We should all have a "toque" as part of our professional wear. Kidding. The toque is that big white tall hat. Funny enough, my daughter - whom I secretly thinks is obsessed with hats, totally covets one. Ok, if you are a food geek, maybe you do too.
We should be organized. The book talks of assistants, (commis) and stations (partis). This is a brigade. Sounds like battle. And in a professional kitchen, it is.
There's a main person, the Head Chef, and an assistant - the Sous Chef. The sous chef can (if it's a big brigade) check in with all the other elements of the kitchen and manage them, from sauce to dessert. It can go on from there. But, I'm lucky if I can get my sous chef off her laptop. (my daughter). Although - she's always available for a test taste or critique.
Moving on. I really didn't start this blog to go into detail about principals of sanitation, ph levels and the like. But I'm mentioning it so we get credit for knowing that it's "there" and an important topic. Actually, I recommend googling "conditions conducive to bacterial growth". The book goes over it, and it's good to know these basics. But...I think we have all been cooking at home ok since now, so...we get an "A".
Storage: This is interesting. Dry foods are a no brainier, but for freezer storage: its best to wrap things tightly in Saran wrap then aluminum foil. And dates and labels are awesome, of course. Refrigerator items...the book is asking us about calibration of our thermometer. Let's skip it. We aren't working in a restaurant, and Those of us that are, got a license and know all that stuff. Let's just happily say we know how to use the GDfridge.
Knives: Everyone should have at least 4 knives. I'm even looking away from the book, which wants us to have....more. Let's just go for quality. I'm not skilled on types of steel, but you get what you pay for. Just go with that. But the best bet is a stainless for a mid grade knife. It resists abrasion and corrosion. Or, Google Japanese and German blades, and those are the caviar of the knife world. Ok,I know this because I used a straight stainless set, but got gifted an amazing Japanese "Katana" butcher blade and German "Wusthof" chefs blade. They cut air they are so tight. Nuff said. But my previous knives still cut stuff. That's all that matters. Get a chefs knife, paring knife, butcher knife and a bread knife. Call it good!
Tools: Everyone should have the basics....whisk, scissors (just for the kitchen... Treat them like your knives), an immersion blender, thermometer, (although, as you will learn.....I tend to use touch, smell and sight rather than temp...but get one anyway), a stock pan, good egg pan (small - so cheap at a restaurant supply store), a pan that can go stove to oven (stainless, no coating), a small sauce pan, a metal mixing bowl, and utensils. Big spoons, masher, and the like. A basic strainer and a small meshed strainer are also a must.
Ok. I breezed through that because I'm sure we are all WAY beyond this, but...I said the beginning and meant it. Whew. Glad that's over. Please don't leave me due to that post.
We all have to start with the basics, right? Just to keep it fresh I will refresh the "must needs" cooking appliance list within this post.
Until next time -
No comments:
Post a Comment