Restaurant Tricks: What Really Lands on Your Plate

What is advertised as "homemade" often comes from industrial production.

Many guests associate restaurant visits with freshly prepared dishes and authentic recipes. However, a recent TV documentary reveals: In around 80 percent of German establishments, ready-made products from wholesale are used. The reason lies in the balancing act between staff shortages, time pressure, and rising costs.

Industrial Products on the Menu

The chef and food expert Sebastian Lege vividly demonstrates in the show how widespread the use of ready-made products is. Particularly popular are frozen tarte flambée bases with toppings, which are delivered for only about two euros each – the dish is then often sold for more than five times that amount.

Sauces are also economized: instead of being laboriously cooked down, they often come from buckets or powder mixes. The same applies to croquettes, which are industrially produced often without classic ingredients like butter or egg. Despite everything, they taste deceptively "real" to many guests.

Schnitzel from the Bag

Particularly spicy: Even the "homemade" schnitzel, a popular classic, is often just reheated. Pre-prepared meat pieces, wet breading, and liquid seasoning replace traditional preparation. For restaurateurs, this means primarily one thing: time savings and higher margins.

No Labeling Requirement for Ready-Made Products

The critical issue is that there is no legal obligation to indicate the use of ready-made products on the menu. Guests can hardly tell whether their dish was freshly prepared or not. The documentary therefore calls for more transparency in the industry.

Transparency Instead of Deception

Sebastian Lege is known for exposing the machinations of the food industry. With his new show, he aims to raise awareness of the importance of taking a closer look – even in restaurants. Further episodes are available for free in the media library.

The episode "The Tricks of German Restaurants" from the series "ZDFbesseresser" with Sebastian Lege is available in the ZDFmediathek.

This article has been automatically translated, read the original article here.