CULINARY

FUNDAMENTALS
WITH LAB
Lesson 4
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 CHOOSING SUITABLE
CROCKERY

• Before you begin to design the way a

dish is presented. Always check what
crockery is available in sufficient
numbers.

• The crockery chosen must also suit the

size of the portion being served.

• Many dishes lose their appeal because

of overcrowding on a plate that is too
small for the meal.

• Sometimes diners can take offense at

something quite small being served on a
large plate. They see the portion as too 2
Dish Design
• Always bear in mind how suitable the design is for the service
type.

• Some dishes look fantastic in glossy magazines but do not lend

themselves to function-style service, where the food will be
served as quickly as possible.

• Dishes with too many components, or those that have

precariously placed items, are not suited for this type of service.

• Remember that while you are carefully placing components of

the dish, the food is losing heat and may be cold by the time it
reaches the diner. Waiting staff also need to take greater care
when carrying unsteady presentations.
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HYGIENE AND FOOD
HANDLING

Good hygiene dictates that you demonstrate a high

standard of cleanliness and care in your person.

Professional hygiene:

• Showering daily
• Using deodorant
• Grooming yourself well
• Washing your hands after using the toilet, after
smoking, after using a handkerchief and when entering
the kitchen after commencing work.

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Other hygiene practices include:

• Wearing a clean and well maintained

uniform as well as displaying work
practices that reflects an awareness
of hygiene.

• Good food handling practices are

those that ensure the prevention of
cross contamination and the hygienic
preparation, handling and storage of
foods.

i.e. Cleaning cutting boards, handling

food at appropriate temperatures,
tasting with spoons instead of fingers. 5
Comp
ny
BASIC METHODS OF
COOKERY
 mp
The purpose of cooking is for food to change its texture and make if more palatable.
The key to good cooking is temperature control.
The heat applied to food and the cooking times are integral points for all cookery methods.

Food can be cooked in air, fat, water or steam. These are known as Cooking Methods.
2 Types of Cooking Methods
1. Moist Heat Cooking methods
2. Dry Heat Cooking Methods. 7
MOIST HEAT COOKING
METHODS
• A liquid is used as a medium to conduct heat.
• Water, stock, milk, steam

They include:
• Boiling
• Simmering
• Poaching
• Steaming

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Dry Heat Cooking Methods

- Heat is transferred through

hot air or fat/oil.

This includes:
• Baking
• Grilling
• Roasting
• Broiling
• Frying
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 Combination of Dry and
Moist Heat Cooking
Methods

• Braising and Stewing

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BOILING

• Cooking the food in boiling water.

• This is the easiest method of cookery and

is also the least expensive.

• Boiling is a simple method and the control

of heat is not difficult.

• Boiling is carried out by immersing

foodstuffs in a liquid, usually water, ay 100
degrees celsius.

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 Methods and Principles of
Boiling
• Boiling is carried out by immersing foodstuffs in a liquid, usually water, ay
100 degrees celsius.

1. The food item being cooked must be completely immersed in boiling liquid.
2. Salted meat and root vegetables are started in cold water and brought gently
to the boil.
3. Green vegetables must be boiled without a lid or they become grey.
4. Green vegetables must be boiled without a lid or they become grey.
5. Stocks, soups and sauces are gently boiled (simmered).
6. Boiling should be started with sufficient liquid to allow for evaporation
during cooking of food.
7. Boiling or rapid boiling involves the application of much heat, so that there
is a turbulent movement of the liquid, with masses of bubbles bursting at the
surface.
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FOODS SUITABLE FOR
BOILING

• Pasta
• Rice
• Whole Eggs
• Vegetables requiring blanching (partial
cooking, usually in boiling water).

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Click to add photo

Simmering

- is a way to cook food gently and

slowly

-cooking the food in liquid, just below

the boiling point (but never allowed to
boil).
TEMPERATURE TO
SIMMER
• Simmering occurs between about 185 to 205ºF (85 to 96ºC).

• Most stews are cooked at this relatively low temperature. The

best way to monitor the temperature of a simmer is visual.

• Slow Simmer: A low heat with very little activity in the pot.
You’ll see wisps of steam and a stray bubble or two, but that’s
about all. This slow simmer is most often used for stocks and
braises.
• Simmer: A medium-low heat, with some gentle bubbling in
the pot. The basic simmer is often used for soups, stews,
sauces, and braises.
• Rapid Simmer: Medium- to medium-high heat, with more
bubbling in the pot, but the bubbles should still be fairly small.
Most often used for reducing sauces.

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Foods to Simmer

• Grains: Barley, farro, barley, millet, quinoa, and spelt can all be gently simmered with aromatics until
tender.
• Legumes: Beans and lentils were made for gentle simmering in a soup, chili, or stew.
• Vegetables: Fibrous, starchy root vegetables like beets, potatoes, sweet potatoes, rutabagas, and
turnips are best simmered so they cook evenly throughout.
• Meat and poultry: Simmering is used to cook meat and poultry often in the form of poaching or
braising, in the oven or on the stove.
• Fish: Delicate foods such as fish can be poached at or below a simmer to prevent them from breaking
apart or getting damaged.
• Stock: It’s also essential when making broth or stock; the slow cooking at a steady temperature helps
meld the flavors together.
• Large cuts of meat: Meats that are simmered stay moist and fork-tender, like corned beef, while
boiled meats are often dry and tough because the heat of boiling liquid can cause their proteins to
toughen.

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Simmering Tools

1.Stockpot
2.Slow Cooker
3.Slotted Spoon
4.Heat Diffuser
5.Cooking Spoon
6.Flame Tamer
7.Instant Read Thermometer

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Poaching

- Cooking the food in liquid, just below

the simmering point.

- 70-85 degrees celsius.

- involves submerging food in liquid,

typically without using fat.

- Poaching is a gentle cooking process

and a convenient way to prepare one
element of a multi-faceted meal without
having to keep an eye on it.
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What Are the Different Methods of Poaching?

All poaching methods are great for gently cooking delicate foods like fish, eggs,
meat, vegetables, and fruit. The trick with poaching is to keep the liquid at a low
temperature–just below the boiling point.

Techniques of Poaching:

•Submersion poaching covers the entire ingredient and sometimes requires a

cover of parchment paper to keep it from bobbing above the liquid. Make sure
you allow enough room in the pot for the liquid to expand.

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•Shallow poaching is a partial submersion using poaching liquid which can later
be reduced to a sauce base called “cuisson.” Often, cooks coat the inside of the
pan with butter before adding cold poaching liquid. Poaching with the lid on can
help cook the ingredient evenly or finish the dish quickly at the end.

•Par-poaching is like submersion poaching, but the ingredients are cooked for
half the time then is removed from the heat and set aside in the poaching liquid.
Test for doneness for most poaches with the tip of your knife—there should be
no resistance.

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Court Bouillon – Also known as a short
stock, with water, wine or wine vinegar (red
or white), mirepoix, salt and a bouquet of
herbs is used in deep-poaching

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What Liquids Can You Use to Poach?

There are a wide variety of liquids that can

be used in poaching.

•Boiling water
•White vinegar
•Red wine
•White wine
•Court bouillon
•Water
•Milk
•Stock
•Butter
•Aromatics
•Lemon juice
•Miso broth
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Steaming

-   Involves the transfer of heat through vaporized water or other

liquids to heat the food, which results in cooking it.

- Unlike boiling food submerged in water, with steaming the food is

kept separate from the boiling water but comes into direct contact with
the hot steam.

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Atmospheric Steaming (Low pressure steaming)

-Foods are held on a perforated surface above boiling

water. A lid is used to condense steam that would
escape., and this drips back into the boiling water and
reduces the risk of the water boiling dry.

-The temperature of steam with this method is

approximately 100-105 degrees celsius, as slight
pressure builds up allowing the temperature to rise
slightly.

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Atmospheric Steaming Methods

Direct Steaming:

-food comes in direct contact with the steam heat.

i.e. dumplings, rice cakes, siomai.

Indirect Steaming:

-food is placed in a closed pan, which is surrounded by plenty of steam in fast boiling
water. The food is protected in direct contact from the steam to avoid water from getting
to the food.

i.e. chocolate pudding is prepared this way.

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Pressure Steaming (High Pressure Steaming)

-Equipment that doesn’t allow the steam to escape is used.

i.e. Pressure cooker is used.

Foods that can be cooked in a pressure cooker:

•Beans.
•Stews.
•Tough cuts of meat – including beef, pork.
•Lentils.
•Artichokes.
•Squash.
•Soups.
•Mashed potatoes.

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Modern Method of Steaming

Sous Vide

- French term which means “under vacuum”.

- Food is vacuum sealed in a plastic pouch or

glass jar.

- Sealed pack food is cooked in a water bath.

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Temperatures for sous vide:

Red meat- 55-60 degrees celsius

Poultry- 66-71 degrees celsius

Vegetables- 80-85 degrees celsius

-if food is cooked in a lower temperature the

cooking process is slow. It may take 1-7 hours or
more.

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En Papillote

- enveloped in paper.

- similar to sous vide. Food is put into a folded pouch or

parcel and then baked.

- 220-230 degrees celsius.

- parchment paper can be used or aluminun foil but in Asian

countries, banana leaves are also used. This is popular in
cooking fish.

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 THANK YOU

8/ 03/ 20 XX PIT CH DE CK 30