Kitchen Essentials: Equipment and Techniques

1. Chapter 5: Kitchen Essentials 2 – Equipment and Techniques Foundations pages 271 – 316

2. Introduction • Every kitchen and foodservice operation requires equipment • The equipment depends on the size of the kitchen, number of customers, the types food served, and the style of service • Items are divided into categories according to their function: knives, smallwares, measuring and portioning devices, cookware, strainers and sieves, food prep, and storage containers

3. Receiving and Storage Equipment • The receiving area is the first step in the flow of food • Before accepting the product, and employee checks the quality and quantity of items being delivered against what was ordered • A receiving table/area, scale, and utility cart can make receiving shipments an easy process

4. Storing Food • Without proper storage of food items an operation will waste money when it throws items away • Dry goods (flour, sugar, and grains) must be stored 6 inches off the floor on stainless steel shelving • Perishable items (dairy, meat and produce) must be stored in refrigerators and/or freezers

5. Storing Food • Shelving: should be made of stainless steel because it is easy to clean and very strong • Refrigerators and freezers: there are 2 basic types • Reach-in: large, portable fridge/freezer with 1 – 3 compartments • Walk-in: built into the foodservice operation • Refrigerators must maintain a temperature between 32°F – 41°F, while freezers must be kept at 10°F - -10°F

6. Pre-preparation Equipment • There are many types of pre-preparation equipment used in the foodservices industry • Including: • Knives • Hand tools and small equipment • Measuring utensils • Pots and pans

7. Knives • Knives are the most widely used pieces of kitchen equipment • Each knife is used for a specific purpose • A good knife is made of stainless steel because is it very durable and stays sharp for a long time

8. Parts of a Knife • A knife has 2 main parts; the blade and the handle • The blade is the cutting surface of the knife • It is made of metal and may be forged or stamped • A forged blade is made from a single piece of metal and that is dropped into a mold and then struck with a hammer and pounded into the correct shape • A stamped blade is a cut-out shape of a knife from a sheet of metal

9. Parts of a Knife • Cutting edge: located along the bottom of the blade between the tip and the heel • Spine: the top of the blade and is the non-cutting edge • Heel: widest and thickest part of the knife and used to cut through large, tough, or hard items

10. Types of Knives • Boning: a thin, flexible, 6-inch knife to separate raw meat from the bone • Chefs’ (French):an 8 – 14 inch tapered knife that is a good all-purpose knife for chopping, slicing, and mincing • Clam: short, blunt-point knife to shuck, or open clams (unlike an oyster knife, it has a very sharp edge)

11. Types of Knives • Fillet: short, thin, flexible blade for cutting fish fillets about 6 inches long • Santoku: a general all-purpose knife with a 5 – 7 inch blade • Serrated slicer: long, thin serrated blade used to cut breads and cakes • Slicer: the blade may be as long as 14 inches and used for slicing cooked meats

12. Knife Care • Honing is the regular maintenance required to keep knives in their best shape • Chefs keep their knives sharp by using a steel or sharpening stone • A sharpening stone is used to grind and hone the edges of steel tools • Used only when a knife cannot be sharpened by a steel • A steel is a long metal rod that is lightly grooved and magnetized • It helps to return the blade to its convex shape

13. Knife Care Sharpening Stone Steel

14. Knife Care • To properly care for knives, follow these guidelines: • Keep knives sharpened • A sharp blade cuts more evenly and with less force than a dull blade, so it is safer • Use a knife only for its intended purpose • Keep the handle of the knife clean and dry • Never leave knives soaking under water • Never hand someone a knife • Place it on a counter and let the other person pick it up

15. Hand Tools and Small Equipment • Smallware: small hand tools and small equipment • Hand tools are designed to aid in cutting, sharpening, moving, or combining foods • Easy to use and are an essential part of food pre-preparation • Like knives, hand tools are designed for specific tasks

16. Hand Tools and Small Equipment • Bench scraper • Can opener • Cheesecloth: light, fine mesh gauze used for straining liquids such as stocks, bundling herbs, or for thickening yogurt • China cap: a pierced, metal, cone-shaped strainer used to remove solids from stocks and soups

17. Hand Tools and Small Equipment • Fish scaler: removes scales from a fish • Food mill: a machine that comes with several detachable parts • Offset spatula: turns foods on a griddle or broiler • Parisienne scoop: or melon baller, cuts ball shapes out of soft fruits and vegetables • Ricer: used to create rice-like pieces of cooked food through a pierced hopper

18. Hand Tools and Small Equipment • Skimmer: a skimmer has a larger round, flat head with holes and is used to remove foam from stock or soup • Sieve • Spoons • Tamis/drum sieve: a screen that stretches across a metal or wood base that is shaped like a drum and used to puree very soft foods and remove solids from purees • Tongs • Wire whip • Zester

19. Measuring Utensils • Widely used in the foodservice industry and measure ingredients and temperatures • Bimetallic stemmed thermometer: used for checking large or thick food • Thermocouple: measures the temperature in thick or thin foods almost instantly

20. Measuring Utensils

21. Pots and Pans • Pots and pans are often called cookware • Shape, size, and material may differ • May be made out of copper, cast iron, chrome, stainless steel, or aluminum • In general, pots are larger vessels with straight sides and two loop handles • Pans tend to be shallower, with one long handle and either straight or sloped sides

23. Pans

24. Pans

26. Care of Pots and Pans • Always wait for pots and pans to cool before washing or rinsing to avoid warping • Overall make sure to wash in hot, soapy water, and dry immediately • Copper: use commercial cleaners to remove discoloration before regular washing • Nonstick coating: use a plastic mesh scrubber to scrub inside of the nonstick pan to avoid scratches

27. Food-Preparation Equipment • In addition to knives, hand tools, and pots and pans, other items are necessary to prepare food for cooking: • Cutters and mixers • Steamers • Broilers • Ranges, griddles, and fryers • Ovens

28. Cutters and Mixers • Always use safety guards when using cutting machines • Offer assistance and more training • It is illegal for minors to use, clean, or maintain cutters or mixers • Used to cut meats and vegetables and to mix sauces and batters

29. Cutters and Mixers • Countertop blender: consists of a base that houses the motor and a removable, lidded jar with a propeller-like blade in the bottom • Immersion blender: it’s a long, stick-like machine also called a hand blender, stick blender, or burr blender • Food processor: grind, puree, blend, crush, and knead foods • Horizontal cutter mixer (HCM): cuts, mixes, and blends foods quickly with a high-speed, horizontal, rotating blade

30. Cutters and Mixers • Mandoline: manually operated slices made of stainless steel with adjustable slicing blades to slice and julienne • Meat grinder: a free standing machine or a mixer attachment • Meat slicer: a machine with a slanted, circular blade that passes through the machine or is pushed by an employee

31. Cutters and Mixers • Mixer: come in 5-quart, 20-quart, 60-quart, and 80-quart sizes and are used to mix and process large amounts of food with special attachments • Flat beater paddle: use to mix, mash, and cream soft foods • Wire whip: use to beat and add air to light foods • Wing whip: a heavier version of a wire whip, use it to whip, cream, and mash heavier foods • Pastry knife (paddle): use to mix shortening into dough • Dough arm (hook): use to mix heavy, thick dough

32. Cutters and Mixers

33. Steamers • Steamers are used to cook vegetables and grains • A steamer allows the food to come into direct contact with the steam, heating the food very quickly

34. Steamers

35. Steamers

36. Broilers • Broilers use very intense direct heat the is above the food, that cooks very quickly

37. Broilers

38. Ranges, Griddles, and Fryers • Ranges are the most frequently used piece of equipment • Range: cooking units with open heat sources

39. Ranges, Griddles, and Fryers

40. Ovens

41. Ovens

42. Safety Precautions • When working with large equipment, remember: • Learn to use the machine by getting proper instruction • Use all safety features • Turn off and unplug electrical equipment completely after each use • Clean and sanitize the equipment after each use • Reassemble all pieces properly and leave machines unplugged after each use • Report any problems or malfunctions promptly

43. Holding and Serving Equipment • Once food has been prepared it is now ready to present to the guest • Bain-marie: any type of hot water bath used to keep foods warm • Chafing dishes: used to keep foods hot on a buffet line • Food warmer/steam table: designed to hold hotel pans (full size or small) with or without water

44. Holding and Serving Equipment

45. 5.1 Summary • Receiving equipment includes receiving tables/area, scales, and utility carts. After food is received, it is stored on shelving or in refrigerators and freezers. • Pre-preparation equipment includes knives, measuring utensils, hand tools and small equipment, and pots and pans. • Pots come in many shapes and sizes and are made of copper, cast iron, stainless steel, and aluminum, with or without nonstick coating. • Pans also come in many shapes and sizes. • Preparation equipment includes cutters and mixers, steamers, broilers, ranges, griddles, fryers, and ovens. • Holding and serving equipment can include the bain-marie, food warmer/steam table, hot-holding cabinet, coffee maker, tea maker, ice machine, hot box, chafing dishes, and espresso machines.