Food Pre-preparation: Part 17

The key to carrying out production tasks successfully is careful organization-finding out exactly what is needed, planning it carefully, and setting up your own mise en place. Not only do skillful cooks know how to produce a quality product; they can do it with a minimum expenditure of time, motion, materials, and energy because they know how to organize their work. Some of the greatest achievements of great chefs and managers have stemmed from their ability to organize well prior to cooking. This is the essence of precooking readiness.

THE COOK'S VOCABULARY Mise en place - French terms referring to having all the ingredients necessary for a dish prepared and ready to combine upto the point of cooking.

Chop - Using quick, heavy blows with a knife to cut food into bite size pieces.

Mince - to cut food into very small pieces.

Puree - any food that is finally mashed to a smooth, thick consistency.

concasse - mixture that is coarsely chopped or ground, such as tomato concasse

Whetstone - also called oilstones, are rectangular blocks made of extremely hard carborundum. They are fine grained, often with one side coarser than the other is. Knives should periodically be honed on whetstones to keep them sharp.

Sharpening steel - long and pointed, this thin round rod is made of extremely hard, high-carbon steel and is used to keep a fine edge on sharp knives.

Brunoise - a mixture of vegetables that have been finally diced or shredded and cooked slowly in butter.

Dice - to cut food into tiny, medium or large cubes.

Julienne - foods that have been cut into thin match stick strips.

Batonnet - various small, stick shaped foods

Blend - to mix two or more ingredients together until combined.

Bind - to stir an ingredient into a hot liquid, causing it to thicken.

Beat - to stir rapidly in a circular motion.

Whip - to beat ingredients such as egg whites or cream. It allows air into the mixture, thus increasing the volume of the product and making it light and fluffy.

Fold - a technique used to combine a light airy mixture with a heavier mixture.

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