Heads up - The most common mistakes made on Day 1, class wide, are:
Not having a complete and detailed time line in the correct format
Not analyzing recipes fully
Not researching terms, ingredients, technique that you are unfamiliar with
Not knowing how to set up a basic work station
Not knowing basic cooking fundamentals covered in Skills such as - how much starch do you need in a slurry to thicken a set amount of liquid "How much corn starch thickens one cup of soup?"
Not knowing basic measurements - how many pints in a gallon?, etc...
The MOST COMMON MISTAKE OF ALL is not not following directions - this especially includes the direction to read all material and be prepared for class. If you read and listen and then ask questions if you need further clarification, you'll almost certainly have a successful and enjoyable class.
The Daily Schedule will run as follows:
Day 1 AM
7:00AM - Arrive, meet with Chef, discuss class objectives, introduction to kitchen and ingredients
7:30 - 10:00 - Prep and Demos
10:00-10:45 - Set up for Service/finish ala minute preparations with Chef
10:45-11:15 - Plate Demos/Family meal
11:15-12:15 - Clean kitchen/inventory
12:15- 1:30 - Lecture - Course Protocol + Grading
Day 1 PM
2:00PM - Arrive, meet with Chef, discuss class objectives, introduction to kitchen and ingredients
2:30 - 5:00 - Prep and Demos
5:00-5:45 - Set up for Service/finish ala minute preparations with Chef
5:45-6:15 - Plate Demos/Family meal
6:15-7:15 - Clean kitchen/inventory
7:15- 8:30 - Lecture - Course Protocol + Grading
ALL OTHER DAYS 2-14
AM
7:00 - 10:00 - Prep and Demos
10:00-10:45 - Set up for Service/finish ala minute preparations with Chef
10:45-11:15 - Plate Demos/Family meal
11:15-11:30 - Final Prep for Service
11:30- 12:00 - Service
12:00 - 12:45 - Kitchen Cleaning + Inventory
12:45- 1:30 - Lecture - Course Protocol + Grading
Sous Chefs:
All China and dish ware must be stored (hot or cold) as soon as you come in and the carts taken back to the dish room. This is standard every day, you must be aware of what plates, bowls, cups, etc. we need for service each day and alert me before 8:00 AM if anything is missing. A supplemental sheet should be started on a clean sheet of paper. The supplemental will list Item, Quantity, and Station ordering the item. Usually the supplemental is due to me no later than 7:30 AM, but on Day One 8:00 AM is acceptable.
Rice Watch the video demo to understand concepts, but we have a NEW rice cooker which will be used for most rice cookery. I will do a demo with class at around 9:00 AM on Day 1 to introduce you to this machine. There is information in the video that you must klnow for other purposes, so be sure to watch it. Your team is preparing rice for the entire class, the only other station preparing rice today should be Team 4 in preparation for Fried rice on Days 2 + 3.
The soup Mise en place should be assembled on a sheet tray and set near a large wok so that I can help you start it no later than 9:00.
The Bean Starch Sheets for the salad should be rehydrated early, cut, and the salad assembled by 9:30 as well.
Sous Chef's Paper Work, each day you receive a clip board with these papers. It's your responsibility to know how to use them and do so. If not sure - ask in advance. On the Day before you are assigned to be a sous chef, it is important for you to review this.
Sous Chef's Paper Work, each day you receive a clip board with these papers. It's your responsibility to know how to use them and do so. If not sure - ask in advance. On the Day before you are assigned to be a sous chef, it is important for you to review this.
Early Morning Supplemental. Note "Item-Quantity-Station Requesting"
Sanitation Supply Ordering Sheet, based on par-stock system. Amount we SHOULD have on hand is listed, order what we need to get UP to that amount. If we have enough already, fill in blank with an "X"
Flip Side of the Sanitation Sheet. This is the end-of-the-day cleaning check list to make sure everything is left clean and orderly
Daily inventory sheet. While the rest of the group cleans, the sous chefs inventory what we have for the following day's menu.This allows me to order more if we are short, or back something out of the next morning's order if we are over stocked. Important to do this accurately - it shortens early morning supplementals and keeps our cooler from getting over crowded. Sous Chefs should fill in ONLY the "On Hand" column. Chef will fill in the "Order Column" as he needs to.
Station #2:
You should plan to start the lamb braise no later than 8:30 and the cabbage no later than 9:30, they need to be finished, hot held, and the woks clean before other teams can step in to stir fry at 10:15. Analyze your recipes and let me know if you have questions. Common mistakes are : Not knowing how much cornstarch is used to thicken a set amount of liquid, cutting ALL MEP and garnish for the lamb BEFORE braising begins(you should start the lamb cooking and THEN start working on the vegetables and garnish) and not asking for help with unfamiliar ingredients or appliances.
Station #3:
With a "non-service" day on Day 1, you will make your own Pancake dough for Day 1. Start dough as early as possible so that it can rest., you may make dough for Day 2 at the same time, divide the dou8gh and wrap and refrigerate 1/2 for Day 2 service. You should plan to prep the vegetables and other MEP for the Moo Shu as quickly as possible - watch the Vegetable prep video and work in a clean, organized fashion. As you prep, break the MEP for the stir fry into 4 batches so that we can fire them as needed during service. The sauce should be made and pre-portioned into 15+ 1 oz. white china ramekins, these will be held on the side to accompany each plate. The Pancakes need to be rolled out as soon as the dough has rested -The prep table under the spice rack near the prep sink is a good place to work on that. Ask me to help you get started, but see if you can walk yourself through the procedure and get all of the necessary equipment in place before you ask me for a demo. Remember to pre heat the cast-iron skillets while you prep the pancakes so that the skillets are hot when the pancakes are ready to cook. Common mistakes - not cleaning bean sprouts properly or cutting vegetables properly, pre heating the cast iron skillets too hot and burning the first batch of pancakes, not watching videos closely enough to understand the procedures.
Station 4:Set up the wok steamer and stake out the large wok next to it as "yours" for Bok Choy. The fish is fairly simple, I can demo how to cut it. Make sure to know all of your ingredients and how the steaming process works. All of the Bok Choy we receive is for you to prep - cut as directed, cleaned, blanched in heavily salted water, shocked, gently squeezed dry, divided into 4 batches for service. Garlic should be sliced into thin "chips". Please ask me to help you with the first batch of Bok Choy - the garlic can burn very easily if you don't control the wok heat. The prep for Fried Rice must be done early, Fried rice is best when made with cold rice, so speak with me about steaming off rice early enough for it to be chilled before 10:00AM and be sure to calculate how much yuo will need for Day 2 and cook it ahead so that it's well chilled. On Day 2 you should anticipate cooking more rice ahead for day 3.. Be completely ready to start the fried rice by 10:00 AM in the same large wok you will later use for Bok Choy - you'll need to be finished with the fried rice by 10:30. Common mistakes are - not understanding how the fish is cut or garnished, not cutting garnishes properly, not knowing what type of ham to use, burning the garlic for the bok choy.
Station #5:There are Pork Butts in Brine and Pork Butts in Marinade, you will also be receiving 2 butts to complete the entire process yourself over 3 days. For day 1, put 2 marinated pork butts in the Chinese roasting oven at 325F as early as possible. Make sure you know how to use the oven, if you do not - ASK.The Butts which are in Brine need to be put into marinade - you'll need to make this - and the fresh ones will need to be fabricated and put into Brine. Once that's started, begin prepping the chicken. Cut and clean the chicken thighs and get them into the marinade, preheat the fryer,make the sauce in a small wok, and cut all of the vegetables, fry the chicken pieces ahead of service - Make sure you understand what type of frying you are doing and how to best accomplish it. All of the MEP for the chicken should be divided into 4 batches for firing as needed during service except the sauce. Sauce can be held in a bain marie with a ladle on your wok station. You are also responsible for setting up a pork carving station for service on the end of Station #5 near the oven. The pork should be held in the conventional oven at 200F on a sheet tray with a rack. When you get an order, the steam table line will pass you a plate with rice and cabbage on it - you will take a pork butt from the oven, slice a portion, plate it, and put the pork butt back in the oven to keep it warm. Common mistakes are - not having a complete recipe and understanding of how to fabricate, brine, marinate and roast pork; not knowing how to fry battered items properly or how to set up a fry station efficiently, not knowing how to use cornstarch to thicken the sauce, not following directions and getting flustered as service approaches.
Station #6:Follow the recipes, divide the MEP into 4 batches to be fired as needed during service, assist the sous chefs through out the day - Early in the morning you should assist/delegate the putting away of plates, etc and return the carts to the dish room/store room, complete sanitation supplemental supply order, be involved and aware of the Sous Chef duties - you will be sous chefs later in the cycle, so it's good to look ahead. On the Second Day of Each Menu, Team 6 will be responsible for setting up the class tasting for the unit. On Day 2 you will be responsible for setting up the class tasting, so please talk to me about this before the end of class on Day 1 so you understand what you need to do, you'll need a copy of the tasting sheet from the Chinese section of the course guide.
Station #3:
With a "non-service" day on Day 1, you will make your own Pancake dough for Day 1. Start dough as early as possible so that it can rest., you may make dough for Day 2 at the same time, divide the dou8gh and wrap and refrigerate 1/2 for Day 2 service. You should plan to prep the vegetables and other MEP for the Moo Shu as quickly as possible - watch the Vegetable prep video and work in a clean, organized fashion. As you prep, break the MEP for the stir fry into 4 batches so that we can fire them as needed during service. The sauce should be made and pre-portioned into 15+ 1 oz. white china ramekins, these will be held on the side to accompany each plate. The Pancakes need to be rolled out as soon as the dough has rested -The prep table under the spice rack near the prep sink is a good place to work on that. Ask me to help you get started, but see if you can walk yourself through the procedure and get all of the necessary equipment in place before you ask me for a demo. Remember to pre heat the cast-iron skillets while you prep the pancakes so that the skillets are hot when the pancakes are ready to cook. Common mistakes - not cleaning bean sprouts properly or cutting vegetables properly, pre heating the cast iron skillets too hot and burning the first batch of pancakes, not watching videos closely enough to understand the procedures.
Station 4:Set up the wok steamer and stake out the large wok next to it as "yours" for Bok Choy. The fish is fairly simple, I can demo how to cut it. Make sure to know all of your ingredients and how the steaming process works. All of the Bok Choy we receive is for you to prep - cut as directed, cleaned, blanched in heavily salted water, shocked, gently squeezed dry, divided into 4 batches for service. Garlic should be sliced into thin "chips". Please ask me to help you with the first batch of Bok Choy - the garlic can burn very easily if you don't control the wok heat. The prep for Fried Rice must be done early, Fried rice is best when made with cold rice, so speak with me about steaming off rice early enough for it to be chilled before 10:00AM and be sure to calculate how much yuo will need for Day 2 and cook it ahead so that it's well chilled. On Day 2 you should anticipate cooking more rice ahead for day 3.. Be completely ready to start the fried rice by 10:00 AM in the same large wok you will later use for Bok Choy - you'll need to be finished with the fried rice by 10:30. Common mistakes are - not understanding how the fish is cut or garnished, not cutting garnishes properly, not knowing what type of ham to use, burning the garlic for the bok choy.
Station #5:There are Pork Butts in Brine and Pork Butts in Marinade, you will also be receiving 2 butts to complete the entire process yourself over 3 days. For day 1, put 2 marinated pork butts in the Chinese roasting oven at 325F as early as possible. Make sure you know how to use the oven, if you do not - ASK.The Butts which are in Brine need to be put into marinade - you'll need to make this - and the fresh ones will need to be fabricated and put into Brine. Once that's started, begin prepping the chicken. Cut and clean the chicken thighs and get them into the marinade, preheat the fryer,make the sauce in a small wok, and cut all of the vegetables, fry the chicken pieces ahead of service - Make sure you understand what type of frying you are doing and how to best accomplish it. All of the MEP for the chicken should be divided into 4 batches for firing as needed during service except the sauce. Sauce can be held in a bain marie with a ladle on your wok station. You are also responsible for setting up a pork carving station for service on the end of Station #5 near the oven. The pork should be held in the conventional oven at 200F on a sheet tray with a rack. When you get an order, the steam table line will pass you a plate with rice and cabbage on it - you will take a pork butt from the oven, slice a portion, plate it, and put the pork butt back in the oven to keep it warm. Common mistakes are - not having a complete recipe and understanding of how to fabricate, brine, marinate and roast pork; not knowing how to fry battered items properly or how to set up a fry station efficiently, not knowing how to use cornstarch to thicken the sauce, not following directions and getting flustered as service approaches.
Station #6:Follow the recipes, divide the MEP into 4 batches to be fired as needed during service, assist the sous chefs through out the day - Early in the morning you should assist/delegate the putting away of plates, etc and return the carts to the dish room/store room, complete sanitation supplemental supply order, be involved and aware of the Sous Chef duties - you will be sous chefs later in the cycle, so it's good to look ahead. On the Second Day of Each Menu, Team 6 will be responsible for setting up the class tasting for the unit. On Day 2 you will be responsible for setting up the class tasting, so please talk to me about this before the end of class on Day 1 so you understand what you need to do, you'll need a copy of the tasting sheet from the Chinese section of the course guide.
Chef, we are on station 3. We wanted to know if there is already made dough for day 1. Also we wanted to know if we can make dough for day 2-3 on day 1. For the MEP for vegetables, do you want us to prep the four batches for day 2 on day 1? Lastly, could we make the hoisen dipping sauce for all 3 days on day 1?
ReplyDeleteWe wanted to know if there is already made dough for day 1.
DeleteYes
Also we wanted to know if we can make dough for day 2-3 on day 1.
Yes
For the MEP for vegetables, do you want us to prep the four batches for day 2 on day 1?
No, Fresh each day for all but the dough
Lastly, could we make the hoisen dipping sauce for all 3 days on day 1?
No, see above
Chef, we (Mason and Milton) are on the braise for tomorrow. We had a few questions about the dish.
ReplyDelete-Orange peels. Is there a certain way you like this done? (strips or pieces) Do we leave out the white rind? Will the sachet remain in the dish until finished?
-Can you please explain smashing ginger/ginger/scallions? Do we need to cut it into smaller pieces before smashing. Is the intention to remove the big smashed aromatics at the end or is it suppose to be cut into bite sized pieces to be eaten?
-On day 1, we are planning to do 5 portions. Will this fit in a small wok or will we still be doing this in the large wok? We will be covering the dish at certain times during cooking. Is there a lid made for the wok?
- We will be finishing dishes early to clear room for other teams dishes. Do we need to hot hold in a hot water bath?
- How are we fabricating the lamb? whole? sliced? large dice?
- Will we be using molasses? If we do use molasses, do we omit/decrease the sugar from the recipe?
-Will the roasted pork team be using the cabbage we make throughout the china menu?
Mason and Milton
ReplyDelete-Orange peels. Is there a certain way you like this done? (strips or pieces) Do we leave out the white rind? Will the sachet remain in the dish until finished?
they're going to be strained out, so size/shape doesn't matter. Sachet goes in near the end and is, of course, removed before service
-Can you please explain smashing ginger/ginger/scallions? Do we need to cut it into smaller pieces before smashing. Is the intention to remove the big smashed aromatics at the end or is it suppose to be cut into bite sized pieces to be eaten?
Smash- use the flat of your knife and crush to release flavor. they will be removed before serving.
-On day 1, we are planning to do 5 portions. Will this fit in a small wok or will we still be doing this in the large wok? We will be covering the dish at certain times during cooking. Is there a lid made for the wok?
It should be done in a small wok due to amount, but you must be careful to adjust the heat - I can help with that. There are no covers for the small woks, use foil.
- We will be finishing dishes early to clear room for other teams dishes. Do we need to hot hold in a hot water bath?
We have a "Hot Hold Box" and also a steam table - see video for plating on Day 1 - Yes, you need to be finished with lamb and cabbage by 10:15 and wok cleaned so that others may use them for stir fry.
- How are we fabricating the lamb? whole? sliced? large dice?
You will receive a whole, bone in shoulder Fabricate into 1" cubes (if I catch you measuring with a ruler I will make fun of you...) If yo uhave more than you need, save to add to Day 2.
- Will we be using molasses? If we do use molasses, do we omit/decrease the sugar from the recipe?
No molasses
-Will the roasted pork team be using the cabbage we make throughout the china menu?
Yes
Mason and Milton
Reply