PART TWELVE: MORE SECTIONS OF THE MAIN KITCHEN OF A BIG HOTEL AND WHAT HAPPENS THERE

VEGETABLE & GREEN SALADS SECTION

MY STARTING SECTION OF MY APPRENTICESHIP

When I started my apprenticeship, I was assigned to the vegetable and green salads section. As a new apprentice, I had to learn all the basics on how to peal, clean and cut vegetables, all green varieties of lettuces, potatoes and fruits. One part was how to check the deliveries and how to store them correctly in the walk in cool room. The second part was how to prepare, peal and clean all the vegetables for the Hot Section, Cold Larder Section and lettuces for the satellite kitchens. How to peal and cut fresh fruits for the pastry section and breakfast section. The Vegetable and green salads section was placed closed to the walk in cool room where all vegetables, green salads, fruits and herbs where kept. Two large sinks and a large preparation area was available to do all the work. Also part of my training was to use certain knives and peelers and do to the work efficiently.I was working there for the first 3 months until a had a very sound understanding of it all. Sometimes, one of the "Cassroliers" (Kitchen hand) would work with me depending on the work load. The ambient temperature was also very low due to the nature of the work.

FISH AND SEAFOOD SECTION

THE NEXT PART OF MY BASIC TRAINING

This was a very smelly part of my training. I will go home every day smelling like a fish. One of the first basic skill I learned on that section is how to wash my hands after handling fresh water or salt water fish. Always wash your hands with cold water and soap first, then rub your hands with fresh lemon juice. The reason to use cold water is; the skin has pores that open when it is hot and close when it is cold. This is to protect your body from heat or cold. So when you use warm or hot water to wash your hands, all the fish smell will penetrate your skin and your hands will smell of fish for days to come. 

The fish and seafood section is the coldest part of the kitchen. Again, that section is near the cool room for fish and seafood, has 2 sinks, preparation area and a ice machine. So everything you touch is cold to freezing cold. 

On that section I had to learn all the types of fish and seafood. How to check if the fish and seafood was fresh, how to cut, scale and fillet the fish. how to prepare the seafood and most importantly, how to store it correctly. Here I learned a new knife skill, using a filleting knife. A filleting knife has a flexible blade, about 8 inches long and the width starting with about one inch going to a sharp point. I had to learn to skin certain fish, fillet certain fish like trout, salmon, sword fish and the like. 

Fish is very expensive in Switzerland due to the fact that Switzerland is not bordering to the ocean.All the salt water fish is flown in directly and was only caught a few hours ago. 

MEAT SECTION OR HOTEL BUTCHERY

THE THIRD PHASE OF MY BASIC TRAINING

Now I was on the Meat Section. Also part of the Main Kitchen, the ambient temperature was also cool. This basic training had two parts: first in house training, second out of house training with a proper butcher firm. I needed to learn about all the different types of meats like beef, pork, veal, lamb, chicken, turkey, and game meats. Then I had to learn all the different types of cuts from different parts of the animals body, how to portion the meats and how to store the meats. Once I worked for a couple of months on that section, I was send to a butcher firm to learn how to bone out a full carcass, separating the meat from the bone and separate the different cuts for different uses.Starting at 5 am in the morning in the city of Zurich, I had a totally new experience away from the hotel life. The butchers all had breakfast about 8 am consisting of boiled sausages and potatoes. That was a bit different to the breakfasts I use to. I met some crazy blokes there. They where all tall, lots of muscles and mad. Some of them will drink BLOOD every day, beef blood. They prompted me to have some but I declined. Apparently it gives you a lot of power but attacks the brain over a long period of time drinking blood. I use to call them "Day time Vampires". I worked for 4 weeks with the butchers and I learned the skill of boning.

Next week I will talk about the pastry section and by all means one of the sections you have to work to the gram exactly. Enjoy life, eat good food and live well.