subject: Is Cruise Line Cuisine Really Gourmet? [print this page] Is Cruise Line Cuisine Really Gourmet? Is Cruise Line Cuisine Really Gourmet?
Even for cruisers who are not accomplished gourmands, they will generally find some mouthwatering menu options, especially on certain cruise lines and ships and if they know where the finest food is available onboard.
Cruise Line's, from mainstream to luxury brands, have become adept at affiliating with celebrity chefs , generally they are "consulting chefs" whose stature may be surprising as many of them qualify as "world's best" in one way or another. They are not only highly awarded, many being Michelin starred; they have also owned or managed some of the most famous restaurants in the world. The role of a consulting chef is most important when a new ship comes online or a new onboard restaurant is opened. The chefs must create original recipes that can be prepared successfully and consistently within the limitations of cruise ship kitchens, also known as galleys. The recipes also must consider the delivery schedule of fresh ingredients, the number of kitchen workers, their roles and the number of people who require meals at any given meal.
After the menu creation process, the consulting chef must train the onboard chefs and kitchen staff on how execute the new recipes. This training may be done on land or in the actual cruise ship galley. N o self-respecting chef would ever lend his name to a cuisine that does not enhance his reputation so thorough training and quality checks are stringent.
Cruise ships present peculiar limitations to these chefs. They have very strict fire prevention and cleanliness requirements monitored by government agencies and the Coast Guard. Open flames on charcoal grills or wood-fired stoves are out of the question. If a ship starts rocking sharp utensils and even deep fryers can become lethal objects. Also, when a ship carrying 3,000 passengers prepares up to 15,000 meals per day, a further challenge is to create recipes that do not taste mass-produced. Some items can always be prepared in advance, but some menu items only taste right when they are prepared a la minute .
The cruise lines employ hundreds of food preparers. In addition to people who create salads, pastry and other items that can be prepared before the meal, there is usually one cook for each menu item that must be served as soon as it is cooked. A modern cruise ship galley can produce thousands of individually prepared portions for each meal on the spot - filets, baked hens, poached fish, lobster, baked Alaska and so on. Add to the challenges that ingredients cannot be delivered daily and most ships are provisioned at the beginning of each cruise holiday, chefs somehow manage to create food as delicious as that served in some of the best restaurants ashore.
The best meals onboard are generally found in the alternative restaurants where cruisers will taste the most amazing, cutting edge cuisine. Consistently good food can also be found in ships' main dining rooms in many cases but with far stricter limits on experimentation. Guests will usually pay an additional supplement of between 15-30 for alternative or speciality dining venues but remember, a meal created by most of these chefs will cost you at least 50-100 per person ashore, more if you include wine so it is well worth indulging.
