Heads up -
Some basic rules in my kitchen:
- If you don't know, look it up
- If you still don't know - ask
- Know your product before coming to class - use Google and Google Images to see unfamiliar products
- Look before you order...10 point deduction applies to ordering items already in stock
- Don't prep more than you need
- Don't save cut or cooked foods for service the following day without permission from Chef
- Don't serve "left-overs" to customers
- Keep a clean, moist towel on you station at all times
- Step back from your station every 10 minutes, inspect, straighten, wipe down
- "Yes Chef" means that you understand, agree and will comply
- "Yes Chef" does not mean "Go away, you make me nervous"
- The Chef's desk is not your work station - NO FOOD or SUPPLIES may be placed there without Chef's prior approval
- Metal containers are used for holding hot food, don't store food overnight in them unless instructed by Chef
- Papers, quizzes, tests submitted without full name on page will receive no credit
The most common mistakes made on Day 1, class wide, are:
Not observing the Basic Rules
Not having a complete and detailed time line in the correct format
Not analyzing recipes fully
Not researching terms, ingredients, techniques 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
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
Sous Chefs:
Be prepared to delegate duties to the rest of the class. You don't have to know everyone's recipes, but you should know enough about what they are doing to write a "duty roster" assigning each person to certain tasks during service. You need cooks for ala minute items, line servers to work the steam table, a soup + salad person, and a runner to run finished trays to customers waiting in the hall. It's your responsibility to work as a team with the other sous chefs to devise a plan and implement it. You should talk to the chef early on each day to go over your plan for approval.
Be prepared to delegate duties to the rest of the class. You don't have to know everyone's recipes, but you should know enough about what they are doing to write a "duty roster" assigning each person to certain tasks during service. You need cooks for ala minute items, line servers to work the steam table, a soup + salad person, and a runner to run finished trays to customers waiting in the hall. It's your responsibility to work as a team with the other sous chefs to devise a plan and implement it. You should talk to the chef early on each day to go over your plan for approval.
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. Hot plates are now kept in the warming box near the refrigerator, make sure it's turned on as soon as you arrive. 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.
Stock - Each day we make either a stock - based on chicken feet and pork hocks - or a remouillage from the previous day's bones. We will make a stock using water on Day 1, a remoillage from the bones on Day 2 and, from that point on, will use the liquid from each remouillage to make a stock with the next batch of fresh bones. Please see recipe loaded in the Chinese Section of the Web Site.
Stock - Each day we make either a stock - based on chicken feet and pork hocks - or a remouillage from the previous day's bones. We will make a stock using water on Day 1, a remoillage from the bones on Day 2 and, from that point on, will use the liquid from each remouillage to make a stock with the next batch of fresh bones. Please see recipe loaded in the Chinese Section of the Web Site.
Rice watch BOTH video demos on rice cooking but be ready to use the electric Rice Cooker, talk to me before you start anything to make sure you understand the procedure. 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 9:00, 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:
Dough is made ahead for you for Day 1, be prepared to make 1x for Day 2.You will need to roll and cook the pancakes for Day 1, so write that into your time line. 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. On day 1 you only need one batch to cook for family meal. On service days 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 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 The Place 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, so use it all- 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 rice for Fried Rice must be very 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. 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 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 fresh butts 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 reading and understanding the recipe for the chicken marinade and batter, 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, on service days 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:
Dough is made ahead for you for Day 1, be prepared to make 1x for Day 2.You will need to roll and cook the pancakes for Day 1, so write that into your time line. 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. On day 1 you only need one batch to cook for family meal. On service days 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 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 The Place 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, so use it all- 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 rice for Fried Rice must be very 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. 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 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 fresh butts 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 reading and understanding the recipe for the chicken marinade and batter, 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, on service days 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.
Hi Chef,
ReplyDeleteShirel Berger and I had a couple of questions regarding class on Tuesday. We are responsible for Grandmother's Bean Curd.
1) Our recipe calls for shiitake soaking liquid - we noticed that the Spring Roll and Fried Rice recipes call for shiitakes but do not specify whether they are fresh or dried. If they are dried, can we soak a large batch in order to use the liquid in our recipe for Days 1-3 and if so, what is the typical mushroom to liquid ratio? If not, is there some already made in the fridge?
2) On a typical service day, what time do demo plates go out on the front table?
3) Would you like to demo the stir frying process for the bean curd or should we go ahead and stir fry it on our own prior to family meal?
Thank you,
Kimberlee Bennett and Shirel Berger
My mistake, I see above demo plates are prepared between 10:45-11:30.
DeleteThank you.
Chef I don't own a printer is it ok if I write everything out? Also writing it helps me remember it as well.
ReplyDeleteYes, you may write it out long hand, but there are printers available on campus. I'd like you to have a printed copy of the recipes you are working on to double check against your written one, I find that hand written recipes frequently end up missing something.
DeleteShirel - When Fresh Shittake are used, the recipe will just specify "Shiitake"; when Dried Shiitake are used, it will specify that they are "Dried". The two are not interchangeable nor should they be substituted for each other.
ReplyDeleteThere is no ratio for hydrating the dried mushrooms, just cover them with enough water to allow them to float. There MAY be some already soaking in the cooler, but don't count on that - check early in the day.
Please let me help you start the first batch of anything you cook - just to make sure you're off on the right foot.
Thanks for your questions.
Hello Chef,
ReplyDeleteThese are questions for Station 2:
-The recipe states chops or cubes for the lamb shoulder. Which way would you like it fabricated?
-Is the lamb added unseasoned to the wok?
-Step 3 in the lamb preparation calls for sherry, but that is not mentioned in the ingredient list. Is that a misprint for the ShaoXing rice wine which is in the ingredient list?
-Station 5's menu calls for Braised Cabbage but that is not on their production list. Is Station 2 preparing their portions as well? If so, is that amount included in the 2# designated to our station or would we double the recipe?
Thank you.
I've already responded to your e-mail, but here's the info again for everyone to share.
ReplyDelete- I try to get as much meat and fish to come in un-fabricated for you to get more practice. You will receive a bone-in shoulder to fabricate into cubes.
- We rarely season with salt, most items are cooked with the addition of salty ingredients such as soy sauce
- Shao xing is our "sherry" - they can be used interchangeably, but you will have shao xing.
- You are preparing all braised cabbage for all stations, but Day 1 is not for service, the quantity is correct. Days2+ 3 will be increased for service production.