2. DEFINITION OF COOKERY
Cookery is defined as a “chemical process”, the mixing
of ingredients; the application and withdrawal of heat;
decision making, technical knowledge, and
manipulative skills. In the more advanced stages, a
further element occurs- that of creativity. Cookery is
considered to be both an art and technology.
3. MEANING OF FOOD PREPARATION
Food preparation is a modern
term in professional cookery. It
denotes preparation and cooking.
It follows a flow pattern which
commences with the purchasing
and selection materials, their
handling, processing and the
ultimate presentation of dishes to
customers, where “food service”
takes over.
4. CUISINE
In French, the word cuisine denotes –the art of cooking-
preparing dishes and the place kitchen in which they are
prepared.
Today’s “food-savvy” customers are a widely travelled
group. They have increased exposure to other countries
food and restaurants and this has spurred them to have an
interest in having these cuisines available at home.
The result is growth in food outlets specializing in
previously ‘unknown’ foods’. The publics’ growing interest
in grain, legumes, fish, vegetables, and fruits, along with a
desire to reduce overconsumption of animal fat, protein
and sodium have helped popularize nutritional cooking.
Furthermore, they have spurred fundamental changes in
the preparation and presentation of traditional foods.
5. CULINARY HISTORY
Culinary history helps us to go back in past, when man first
discovered the use of fire.
This epoch-making discovery of fire brought about the refinement of
mankind in all sphere of life.
The biggest impact was felt in the preparation of cooked food which
eventually over the centuries has now matured into a full-fledged
science.
The history of cooking is undoubtedly as old as Mankind itself. Earlier
on, people were most accustomed to food preparation in the countries
& regions where they lived, but with the passage of time, and travel
becoming an integral part of one’s lifestyle, eating habits have
changed rapidly.
6. CULINARY HISTORY
Culinary history can be observed to
have been influenced by the
following factors that have all
contributed to the development of
modern-day cuisine:
Origin of simple methods of
cooking
The invention of simple
cooking appliances
Geographical influences & the
growth of regional cuisines
Regional cuisines
7. ORIGIN OF PROFESSIONAL COOKERY
The professionalism of cookery came
about, with the efforts of several
European chefs, such as Escoffier,
Brillat Savarin & Paul Bocuse.
All of them wrote several books and
helped bring about a proper
organization of continental cuisine.
Paul Bocuse is also credited with the
creation of the Nouvelle Cuisine.
Escoffier formulated Partie System of
kitchen staff organization and also
classified stocks and sauces which are
the foundation of continental cookery.
8. ORIGIN OF PROFESSIONAL COOKERY
The French cuisine was also
classified by these chefs.
The purpose of this
classification was to make it
easier to study and refine the
cuisine and also to provide a
means of training cooks in
these areas.
In fact, any national cuisine
can be classified according to
this method of identifying its
different components.
9. CLASSIFICATION OF NATIONAL CUISINES
The classification of all national cuisines is as
follows:
HAUTE CUISINE: The exotic and high-class cuisine
PROVINCIAL CUISINE: Regional cuisines
BOURGEOISE CUISINE: Middle-class cuisine
NOUVELLE CUISINE: Modern or New Cuisine
11. POSITIVE ATTITUDE TOWARD THE JOB
In order to be a good professional cook, you have to like cooking
and want to do it well.
Being serious about your work doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy it.
But the enjoyment comes from the satisfaction of doing your job
well and making everything run smoothly.
Every experienced chef knows the stimulation of the rush. When
it’s the busiest time of the evening, the orders are coming in so
fast you can hardly keep track of them, and every split second
counts—then, when everyone digs in and works together and
everything clicks, there’s real excitement in the air.
But this excitement comes only when you work for it. A cook
with a positive attitude works quickly, efficiently, neatly, and
safely. Professionals have pride in their work and want to make
sure it is something to be proud of.
12. 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 gruelling. You
may be working evenings and weekends when everyone else is
playing. And the work can be monotonous.
You might think it’s drudgery to hand-shape two or three dozen
dinner rolls for your baking class, but wait until you get that great
job in the big hotel and are told to make 3,000 canapés for a party.
Overcoming these difficulties requires a sense of responsibility and a
dedication to your profession, to your co-workers, and to your
customers or clients.
Dedication also means staying with a job and not hopping from
kitchen to kitchen every few months. Sticking with a job at least a
year or two shows prospective employers you are serious about your
work and can be relied on.
13. ABILITY TO WORK WITH PEOPLE
Few of you will work in an establishment so small that
you are the only person on the staff.
Food service work is teamwork, and it’s essential to be
able to work well on a team and to cooperate with your
fellow workers.
You can’t afford to let ego problems, petty jealousy,
departmental rivalries, or feelings about other people
get in the way of doing the job well.
In the old days, many chefs were famous for their
temper tantrums. Fortunately, self-control is more
valued today.
14. EAGERNESS TO LEARN
There is more to learn about cooking than you will learn in a
lifetime.
The greatest chefs in the world are the first to admit they have
more to learn, and they keep working, experimenting, and
studying.
The food service industry is changing so rapidly that it is vital to
be open to new ideas.
No matter how good your techniques are, you might learn an
even better way. Continue to study and read. Seek extra work
that gives you the opportunity to learn from people with more
experience.
For example, if you are working on the hot line in a restaurant,
ask the pastry chef if you could come in early, on your own time,
to help out and, in the process ,gain new knowledge and
experience.
15. A FULL RANGE OF SKILLS
Most people who become professional cooks do so
because they like to cook.
This is an important motivation, but it is also
important to develop and maintain other skills that are
necessary for the profession.
To be successful, a cook must understand and manage
food cost and other financial matters, manage and
maintain proper inventories, deal with purveyors, and
understand personnel management.
16. EXPERIENCE
One of our most respected chefs said,“ 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. Studying
cooking principles in books and in schools can get your
career off to a running start.
You may learn more about basic cooking theories from
your chef instructors than you could in several years of
working your way up from washing vegetables.
But if you want to become an accomplished cook, you need
practice, practice, and more practice. A diploma does not
make you a chef.
17. DEDICATION TO QUALITY
Many people think only a special category of food can be
called gourmet food.
It’s hard to say exactly what that is. Apparently, the only thing so-
called gourmet foods have in common is high price. The only
distinction worth making is between well-prepared food and
poorly prepared food.
There is good roast duckling à l’ orange and there is bad roast
duckling à l’ orange. There are good hamburgers and French
fries, and there are bad hamburgers and French fries.
Whether you work in a top restaurant, a fast-food restaurant, a
college cafeteria, or a catering house, you can do your job well, or
not. The choice is yours. High quality doesn’t necessarily mean
high price. It costs no more to cook green beans properly than to
overcook them. But in order to produce high-quality food, you
must want to. It is not enough to simply know how.
18. 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
that would have been unthinkable years ago.
There seems to be no limit to what can be tried. However, the
chefs who seem to be most revolutionary are the first to insist on
the importance of solid grounding in basic techniques and in the
classic methods practiced since Escoffier’s day.
In order to innovate, you have to know where to begin. For the
beginner, knowing the basics will help you take better advantage
of your experience.
When you watch a practiced cook at work, you will understand
better what you are seeing and will know what questions to ask.
In order to play great music on the piano, you first have to learn
to play scales and exercises.
20. DO’S & DON’TS IN KITCHEN
1. Wear shoes
Ever drop a knife? Imagine that going into your foot.
Ouch! Wearing shoes while you cook is always
recommended. Not only will the shoes protect you
from a fallen sharp object, but they will also protect
you from other kitchen mishaps such as broken glass
and hot water or oil spills.
21. DO’S & DON’TS IN KITCHEN
2. Learn how to extinguish a fire
Cooking is the leading cause of fires and injuries that occur in
our homes. Be sure to always have a fire extinguisher in your
kitchen and know how to use it.
It takes only seconds for a fire to get uncontrollable. Learn about
different types of fires such as grease and electric fires. Never put
them out with water. Instead, your best bet to extinguish them is
to use baking soda or a pan cover. Suffocating the fire by
removing air is the best way to put out most fires.
A fire inside your oven is best put out with an extinguisher, and a
microwave fire can be put out just by turning off the appliance
and keeping the door closed.
22. DO’S & DON’TS IN KITCHEN
3. Learn how to use knives.
A dull knife is more likely to slip and cut you than a sharp knife. Keeping
your knives sharpened is one of the easiest ways to keep them safe.
A simple fix is to use a knife sharpener to maintain a keen-edged blade.
Also, you should choose the appropriate knife for the task at hand. In
other words, using a meat cleaver to slice strawberries isn’t the best idea.
4.Wear safe clothing
Do not wear long, baggy sleeves in the kitchen. Can you imagine your
sleeve catching fire on a gas stove? The outcome could be scary.
In general, tops with fitted sleeves or no sleeves work best. Also, avoid
wearing anything flammable or synthetic; when overheated, these
fabrics can melt onto your skin.
23. DO’S & DON’TS IN KITCHEN
5. Prevent burns
Make sure when cooking that the handles of your pots
and pans are turned inward. This will be safer than
someone knocking into them resulting in your food
flying and burning you.
Always have potholders or oven mitts close by when
handling anything on the stove top or oven. Don’t use
wet potholders or dish rags because they will not keep
the heat from burning your hands.
24. DO’S & DON’TS IN KITCHEN
6. Always wash your hands
You would think this is a given, but people forget. Don’t forget. It’s important
to wash your hands in hot soapy water before and after cooking.
Try to use paper towels to dry your hands afterward because if a dish towel
touches any raw meats or juices it can lead to a bad case of food poisoning.
Be sure to also clean all your surfaces and sinks where any raw meats or juices may
have touched.
7. Always stir and lift away from you
When lifting a lid on a pot there is condensation on the top. When lifting it off
toward you, the scalding condensation can drip onto your skin, causing burns.
The same goes for stirring. Make sure you always stir away from your body. After
all, you want to eat the spaghetti sauce, not get burned by it.
25. DO’S & DON’TS IN KITCHEN
8. Don’t set a hot glass dish on a wet or cold surface
There’s actually a lot of science behind this tip. Glass
expands when it gets warm and shrinks when it cools
down, which causes stress, resulting in a combustion
of glass.
The best place to set a glass lid is on top of a trivet,
cutting board or potholder.
26. DO’S & DON’TS IN KITCHEN
9. Don’t use metal utensils on non-stick, Teflon
pans
Cooking with metal utensils on Teflon or non-stick
pans can cause flaking or chipping of the Teflon.
This can, in turn, mix toxic compounds into your food.
A better solution: Use wooden or plastic spoons.
Always.
27. DO’S & DON’TS IN KITCHEN
10. Don’t use the same cutting board for raw meat, fruits
and vegetables
We all want to avoid washing extra dishes, but this is one
area in which you shouldn’t take shortcuts. Using the same
cutting board for meats, fruits and vegetables is a sure-fire
way to get the whole family sick with salmonella poisoning.
The Food & Drug Administration (FDA) advises you use
two separate cutting boards: one for raw meat, poultry and
seafood, and another for fresh fruits and vegetables. If you
must use the same board, its safest to prepare your fruits
and vegetables first, wash your cutting board thoroughly
with soap and hot water, and then prepare your meats
29. IMPORTANCE OF UNIFROM
One of the most important
aspect of organization
The main Function of the
uniform is to look a person
like his Profession.
Uniform Gives you an
identity, it makes a chef looks
like a chef.
It shows the unity and
hence creates a team work
among the all employees.
30. PARTS OF KITCHEN UNIFORMS
A chef Uniform or kitchen
uniform consist of the
following parts;
A Chef Coat or Chef’s Jacket
A Chef Pant or Trouser
A Chef Cap/Toque
A Scarf
An Apron
Shoes
Kitchen Dusters
31. CHEF COAT OR CHEF’S JACKET
A typical chef coat is also known as
VEST BLANC in French.
It is made out of thick white cotton
fabric.
It is one of the most important part
of chef uniform
The main function of the chef coat
is to prevent or protect the chef
from the heat of the cooking
ranges.
The coat is always double coated so
that it will avoid any chances of
burns and injuries to chef.
32. CHEF PANT OR TROUSER
A chef pant or trouser is
either Black or Checkered
in colour depending upon
the position
The checkered pants are
designed such to cover-up
spills or to hide the dirt.
These are also made of
thick cotton fabric, to
protect the chef from the
heat.
33. CHEF CAP
One of the most important
part of chef uniform.
The main purpose of this
cap is to prevent hair fall in
the food.
It is also designed to absorb
the sweat generated while
working in kitchen
It is also wear to add royalty
to the person working as
chef
34. CHEF SCARF
A chef scarf is usually worn
around the neck area of the
chef and which are knotted
in the front.
These are traditionally
designed to absorb the
perspiration and sweat
around your neck area.
Now a days these are also
used to indicate the levels
of chef in the organization
by different colour codes.
35. CHEF’S APRON
It is usually made of thick
cotton fabric and is worn
around the waist area of
the chef.
The apron should reach
below the knees to
protect the chef form
heat and hot liquids.
It also prevents your
uniform from getting
dirty.
36. SHOES
It is mandatory for all
kitchen professionals to
wear shoes while working
in the kitchen.
It should be black and
non slippery.
It prevents or protects
your foot from getting
heart by any hot liquids
or may be from falling
equipment's.
37. KITCHEN DUSTERS
These are not considered as
the part of uniform, but
they are very important for a
chef to work properly.
These are thick cotton
material clothes which are
used by chefs while working
in the kitchens.
Mainly for wiping
equipment’s, tables,
utensils, food commodities,
etc.
