SJSinNYC:
I think you are mistaken about them “relying on kulos that you would never rely on in your own home.” Having personally dealt with the OU on a number of kashrus issues, I know for a fact that they do not rely on kulos (which would be totally fine) and in fact sometimes are machmir for chumros so that they can appeal to broader spectrum.
For instance, they do not rely on any bitul related kulos…