2. – Most modern professional kitchens operate according to a positional kitchen hierarchy. This hierarchy is
termed the Brigade de Cuisine – a French brigade system adopted to ensure kitchen operations run smoothly.
– If you work in hospitality or catering, it’s probable that you have heard of the Brigade de Cuisine. Furthermore,
you’ll have likely heard some of its terms, such as ‘sous chef’.
The size and structure of the Brigade de Cuisine varies depending on the size and style of the restaurant. For
example, if you work in a small kitchen, it’s unlikely that you have a person for every position. Despite this, it’s still
important that you’re aware of the kitchen hierarchy, and know how your position operates within this.
3. What is the Kitchen Hierarchy?
– The Brigade de Cuisine is more commonly known as the kitchen hierarchy. There are many
positions in this hierarchy, and each one holds an important role in the overall function of the
kitchen. The 8 positions listed below are the most typical.
4. Executive Chef
– The Executive chef sits at the top of the kitchen hierarchy; their role is primarily managerial.
Executive chefs tend to manage kitchens at multiple outlets and are not usually directly
responsible for cooking.
5. Chef de Cuisine (Head Chef)
– ‘Head Chef’ is the translation for the French term ‘Chef de Cuisine’. The Head
Chef will typically focus on managerial duties relating to the whole kitchen. For
example, they supervise and manage staff, control costs and make purchases,
and liaise with the restaurant manager and suppliers to create new menus.
6. Sous Chef (Deputy Chef)
– The sous chef shares a lot of the same responsibilities as the head chef,
however they are much more involved in the day-to-day operations in the
kitchen.
– The sous chef also fills in for the head chef when they are not present.
7. Chef de Partie (Station Chef)
– This role is a vital part of the brigade system, but it’s split into many different roles. There is more than one chef de partie and each
one is responsible for a different section of the kitchen. This makes kitchen operations much more productive and helps to
coordinate large quantities of meals at busy times.
Specific chef de partie roles include the following:
– Sauté Chef/Saucier (Sauce chef) – This chef is responsible for sautéing foods and creating sauces and gravies that accompany other
dishes. They report directly to the head chef or sous chef.
– Boucher (Butcher Chef) – They prepare meat and poultry before they are delivered to their respective stations.
– Poissonnier (Fish Chef) – They prepare fish and seafood. In smaller kitchens, the boucher often takes on the role of the poisonnier.
– Rotisseur (Roast Chef) – They are responsible for roast meats and appropriate sauces.
– Friturier (Fry Chef) – This member of staff prepares, and specialises in, fried food items.
– Grillardin (Grill Chef) – They are the king or queen of all things grilled.
– Garde Manger (Pantry Chef) – This person is in charge of the preparation of cold dishes, such as salads.
– Pattisier (Pastry Chef) – The master of all things pastry, baked goods, and desserts.
– Chef de Tournant (Roundsman/Swing Cook/Relief Cook) – This person does not have a specific job, but rather fills in as and when
needed at different stations.
– Entremetier (Vegetable Chef) – They prepare vegetables, soups, starches, and eggs. In larger kitchens, this role may split into
two: Potager, who is in charge of making soups, and Legumier, who is in charge of preparing any vegetables.
8.
9. Commis Chef (Junior Chef)
– The commis chef works under the chef de partie to learn the ins and outs of a
specific station. The junior chef has usually recently completed, or is still
partaking in, formal training.
10. Kitchen Porter
– Kitchen porters assist with basic tasks in the kitchen, and are less likely to have
had formal training. Their role typically involves introductory food preparation,
such as peeling potatoes, and some cleaning duties.
11. Escuelerie (Dishwasher)
– This person is responsible for washing anything that was used in the food
preparation and cooking process.
12. Aboyeur (Waiter/Waitress)
– Waiters and waitresses work at the front of house and are customer-facing.
They serve customers their dishes and anything else they order. If a customer
has a problem with their food, it is the role of the waiter or waitress to report
this to the kitchen.
13.
14. Food Hygiene Rules and Guidance
As a food handler, it is essential that you are
aware of the basic principles of good practice to
ensure that you comply with food hygiene rules
and regulations.
15. Personal Hygiene
– Correct hand washing is essential to prevent contamination.
– Always wash your hands in the specialist basin provided (never the sink used for washing equipment or
food as this leads to contamination).
– Once wet, soap should be rubbed vigorously into hands, ensuring each hand is cleaned, including the
fingertips, between the fingers and the wrist and forearm. 15-20 seconds should be spent rubbing soap in.
– Hands should be dried in a hygienic manner such as an air dryer, paper towel or clean roller towel. Using
cloths, tea towels or overalls will cause contamination, so should be avoided.
– You should not wear watches, jeweled rings or earrings as they can gather dirt and bacteria and could
drop into food. Avoid strong smelling perfumes and heavy makeup, as these can taint food products,
especially those in high fat e.g. butter and cheese.
– Nobody suffering from the following illnesses should handle food: Diarrhea or vomiting, skin infections or
heavy colds, discharges from the eyes or ears.
16. Food Hazards
– Keep raw and high risk foods separate.
– Keep foods out of the temperature danger zone – below 5°C or above 63°C.
– Make sure you use tongs or other utensils to make sure that food is handled as little as possible.
– Keep other raw foods away from foods that could also be contaminated by them.
– To kill bacteria, food must be cooked thoroughly (at least 70°C for 2 minutes). High risk foods that are eaten
immediately following cooking are safe, providing the cooking temperature has been sufficiently high. If
food is not to be eaten immediately and kept hot, it is necessary to use equipment which will hold the food
at a temperature of 63°C or above.
17. Chilling and Freezing Food
– The freezer should be operating at a maximum temperature of -18°C.
– Check the temperature of your fridge regularly and record it. Ideally it should be 1°C – 4°C. Take care
not to leave the door open for long periods.
– Do not overload food above the load line in a freezer and label all foods with the correct dates to
ensure that stock is rotated correctly.
– If you don’t have a separate fridge for raw foods, ensure that you keep the raw foods on the lower
shelves with other foods above them.
– Do not put hot foods directly into the fridge.
18. Preventing Cross-
contamination
– Clean work surfaces where raw meat and poultry have been handled, immediately after doing so.
– Keep utensils and equipment used in the preparation of raw meats and poultry separate from those
used for other foods. If this is not possible, they must be washed and disinfected before being used on
other foods.
– Maintain a high standard of general cleanliness of worktops and equipment.
– Keep separate cloths and chopping boards for use with different kinds of food.
– Keep wiping cloths used in raw food areas out of other areas. Use a disposable cloth if available.
– Work with clean cloths, disinfect them regularly. Remember a cloth is only as clean as the last place it
wiped!
19. Serving Food
– To maintain good hygiene control, food handlers must:
– Use tongs or spoons to pick up food (one for each kind of food).
– Place paper, polythene or a container on scales and weighing machines before using them.
– Never handle food and money at the same time.
– Make sure animals are kept out of food premises (except guide dogs in shops).
– Keep foods covered and away from the serving counter to prevent customers sneezing on them.
20. Stock Control
– Foods should be bought from reputable suppliers. Regular checks need to be made to ensure physical
objects or chemicals are not contaminating foods.
– Move old stock to the front of the fridge where it will be used first.
– Place new stock underneath old stock in freezers.
– Rotate fresh produce by date and condition. Use the ripe fruit first, leaving the less ripe fruit for later.
– Remember the acronym FIFO – First In First Out.
21. Waste
– Food waste and packaging rubbish must be disposed of properly as it can be a source of both
bacterial and physical contamination.
– There should be bins both inside and outside.
– Indoor bins should have lids and ideally be foot operated and lined with a disposable polythene sack.
– Rubbish should be removed throughout the day to a dustbin with a tight fitting lid or a skip with a
lid.
22. Aspects of Kitchen
Layouts
– There are two aspects of kitchen layouts. Before deciding on a suitable kitchen
layout, you should also know what type of kitchen is needed. These kitchen
types are classified in terms of special equipment, stations or
logistics/transportation needs as follows:
23. – Quick service restaurant
Characterised by speed and high-volume activity
– Hotel food service
A huge kitchen that prepares high-volume banquet service, with satellite kitchens
– Hospital kitchen
Requires the highest standard of sanitation
– Mid-scale restaurant
Medium-sized, the size of a hotel kitchen station
– In-flight food service kitchen
Commissary-type; operates round the clock and usually located very near the airport
– Cruise ship kitchen
Has large storage units to keep enough food for the duration of the cruise
24. Criteria for a well-designed kitchen
The layout should flow as such:
– Receiving and storage area should be close together
– Next to storage should be the mise en place and production area
– Once ready, food should move quickly to the plating and pick-up area near the
dining room.
Kitchen layout flow
The kitchen layout should be designed according to your menu to ensure the right equipment, workspaces and
capacity are available. Consider these criteria and how they fit your restaurant concept and menu:
– Division of areas for proper distribution of labour
– Smooth traffic flow
– Sanitary and hygiene standards
– Equipment selection
– Determining capacity
– Purchasing system
26. Slice, Dice, Chop, Mince
– Slice refers to cutting large ingredients into similarly shaped, flat pieces. Slices
can be thin or thick, and the recipe will direct you accordingly (i.e., thinly
slice, slice into 1/2-inch rounds).
– Chop has to be the most popular direction. It’s the most generic way to say “cut
food into smaller pieces.” Like a slice, a chop doesn’t refer to any particular
shape or size.
– Dice means to cut ingredients into square-shaped pieces that are smaller and
more precise than a chop.
a small dice means 1/8-inch, medium dice is 1/4-inch, and large dice refers to 1/2-
inch
– Mince is the smallest cut. You can use a back-and-forth rocking motion with
your knife instead of making precise cuts. Garlic and herbs are often minced.
27. Dash, Pinch, Smidgen, and
Seasoning to Taste
– A dash is approximately 1/8 teaspoon.
– A pinch is even smaller, about 1/16 teaspoon.
– A smidgen is so small about (1/32 teaspoon)
Generally, these measurements happen with the fingers.
– Seasoning to taste almost always refers to salt and pepper and it is exactly what
it sounds like: it’s up to you.
28. Roast, Bake, and Broil
– Roast and bake are actually the same thing. If you preheat your oven to 375 degrees, for
example, the air in the oven heats up to that temperature. The heated air then surrounds the
baking dish or roasting pan on all sides and remains constant, cooking your food at an even
rate. It is usually called baking when it refers to cooking desserts, breads, or pastries,
and roasting when it refers to meats (like roast chicken) or vegetables.
– Broil is similar to bake except the food is directly exposed to very high heat on one side only-
the top side. It’s like a grill in reverse. In most restaurants, the grill is actually called the broil
station. Broiling is commonly used to melt cheese on top of a casserole to achieve that golden
brown look, but you can also cook whole fish or char vegetables using this method
30. Saute, Sear, Brown, Char
– These cooking techniques are more dry-heat cooking methods, and they all have the same basic principle
– Saute means cooking food quickly over high heat, usually using oil or fat as the cooking medium. It literally means
“to jump” in French, referring to the constant motion of food in the pan either by stirring or shaking. The food is
lightly browned and cook through during this process.
– Sear is an important skill to learn, both for meat and vegetable cookery. Searing cooks an ingredient over very
high heat for a brief period of time. Unlike sauteing, the food is not moved until it has become fully browned.
Searing seals in the flavor and gives your food a deliciously crusty exterior and a moist, tender interior.
– Brown is generally interchangeable with sear. When searing, it’s important to cook in small batches.
Overcrowding the pan causes the temperature to drop, preventing a good crust and steaming your ingredients
instead of searing them.
– Char is similar to sear, except it takes everything to the next level. Charred food is not burnt, but it
is almost burnt. You can char by exposing the ingredient directly to a flame underneath a broiler, or you can place
it in a very hot pan or on a grill grate. Once the food bubbles and blackens, it is charred.
31. Deep Fry and Pan Fry
Frying is actually a dry-heat cooking technique: Most recipes will instruct you to fully dry the ingredient before
cooking it via one of these methods. This minimizes the chance that water will transfer from the ingredient
onto the oil. You may want to dredge the ingredient first, coating it in something dry like flour or
breadcrumbs, to provide a protective coating. This not only protects the meat or veggie skin, but it also crisps
up nicely.
– Deep fry means fully submerging your ingredient in hot oil. Since it is completely submerged, the
ingredient cooks on all sides and gets a fantastically crisp exterior. You want it to cook just through to the
inside, so the interior stays moist and tender.
– Pan fry uses much less oil than deep frying but more oil than a typical saute. The recipe will usually specify
the amount of oil (i.e., heat 1-inch of oil), but a general rule of thumb is the oil should come halfway up the
side of the ingredient. This method is great for delicate items that may fall apart in the deep fryer, like crab
cakes or zucchini fritters.
32. Braise
– Braise stands in a category of its own. It’s a combination cooking method that uses dry
cooking techniques in the beginning to brown the meat followed by moist cooking
methods to finish cooking it in liquid. Braising almost always refers to cooking something
low and slow to tenderize tough cuts and well-worked muscle proteins.
– Stew is really another kind of braising. When cooking large cuts of meat (like that pork
shoulder), it’s called braising. When you cut the meat into smaller pieces and completely
submerge them in the liquid (like pork green chili stew), it’s called stewing
33. Boil, Simmer, Poach, Steam, Blanch
All of these cooking terms involve cooking with water, so they’re known as moist cooking methods.
– Boiling brings water to a temperature of 212 degrees at sea level. The water is in full motion with bubbles rising
rapidly (and noisily) to the surface. Boiling is a common cooking technique for pasta. Many recipes will instruct
you to bring water to a boil and reduce it to a simmer. Boiling is also essential for steaming and blanching.
– Simmering refers to cooking in a liquid that is just below the boiling point, between 180 and 205 degrees. You
should see bubbles forming, but they should be gentle and not at a full roll. Simmering is the most common moist
cooking method, used for everything from simmering stocks and soups to cooking vegetables.
– Poaching falls in the temperature range between 140 and 180 degrees. There should be few to no bubbles in the
water, although the water should gently ripple to maintain its heat. This method is perfect for cooking delicate
foods, like fish and eggs, that would be disturbed or destroyed by aggressive bubbles.
– Steaming uses boiling water, although the ingredients never touch the water itself. By placing a steamer basket
above boiling water, the ingredient cooks at 212 degrees without losing any of its flavors to the water.
– Blanching also involves boiling water and is well known for setting the color of a vegetable. The ingredient is
plunged into boiling water for a brief time before being removed to an ice bath. This process brings out a vibrant,
bright color without cooking the vegetable all the way through. The result is a tender-crisp vegetable.
What’s an ice bath? A large bowl filled with water and ice. Dropping the food in here immediately halts the
cooking process, preserving bright color and optimal texture of ingredients, from peas to hard-boiled eggs.
