It’s a tough ask to feed 250 passengers nutritious and tasty meals cooked up from a kitchen the size of a cupboard, which is why pre-cooked, reheated meals are the order of the day when flying.
Unfortunately for our taste buds, cooking techniques and practices that are needed for great food pose a safety hazard in the sky. Ovens can’t be on during turbulence, hot water tanks are rarely cleaned, and the quality of the ingredients can be questionable at best.
According to Fritz Gross, Director of Culinary Excellence at LSG Sky Chefs Asia Pacific, there are two meals that airlines can’t get wrong: stew or fried rice.
Stew is always stew Gross explains. “We can simmer it and reheat it over and over and it will still be a stew,” he told CNN. His assessment of fried rice is much the same, explaining that it’s difficult to substitute the ingredients involved with cheaper, long life alternative.
Gross also suggests sticking to cold, packaged drinks whenever possible, confirming that the hot water tanks never reach boiling and are cleaned very rarely.
Aside from these suggestions, to ensure the plane meal you’re getting is 100% safe to eat, the advice is to steer clear of steak, fish and chicken. Pasta is also on the naughty list according to Gross, but more for taste reasons. According to the expert, pasta needs to be cooked al dente in order for it to taste good.
If stew isn’t your thing, we suggest playing to safe and stocking up on snacks before boarding!
