if an item from the gourmand item pool would hypothetically save time, would that not make the whole run extremely luck based considering the low chances of getting useful items?

Potentially yes, but we would need to see more runs doing to food quest to be sure

Its going to be a while before the specific timings will matter in terms of optimization

Otherwise you can always use the crafting system to your advantage in a lot of situations as soon as you have a mass of items

Maybe but i dont really see which item would make you win that much time maybe a pearl a hazer or a flashbang but most of them are easily craftable from common items

You can craft a neuron needed for tbe food quest as gourmand, and item that can only be found in two specific locations that are vacant of most other foods so that will save lots of time