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
- All produce is washed/cleaned before final preparation for use
- 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 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:
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 kept in the warming box near the refrigerator, make sure it's turned on as soon as you arrive. This is standard every day, a "China Checklist" will be supplied to you and 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 Ordered, 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 Moodle.
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 Moodle.
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. Rice cooked in the Rice Cooker - Do not cook more than 12 US cups of rice in the rice cooker at one time. Rice Cooked in Convection Steamer - Use only 2" deep hotel pans - not deeper; Do not cook more than 10 cups of rice in a single pan.
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 prepped ahead for you for Day 1, be prepared to complete the dough and roll it out, make 1x for Day 2 and allow to rest in the cooler over night.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 for Days 1 +2. You will also be receiving 2 butts to complete the entire process yourself over 3 days. For day 1, put 1 marinated pork butt 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. Before the end of the day you will need to put the fresh Butts in 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, 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 prepped ahead for you for Day 1, be prepared to complete the dough and roll it out, make 1x for Day 2 and allow to rest in the cooler over night.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 for Days 1 +2. You will also be receiving 2 butts to complete the entire process yourself over 3 days. For day 1, put 1 marinated pork butt 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. Before the end of the day you will need to put the fresh Butts in 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, 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.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteHello Chef! Our class has not been added to your Moodle page yet. We still have access to your website and blog but not the Powerpoints that are located on Moodle. I realize that there are still 3 days until the start of class so we could still be added to Moodle before Day 1. I just wanted to let you know where we are in our preparation for class.
ReplyDeleteAdditionally, I am on station 4 (Steamed Fish with Bok Choy and Stir-fried Rice) for days 1-3. I have a few questions regarding the dish:
- A common mistake for this station is not knowing what type of ham to use. The recipe calls for dry cured ham; is there a certain brand our station should look for?
- About how long will it take to cook the rice and allow it to cool for making the fried rice if we start the process right away? Also, should we go ahead and cook enough rice for days 2 & 3 as well?
- Is there a certain type or brand of Chinese sausage that we will be using in class for the fried rice? I could not find any pictures of the packaging on the website and I would like to research it more specifically.
- The steamed fish calls for Soy Sauce. Does this automatically mean the thin soy sauce/ not the thick or mushroom soy sauce?
- For making the spring roll filling on day 2, I see that after all ingredients have been added the liquid left at the bottom needs to be thickened with a slurry. Because the amount of liquid could vary with the quality of ingredients added, evaporation, etc., how much slurry should be added? I am assuming the ratio used will be 1 Tblsp. of cornstarch to 1 cup of liquid, so about how many Tablespoons should be made into a slurry for thickening the liquid?
I deleted my previous comment because I found one of the answers in upcoming blog posts. Thank you for your answers!
Thanks for all of the questions!
DeleteI'm not sure what the problem is with Moodle, but as long as you have access to the web site you will be fine for Day 1. I'l work with IT to check why you're not seeing the powerpoints. Answers to your other questions are here:
- A common mistake for this station is not knowing what type of ham to use. The recipe calls for dry cured ham; is there a certain brand our station should look for?
- No, it's just that many students have no idea what "Dry Cured Ham" looks like - even though they've just come out of a class which emphasizes them.
- About how long will it take to cook the rice and allow it to cool for making the fried rice if we start the process right away? Also, should we go ahead and cook enough rice for days 2 & 3 as well?
Rice takes about 20-25 minutes - watch the video and I can help you get it started. Early is better, you want the rice to be well chilled before you fry it. Yes, you may cook it ahead for the next day - it's better that way.
- Is there a certain type or brand of Chinese sausage that we will be using in class for the fried rice? I could not find any pictures of the packaging on the website and I would like to research it more specifically.
It will be the only sausage in the kitchen, There's not a specific brand, but the "Type" is called Lap Cheong
- The steamed fish calls for Soy Sauce. Does this automatically mean the thin soy sauce/ not the thick or mushroom soy sauce?
- When ever a recipe calls for "soy sauce" with out specifying what type, use "thin"...it's the default
- For making the spring roll filling on day 2, I see that after all ingredients have been added the liquid left at the bottom needs to be thickened with a slurry. Because the amount of liquid could vary with the quality of ingredients added, evaporation, etc., how much slurry should be added? I am assuming the ratio used will be 1 Tblsp. of cornstarch to 1 cup of liquid, so about how many Tablespoons should be made into a slurry for thickening the liquid?
- 1 Tbsp of starch, dispersed in water, will thicken one cup of sauce or soup. In this situation, you'll have to look and "guesstimate". I'll be happy to help you out at that point. You'll probably need about1-2 Tbsp. of starch dispersed in a small amount of water.
I deleted my previous comment because I found one of the answers in upcoming blog posts. Thank you for your answers!
Thanks for all of the detailed questions!
One more question: are there any changes to the curriculum due to the cancellation of classes today? Should we prepare any differently for the first few days of class?
ReplyDeleteThe changes will not effect the beginning of the course, we will discuss changes at the end of Day 1. Nothing dramatic.
DeleteHello Chef! Hannah Russo and I are on Station 3 (Moo-Shu Vegetables with Pancakes and Dipping Sauce) and we have a few questions:
ReplyDelete-We were wondering if we are using Vegetarian Oyster Sauce or Mushroom flavored sauce?
-Are we making 1x Pancakes for Day 2 (says this on the blog) or are we making 2x for Day 2 (says this on the chart you handed us)?
-Are we using Bok Choy?
-How do we rehydrate the Lilly Bud (cold water or hot water)?
Thank you Chef!
"Vegetarian Oyster Sauce" and "Mushroom Flavored Sauce" are the same thing, produced and labeled by different manufacturers. It gets confusing - especially because we also use "Mushroom Soy Sauce" - which is a totally different product. If you're still confused tomorrow, I'll sort it out for you.
Delete- Make 2x the pancake dough for Day 2
- You're using Shanghai bok choy, but that's prepared by Tam 4 for the whole class.
- Hydrate the lilly buds in hot water.
Thanks for all of the good questions!
This is Megan Scrivner
ReplyDeleteGood Afternoon Chef! I have a question regarding where we find the "tasting sheet" for the class tasting that team 6 is setting up for day 2? It says that the tasting sheet is found in the Chinese section of the course guide, but I cannot seem to locate the course guide. Thank you Chef!
ReplyDeleteThe course guide is near the top of the Moodle Page. I realize that something happened which disallowed you to see all of the information on Moodle, but I think I've got it fixed. Just print out the tasting sheet from the Chinese Unit and make time to talk to me about how to set it up for Day 2.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your patience.
Just a few more questions Chef:
ReplyDelete- I still can't seem to find the tasting sheet from the Chinese unit on the website that we need to print out. What category is it located under?
- I noticed that in many of your videos you are using clean rags. Where are these rags located in the kitchen, and do we wash and reuse them each day?
- The Chinese Spice Powder recipe links to the Steamed Fish with Ginger recipe which is what my station is preparing tomorrow. However, Chinese Spice Powder isn't used in the preparation of the fish. Just wondering if there's any significance in the linkage of these pages.
- Are platters for family meal delivered to the kitchen along with normal dishes as well? Is there any specific way you want family meal plated up other than in an appealing way?
I think that does it for my questions, thank you again!