FOOD

PREPARATION
AND COOKING
Food Preparation and Cooking Methods The satisfactory production of
food in large quantities requires basic knowledge of cooking and food
preparation. The methods in food preparation include the removal of the
outer layer of food (peeling); cutting off of the outer covering with a knife
(pairing); cutting of food into small pieces (chopping); cutting up food into
cubes (dicing); cutting of foods into much-like strips (julienne); cutting of
food into thin shreds (shredding); egg cutting of foods into small particles
(ground). After the preliminary preparation, food ingredients are mixed
together (blend); mixed in a circular motion (stir); mixed until these turn
soft and creamy (cream); combined by being cut vertically and turned over
(fold); Folded, stretched, and pressed (knead); or beaten rapidly to
incorporate air (whip).
Cooking is defined as the application of heat to food for the following
reasons:
• To make food more readily digestible and easier to chew;
• To counter drugs certain foreign or harmful agents in the food (e. g.,
Bacteria);
• To enhance and emphasize flavor of the food; and
• To conserve the foods nutritive value
The cooking of food can be done through the direct application of heat
with no moisture added. Broiling, roasting, and toasting are some forms of
such cooking.
 Food can also be cooked through the indirect application of heat using
hot air (baking in an oven); hot metals (griddle); hot fat (frying); boiling
liquid (boil); hot liquid below boiling temperature (poach or simmer); or
steam with or without pressure (steam). Other ways of cooking food
include using a combination of hot liquid and hot fat such as sauteing,
braising, stewing, and fricasseeing.
The Standardized Recipe Recipe standardization is one of the
mechanisms used to ensure quality and quantity in food service
establishments. It is used to continuously improve the standards of the
food served in food service institutions to achieve customer satisfaction.
A standardized recipe is very important in large quantity food
preparation. It is a recipe develop on used in a particular food service
establishment and is written to produce the same result or yield when
followed and used by an establishment. Having been tested, it gives
consistent results as to quality and quantity.
Using standardized recipes has the following advantages:
• It assures the management of consistency in the quality and quantity of
ingredients, as well as establishes exact methods and techniques of
preparation and cooking with standard types of equipment.
• It ensures the accurate production of quantities required (yield), this
preventing under-or overproduction.
• It is a good basis for requisitioning and costing and terms of the ingredients
used.
• It saves time, money, and effort.
• It frees the supervisor from dependence on the whims of the cook and/or
changes in the assignments of kitchen personnel.
A standardized recipe should provide the following information:
▪ Name-it should be simple, easily understood, and descriptive of the
food.
▪ Ingredients-these should be listed in the order in which they are to be
used.
▪ Weights and measures-weight must be specified in kilograms or gram,
or in volume measurements for liquids and for seasoning and species.
▪ Procedures and directions- these should be clear, complete, concise,
and detailed. They should also include the cooking method,, and
temperature required. The direction should also be applied in the use
of ingredients.
▪ Yield- it should be expressed in the total weight or volume of the
product and should indicate the size of the serving portion and the
total number of servings.
▪ Cost-it should give the total cost and the portion cost of the recipe.
Steps in standardizing recipes for 50 persons or more:
1. Prepare the original recipe, following the indicated quantities of
the ingredients and execution of procedures exactly.
2. Evaluate the product for acceptability, using a scorecard. Ask a
panel to evaluate.
3. If there are changes to be made, make one change at a time and
keep records of the adjustment made. Run 2 or 3 trials until a
satisfactory uniform product is developed.
4. Expand the recipe to yield 50 to 100. Be very accurate in the
calculations.
5. Prepare the recipe for 100 least three times or more until the
product is perfected using the same equipment and personnel for
preparation and the same panel for tasting.
 Table 7.1. Sample Standardized Recipe
Name of the recipe: Bangus (Milkfish) Pinangat
Recipes No.035 Food category: fish Date: Approved 09/26/15 Coasted: 09/30/15 First served: 10/02/15 Due for review: 10/15/15

Ingredients Weights/Measurements/Number Cost Procedures

Medium Bangus Fresh 12kg(34 medium size)0.5 kg0.3 Php1,800.00 -clean fish; slice one fish into 3
tomatoesFresh onion kg1.0kg2.01 cup Php25.00Php25.00Php30.00 steaks-slice tomatoes (wedges),
bulbFresh kamias fruit Php10.00 onions (rings), and kamias
SaltSoy sauce (rings).-mix above and pour
over bangus steaks.-add salt
and soy sauce to the fish
mixture.-place the bangus steak
and vegetables in shallow pans
(18” x 26” x2”) and steam for 20
minutes in the steam
cooker.-serve bangus with the
acidic sauce where the fish was
Yield: 108 steaks total cost: Php 1,895.00 Size of serving cooked.
portion cost: Php 17.55 Portion: one steak
Recipes for Large-quantity Production For the preparation of large
quantity recipes, a number of cooks from selected foodservice operations in
metro manila were interviewed. Soups Preparing soups in a large quantity
is not as difficult as preparing meat and vegetable recipes. This is so
because the basic component of soup is liquid which is made a either thin or
thick by the ingredients added to it. In hospital, industrial, and school food
service system, soups are regularly included in the menu as the first hot
course of the meal. They are prepared in large quantities at one time using
stocks or broths as the base and adding other ingredients for variety.
 It has been the cooks observation that stocks extracted from meat
and bones of animals taste more palatable, (mas malasa) and can keep
for a longer period of time (hindi madaling mapanis). However, broths
from dish and vegetables are used only for soups of the day. Some
problems in the preparation of soups recipes usually encountered by
the cooks are the following:
• In cream soups, there is always the possibility of milk curdling.
Guaranteeing the flavor of soups made from shellfish like mussels
and clams is difficult because the freshness of shellfish is hard to
ascertain.
• Leafy green vegetables added to large quantity soups are likely to be
overcooked and discolored.
• Keeping the soup piping hot without overcooking the ingredients like
noodles and cereals is difficult.
Some suggestions on how to solve the preceding problems are the
following:
• To prevent curdling, use fresh milk in making the white sauce and
avoid oversalting. Serve the soup as soon as it is ready.
• If purchased live, clams and mussels should be examined closely.
Shells should be tightly if partly open, a tap should make them shut.
Fresh shellfish should be used within a day.
• Cook green vegetables only until they are tender but still a bright
green.
• Cook noodles and cereal until day are just tender if they are to be
served immediately. Shorten the boiling time a little for the pasta
and simmer to keep the soup piping hot.
Main Dishes As mentioned by the cooks, the main dishes regularly
prepared in their kitchens are those that are popular with the customers.
Of the local dishes, courses that include fish and shellfish are often
included in the menu. Fresh fish when prepared in large quantities are
either fried, steamed, or grilled.Except for local dishes like adobo, menudo,
and afritada, most meat dishes are prepared with a dash of foreign flair,
according to the cooks.
Vegetable Dishes Vegetables are not usually cooked in large
quantities at the same time. The cooks prepare and cook them in small
batches to avoid overcooking. In hospital menus, majority of the
vegetable dishes are sauteed or steamed. Some vegetables are boiled in
coconut milk as soup while others may be fried as in lumpia and ukoy.
Vegetables considered regular fare in hospital diets are cabbages, green
beans, potatoes, carrots, chayotes, cucumbers, turnips, squash, and some
leafy greens like pechay and kangkong. According to the cooks, there are
vegetables that cannot be cooked in large quantities like okra, upo,
eggplants and patola, as prolonged cooking makes them soggy,
discolored, and thus , unacceptable to the customers.
 THANK YOU!

...GOD BLESS...