Introduction Contents

Cambridge University Press 978-0-521-15632-5 — Cookery for the Hospitality Industry Graham Dodgshun , Michel Peters , David O'Dea Excerpt More Information CHAPTER 01 Introduction Contents Timing and teamwork 3 Seasoning and consistency 4 Measuring ingredients 4 Portion sizes and presentation 4 Preparation time 5 Understanding recipes 5 Gastronomy 6 Food combinations 7 Presentation of dishes and their service 8 The selection and care of knives 9 Australian cutting board colour system 13 Do not wish to be anything but what you are, and try to be that perfectly. St Francis de Sales 9780521156325c01.indd© in this web service 2 Cambridge University Press www.cambridge.org26/06/11 7:21 PM Cambridge University Press 978-0-521-15632-5 — Cookery for the Hospitality Industry Graham Dodgshun , Michel Peters , David O'Dea Excerpt More Information chapter 1: introduction 3 The Australian culinary scene has changed cater for and the buzz of being an important part signiicantly over the past 20 years or so. Meal of many Grand Occasions to enjoy. arrangements in the home, extended working This book is just the beginning in your hours that spill over to the evening and weekend, discovery of all the things you will want to know the diversity of leisure and sporting activities, an about food and cooking. It will start you on a ageing population and the acceptance of Asian and lifelong journey that holds many rewards and other cuisines have inluenced our approach to some challenges that will enable you to achieve commercial cookery. some ‘empathy for food’. In this book, we have Only rarely do we see raw vegetables and carcass set out the fundamental principles, practices meat coming into even the largest kitchens. Basic and disciplines of professional cooking. With preparation often is completed in dedicated this foundation you will be able to expand your food-processing plants and boning rooms. repertoire of dishes and develop your skills. You Standardisation of size, weight and quality is will need to read widely. Fortunately, many books readily available. Sauces, pre-mixed ingredients, have recorded the history of the trade, and new par-baked and pre-portioned meat cuts are colourful books and magazines are helpful in accepted and available even to the retail market. gauging food fashions and trends. In the past the hotel and catering industry Here are some important points to help you to comprised residential hotels and restaurants, make the most of this book. industrial catering, hospitals and institutions. Today, industrial catering has all but disappeared Timing and teamwork and the food-service industry includes many businesses that provide meals away from home, Preparation time depends on the skill of the chef. such as coffee shops, licensed clubs, event catering, Work schedules need to be planned in advance bakery cafés and service stations. It contributes for each day. Fresh supplies must be ordered and to books and magazines, participates in television delivery times agreed; menus need to be reviewed entertainment and recognises celebrity chefs. and special functions taken into account. Then It organises its own exhibitions and national work plans must be set and tasks allocated to the competitions, and has a signiicant inluence on staff rostered for work. the population’s food choices and nutrition. All the food service departments, and kitchens It is against this background that young (and in particular, depend on teamwork to get the not so young) chefs will start their training and preparation and the inished dishes ready on enter the food service industry. Everyone knows time. A well-organised kitchen will depend on about cooking, but not so many acquire the depth good leadership from the executive chef and of knowledge of ingredients and lavours and good communication and mutual respect among understand the chemistry and physics of food the chefs and apprentices. A good working preparation that the aspiring chef must achieve. environment will make the work satisfying and However, there are more skills to acquire. Using rewarding for the entire food service operation. the hand tools of the trade, following safe working The preparation usually referred to as mise en procedures with the latest machinery and hot and place (things in place) is central to the operation of cold processes, working as a team and showing the food service. When the preparation is late or respect for self and others are other skills and poorly done tempers begin to fray and shouting knowledge that must be acquired. There are new commences as the menu orders are received. Some foods and tastes to be discovered, the pressure of us can remember when, just before the start of and excitement of the service to experience, the service, the sous chef would call each section of provision of refreshments for conventions and the kitchen to answer that it was ‘en place’. If the seminars, celebrations and marketing events to answer was negative, it was the duty of the sous 9780521156325c01.indd© in this web service 3 Cambridge University Press www.cambridge.org26/06/11 7:21 PM Cambridge University Press 978-0-521-15632-5 — Cookery for the Hospitality Industry Graham Dodgshun , Michel Peters , David O'Dea Excerpt More Information 4 cookery for the hospitality industry chef to re-direct staff to sections of the kitchen that They also have tare feature that allows the weight needed assistance. Poor or incompetent preparation of a container placed on the weighing platform has a bad effect not only on the kitchen but on the to be ignored in the calculation. This speeds the food service as a whole. Customers know when weighing process and keeps the scales clean. the service coming out of the kitchen is delayed Measuring cups or spoons should be illed and or corners are cut and standards are dropped, and levelled off to achieve an accurate result. business is likely to decline. When converting recipes from another system into metric measure, irst ind the country of origin Seasoning and consistency and calculate the equivalent metric amount. Round off the amounts to the nearest 5 grams, Even with standard recipes and ingredients, bearing in mind that 1 ounce equals 28 grams, or different chefs will achieve different results. 10 millilitres in the case of liquids. Test the recipe For this reason, the chef must make a habit of and make adjustments if necessary. constantly monitoring the cooking operation. When the food is ready to be served or plated, it is often necessary to adjust the seasoning and consistency. This requires taste and observation. NOTE: Consistency concerns liquids, which can Scaling up recipes to yield a larger number of portions is be corrected by reduction, slight thickening or simple when items such as steaks or illets are involved. addition of liquid. For more information, see Recipes for sauces and soups can be increased when Chapter 14 on Sauces. the number of portions in the original recipe is known. Tasting must be done in a hygienic manner, However, the quantity of thickeners and seasoning must be re-calculated when scaling up, as cooking times need to be using a clean spoon or taster every time in order extended for large quantities, and the rate of evaporation of to detect the true lavour and seasoning. liquid increases. The amount of seasoning must be determined by tasting again and again, until the correct lavour balance is obtained. Food should be only lightly Conversion tables salted, as some diners habitually salt food before information tasting it. People have become accustomed to high salt levels that can mask true lavours. Food should always be slightly under-seasoned until it is A trace ready to be served or plated so that it can then be A ‘trace’ is a background lavour that should not adjusted by addition if necessary. be identiied in the inished dish. It could be less Remember that seasoning, once added, cannot than one gram; it might be a pinch but the amount be removed. must bear a relationship to the quantity in the recipe. Remember – less is more in terms of subtle Measuring ingredients lavours. Unfortunately, many systems of measurement are used in recipes – grams and litres, pounds and Portion sizes and presentation ounces, gills, pints, quarts and gallons, teaspoons, These vary greatly in different sectors of the tablespoons and cups – metric, American and industry. British. An Australian ‘cup’, for example, is not The portion sizes stated in this text are a tea cup nor a breakfast cup, it is 250 millilitres. commercially acceptable, but must be varied Measuring ingredients has become much to suit the needs of the particular food service. easier with the development of electronic scales Portion sizes should be decided according to the that measure amounts by weight and volume. following factors: 9780521156325c01.indd© in this web service 4 Cambridge University Press www.cambridge.org26/06/11 7:21 PM Cambridge University Press 978-0-521-15632-5 — Cookery for the Hospitality Industry Graham Dodgshun , Michel Peters , David O'Dea Excerpt More Information chapter 1: introduction 5 • The expectations of the diner. This will be recipe and visualising the inished product. inluenced by the venue and dishes on the Recipes, like house plans, assume the reader menu. Portion sizes for counter meals in hotels has studied the principles and practice of the and clubs may need be substantial because subject; in this case, food. The point here is to diners are looking for a feed and may only underscore the importance of learning the theory order a main course. Diners visiting up-market of cookery. It involves aspects of mathematics, restaurants may order three courses and spend physics, chemistry, biology and gastronomy.

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