans and rice with a couple of corn bread muffins baked by my wonderful spouse.
On the computer, an episode of Reaper. Good TV show.

[FireEMSPolice]

We usually frequent the area restaurants in close proximity to the mall. Food Hall food gets really old. The alternative is heating something up in the dirty, nasty microwave.

Night shift has the same options except fewer restaurants. They can order pizza until 0100 or 0200 or its Steak N Shake. Anything else is closed.

[NRM_Oz]

When I used to work with my regular partner we would often split so he could do nights and I would days with extra staff to work with us. We had an unwritten rule that I would bring in the ham and milk and he would bring in the fresh bread, condiments and sandwich maker to make toasted sangers for snacks and meals. Often we worked 12 x 7 x 3 weeks so you never had time to go shopping and thankfully I would go past a grocery store driving home from work. With his night shifts, the eateries were shutting and it got boring and expensive after the first few days to eat like this. Any pizzas or the like from the client were passed on to night shift staff as they appreciated the freebies and change of diet.

My best tool is a portable stove running from a Butane disposable canister for $1.50 each. It can heat up food and boil water and has lived in my car for 10 years so that any callouts or family picnics were covered with something to heat water of cook meals with at short notice.

Another tip givent to me by an ex soldier was to collect the free sauces and condiments you get from take-away places. It may not seem like alot but the difference between a basic meal and an edible meal could be some BBQ sauce and pepper. When I visited hotels I always souverined the coffee and tea for the reason of being stuck in a place with nothing and it can keep you going until shift break - even if the tea is some cheap brand.

[NRM_Oz]

On the other side of things, during my Y2k contract the company ALWAYS provided free meals for staff as we operated 24 / 7 and when I selected the security staff informed them of this bonus (which sounded too good to be true). Everyday, $1000 worth of food would come in to the building in catering pack and what was not eaten (very little) was tossed out.

As no1 was permitted to have bags inside the office area, all staff were issued with 2 free drink passes for the vending machine and often I would chage that to 3 for those hotter days before passing our drinks on a hot afternoon to go home with. But you can only eat so much roast meat, lasagne, salads before a simple sandwich is all you crave but since some of our contract programmers were earning $400 - 800 US an hour, for them to stop work and eat could cost the company thousands, hence the free food and drinks to keep everyone happy. It was a nothing compared to the $15 million the company made every day - 365 days of the year.

[EMTGuard]

It's been awhile since I've posted in this thread. This week we ate well at work. The scale operator who was working nights asked my partner and I if we wanted to cook on the weekend when things slowed down some. SURE. SO we each contributed 6 dollars and the Scale operator picked up supplies at the store on the way to work.
Saturday we had BBQ Burgers, chips and cokes. Sunday evening finished off the left over burgers from the night before. Later Sunday evening we had eggs, sausage and biscuits.
Here's a pic of my plate sitting on my desk late Sunday evening.
http://i105.photobucket.com/albums/m229/cellblock776/workeggsandsausage.jpg

[NRM_Oz]

EMT mate ........ when am I going to see you as the Challenger on Iron Chef ?

You are sure making the most of what you have to eat as best as possible. I used to cook up alot of spaghetti sauce and bring my own meals to work as boredom sets in from eating the same food - that I had to inplement a change of menu every week now. Would love to ship the catering pack lasagne's over to you by Fedex but how must does a 12lb Lasagne cost to ship ?