Food production

 VEGETABLES  Any part of a herbaceous plant that can be eaten, either raw or cooked, is termed asvegetable.  Vegetables contain more of starch than sugar unlike fruits and hence, they are used extensively in savoury dishes.  Vegetables can be used in a variety of forms such as frozen, canned, cooked, mashed, dried, dehydrated, or fresh. However, only selected parts of some plants are eaten such as flowers, flower buds (globe artichoke), leaves (lettuce), leaf buds (brussels sprouts), shoots (asparagus), shoot buds (cabbage), stems (rhubarb), flower stems (cauliflower), seed pods (green beans), and immature seeds (broad bean).  Vegetables are eaten in a variety of ways—raw or cooked, as main courses, or as snacks  Different vegetables have different types of nutrients in them. Vegetables have water soluble vitamins such as vitamin B and C, and fat soluble vitamins such as A, D, E, and K, and also contain minerals and carbohydrates.  Since each category ...

 EQUIPMENT USED IN THE KITCHENS A professional kitchen set-up can be very confusing for beginners, At times it looks like a science laboratory where people are performing experiments. It looks so because the sparkling kitchens are adorned with sophisticated machines and equipment. Chefs use equipment and utensils in the kitchen to cook meals. Equipment can be further classified as the following Capital Equipment These are also known as large equipment or fixed equipment and they include ovens, gas ranges, and grillers. This equipment is usually fixed and inventoried. Inventory is a procedure followed to audit the physical presence of the equipment. The capital expenditure would depreciate over the period of time and hence it would include items that are expensive to buy. The inventories can be done quarterly or annually depending on a hotel's policy.  Operational Equipment These are used directly to operate the basic jobs in cooking and all the utensils, moulds, knives, etc. a...

Internal Customers Internal customers are the most important people with whom chefs deal on a daily basis and without whom their existence is almost negligible. The kitchen prepares food for the entire staff in the cafeteria and healthy and nutritious food is a great motivating factor for the entire team. Sometimes in cafeteria, chefs also celebrate the festivals with special food for the employees. Food and Beverage Service  It is a most common sight to see the kitchen staff arguing with service people and vice versa. The age old animosity between the two departments results from the fact that both do not appreciate each other's job. However, in spite of such differences, they are completely interdependent and cannot do without each other.  The kitchen depends on the service for the following things. 1. Service operates sales in various outlets. It takes the food order and serves it to the guest. 2. Service acts as a bridge between the guest and the chef and helps to communic...

 COORDINATION OF KITCHEN WITH OTHER DEPARTMENTS As we all know, the kitchen is the heart of the hotel operations; but its mere existence is meaningless if it does not have good people who serve the food and more so when there are no customers who will eat the food. Also, chefs will not be able to cook until they have the ingredients, so it will be right to say that suppliers too are an integral part of kitchen operations.  Everyone works as a team and so the coordination of the kitchen with rest of the departments in the hotel or with people outside the hotel is of utmost importance. The people outside the hotel, who directly or indirectly influence the business, are called 'external customers' and the departments inside the hotel are referred to as 'internal customers'. External Customers Usually the executive chef and the executive sous chef deal with the external customers and it is very important for the chefs to keep them happy. We are not only talking about guests...

 Safety Instructions Regarding Knives  There are many safety instructions which one must follow, to ensure longevity of the knives and to prevent any accident. 1. Always handle knives carefully, especially when cleaning and sharpening. 2. Never leave knives in a sink of water. This is bad for the blade and presents a safety hazard to anyone who puts his/her hands into the water. Always clean and wipe the knives dry before storing in a knife box. A knife box has a magnetic strip inside, on which the knives can be stuck and the same can be locked to ensure that there is control on the knives, as most of the knives are very expensive. 3. As a general rule, hold the knife away from the body. 4. When carrying a knife in the kitchen, make sure the blade faces downward to avoid injury to self or to others.  5. When cleaning a knife ensure that the cutting blade is facing away from your wiping hand. Always focus when handling your utensils. 6. Do not attempt to catch a falling kn...

 IDENTIFICATION OF KNIVES AND HOW TO SHARPEN THEM The importance of knives to a chef cannot be overstated. It is the most important piece of equipment in the kitchen, Knives come in various shapes and sizes and each is meant for species through some knives can be used as multi-purpose knives. Let us now familiarize ourselves with different parts of a knife  Blade  The blade is usually made up of a metal compound called high carbon stainless Steel. It combines the property of carbon of being sharpened easily and the non-corrosive Properties of steel Tip  The tip of the knife is the pointed edge where the knife blade ends. The tip generally is used for scoring patterns and working with meats or carving.   Spine  The spine of the knife is the topmost, thick edge of the knife, which gives strength to the knife. Bolsters  In some knives there is a collar known as a bolster, at the point where the blade meets the handle. It reinforces the structure of a...

 PERSONAL HYGIENE AND ITS IMPORTANCE IN THE KITCHEN As a food handler, one must ensure that the food provided to the customer is free of all of the above mentioned contaminants. Food handlers should remember that customers place great trust in them, and that carelessness on their part could make customers ill, or at times even lead to death.  Our normal body temperature, which is around 37°C, is favourable for bacteria to dwell and grow. This is probably the source of most cases of food poisoning Personal hygiene should be important to everyone but to a food handler, it is of paramount importance.  The food handler has a moral and legal responsibility of having good standards of personal hygiene. The bacteria on the human body are usually found on hands, ears, nose, mouth, throat, hair, and groin.  One must wash hands after touching these areas, otherwise the pathogen will enter into the food and then with favourable conditions the bacteria will grow and multiply an...