A chef is a person who prepares food as an occupation in restaurants,
hotels, private homes, etc. ‘Taste, ideas, skill, sincerity’: This slogan of
the great chefs of today might also have been of the chefs of the gone years.
What has really changed over the centuries is the mythology of cookery. Once
reserved for the privileged few such as guests at large hotels or guests in a
few rich households possessing their own cook, it is now popularized by the
media and is gradually becoming accessible to a large number of people.
Today’s great chefs often acquire stardom through the media but
often they must also become business executives, concerned about public
relations, promotion and administration.
SKILL LEVELS
The
term chef is
reserved for one who is in
charge of a kitchen or a part of a kitchen. The word chef
is French for “chief” or “head”. The title must be
earned by experience not only in preparing food but also in managing a staff
and in planning production. New cooks who want to advance in their careers know
they must always use the word chef
with respect. Skills required of food production personnel vary not only
with the job level but also with the establishment and the kind of food
prepared. Nevertheless, we can group skills into three general categories.
1.
Supervisory.
The
head of a food service kitchen, whether called executive chef, head chef, working chef, or dietary director, must
have management and supervisory skills as well as a thorough knowledge of food
production. Leadership positions require an individual who understands
organizing and motivating people, planning menus and production procedures,
controlling costs and managing budgets, and purchasing food supplies and
equipment.
2. Skilled and technical.
While
the chef is the head of an establishment, the cooks are the backbone. These
workers carry out the actual food production. Thus, they must have knowledge of
and experience in cooking techniques, at least for the dishes made in their own
department.
3.
Entry level.
Entry-level
jobs in food service usually require no particular skills or experience.
Workers in these jobs are assigned such work as washing vegetables and
preparing salad greens. As their knowledge and experience increase, they may be
given more complex tasks and eventually become skilled cooks.
STANDARDS
OF PROFESSIONALISM
What
does it take to be a good food service worker?
The
emphasis of a food service education is on learning a set of skills. But in
many ways, attitudes are
more important than skills because a good attitude will help you not only learn
skills but also persevere and overcome the many difficulties you will face.
The
successful food service worker follows an unwritten code of behavior and set of
attitudes we call professionalism. Let’s
look at some of the qualities a professional must have.
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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.
A cook with a positive attitude works quickly,
efficiently, neatly, and safely. Pride in your work and in your profession is
important, but humility is important too, especially when you are starting out.
The importance of a professional attitude begins
even before you start your first job. The standard advice for a successful job
interview applies to cooks as well as to office professionals: Dress and behave
not for the group you belong to but for the group you want to join. Arrive
neat, clean, appropriately dressed, and on time. Get noticed for the right
reasons. Carry this attitude through every day on the job.
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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 grueling.
Overcoming the 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.
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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.
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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.
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A FULL RANGE OF SKILLS
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.
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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.
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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.
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.
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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.
Personal Hygiene
A Professional Appearance is one that conveys to other people the
fact that the employee has pride in the job, pride in how they look and that
their attitude to learning indicates interest, willingness and keenness as well
as that they care. A hygienic appearance is indicated by high standards of
personal cleanliness and is shown by cleanliness of hair, hands, face, clothing
and shoes.
It is most important not only in the self-interest of the
individual, but also to other food handlers and consumers, and in the interest
of the reputation of the establishment, that professional and hygienic
standards are practiced. It is also a legal requirement that all involved in
the preparation and cooking of food comply with the Food Hygiene Regulations.
Good personal hygiene is essential to help prevent food-borne disease. The
following points must be put into practice.
1. Do not work with food if you have
any communicable disease or infection.
2. Bath or shower daily.
3. Wear clean uniforms and aprons.
4. Keep hair neat and clean. Always
wear a hat or hairnet.
5. Keep moustaches and beards trimmed
and clean. Better yet, be clean-shaven.
6. Wash hands and exposed parts of
arms before work and as often as necessary during work, including:
a. After eating, drinking, or smoking.
b. After using the toilet.
c. After touching or handling anything
that may be contaminated with bacteria.
7. Cover coughs and sneezes, then wash
hands.
8. Keep your hands away from your
face, eyes, hair, and arms.
9. Keep fingernails clean and short.
Do not wear nail polish.
10. Do not smoke or chew gum while on
duty.
11. Cover cuts or sores with clean
bandages.
12. Do not sit on worktables.
Uniform
and Protective Clothing
The Chef’s uniforms are designed keeping in
mind that these keep the workers safe, as they all operate in a potentially
dangerous environment with lots of sophisticated machinery and tools around.
Chef’s
Jacket
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Chef’s
Trousers
Kitchen pants are also designed to provide
comfort and protection. The traditional checkered pants were so designed to
camouflage spills and the colour of the pants in some organisations also
denotes the seniority of the chef. A black pant is usually worn by sous chef
and other senior chefs, while cooks and apprentices would wear checkered pants.
Chef’s
Hat
The most interesting part of the uniform is
the tall white hat, called toque blanc. The main purpose of the hat is to
prevent hair falling into the food and also help in absorbing sweat. Disposable
paper hats are also used and are thrown away when they are soiled.
Scarf
/ Neckerchief.
Chefs wear white neckerchiefs, which are
knotted in the front. These were originally designed to absorb perspiration.
Nowadays, chefs wear the neckerchiefs to keep the tradition and finish the look
of their uniforms. In some cases scarves are used to represent various levels
in a kitchen hierarchical grid.
Apron
It is usually made of thick cotton fabric and
is worn around the waist with the help of a long string. The apron should reach
below the knees to protect the chefs from spilling hot liquids. The string of
the apron helps hold the chef’s kitchen towel in place. The loose ends of the
same should be tucked under or else they can be trapped in machinery and can
cause accidents.
Kitchen
Towel / Duster
They are used to pick up hot pots and pans
and also to wipe hands in order to keep them dry. Usually two dusters should be
kept with the chef – one to wipe wet hands, and the other (dry one), to pick up
hot pans, as a wet duster can scorch the hands. Considering the modern kitchen
hygiene trends, it is advisable to use disposable paper towels for wiping and
cleaning.
Shoes
The shoes should be black and well polished.
To prevent slipping, the sole should be made of rubber. Black cotton socks, preferably the sweat
absorbing cotton variety should be worn. The shoes should be closed, to prevent
the feet from scorching in case of spills. The shoes have to be comfortable, as
we know that cook will have to stand for long hours.
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Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points
(HACCP)
HACCP
is an acronym that is fast becoming a commonly used term in food service
and food safety. It stands for Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points,
which is a scientific state-of-the-art food safety program originally
developed for astronauts. HACCP takes a systematic and preventive approach
to the conditions that are responsible for most food borne illness. It is
preventive in nature; it attempts to anticipate how food safety problems
are more likely to occur, and then it takes steps to prevent them from
occurring.
The
heart of HACCP is contained in the following seven principles.
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Safety Procedure in Handling Equipment
PREVENTING INJURIES FROM MACHINES AND EQUIPMENT
Identifying
hazards, assessing risks and taking action to remove hazards is the concern of
every employer and employee. Serious accidents must be reported. Most accidents
in the catering industry are caused by:
·
Slips, trips and falls
·
Incorrect lifting
·
Burns, scalds and cuts.
It is
desirable to develop a sense of awareness of potential hazards, in order to
prevent accidents. Examples of hazards include:
·
power plug 'on' when cleaning
electrical equipment
·
trailing electrical flexes
·
faulty sockets (electrical)
·
overloaded plugs (electrical)
·
failure to replace lighting,
bulbs or tubes
·
not using correct steps to
replace bulbs
·
having wet hands when
handling equipment and plugs
·
gas pilot not alight
Precautions
to obviate accidents or hazards include the following advice.
1.
Floors must be in good repair
and free from obstacles.
2.
Spillages must be cleaned up
at once.
3.
Warning notices of slippery
floors need to be well displayed.
4.
Guards on machinery should be
in place.
5.
Extra care is needed when
guards are off during cleaning.
6.
Only one person at a time
should operate machine.
7.
Never put hand or arm into
bowl of electric mixer or cutter until stopped.
8.
Use separate cutting boards
for cooked and raw foods, and sanitize after using.
9.
Use tasting spoons, and use
them only once – do not “double dip”. Do not taste foods with fingers or with
kitchen utensils.
10.
Only dry untorn gloves or
cloths should be used to handle hot pans, etc.
11.
Pan-handles should not
protrude over the stove.
12.
Lift heavy items correctly to
prevent back injury.
13.
Use a trolley to move heavy
items.
14.
Finger guards and safety
aprons may assist in preventing accidents.
15.
Never place knives in sinks.
16.
Use knives correctly so as to
prevent accidents; if you have to carry knives, carry with points down; always
lay down knives flat, not with blade pointing up-
17.
Signs must indicate
potentially hazardous machinery and chemicals.
18.
Protective clothing should be
worn, sleeves down, apron on.
19.
Protective footwear should be
in good state of repair.
20.
Post emergency phone numbers
for the ambulance, hospital and fire department near every phone.
PREVENTING CUTS
1. Keep
knives sharp. A sharp knife is safer than a dull one because it requires less
pressure and is less likely to slip.
2. Use
a cutting board. Do not cut against a metal surface. Place a damp towel under
the board to keep it from slipping.
3. Pay
attention to your work when using a knife or cutting equipment.
4. Cut
away from yourself and other workers.
5. Use
knives only for cutting, not for such jobs as opening bottles.
6. Don’t
try to catch a falling knife. Step back and let it fall.
7. Don’t
put knives in a sink, under water, or any other place where they can’t be seen.
8. Clean
knives carefully, with the sharp edge away from you.
9. Store
knives in a safe place, such as a rack, when not in use.
10. Carry
knives properly. Hold the knife beside you, point down, with the sharp edge
back and away from you. Don’t swing your arm. Whenever possible, carry knives
in a sheath. Warn people when you are walking past them with a knife in hand.
11. Keep
breakable items, such as dishes and glassware, out of the food production area.
12. Don’t
put breakable items in the pot sink.
13. Sweep
up—don’t pick up—broken glass.
14. Discard
chipped or cracked dishes and glasses.
15. Use
special containers for broken dishes and glasses. Don’t throw them in with
other garbage.
16. If
there is broken glass in the sink, drain the sink before trying to take out the
glass.
17. Remove
all nails and staples when opening crates and cartons, and dispose of them.
PREVENTING BURNS
1. Always
assume a pot handle is hot. Don’t just grab it with your bare hand.
2. Use
dry pads or towels to handle hot pans. Wet ones will create steam, which can
burn you.
3. Keep
pan handles out of the aisle so people won’t bump into them .Also, keep handles
away from the open flames of gas burners.
4. Don’t
fill pans so full that they are likely to spill hot foods.
5. Get
help when moving heavy containers of hot food.
6. Open
lids away from you to let steam escape safely.
7. Use
care when opening compartment steamers.
8. Make
sure gas is well vented before trying to light ovens or pilot lights. Strike
matches before turning on the gas. Also, strike matches away from your body.
9. Wear
long sleeves and a double-breasted jacket to protect yourself from spilled or
spattered hot foods or fat. Also, wear sturdy leather shoes with closed toes.
10. Dry
foods before putting them in frying fat, or hot fat may splatter on you.
11. When
placing foods in hot fat, let them fall away from you so fat will not splash on
you.
12. Keep
liquids away from the deep fryer. If a liquid were spilled into the fryer, the
sudden rush of steam could spray hot fat on anyone nearby.
13. Always
warn people when you are walking behind them with hot pans or when you are
walking behind someone who is working with hot items.
14. Warn
service people about hot plates.
PREVENTING FIRES
1. Know
where fire extinguishers are located and how to use them.
2. Use
the right kind of fire extinguisher. There are three classes of fires, and fire
extinguishers should be labeled according to the kind of fire for which they
can be used.
•
Class A fires:
wood, paper, cloth, ordinary combustibles
•
Class B fires:
burning liquids, such as grease, oil, gasoline, solvents
•
Class C fires:
switches, motors, electrical equipment, and so forth
Never use water or a Class A fire extinguisher on a
grease fire or electrical fire. You will only spread the fire.
3. Keep
a supply of salt or baking soda handy to put out fires on range tops.
4. Keep
hoods and other equipment free from grease build up.
5. Don’t
leave hot fat unattended on the range.
6. Smoke
only in designated areas. Do not leave burning cigarettes unattended.
7. If
a fire alarm sounds and if you have time, turn off all gas and electric
appliances before leaving the building.
8. Keep
fire doors closed.
9. Keep
exits free from obstacles.
10.
Establish and post a plan for
emergency evacuation, clearly identifying routes and exits. The plan should
include procedures for evacuating customers and other nonemployees.
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