PART SIXTEEN: PRACTICAL KITCHEN JOKES AND FUNNY STORIES

When Chefs play practical jokes to apprentices

Chefs have a great sense of humour. I found that to be the case. When I went for my first work experiences, knowing next to nothing about cooking in a commerical kitchen, the Chefs got me a few times with some practical jokes. 

Chopping white flour: During one of my first work experiences, one of the Chefs got some white flour, a chopping board and a large vegetable knife and placed it on a working bench. He called me over and explained to me that I had to chop some flour. The flour was not fine enough and he needed to get the flour super fine for a bread dough. He explained to me how much flour to place on the chopping board and how to hold the large vegetable knife while I chop the flour. As you may know, white flour is so fine, any chopping would make no difference. But I did not even think this far and I would not challenge any Chef on a job I had to do. I was listening to the Chef explaining to me how to do that job.  I started to chop that white flour for about 10 minutes. The Chef came by to see how I go, took a bit of flour into his hand to check how much finer the flour was and told me to keep chopping. Ten more minutes later he came back, tested the flour and then he stated that the flour was fine enough. Now I had to chop 20 kilograms more. I could not believe it as my arm started to give me some pain. The look on my face made all the Chefs lough so loud. I realized then, the Chefs played a practical joke on me. 

Peeling green peas:  I was in a very fine restaurant for a work exerience. A small team of Chefs in the kitchen. On my second day, the Sous Chef had a job for me. He ask me to get a large tin of green peas, open the tin and bring the peas in the tin to him. He also ask me to get two stainless steel bowls. The Sous Chef ask me to start peeling every pea and place the peeled peas into one bowl and the skins into the other bowl. I ask him why I had to peel the peas. He explained to me that the peas where used to make a pea mousse for a special dish. In order to make that mousse, the skins had to be removed to ensure that the mousse was very smooth. A small paring knife I could use if I wanted. I started to peel the first few peas with the paring knife. It took me for ever to peel just 10 peas when I realized that there was an easier way to do this job. I took a single pea, applied gentle pressure and the skin would slide off the pea. It took me about an half hour to get half the tin of peas peeled when the Head Chef turned up. He came up to me and ask what I was doing. I explained to him that I was peeling green peas from the tin for a pea mousse. He bursted out in loughter. The Chefs started to lough as well. The Head Chef explained to me that they play that practical joke on all work experiences. He was impressed with my work and told me that nobody before me could peel as many peas. 

 The Lobster Gun

I started my apprenticeship with two other Chef apprentices. Their names where Chris and John. (not their real names). One day, our Executive Chef came into the kitchen with a large foam box of live lobsters. None of us apprentices would possibly know how to prepare and cook live lobsters. He called us over to the seafood section to show us the lobsters. Our hotel was very closed to the Zurich International airport. The lobsters where cought just a few hours ago in France and flown directly to Zurich and delivered to us. In the foam box was ice and the lobsters on top. The lobster sissors where kept closed with a rubber band. A lobster can cut off a finger with one snap of the sissors.

We where amazed to see real lobsters in front of us and to our amazement we where surprised how big they are. Our Executive Chef had also a very good sense of humour. He ask John to go to the General Managers Office and ask Mister Saddok, our General manager back then, to get the permission to go and collect a lobster gun from the maintenance department. We did not know that this was a joke. The Chefs working in the Main kitchen at that time did not react to the Executive Chef request and played along with the lobster gun story.  
In the meantime John ended up at the General Managers (GM) office and the GM did allow John to go to the maintenance department to collect the lobster gun. The GM knew that this was a joke and played along. John did eventually turn up in the Kitchen again and came back to us. The Executive Chef ask him where the lobster gun was. John replied that the maintenance department told him that the lobster gun was not working and they where trying to fix it. As soonest poor John reported back to the Executive Chef, all the Chefs started to lough. None of us apprentices knew that there was not such a thing as a lobster gun. He then explained to us how lobsters where cooked. We all went over to the Hot Section and the Chef in charge had a huge pot ready with boiling water. 
Now, as cruel it sounds, lobsters are cooked alive. To make sure the lobsters don't suffer, you drop them head first into the boiling water. That kills them instantly. Once the shell turns red, they are removed from the boiling water and placed in ice water to cool them down immediately. 
Back in the 1970s and 80s it was also a common practice to cut live lobsters in half, from head to tail. That method was used for a different way to prepare and cook lobsters. When I was told to cut lobsters in half, I blundly refused. I got yelled at by the Chef but I would refuse to cut a animal in half while still alive for the reason of cruelty. I was not popular that day but I could not care less. 
I was never ask again to do this job and it was not a requirement at the exams at the end of the apprenticeship. 

Have a sense of humor

When you start your apprenticeship as a Chef, you need to have a sense of humor, a thick skin and remember not to take everything personal. When a Chef critisize the work you do, take it on the chin, say ¨Yes Chef!¨ and do it better. A joke is not against you personally and it is the same thing when you crack a joke at someone else. Be funny but not personal. Develop a good sense of humor, lough a lot and always be respectful to others. 

Next week I talk about common kitchen accidents and how to avoid them. A common sense approach to Occupational Health and Safety in a commercial kitchen. From clothing, shoes and tools to operating appliances. 

Until then, keep smiling, lough a lot and enjoy life and good food. Have a grat week.

PART FIFTEEN: SATELLITE KITCHENS -- THE HEAT IS ON !

A la carte Service

My first introduction to fast pace cooking

Been in my apprenticeship now for a number of months, knowing a few basics, I was now working in one of the satellite kitchens of the hotel. A fast pace working enviroment in confined space, totally different to the Main Kitchen. Timing, team work and attention to detail. Concentration, listen to every word the head chef calls out, remembering what has been ordered by the guests and getting the job done fast. Timing was the most important aspect working in the Sattelite Kitchen. Meals for each Table had to be ready at the same time. Entrees would go out together and the same with the main courses. The same would happen again with the desserts.

To be honest, I was a bit scared first. Working in an open kitchen where the guests see and hear you was also new to me. I have to point out that I was working alongside with a chef on the larder section to learn all the dishes on the larder section. Once the head chef was satisfied with my efforts and work, he would put me on the section while the larder chef had his day off.  Starting on the larder section where all entrees are prepared, I had to make sure not to miss anything the head chef called out. When I missed an entree when everyone was ready to send the first course, i got yelled at by the chef in charge. I could not affort to stuff up or miss an order.

Sattelite kitchens, where you find them 

Sattelite Kitchens or also known as Open Kitchens are found in Hotel Restaurants and some larger Restaurants. Chefs working in those kitchens prepare and cook all the dishes you would find on the menu of the Restaurant. Depending on the size of the Restaurant, 3 to 8 chefs would work in those kitchens on any given shift. In an open kitchen is a area between the kitchen and the restaurant that looks like a bar. A stainless steel surface with heat lights hanging from the ceiling. That is the area where all the finished dishes are placed once the dishes are plated and garnished. The Head Chef or Executive Chef would then check the dishes and coordinate the waiters and waitresses to take the meals to the right table. The Head Chef would stand on the restaurant site of the kitchen facing the chefs. This way the head chef can keep an eye on the chefs and at the same time coordinate between the chefs and the waiting staff. 

A Hotel with a number of restaurants would have the same number of Sattelite Kitchens. The Chefs would get all the goods from the Central or Main kitchen of that Hotel. To give you an idea, see the photos below.

The Heat Is On!! 

Working as a Chef can be fun but also very stressful. When you work in a Sattelite kitchen, or Restaurant, Pub or Function center, you are faced daily with SERVICE. Service the Chef call the main meal times. Breakfast can be from 5:30am to 10:30 am, Lunch from 11:00am to 2:30 pm and Dinner from 5:30pm till 10:30pm. This are the times where the Heat is on. The guests come in to eat and you have to make sure that the guests are not waiting to long to get the meals they ordered. Business people and people working have sometimes have an half hour to one hour break to order the meal, eat and pay before they have to go back to work. So your job as a Chef is to make sure that the guest can eat and get back to work in that time. That keeps the guests happy and they will come back again. The guest is the most important aspect in this business. 

Bookings are the first job of a chef to check before preperation for service begins. A part from bookings you have also walk ins, in other words, guests who had no booking. As a chef, you have to make sure that you have enough preparation for service. You don't want to run out of food, that would be bad for business and very bad practice for you as a Chef. 

In my own experience the Restaurant would have 2 to 3 seetings per service. If you have 100 seats and have 3 seatings, you may end up cooking for up to 300 people during service. Speed, timing and working efficiently is vital. 

You may know the old saying: ¨ If you can't handle the heat, get out of the kitchen!¨  

Next week I will talk about a few funny stories that happend in my time of my apprenticeship. Until then, remember to enjoy life and great food. 

PART FOURTEN: THE FUNCTION KITCHEN WHERE SPEED AND QUALITY MATTERS

COOKING FOR GROUPS FROM 20 TO SEVERAL 100

My first introduction to high volume menu cooking and plating

I had a new experience in front of me, working in the function kitchen. Totally different from working in the Main Kitchen, the Function Kitchen is a very intense place to work. Timing, working fast and clean, doing the same thing for hours and long working hours is the norm in the Function Kitchen. 

From cocktail parties to buffets, sit down 2 or 3 course meals to grand dinners, morning and afternoon teas between conferences or seminars are served from the function kitchen. 

Working in an International Hotel, the standard of the food served needs to be very high. That applies to all food outlets including a high volume function kitchen. From the taste to the presentation, everything has to be top quality. 

Location and equipment of a Function Kitchen

The function kitchen is based next to the function rooms. In the hotel where I made my apprenticeship, the function kitchen was based on the third floor, right next to the function rooms. The reason for that is as follows; When the waiters and waitresses serve the food, the distance from the kitchen to the guests has to be short. That ensures that the food is getting to the guests still hot. It is also a reason for the chefs to set up buffets with platters, displays, hot and cold foods without having to transport the foods over a long distance. Timing is very important, so when you plate up 200 or more meals, the serving time has to be kept to a minimum. The waiting staff has to be able to serve the meals fast and return quickly to pick up the next lot of meals.

A function kitchen is a fully equiped kitchen. From a large stove to ovens, large cooking pots and fry pans, deep fryers, sinks, large working areas, refrigerators and freezers, dish - and pot wash area, bain marie's, plate heaters, different baking - and storage trays, heat lights where the food gets plated, cooking utensils and appliances, a dry goods storage area and a cleaning chemicals storage area. 

A FULL FUNCTIONING KITCHEN WHERE HIGH VOLUME MEALS ARE GETTING COOKED OR REHEATED AND SERVED.

Working in the function kitchen

Working with other chefs one has to work clean, efficient and exactly. The other important factor is that I had to learn that working in the function kitchen resulted in long days. Many times we started at 7 am and finished at 11 pm. Many times we prepared for 3 days for a VIP Buffet. A Gala Dinner took 2 days at least. The numbers of guests where in the hundreds, meaning every item on the plate had to be prepared hundreds of times. Lets take an example: Just the Main course. Eye filet medaillon with a selection of vegetables and croquette potatoes. Back in the 80s the common way was to have every vegetable turned. See image.

Turned carrots and zucchini, beans wrapped in bacon. Croquette potatoes done from scratch. So if you had 250 people for dinner, one needed 3 croquette potatoes per person, a total of 750 croquettw potatoes. 250 bundles of beans wrapped in bacon, 500 turned carrots, 500 turned zucchinis, 250 eye filet medaillons @ 250 gm each plus 25 litres of sauce. 

As an apprentice, we had to turn vegetables. A special knife is used for turning. See image.

I would spend hours turning carrots, zucchinis and parsnips. They had to be all the same size and look. The cut off parts of the vegetables would be used to make soup. 

The croquette potatoes where made from scratch and they needed to look exactly the same. See image.

The eyefilet medaillons where cut in the meat section in the main kitchen and the sauce was made in the hot section in the main kitchen. 

A VERY IMPORTANT FACT YOU HAVE TO REMEMBER

Working in the function kitchen was an important part of my training to become a chef. I had to do the same job for hours but that gave me the skill to do many things just about in my sleep. One thing I realized; I never stopped learning. It did not matter how long I worked as a chef, I learned all the time something new. Today, with over 30 years of experience, I still learn new ways of cooking and new dishes to cook. I also realized, that I can learn something from an apprentice, or a cook or a top level chef. I had to be prepared to be open minded and prepared to learn something new every day. That has not changed and still applies in the present. Never think, that you know it all, because that attitude will get you nowhere in the life of a chef. You can only become a top chef if you are prepared to learn from anyone who knows how to cook. 

Next week I talk about the satellite kitchens attached to the restaurants. Till then, enjoy life and fine foods. 

PART THIRTEEN: THE SWEET PART OF THE MAIN KITCHEN -- THE PASTRY SECTION

WELCOME TO THE PASTRY SECTION

THE SECTION WHERE CHEMISTRY PLAYS A ROLE

It took a better part of 6 months before I was going to work and learn about the Pastry Section. In that section, one has to work very exactly by recipes. Every ingredient has to be weighed exactly to the gram. The reason for that is; The content of the recipe has to be precise due to the fact that the end result is a success. For those of you who have baked a cake before or made a dough for bread or cub cakes knows very well, that if the recipe is not followed, the end result can end up a disaster. 

As a Chef, you need to have a good understanding about pastries and sweets, including how to make sorbets, ice cream, basic cakes, different puddings and cream deserts like vanilla cream, cream caramel, chocolate cream and fruit flavored cream desserts. Also small tarts filled with a cream patisserie (like a vanilla custard) and topped with fruits like berries, bananas, pineapples, cherries and the like. You also get to learn how to work with chocolate, how to melt chocolate as an ingredient for chocolate mousse, chocolate flan, chocolate ice cream plus lots more. Working with sugar, how to caramelize sugar without burning the sugar and most importantly to keep your fingers away from cooked sugar. You can burn yourself severely when you get cooked sugar on your hands. Sugar takes a while to cool down, so when you get caramelized sugar on your hands, it will not cool down for a while.

THE PASTRY CHEF IN CHARGE

There is a big difference between a Chef and Pastry Chef. 

A  Chef is qualified to cook all different foods with a basic knowledge about sweets and pastries.

A Pastry Chef has made a apprenticeship in baking, pastry and cake making and some of them in chocolate making and chocolate work. So in Switzerland, when you make first a bakers apprenticeship, you learn all about bread making to pastries, plus a separate apprenticeship as a "Chocolatier" (knowing how to make all types of chocolates from scratch). So in other words, the training to become a full fledged pastry chef will take up to 6 years, depending how much one wants to learn and qualify for the trade. Pastry Chefs are working in exclusive and luxurious Hotels and are wanted Worldwide. Some pastry chefs are also qualified as Chefs but your training will go for 9 years. I can assure you, I have ever only met one Pastry Chef who went all the way. 

WHAT GOES ON IN A PASTRY SECTION?

In the hotel I made my apprenticeship, the Pastry Section is also a part of the Main Kitchen, but separated with dividing walls. our Pastry Section was equipped with a massive stainless table in the middle of the section. Around the table where the refrigerators also made of stainless steel, going from the floor up to the ceiling, a freezer for prepared sweets, a stand mixer for making dough's, whipped cream and different mixes for sweets. A huge dough roll machine, a marble plate for sugar and chocolate work, large containers on wheels with different flours, sugars, ovens, a gas stove with copper pots and pans, a tools section including copper bowls and a small desk area for the Pastry Chef for all the paper work and function and job sheets.

Been part of the Movenpick Group, a lot of the cakes where made in the main factory of Movenpick. They where delivered frozen and to finish them off, we had to bake them. Not all cakes where made there, just a few basic ones who where available in every Movenpick Resort Worldwide. 

Cakes: Black Forest Cake, "Sacher" Torte, a chocolate torte specialty originated in Austria, Vienna from the Hotel Sacher, baked Fruit flans, a typically Swiss dessert made in a round and shallow cake mold with a crispy dough, grounded hazelnuts, layered with fruits like apricots, cherries, apples, pears and topped with a liquid egg and vanilla mix, then baked. We made also strawberry sponge cake and other specialty torts and cakes.

Biscuits: We made different biscuit dough mixes, then we rolled them into 15 inch and 1 inch thick rolls, wrapped each roll with clingfilm to be frozen. Daily we would take out a few rolls, unwrap them and cut about a quarter inch slices. Then we placed them on a baking tray and bake them. Once baked, we cool them down to room temperature and place them into a cookie tin. The biscuits will go to all our restaurants, to be served with a cup of coffee ordered by the guests.

Pastries: We made a range of pastries like cream slices, fruit tarts, and a huge range of different Swiss pastries.

Cream caramel: A dessert that takes skill especially when you make them from start. 

Fruit salad: may sounds simple but when you work in a top hotel, the fruit salad has to be spot on. No seeds, no tough skins and colorful the fruit salad has to be.

Different cream desserts & mousse: Cream brule, chocolate mousse, caramel cream, chocolate cream, strawberry mousse, Charlotte Royal plus lots more.

Plated desserts: We had to make all the plated desserts for functions and events. We would have all the plates in a refrigerator, and before the desserts are plated, we would take everything up to the function kitchen to be plated. The timing had to be absolute priority. 

I really enjoyed working in the Pastry Section. During my apprenticeship, in my third year, our great Pastry Chef fell ill for a few weeks. The Executive Chef Norbert Fontana gave me the responsibility to run the Pastry Section during the time our Pastry Chef was not present. That was a great honor for me and at one stage I contemplated to do a additional 2 apprenticeships as a baker and chocolate maker. However once I finished my apprenticeship, I had to march up to the Swiss Army Service, a must for every male 18 years old or older.  

Next week we go to the function kitchen. A hectic place to work and long hours. Until then, enjoy life, eat great food and live well.   

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. 

   

PART ELEVEN: THE COLD LARDER SECTION OF THE MAIN KITCHEN

ONE THE COOLEST PART OF THE MAIN KITCHEN

INTRODUCING THE COLD LARDER AND WHAT IS HAPPENING HERE

The cold larder is a very vital part of any kitchen operation. In a big hotel, the cold larder is responsible for all the cold dishes, from entrees to salads, terrines to pate, salad dressings to special sauces, butter - and ice figurines for buffets and food displays and lots more. 

Like in the Hot Section, a "Chef de Partie" or senior Chef is in charge. We apprentices get to work on all sections for a few months to learn all about the different foods and how they getting made and finished to serve. 

Here is a breakdown on what gets made in a Cold Larder Section:

Terrines and pate: A very complex process to make terrines and pate. A terrine is a cold meat packed in a pastry with gelatin, a veal bones based jelly. A pate is also meat based but generally spreadable, therefor more soft. Pate can be made from chicken liver flavored with green peppercorns or any other suitable meats and seasonings.

Smoked trout, smoked salmon and smoked chicken, including some smoked meats: Some hotels have their own smoking machine or oven. The meats are placed on a wire rack where all fish is normally hanging on a hook. Special wood chips are placed on the bottom and ignited so they just create a smoke without fire. The oven gets closed and the smoke will flavor the fish. With meats, also heat is applied to cook the meat very slowly while the smoke will add the flavor. Some meats are getting seasoned with peppercorns and special herbs, including some salts to enhance the flavor. While I did my apprenticeship, we bought all the smoked fish and meats because we did not have any smoking ovens. We still had to learn theoretically how the smoking process works.

Canapes - amuse bouche - small bite size mini appetizers: Only by request, some functions had those mini appetizers served with before dinner drinks or aperitif. Bite size breads with smoked salmon, smoked trout, different continental meats like ham, salami, pastrami, shrimps and prawns, crabs, caviar, lobster and the like. It all depended on how much the customer was prepared to spend. 

Salads: Not your lettuce type salads but pasta salads, rice salads, vegetable salads, seafood salads, meat salads, with a ready made dressing mixed through. 

Salad dressings: Dressings like Italian dressing, French Dressing, Thousand Island dressing made in the Cold Larder section for the restaurants and buffets.

Special Sauces: Mayonnaise, Cocktail sauce, Tartar sauce, Vinaigrette, plus any requested sauces for functions or special guest requests.

Pickled vegetables: Also made on the Cold Larder Section, pickled vegetables are soaked in a hot vinegar based stock with mustard seeds, peppercorns, herbs and spices.

Condiments: Generally for buffets, small bowls with dill cucumbers, pickled vegetables, special sauces, chopped parsley and herbs, mustard's, chopped onions and garlic, chopped chili, plus anything required for a buffet or a guest request.

Whipped butter: Very traditional, in Switzerland, butter is whipped in a stand mixer until the color is snow white and soft and spreadable.Using a piping bag with a star nozzle, the butter is piped into small butter bowls and served with fresh bread.

Herb butter: A whipped butter with herbs, spices and flavors. A very common one is called "Cafe de Paris", not a coffee but a name for a common herb butter eaten with a grilled steak instead a sauce. There are a number of different herb butters depending what flavor is used. Using a piping bag with a star nozzle, small portions of this butter is getting piped on to a cold stainless steel tray and then frozen. 

Butter and Ice sculptures: A top Cold Larder Chef knows the skill of making figurines out of butter or ice. In my apprenticeship I was lucky enough to know the Cold larder Chef who had that skill. The butter used to make figurines is not edible. The melting point is lot higher so the sculptures don't melt away.

The ice used came in a block. You could not made a mistake, when working with ice. It is a very tricky job and one has to learn for at least 1 year to work with ice.In contrast working with butter is a lot easier. If you make a mistake, you can correct that mistake very easy, with ice, a totally different story. The ice needs to have a certain temperature to work with. If the ice is too cold, it breaks or a piece will snap off.

Platters for buffets and special events: All platters for functions and buffets except breakfast buffets are done in the Cold Larder section. Using mirror platters, wooden - and stainless steel platters. From seafood - to meat platters, cheese platters generally on a wooden platter, platters with terrines are done in the Cold Larder Section. Presenting the food is a vital part of any buffet as the guests also eat with their eyes. A skill to be learned, placing all the foods in the right order and keeping the platter spotless. The hardest platters are the mirror platters. Not even a fingerprint, sauce drop or anything out of place. 

PREPARATION FOR THE BREAKFAST BUFFET: 

The breakfast Chef prepares all the platters and foods for the next day in the Cold Larder Section. The reason for that is the ambient temperature. Part of the preparation was:

Platters: Continental meats, fruit and cheese platters

Large glass bowls with: fruits like cooked peaches, apricots, plums and pears. "Bircher Muesli" (a Swiss National Dish made with oats, nuts, fresh fruits, sultanas mixed with yoghurt, orange juice and finished with a touch of whipped cream), Portion Jams, Butter and Margarine, Portion Yogurts 

Egg mix: for scrambled eggs, also whole eggs to be cooked on the day for fried eggs and boiled eggs.

Bacon: placed on stainless steel platters to be cooked in the oven on the day

Chipolata sausages: white small sausages made from veal or chicken, popular in Switzerland

Tomatoes: cut in half's and brushed with liquid butter and seasoned with salt, pepper and herbs, placed on a stainless steel tray to be cooked on the day in the oven.

Bread rolls and croissants: from the pastry section on the day. Toast breads delivered early in the morning of the day.

Next week I will talk about the Vegetable -, Fish and Seafood - and meat section. Until then, enjoy life, eat good food and live well.

PART TEN: THE HOTEL FOOD PRODUCTION KITCHEN - THE CENTER FOR ALL HOTEL IN - AND OUTDOOR CATERING Part A

THE HEART OF THE HOTEL

Most larger hotels anywhere in the World with restaurants and function facilities have a Main Kitchen or Production Kitchen. The kitchens are large commercial kitchens, meaning that large amounts of foods are prepared and cooked for resell like menus and function menus right through buffets and Satellite Kitchen supplies. The Main Kitchen is the center point for all food outlets. All Chefs working in the Satellite - or Function Kitchens get everything they need from the Main Kitchen or Production Kitchen. 
All deliveries like, fresh goods, dry goods and all food related items are going to the main kitchen. Large walk in cool rooms to store the goods, like the cool room for fruits and vegetables, a cool room for all meats, a cool room for the cooked hot items like sauces, soups, a cool room for the cold - or larder section, a cool room or very large refrigerator for fish and seafood's, plus a large walk in freezer for all frozen goods. There is also a dry goods storage room with large storage containers for sugar, flour, rice and the like is also situated in the main kitchen. 
Also the temperatures of the cool rooms and freezers have to bone monitored at all times. Cool rooms have normally a temperature of 2 to 4 degrees Celsius and the freezers minus 18 to 20 degrees Celsius. Any temperature fluctuations have to be dealt with immediately, otherwise thousands of dollars worth of food can go off. 

Sections of a Main Kitchen

HOT SECTION: The hot section in the Main Kitchen is responsible for all the sauces, soups, hot foods for buffets, all base sauces for the Satellite Kitchens and all the base sauces for the Function kitchen. It can get very hectic depending on the work load. All foods cooked need to be of best quality and also need to be the same in taste every time. To ensure this, every food cooked has a recipe that needs to be followed every time. You may wonder, why qualified Chefs need to follow a recipe? They should know how to cook. The answer is very simple: In a commercial kitchen operation every recipe has been calculated exactly to the cost of the recipe. Every ingredient is included in the costs. Based on how much the recipe costs, the retail price will be calculated. The term used is "Food Cost". I will show you how the food costs works in a future blog. Let's get back to the Hot Section.
There are generally 2 to 3 chefs working in the hot section. Generally there is a apprentice with the chefs. When I done my apprentice ship, us apprentices where posted in one of the sections, working and learning alongside the chef in charge of the section.
Here are a few examples of what get's cooked and prepared in the hot section.
Bouillon: A base clear beef soup made from beef marrow bones, vegetables and herbs & spices
Consomme: Made from Bouillon. Minced beef meat mixed with egg white and minced vegetables, mixed into the cold bouillon and very slowly heated and kept on low to medium heat. The beef meat mix will slowly rise to the top, giving the bouillon a very nice taste and stronger taste.
Soups of the Day: Made for the restaurant, buffets and staff canteen. Also function menus with soup as an entree.

Special Base soups: Bisque D'homard, National Soups like Bouillabaisse and the like.
Sauces: Neapolitan Sauce, tomato based and used mainly in Pasta dishes.
Cream sauce: Made with pure cream, seasoning and thickened with a Roux. (Roux is a mix with flour and butter made to a paste to thicken soups and sauces). This sauce is also used for pasta and meat dishes.
Veloute de poison: French for fish sauce. Made from a basic fish stock, thickened with a roux. This base is used for fish and seafood dishes.
Fume de poison: A strong flavored fish sauce thickened with a roux and a touch of cream added. This base is used also for seafood dishes.
Demi glaze:A brown meat base sauce for mainly stews, steak sauces.
Meat glaze: Made from their base meat sauce, reduced by a lot until it becomes a glaze. Also used for a sauce to mainly steaks.
Curry Sauce: Not made in the Main kitchen. The reason for that is that some sauces are made in the main factory of Movenpick in Switzerland. Having resorts Worldwide, like a franchise, the food had to be exactly the same. (like Mac Donald's, KFC's, Subway and the like)
Sauces like curry, Mexican, plus other fixed menu sauces where delivered to all the resorts Worldwide and I believe it is the same today. I will keep you posted as I will go to Switzerland soon and visit my old place where i made my apprenticeship.
Rice, Risotto, Pastas: where also cooked in the hot section, mainly for the satellite kitchens.
Vegetables: Blanched and chilled for mainly functions.
All sauces, pastas, rice or risottos, where prepared in the hot section for the function kitchen.

IMPORTANT NOTE

I am currently in Thailand and will later this month of June go to Switzerland. I like to re-visit the Hotel I made my apprenticeship and see if I get permission to make some photos of the original kitchens I did my apprenticeship. That is the reason why I have no pictures on this blog. The next 2 or 3 blogs will have no pictures either. Also all computers here are in Thai language and I don't know the computer commands in Thai. I have been lucky enough to find a computer I can log in to Google. As you perhaps know, Google is very big on security and I find this at times a bit of a headache but it is for everyone's good. My apologies.

Next week I will cover some of the other sections of the main- or production kitchen. Until then, enjoy life and great food.