Chapter 2: INTRODUCTION TO THE WORLD OF COOKING
SKILL LEVELS
One title that is often
misunderstood and much abused is that of a “CHEF”. The name chef should be reserved for those who are in charge
of a kitchen or a part of a kitchen. The word “CHEF” is French for chief or head. This is a title that must be
earned by experience not only in preparing food but also in managing staff and
in planning production. Use the word chef with respect because when you become
a chef you want the same respect. Skills required of food production personnel
vary not only with the job level but also with the establishment and the kind
of food prepared. Nevertheless, we can group skill levels into three general
categories.
1.
SUPERVISORY: the head of a food service
kitchen, whether called Executive Chef, Head Chef, Working Chef or Kitchen
Director must have management and supervisory skills as well as a thorough
knowledge of food production .A leadership position requires an individual who
understands organizing and motivating people ,planning menus and production
procedures, controlling cost and managing budgets, and purchasing food supplies
and equipment .Even if there is no cooking at all, people in this position should
be experienced cooks, so that they can schedule production, instruct workers
and control quality. Above all they must
be able to work well with all people even under extreme pressure.
2.
SKILLED AND TECHNICAL: While
the chef is the head of the establishment, the cooks are the backbone. These
workers carry out actual food production. Thus they must have knowledge of and
experience in cooking techniques at least dishes made in their own department.
In addition they must be able to work well with their fellow workers and to
coordinate with the other departments. Food production is a team activity.
3.
ENTRY LEVEL: Entry
level jobs in the food service usually require no particular skill or
experience. Workers in these jobs are assigned such work as washing vegetables
and preparing salad greens. As their knowledge and experience increase, they
may be given more complex tasks and eventually become skilled cooks. Many executive
chefs began their careers as pot washers who got a chance to peel potatoes when
the pot sink was empty.
STANDARDS OF
PROFESSIONALISM
A
successful food service worker follows an unwritten code of behavior and set of
attitudes we call Professionalism.
·
POSITIVE ATTITUDE TOWARDS THE JOB
-You should like cooking and want
to do it well.
-A cook with a positive attitude
works quickly, efficiently, neatly and safely.
-Professionals take pride in
their job and want to make sure that the work is something to be proud of.
-Humility is also important
(especially when you begin your career).
·
STAYING POWER
-Food service requires physical
and mental stamina, Good health and a willingness to work hard. It is hard work.
-The pressure can be intense and
the hours long and grueling. You may be working evenings and weekends when
everyone is playing
-Work can be monotonous.
-Overcoming these difficulties
needs sense of responsibility and dedication to your profession, to your co
workers and to your customers and clients.
·
ABILITY TO WORK WITH PEOPLE
-food service work is teamwork
and it is essential to work well and cooperate with your co workers
- You can’t let ego problems, petty
jealously; departmental rivalries or feelings about the other people get in the
way of doing the job well.
·
EAGERNESS TO LEARN
-there is more to learn about
cooking than you will learn in a life time.
-the food service industry is
changing so rapidly that it is vital to be open to new ideas and techniques.
-continue to study and read.
·
EXPERIENCE
-“You don’t really know how to
cook a dish until you have done it a thousand times”.
-There is no substitute for years
of experience, a cooking school or
studying principles of cooking can only give you a running start ,but if you
want to become an accomplished cook you need to practice ,practice and more practice. A Diploma will not make you a
chef.
·
DEDICATION TO QUALITY
-Whether you work in a top restaurant, a
fast food restaurant, a college cafeteria, a catering house, you can do your
job well or not. The choice is yours.
-High quality doesn’t necessarily
mean high price. It consist no more to cook green beans properly than to
overcook them.
-but in order to produce high
quality food you must want to …it not enough to simply know how.
·
GOOD UNDERSTANDING OF THE BASICS
-Experimentation and innovation in cooking are the order of
the day.Brilliant chefs are breaking old boundaries and inventing dishes.
-However the very chefs who seem to seem to be the most
revolutionary are the first /to insist on the importance of solid
grounding in basic techniques and in the classic method practiced since
Escoffier’s days.
-In order to innovate you must know where to begin.
UNIFORM AND PROTECTIVE
CLOTHING
The chefs uniform have been developed and modernized as per the
requirement and availability of the new fabric over a period of time .In
earlier time the prime job of the uniform was to make the cook look like a
cook, but today uniforms are designed keeping in mind that these keep the
workers safe, as they all operate in dangerous environment with lots of
sophisticated machinery and tool’s around.
·
Chef’s Jacket
-The typical chef‘s Jacket or
chef’s coat is also called veste blanc
in French. It is made of heavy cotton.
-It acts as insulation against
the intense heat from the stoves and ovens and is also fire resistant. The
white colour of the jacket repels heat.
-A white uniform will get soiled quickly and a cook would have
to change it since personal hygiene is very important in the kitchen.
- The jacket is always double breasted as the thickness of the
cloth will prevent the chef from being scalded by hot liquids or splattering
hot and thermal shocks.
-Since there are two rows of buttons, the chef can re-button
the double breasted jacket to change sides whenever a side gets soiled during
the course of work during a shift.
·
Chef’s trousers
-they are either black pants or black and white
chequered pants.
-the traditional chequered pant were designed to
camouflage spills and colour of the ants in some organizations also denote the seniority
of the chef.
Eg: Black pant would be worn by senior chefs and
chequered pant by cooks and apprentices.
-the kitchen pants should be straight and without
cuffs, which trap debris and any hot liquid spills.
-it should have a snapped fly and elastic waist
band and the kitchen trousers should be worn without a belt, so that it can be
removed easily in the case of hot liquid spills or even fire.
·
Chef ‘s hat
-The
tall white hat is the most interesting part of the uniform called the toque
Blanc.
-the
main purpose of the hat is to prevent hair from falling into the food and also
absorbing sweat.
-Now
a day’s disposable paper hats are also used so that they can be thrown away
when they are soiled.
·
Scarf/neckerchief
-chefs wear white neckerchiefs, which are knotted in the
front.
-Originally designed to absorb perspiration-
-it can also represent various levels in the kitchen
hierarchical grid.
·
Apron
-usually made out of thick cotton fabric and is
worn around the waist with the help of a long string.
-the apron should reach below the knees to protect
the chef from spilling hot liquids.
-the string of the apron helps to hold the chef’s
kitchen towel in place. The loose ends should be tucked under or else they can
be trapped in machinery and cause accidents.
·
Kitchen towel /duster
-they are used to pick up hot
pots and pans and also to wipe hands in order to keep them dry.
- Usually two dusters should be
kept with the chef one to wipe the wet hands and the other (dry one )to pick up hot pans, as a wet duster can scorch
the hands.-
Considering modern hygiene
trends, it is advisable to use disposable paper towels for wiping and cleaning,
the kitchen dusters should be used only for handling hot equipments.
·
Shoes
Shoes should be black and well polished.
-it should have a rubber sole to prevent slipping.
-preferably the sweat absorbing cotton should be
worn.
-Shoes should be closed, to prevent the feet from
scorching in case of spills-
-they have to be comfortable, as we know long
hours are involved.
PERSONAL HYGIENE (GROOMING
STANDARD)
Most food borne diseases are caused by bacteria spread by food workers.
The first step in preventing food borne disease is good personal hygiene. Even
when we are healthy we have bacteria all over our skin and in our nose and in
our mouth. Some of these bacteria, if given a chance to grow in food can make
people ill.
·
Do not work with the food if you have any
communicable disease or infection.
·
Bath or shower daily.
·
Wear clean uniforms and aprons.
·
Keep hair neat and clean. Always wear a hat or hairnet.
·
Keep moustaches and beards trimmed and clean.
Better yet to be clean shaved.
·
Wash hands and exposed parts of arms before work
and as often as necessary during work, including after eating, drinking or
smoking after using the toilet, after touching or handling anything that may be contaminated with
bacteria.
·
Cover coughs and sneezes and then wash your hands.
·
Keep your hands away from your face, eyes, hair
and arms.
·
Keep fingernails clean and short. Do not wear nail
polish.
·
Do not smoke or chew gum paan etc while on duty.
·
Cover cuts or sored with clean bandages.
·
Do not sit on work tables.
SAFETY (A Safe
Workplace)
Kitchen
work is usually considered a relatively safe occupation; at least in comparison
with many industrial jobs .nevertheless the kitchen has many hazards. Minor
injuries from cuts and burns are very common and more serious injuries are all
too possible.
·
Structure, equipment and electric wiring in good
repair.
·
Adequate lighting on work surfaces and in
corridors
·
Non slip floors
·
Clearly marked exits
·
Equipment supplied with necessary safety devices.
·
Heat activated fire extinguishers over cooking
equipment, especially deep fryers.
·
Conveniently located emergency equipment, such as
fire extinguishers, fire blankets and first aid kits.
·
Clearly posted emergency telephone numbers .Smooth
traffic patterns to avoid collisions between workers.
PREVENTING FIRES
·
Know where the fire extinguishers are located and
how to use them.
·
Use the right kind of fire extinguisher according
to the kind of fire for which they can be used
Class A: wood, paper, cloth, ordinary combustibles
Class B: burning liquids such as grease, oil, gasoline,
solvents
Class C: Switches, Motors, electrical equipment
and both.
·
Don’t leave hot fat unattended on the range.
·
Smoke only
in designated areas. Do not leave burning cigarettes unattended .keep the fire
doors closed.
·
Keep exists free from obstacles.
PLEASE
REFER THE SUB TOPICS OF “PREVENTING CUTS, PREVENTING BURNS, PREVENTING INJURIES
FROM MACHINES AND EQUIPMENT, PREVENTING FALLS AND PREVENTING STRAINS AND
INJURIES FROM LIFTING” FROM THE BOOK “PROFESSIONAL COOKING” PAGE 35,36,37 AND
38.
EQUIPMENTS
POTS, PANS AND CONTAINERS
Metals and conductivity: A good cooking utensil
should distribute heat evenly and uniformly .If it does not it will develop hot
spots that are likely to burn or scorch the food being cooked.
Two factors affect a pan’s ability to cook evenly.
1) Thickness of the metal: A heavy
–gauge pot cooks more evenly than one made of thin metal. Thickness is the most
important on the bottom.
2) Kind of metals: different
metals have different conductivity, which means the speeds at which they
transfer heat .the following materials are used for cooking equipment.
a) Aluminum:
-it is a very good conductor and its light weight makes
pots and pans easy to handle.
-because it is a soft metal it should not be
banged around or abused.
-Do not aluminum for storage or for too long
cooking of strong acids, because it reacts to many foods.
b) Copper
-it is the best heat conductor of all cooking
utensils
-It is extremely expensive and requires great deal
of care.
-it is heavy
-copper reacts chemically with many other foods to
create poisonous compounds so copper must be lined with another metal like tin
or stainless steel.
c) Stainless steel
-it is a poor conductor of heat .cooking pots and
pan made of it tend to scorch foods easily.
-stainless steel is ideal for storage unlike
aluminum it does not react with foods.
-stainless steel pots are also available with a
heavy layer of copper or aluminum bonded to the bottom.
d) Cast iron:
- It is the favorite material with many chefs, because
of its ability to distribute heat evenly and to maintain high temperatures for
long periods. It is used in griddles and heavy skillets
-cast iron cracks if dropped.
-it rusts very quickly if not properly maintained.
e) Porcelain
enamel-lined pans
-They scratch and chip easily providing good hiding place for
bacteria and hence should be avoided .they are forbidden by some health
departments.
f) Non-Stick
Pans
-Known by various brand names such as Teflon, provide very
slippery finish, but one that requires a lot of care since it can be easily
scratched.
-Do not use metal spoons or spatulas with this equipment.
-More customers are requesting low fat foods, non stick pans
are increasing in popularity. They enable cooks to sauté food with little or no
fat.
g) Glass and
earthenware
-they have limited use in commercial kitchens because they are
very breakable
-they are very poor conductors of heat but are resistant to
corrosion and food acids.
Other
Different equipments used in food production:
·
Open elements
(burners):
-These are either Electric Coils
or Gas Flames.
-These tops are the fastest to heat and can be turned off
after short use.However cooking
space is limited to one pot per burner.
·
Flattop or Hot Top
(lightweight)
-Burners covered with steel plate.
-More cook space is available.
-Top supports moderately heavy weights.
·
Heavy duty flat top:
-Burners are covered with heavy caste steel.
The top supports many heavy pots. A thick top requires longer
pre heating .Set burners for different levels and adjust cooking heat by moving
pots to different spots on the top.
·
Induction Cook top:
-Top of an induction unit does not become hot.
-Works by magnetically agitating the molecules in steel or
iron cookware.
-Aluminum pots and pans sandwiched between layers of stainless
steel will also work.
-Much less energy is used.
-No open flame; kitchen stays cooler.
-Only pots, pans and their contents become hot
·
Ovens:
Enclosed spaces in which food is heated, usually by hot air,
microwaves, or infrared radiation.
Used for roasting and baking.
Foods can also be simmered, stewed, braised, or poached in the
oven.
This helps to free up the range top and the chef’s attention
for other tasks.
-Stack Ovens
-Convection Ovens
-Slow-Cook-and-Hold Ovens
-Combination Steamer Ovens
-Barbecue or Smoke Ovens
-Wood burning Ovens
-Microwave Ovens
·
BROILERS AND SALAMANDERS
Sometimes
called overhead broilers.
Generate heat from above.
Food items are placed on a grate beneath the
heat source
·
GRILLS
It has the same cooking operations as broilers.
Heat source (gas, electricity, or charcoal) is
below the grid that holds the food.
Charcoal taste is created by smoke from meat fats
that drip into the heat source.
·
GRIDDLE
Flat, smooth, heated surfaces on which food is
cooked directly.
Available as separate units or as part of a range
top.
·
ROTISSERIES
Cooks meats and other foods by turning them slowly in front of
electric or gas-powered heating elements.
Especially suitable for chicken and other poultry.
Can be used to cook any meat or other food.
Drip pans catch juices, which can be used for basting or
making gravy.
·
DEEP FAT FRYERS
Cooks meats and other foods by turning them slowly in front of
electric or gas-powered heating elements.
Especially suitable for chicken and other poultry.
Can be used to cook any meat or other food.
Drip pans catch juices, which can be used for
basting or making gravy.
-STANDARD DEEP FAT FRYERS
-AUTOMATIC DEEP FAT FRYERS
-PRESSURE FRYERS
·
TILTING SKILLET
Also known as tilting brazier and tilting fry pan.
A tilting mechanism enables liquids to be poured
out of it.
Can be used as:
–
a griddle
–
fry pan
–
brazier
–
stewpot
–
stockpot
–
steamer
·
STEAM COOKERS:
Ideal for cooking foods
rapidly and with minimum loss of nutrients and flavor.
Pressure Steamers
Pressure less Steamers
or Convection Steamers
·
MIXERS
Bench type mixers
Floor Mixers
Agitator Attachments
The paddle is a flat blade used for general
mixing.
The wire whip is used for such tasks as beating.
The dough arm is used for mixing and kneading
yeast dough.
·
Food Cutter
Food cutter, or rotation chopper, is also known as
a buffalo chopper.
Used for general food chopping.
Variety of attachments makes it a versatile tool
Food cutter, or rotation chopper, is also known as
a buffalo chopper.
Used for general food chopping.
Attachments for Mixers and Food Choppers
Food Grinder
Slicer/Shredder
PROCESSING EQUIPMENT
Slicer
•
Slices
foods more evenly and uniformly than can be done by hand.
•
Blades set at an angle.
•
Slices
fall away from these blades.
Food Processer
•
Used
to chop or purée foods.
•
To
mix or emulsify.
•
They
can also slice, shred, and julienne foods.
Blender
•
Used
to mix, purée, and emulsify liquids.
•
Also
used to prepare certain drinks.
Holding and Storage
Equipment
Hot Food Holding Equipment
•
Steam
tables are designed to hold foods above 135°F (57°C) in order to prevent the
growth of bacteria that can cause disease.
•
Bain-maries
and overhead infrared lamps are also used to keep food hot
Cold Food Storage
Equipment
•
The
refrigerator (known in the trade as the cooler or the box) guards
against spoilage and bacterial growth by keeping foods cold, usually, below
41°F (5°C).
-The walk-in is a room-size refrigerator
with built-in shelves on the walls.
-The reach-in is a standard upright refrigerator
that does not have freezer unit.
• The freezer
stores foods purchased in frozen form; used to hold foods for longer times.
-The walk-in is a room-size freezer with built-in
shelves on the walls.
-The reach-in is a standard upright freezer.
POTS AND PANS
Stockpot Wok
Stockpots with Spigot Hotel Pan
Saucepot Bain Marie
Saucepan
Cast-iron Skillet
Straight-sided Sauté
Slope-sided Sauté
Sheet or Bun Pan
Bake Pan
Roasting Pan
Measuring Devices and Liquid Volume Measure
Scales Scoops
Portioning Scale Ladles
Digital Scale Measuring Jar
Temperature Measures
Meat Thermometer
Instant-Read Thermometers
KNIVES, HAND TOOLS, AND SMALL EQUIPMENT
Knives Small Equipment
French
Knife or Chef’s Knife Chinois/China cap
Utility
Knife
Wire mesh strainer
Boning
Knife
Tamis/Drum Sieve
Slicer Colander
Serrated
Knife Food Mill/Moulin
Butcher
Knife
Grater
Oyster
Knife Zester
Clam
Knife
Channel knife
Paring
Knife Mandoline
Pastry Brush
Pastry Bag
Can Opener
Hand Tools
Vegetable
Peeler
Sharpening
Steel/Sharpening Stone
Parisienne
Scoop/Melon Baller
Palette
Knife
Offset
Spatula
Rubber
Spatula
Pie
Server
Bench
Knife/Dough Cutter /Dough Scrapper
Pastry
Wheel
Spoons:
Slotted, Perforated and Solid
Skimmer
Tongs
Reference Book: Professional Cooking -Wayne Gisslen
