Food Pre-preparation: Part 15

Open the freezer doors only when you must, and never leave it open. It is essential to maintain a constant freezer temperature in order to preserve product quality. Never use the freezer to cool down a large pot quickly. Check the temperature whenever you put something in or take something out, and report to your supervisor any reading varying from the 0 to -10°F range (-18 to -23°C).

Keeping foods successfully

We will have more to say about holding, storage, and shelf life in the articles on specific kinds of foods. Meantime let us summarize the keys to successful holding and storage in the following rules:

1. Know the product and its shelf life

2. Store and hold at safe temperatures-below 40°F or above 140°F (below 4° or above 60°C)

3. Cover or wrap all foods

4. Store and hold in clean, odor-free areas

5. Store raw, processed, and cooked foods separately

6. Label stored foods with name, date, and quantity

7. Rotate stock

8. Plan production carefully to minimize holding.

ORGANIZING FOR PRODUCTION

Management carries out the overall task of planning the day's production. For their place in the scheme of things cooks rely on the plans management has formulated. A production worksheet developed by the manager or supervisor becomes the tool of communication. Such worksheets contain assignments for each cook.

The worker's responsibility

Although worksheets may be supplied, each worker's setup-mise en place-is an individual responsibility. So is organizing one's own time in order to complete assignments and meet deadlines. The cook's part in pre-cooking readiness, then, means setting up for maximum efficiency. Only if you spend time getting ready for a job can you do the job effectively.

To set yourself up properly to prepare anything in the kitchen, you must answer several basic questions:

1. What is the job?

2. What is the product?

3. How is the product prepared?

4. How much is needed?

5. When is it needed?

6. What equipment is needed?

7. What is the style of service?

Each one of your answers can affect your course of action in preparing the product. The first task in readiness is to answer the questions and take steps to satisfy them. Let's look at these questions one at a time.

To answer the first question - What is the job? - You could simply say the job is one of production: producing the assigned product. But the complete answer can be given only after all the other questions have been answered and a plan of action has been formulated.

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