Question about food made from scratch in small business Italian restaurants?

[discusscookingnewbie]

Hi, not sure where to post this but my question is, if the restaurant makes everything from scratch does that mean there is no preservatives in it?

 

[Kathleen]

Welcome to DC.

I believe it would depend on what their ingredients are and from where they are sourced. For example, they may serve a meat dish, but where did the meat come from? Was it fed a diet that was healthy and free of pesticides, etc. You know?

 

[dragnlaw]

dcnewbie - no one but the restaurant can answer that question. Plus, I doubt they would even answer you,. Not that they are being rude or evasive (well, maybe) but I think you would have to define preservatives.

 

[Silversage]

Salt, sugar, and vinegar are all preservatives.

 

[dragnlaw]

As Siversage has said, salt, sugar, etc are preservatives. But pure in so much as they do not have additives (per se).
which is why I said you must define "preservatives'.

Thanks for pointing that out Silver....

 

[pictonguy]

Other than the natural preservatives commonly found in the kitchen of a restaurant most of the chemical and synthetic preservatives in food are found in processed, especially Ultra Processed Food (UPF).

Saying that, most restaurants will have a larder of packaged and processed foods to help facilitate their "from scratch" menu's and there's a very good chance that one or more products will have some chemical and synthetic preservatives.

I suspect in the context of your question that the lowest content of chemical and synthetic preservatives would be in the restaurant that is know for their "from scratch" menu, imo.

 

[Aunt Bea]

It never hurts to be skeptical.

Does cooking from scratch mean that they grow and grind their own wheat instead of opening a bag of flour or a box of dried pasta?

If you have specific concerns ask the waitstaff and take the answers with a grain of kosher, sea, pink, Himalayan, or iodized salt.

 

[jennyema]

From scratch just means they made it, not bought it.

it doesn’t tell you anything about what they put in it.

 

[discusscookingnewbie]

@dragnlaw
What I mean by preservatives is anything that is bad for the human body and will shorten my life span. I don't know what chemical and synthetic preservatives are but I would guess they are bad for the human body and most likely shorten my life span. I know better not to buy most of anything that is processed or packaged like the packaged meat in grocery stores and not eat it everyday. I already spoke to the manager or waiter in the restaurant and asked him if there were preservatives in the food and he said he did not know. I asked if he would tell the owner my question as the owner might know but that was a month ago and have not herd back yet. I also emailed them too on their website or Facebook page and haven't herd back yet.

I don't care if there is salt, sugar or vinegar in the food if I can omit them out of the food I eat in the restaurant. They did tell me there is no added sugar in their pizza sauce so that's a good sign. Even better if there is no added salt in the pizza sauce and no added salt in their pizza bread/doe.

@everyone else who posted in here

Thanks a lot, I appreciate your responses.

 

[Jusa]

Pretty much omit most cold cuts like pepperoni, salami, prosciutto, etc. So, if they have antipasta and pepperoni pizza on the menu don't eat it.

I think moderation is the key with most everything.

 

[medtran49]

Pretty sure there will be salt in the pizza sauce and dough, as well as other dishes. They would lack flavor otherwise and no commercial establishment will survive if their food lacks flavor.

Honestly, given that you haven’t heard back from them, I doubt you will. I can't imagine very many restaurants would answer.

If you are that worried about what you are eating, you should probably be shopping at organic markets and cooking your own food, not eating out, or only eating out at vegan/organic restaurants.

 

[Jusa]

Pretty sure there will be salt in the pizza sauce and dough, as well as other dishes. They would lack flavor otherwise and no commercial establishment will survive if their food lacks flavor.

Honestly, given that you haven’t heard back from them, I doubt you will. I can't imagine very many restaurants would answer.

If you are that worried about what you are eating, you should probably be shopping at organic markets and cooking your own food, not eating out, or only eating out at vegan/organic restaurants.

I think even vegan and organic restaurants are going to have salt in their food. Since a certain amount of salt is good for us (as you well know) and necessary for cellular function, and like you said, would lack flavor otherwise, I don't see the problem with that.

@discusscookingnewbie: Yes there are a lot of restaurants that add waaaay too much salt to their food. Just steer clear and as @medtran49 wrote, cook more at home if that's a problem.

 

[medtran49]

I think even vegan and organic restaurants are going to have salt in their food. Since a certain amount of salt is good for us (as you well know) and necessary for cellular function, and like you said, would lack flavor otherwise, I don't see the problem with that.

I was actually referring to the chemical preservative issue more than natural salt.

 

[pictonguy]

Salt is also an essential nutrient for humans, without it, we die.

 

[discusscookingnewbie]

@medtran49
I already cook my own meals eating them at home 95% of the time but I appreciate your input. I made this thread based on when I do go out to eat pizza or anything else in Italian restaurants, usually once or twice a month on the weekends at the most. I already have a pizza restaurant I go to that's a little expensive but worth it. They have no preservatives and you can have a option to have marinera sauce on the pizza instead of pizza sauce. The marinara has no added sugar no added salt.

@pictionguy
yes or I would be dead right now but I don't over do it with the salt.

 

[jennyema]

The very first lesson on the first day of culinary school was the importance of using salt appropriately in cooking. It makes food taste good. So I hope they add salt.

 

[pictonguy]

The very first lesson on the first day of culinary school was the importance of using salt appropriately in cooking. It makes food taste good. So I hope they add salt.

One of my guys forgot to put salt in the chocolate cake recipe on one particular day, it was basically inedible.

 

[Strongeotwe]

While restaurants making everything from scratch can often mean fewer preservatives, it's not a guarantee. Some ingredients they source might have preservatives, so it's always a good idea to ask about their sourcing and cooking practices.

 

[Kathleen]

Welcome to DC, @Strongeotwe

 

[Silversage]

The very first lesson on the first day of culinary school was the importance of using salt appropriately in cooking. It makes food taste good. So I hope they add salt.

One of my guys forgot to put salt in the chocolate cake recipe on one particular day, it was basically inedible.

I steer clear of any dessert recipe that doesn't include a bit of salt.

So many amateurs post stuff that hasn't been through the rigors of testing. Sometimes it's hard to weed through the chaff. Not knowing to add salt to sweet is a big clue.