I visited the Rikers jail kitchen. I left shaken by what I'd seen.

Rikers' chefs prepare a big batch of pepper steak.

Abby Narishkin

• Rikers Island jail in New York City holds nearly 7,000 detainees, who consume about 7 million meals a year.
• I wanted to see how the operation works, so I visited its largest kitchen.
• I was surprised by how much is made from scratch, and by the constant state of readiness for the worst-case scenario.

Rikers Island, New York City's most notorious jail complex, sits in the water between the Bronx and Queens.