MISE EN PLACE (meez-on-plahss)
This French term meaning "Everything put in place", and involves prepping all ingredients and equipment before cooking.
Planning and Organizing Productions
If you prepare only one short recipe, you must first:
> Assemble your tools
> Assemble your ingredients
> Wash, trim, cut, prepare, and measure your raw materials.
> Prepare your equipment (pre-heat oven, line baking sheets etc.)
Only that you can begin the actual preparation.
THE PROBLEM
Every food service operation faces a basic conflict between two unavoidable facts:
There is far too much work to do in a kitchen to leave until the last minute, so some work must be done ahead.
Most foods are at their best quality immediately after preparation, and they deteriorate as they are held.
THE SOLUTION
To address this conflict, the chef must plan the pre-preparation carefully. Planning generally follow this steps:
Break down each menu item into its stages of production. Turn to any recipe. Note that the procedures are divided into a sequence of steps that must be done in a certain order to make a finished product.
Determine which stages may be done in advance.
> The first step to every recipe written or not, is always part of advance preparation: Assembling and preparing the ingredients. This includes cleaning and cutting produce, cutting and trimming meats, and preparing breading and batters for frying.
> Succeeding steps of a recipe may be done in advance if the foods can then be held without loss of quality.
> Final cooking should be done as close as possible to service for maximum freshness. Sauce or stuffing, are prepared in advance, and the dish is assembled at the last minute.
Items cooked by Dry-Heat Methods, such as broiled steaks, sauteed fish, and French-fried potatoes, do not hold well.
Items cooked by Moist-Heat, such as braised beef, soups and stews, are usually better suited to re-heating or holding in a steam table. Very delicate items should always be freshly cooked.
Determine the best way to hold each item at its final stage of pre-preparation.
> Holding temperature is the temperature at which a product is kept for service or for storage. Holding temperatures for all potentially hazardous foods must be outside the Food Danger Zone.
Sauces and Soups are frequently kept hot, above 135F (57C) for service in steam tables or other holding equipment. Foods such as vegetables, however, should be kept hot only for short become overcooked.
Refrigerator Temperature, below 41F (5C), are best for preserving the quality of most foods, especially perishable meats, fish, and vegetables before final cooking or reheating. Perishable means those items or products that tend to spoil faster than other foods.
Determine how long it takes to prepare each stage of each recipe. Plan a production schedule beginning with the preparations that take the longest. For example Stock, it may take 6-8 hours to make a stock but you9 don't have to stand and watch it all the time.
Examine recipes to see if they might be revised for better efficiency and quality as served.
For Example:
Instead of preparing a full batch of green peas and holding them for service in the steam table. You might blanch and chill them then heat portions to order in a saute pan.
Instead of holding a large batch Scaloppine in mushroom sauce, you can prepare the sauce then just saute the veal or beef to order.
THE GOAL
The goal of the pre-preparation is to do as much work in advance as possible without loss of quality. Then, at service time, all energy can be used for finishing each item immediately before serving.
ADAPTING PREPARATION TO STYLE OF SERVICE
Set Meal Service
> All customer eat at one time.
> Often called Quantity cooking because large batches are prepared in advance.
> Examples: school cafeterias, banquets, employee dining rooms. The traditional method of set meal preparation, still widely used, is to prepare the entire quantity of each item in a single batch and to keep it hot for the duration of the meal service.
This method has two major disadvantages:
Deterioration of quality due to long holding
Large quantities of leftovers. Modern high-speed equipment, such as pressure steamers, convection ovens, infrared ovens, and microwave ovens, make possible a system called small batch cooking.
Quantities that are divided into smaller batches, placed in pans ready for final cooking or heating, and then cooked only as needed. Advantages are:
Fresher food, because it is not held as long.
Fewer leftovers, because servings not needed are not cooked
Extended Meal Service
> Customers eat at different times
> Often called a la carte cooking because customers usually select items from a written menu (carte in French).
> Examples: restaurants, short-order counters. Individual items are cooked to order rather than cooked ahead, but pre-preparation is extensive, down to final cooking stage.
Note: the difference in these two methods for Chicken Chasseur. In both cases, the final product is chicken in a brown sauce with mushrooms, shallots, white wine and tomatoes.
Quantity Method - Chicken Chasseur:
- Brown chicken in fat, remove
- Saute' shallots and mushrooms in same fat.
- Add flour to make a roux.
- Add white wine, tomatoes, brown stock, seasonings, simmer until thickened .
- Add chicken, braise until done.
A la carte Method - Chicken Chasseur:
- Prepare sauce Chasseur in advance, hold in bain-marie.
For each order:
- Brown chicken in saute' pan, finish cooking in oven
- Deglaze pan with white wine, reduce.
- Add one portion of sauce, add chicken and simmer briefly, serve.
MISE EN PLACE: THE REQUIRED TASKS
Chef's refer to performing this preliminary tasks as "doing the mise en place". In many restaurants, especially large ones, the mise en place is extensive.
Preliminary Cooking and Flavoring
Advance preparation often requires certain precooking and flavoring of ingredients to make them ready for use in the finished recipe. If a recipe for chicken salad calls for cooked, diced chicken, you must first cook the chicken before you can proceed with the recipe.
Blanching and Par-cooking
Partial cooking is a significant part of advance preparation. It requires a degree of culinary skill and judgement to determine when and how much cooking is necessary or desirable. Partial cooking may be done by any moist-heat or dry-heat method. The term blanching may mean any of these methods:\
To increase holding quality
Heating helps preserve foods by:
Destroying bacteria that cause spoilage.
Destroying enzymes that discolor foods (as when potatoes turn brown) and help them deteriorate.
To save time
It takes less time to finish par-boiled vegetables for service than it does to finish raw vegetables.
Large batches of foods may be blanched and chilled, and individual portions then finished to order.
PREPARATION FOR FRYING
Most foods to be deep fried, with major exception of potatoes, are first given a protective coating of breading or batter. This coating serves four purposes:
It helps retain moisture and flavor in the product.
It protects the fat against the moisture and salt in the food, which speed deterioration of frying fat.
It protects the food from absorbing too much fat.
It gives crispness, flavor and good appearance to the product.
BREADING
Breading means coating a product with bread crumbs or other crumbs or meal before deep frying, pan-frying or sauteing. The most widely used method for applying these coatings is called the Standard Breading Procedure.
The Three Stages of the Standard Breading Procedure
Flour - Helps the breading stick to the product.
Egg wash - A mixture of eggs and liquid, usually milk or water. More eggs give greater binding power but increase the cost
Crumbs - Combine with the egg wash to create a crisp, golden coating when fried. Fine, dried breadcrumbs are most often used and give good results.
HANDLING CONVENIENCE FOODS
A convenience food may be defined as any product that has been partially or completely prepared or processed by a manufacturer.
Guidelines for Handling Convenience Foods
Handle with the same care you give fresh, raw ingredients.
Examine as soon as received
Store properly
Know the shelf-life of each product
Defrost frozen foods properly
Know how and to what extent the product has been prepared
Use proper cooking methods
Treat convenience foods as though you, not the manufacturer, did the preparation.
ORGANISING AND PREPARING FOOD INCLUDES:
Demonstrating the ability to efficiently organize and prepare a general range of foods.
The focus of this general range will vary according to the sector in which the kitchen operates.
Applying principles of hygiene and safety.
Writing a Prep List
> A prep list is not just a rewriting of recipes.
> it is reading through recipes and composing a written map of how to accomplish the tasks necessary to prepare the recipes.
> The first step in organizing your work is to read and understand the recipes you will be using.
> Once each item is identified and quantified, the next step is to schedule your tasks through prioritization:
Prepare equipment for use
Assemble and prepare ingredients for menu items
Prepare dairy, dry goods, fruits and vegetables
Prepare meat, seafood and poultry
Before service starts
> Ovens and cooking surfaces should be pre-heated, as necessary
> Mixing bowls, saucepans and storage containers should be the correct size for the task at hand.
Remember - Expiration dates on foods should be checked periodically for validity
- Sanitizing, solution, hand towels, disposable gloves and trash receptacles should be conveniently located.
- If you plan ahead you will worked more relaxed and never end up chaos in the kitchen.
BREAD AND ROLL PRODUCTION
Bread or Yeast Products
- All breads and other yeast products are based on refined wheat flour. Wheat flour has gluten which helps in forming and giving shape and volume to the bread.
- Eggs (if used) help the loaf rise higher and fat rich yolks lengthen shelf-life. During baking the egg whites tend to dry out the dough, which is one reason why butter/fat is added in compensation as it makes the bread soft. Substantial amounts of butter impede the initial activity of gluten. To prevent this basic dough is mixed and left to rise, and then the butter/fat is incorporated.
Basic Ingredients:
Flour: Use refined wheat, whole meal, or hard wheat flour rich in gluten.
Yeast: Dried or compressed yeast may be used
Sugar: A small amount of sugar provides food for the yeast to start fermentation but too much sugar will retard the growth.
Liquid: Liquid is mainly water or milk. it should be lukewarm to provide warmth necessary to activate the yeast.
Shortening: A small amount of shortening is usually incorporated into flour mixture to improve the softness, flavor and keeping quality of the product, excess of which will produce a heavy loaf.
Salt: It is added to improve the flavor and increase the rate of fermentation.
FLOUR
Types of flour:
All-purpose flour - is a blend of hard and soft wheat, it may be bleached or unbleached. It is usually translated as "plain flour". All-purpose flour has 8% to 11% protein (gluten). All-purpose is one of the most commonly used and readily accessible flour.
Bread Flour - is white flour made from hard, high-protein wheat. it has more gluten strength and protein content than all-purpose flour. It is unbleached and sometimes conditioned with ascorbic acid, which increases volume and creates better texture.
Cake Flour - is fine textured, soft-wheat flour with high starch content. it has the lowest protein content of any wheat flour, 8% to 10% protein (gluten). When you are making baked goods with a high ratio of sugar to flour, this flour will be better able to hold its rise and will be less liable to collapse. This flour is excellent for baking fine-textured cakes with greater volume and is used in some quick breads, muffins and cookies.
Buckwheat Flour - is gluten free which makes it a good choice for anybody with gluten sensitivities or celiac disease. It is packed with nutrients, readily available, easy to work with and has a nice nutty flavor.
Gluten Flour - is usually milled from spring wheat and has a high protein (gluten) of 12% to 14%. It is used primarily for diabetic breads, or mixed other non-wheat or low protein wheat flours to produce a stronger dough structure.
Pastry Flour - also is made with soft wheat and falls somewhere in between all-purpose and cake flour in terms of protein content and baking properties. Pastry flour also know as "Cookie flour" has a protein (gluten) 9% to 10%. Use pastry flour for making biscuits, pie crusts, brownies, cookies and quick breads. Pastry flour makes a tender but crumbly pastry. Do not use it for yeast breads.
Rice Flour - Rice flour (also called Mochiko on Japanese and Pirinc unu in Turkish) is a form of flour made from finely milled rice. It can be made from either white or brown rice.
Self-rising Flour - sometimes referred to as phosphated flour, is low-protein flour with salt and leavening (baking powder) already added. It's most often recommended for biscuits and some quick breads, but never for yeast breads.
Semolina Flour - is used in making pasta and italian puddings. It is made from durum wheat, the hardest type of wheat grown. the flour flour is highest in gluten.
Whole-wheat Flour (also called graham flour) - is made from the whole kernel of wheat and is higher in dietary fiber and overall nutrient content than white flours. It does not have as high a gluten level, so often it's mixed with all-purpose or bread flour when making yeast breads.
YEAST - Yeast is a living organism, one-celled fungus and feeds on carbohydrates converting them into carbon dioxide and ethanol, during the baking process the gas is trapped in the dough.
> Yeast remains dormant at temperatures below 34F / +1C
> Yeast grows rapidly between 75F / 24C and 95F / 35C
> Yeast dies at 138F / 60C
Types of Yeast
Compressed > Also known as fresh yeast (must be rehydrated)
Active Dry Yeast > All moisture has been removed so that this yeast does not need to be refrigerated until it is opened (must be rehydrated).
Instant Dry Yeast > Gained popularity because it can be added to the dry ingredients without rehydration
Types of Bread
Rich Yeast > the rich yeast dough is shaped into variety of plain and ornamental breads. They are also called breakfast breads; they are served for breakfast and as tea breads. The richest of all breads are croissants, Danish and brioche with a very high proportion of butter and eggs.
Lean Dough Products > Lean dough is one that has low fat and sugar content.
Hard crusted bread and rolls, including French breads, Italian breads, Kaiser rolls and other hard rolls.
White and whole wheat breads and dinner rolls. They have a higher fat and sugar content and are fairly rich with eggs and milk solids. They form soft crusts.
Breads with other grains are common. Many varieties are produced with various flavorings, molasses and caraway seeds.
Snack breads like pizza bases, burger buns, and hot dog rolls, which can be made lean or rich.
Rich Dough Products > are those which contain higher percentage of fat, sugar, and sometimes eggs.
Non-sweet breads and rolls, including rich dinner rolls. They have high fat content but their sugar content is low.
Sweet rolls, including coffee cakes and many breakfast and tea rolls have high fat, sugar content and eggs. They have sweet fillings or topping.
Layered Yeast Dough Products > Layered dough is one in which fat is incorporated in many layers by using a rolling and folding procedure, the alternative layers of fat and dough give the baked product a flaky texture.
Flaky croissant and Danish pastry are best examples of rich yeast breads.
Non-sweet layered dough: Croissants
Sweet layered dough: Danish pastry
Quick Bread > Quick breads are also known as yeast less dough. These are quick breads because the leavening is achieved by chemical leavening agent such as baking powder or soda bi carbonate. Quick breads are soft and crumbly, particularly when the bread is sweet.
Samples of quick breads: Irish sweet bread, Gatah, Oatmeal bread, Whole
meal cheese scones, Currant scones
Fried Bread > Fried breads are often raised with yeast or sometimes with baking powder. When the dough is fried until crisp, the breads are often called fritters and doughnuts.
Yeast breads are not difficult to deep fry but the temperature of both the dough and the fat should be in the right proportion. For deep frying the fat should be at 180C, if it is too hot the dough tends to scorch and if its too cool the dough soaks up too much of fat. The dough should be around 24C or room temperature. Most fried breads and fritters are best served hot with either a dusting of icing sugar or a layer of honey or jam for sweet breads.
Flat Bread > Flat breads are among the world's oldest and most traditional breads similar to yeast less breads. Some are chewy, some crisp and almost all are shaped round with varying diameter from 6-12 inches. They are based on variety of flours and sometimes leavening agents are used.
Pita bread ia a type of flat bread made from wheat flour and raised with yeast. It is baked in the oven until it puffs up and browns in color. Popular fillings are falafel (chickpea or broad beans) and hummus (chick pea puree).
A Variety of Flat breads come from India
> Chapattis - are flat bread prepared from whole meal flour, ghee, salt, and water.
> Parathas- are similar preparations, brushed with oil, then folded and rolled so that the dough separates into flaky layers when cooked in hot griddle.
> Naan - is leavened flat bread in a traditional clay oven - Tandoor.
> Mexican tortillas - are made from corn or wheat flour, salt and water. Shaped with a special press and baked in griddle.
Regional Flat types of Bread: based on local grains such as oats, barley flour and potato
> Injera - is a large fermented pancake of East Africa
> Peking pancakes - are made from flour, lard, water. they are softened by steaming and usually served with pork dishes.
Preparation and Mixing Methods
Straight Dough Method
> Soften yeast in water
> Combine the remaining ingredients including the rest of the water
> Mix to a smooth developed dough.
Sponge Dough Method
> Combine liquid, yeast and a part of flour and sugar. Mix to form a thick batter or soft dough. Rest to ferment till double its volume.
> Punch down and add the rest of flour and remaining ingredients. Mix to a uniform, smooth dough.
Production Stages of Yeast Breads:
Scaling the ingredients
Mixing and kneading the dough
Fermenting the dough
Testing the dough (If the dough is proofed enough, it will slowly go to its original shape, If the dough spring back too fast it means the dough is not ready yet).
Punching down the dough
Portioning the dough
Makeup shaping the portions
Proofing the products (the second rise)
Baking the products
Cooling the bread