Kezza25

A simple question for some of you guys but this is something I've always been curious about.

Obviously in Y the meals are just stuck in some super oven but how do they cook dinner in CW and F?

I've flown CW a number of times and am guessing that is also a super oven type thingy but I've seen some of the pictures of food in F (got my first trip in Sept) and surely that isn't simply reheated.

Any education that you gents provide would be appreciated

vSFU

I've seen a small gas hob on CX in F but haven't seen anything like that on BA.

vla

An open flame on the plane? Really?

Moomba

I believe it is an electric hob they use for the skillet when making the freshly scrambled eggs for breakfast

They also have a toaster and rice cooker on board that I know of.

pax agent

On BA everything is cooked in identical ovens whether you are in F/J/Y.
Even the scambled eggs for brekkie in F but they are cooked ban-marie style then whisked up with a fork. However some people like to use the foamer on the cappucino maker to make individual portions of egg.
Yes even the toast comes on in First pre toasted and we just re heat!
The foods basically arrive in what we call 'kits'. So you order the Tikka Masala and we have a 'Chef's Chat' tellin us which section of the kit i.e the rice or the meat goes in the oven when and for how long. It also gives us the list of accompanied foods i.e naan breads and step by step pictures on presentation which should always be followed.
In Club (J) - The foods arrive loaded into the ovens in the China dishes and cooked exactly like the Y meals.
Only exception is the Pasta dishes which arrive in and are cooked in platic bowls then 'tiped' into a pre heated pasta bowl...hence the name 'tip and slip'!

AJLondon

Sounds just like what a Tesco Ready Meal would be like!

KenJohn

On BA, even in F, all meals come partly cooked cold in tin foil. These are heated and then laid out per presentation instructions on a plate. On the one occassion when I was deciding between two main dishes, the very friendly crew brought out the uncooked version in tin foil of both for me to make up my mind (by the way, a Tesco ready meal looks far nicer)

Its the same on VS.

CX/SQ F crew are taught how to cook eggs in the galley for breakfast. Gulf Air has a dedicated Sky Chef for First pax but I am not sure how much cooking happens on board.

edi-traveller

On a recent flight in F I was sat in 1K and had a grandstand view of the galley as they prepared the food. My curry came in a large foil box containing smaller foil boxes. The lady in the galley had to warm each of the smaller boxes in a particular order and then poor them out on the plate in a certain pattern to create the "Posh just cooked by Gordon Ramsay" look.

I was quite surprised what a rigmorole this was and on a 777 with 17 F seats it took a long time for the meals to get served.

In J they get cooked in those china bowls.

bel

Funnily enough, an episode of "How It's Made" aired yesterday in the UK showing how upper-class airline meals are prepared and packaged. Call me sad, but I found it fascinating.

flyclub

Judging by my 5 or so sectors I have flown with Gulf in first quite a lot is 'actually' cooked. Even when they get it wrong or make a mistake you can over hear the art in action up front - Gordon Ramsay style.

(BA97 might be able to add more here....)

Really is quite remarkable the standard and creativity offered - even on short flights such as Bahrain to Muscat if on an A340 with three classes.

flyclub

I'm sure and also you probably realised at the end "now I know why it tastes awful always"

bel

Absolutely! I also felt a bit ill when I realised how many people's fingers have touched the food before it's served.

NickB

So has BD for C pax on long-haul.

HIDDY

Good question Kezza25 I often wondered if it was the same principle as the TV dinner.
Just confirms my thoughts regarding why BA don't just buy M&S ready meals for serving in F instead of paying some celebrity chef (whom nobody has heard of) a fortune just so they can use their name on the menu.

Land-of-Miles

As does OS and very nice the food on OS is too.

I think it is easy to see all the difficulties of preparing good tasting food in the air, but so many airlines do it so well that it clearly is not impossible. BA also used to offer good food in F and J, the fact they no longer seem to manage this is not a constraint of the environment it is a constraint of the food budget.