Teamwork and Organisation

When working in a commercial kitchen, you will encounter a wide range of demands and experiences. One of the most crucial things you will learn is how to act as part of a team. Being part of a team and supporting other team members raises the whole team’s productivity level. Teamwork can help achieve tasks a lot more quickly and efficiently.

To be good at any job it is essential that you are organised. One of the most important aspects of organisation is establishing systems. Establishing a preparation list for the daily tasks is imperative, especially in the beginning of your career. List all the jobs that you need to do and check it with your supervisor, then prioritise the list and cross items off as you complete them. This will help you to ensure that all of your tasks are completed, until you are confident in your work. Even then it is still useful to refer to preparation lists, especially when you receive new tasks.

You may need to talk to colleagues in other sections as well. For example, if you are preparing the vegetables for the main course, then you should talk to the saucier about how the dish will be presented, so that you can prepare the vegetables correctly. Likewise, you may offer to do the chopped parsley for the entire kitchen and may receive other mise en place items in return, to streamline the production process.

During service, it is essential to communicate the progress of the dishes. If you are cooking a steak medium rare then you need to know that the accompanying sauce will be ready on time. Likewise, if one component is late, then the chefs cooking all other components need to know when to plate up.

If one section is lagging severely behind, then chefs may be assigned to help speed up production. For example, if it is a very hot day and customers are ordering lots of salads, then a commis from the grill section could be assigned to help prepare the salads.

It is essential that a kitchen team is able to function together to prepare all the dishes required. As part of your role you will need to be aware of your responsibilities and each role of the rest of your team. If you can see that you are lagging behind, then you need to notify your supervisor as this will impact all areas.

There may be an issue where you have notice the quantity of ingredients is insufficient or the quality of ingredient are not to standard, or you may find that there is faulty equipment. Other issues that you may need to address are hazards that you have identified, or a team member who is lagging and impacting your responsibilities. Always address these issues as they arise – and where it is outside of your control speak with your supervisor immediately so that they can put an action plan in place to ensure minimal disruption to service.

This is where standard recipe cards and bulk production are very useful. In cook-to-order kitchens, three different chefs may be contributing an element of a dish. Each chef needs to know exactly how much to cook, otherwise the balance of flavours will be out. Standard garnishes and accompaniments need to be added to make the dish complete – and the correct final product.

As you complete your mise en place you should store and label it in readiness for service. Once your list is complete, double check it to make sure nothing has been missed and then see whether anyone else needs any help.

Working cooperatively and as a team will make everyone’s job easier. Remember – the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. This means that the team can do more together than each person can individually.

In addition to storing leftovers and offcuts correctly, it is also important to maintain your work area. Throughout your shift you should do regular “tidy up” procedures as you move between tasks. Hygiene is crucial, so make sure you keep the work areas very clean and tidy. Keep utensils separate from each other and makes sure you do not cross-contaminate your items.

In particular, you need to clean your work area when changing tasks. For example if you are preparing meat and then change to preparing vegetables, you must clean and sanitise surfaces and equipment in between! Otherwise juices and bacteria that may have been on the meat will be transferred to the vegetables.

Cleaning is the act of removing of dirt, food particles, grease, grime, scum, etc. from a surface. Cleaning is aided by the application of a detergent, which helps to lift the dirt from the surface as well as keep it from reattaching. Cleaning generally produces a visible result, i.e. the object looks clean. However, cleaning does not kill off bacteria.

Sanitation means that heat and/or a chemical sanitisation product is applied to kill/reduce the amount of bacteria. Surfaces that come into contact with food products need to be sanitised regularly.

These 2 processes should be carried out as separate procedures – first you clean and then you sanitise. In order to be effective, the sanitation process requires a clean and detergent-free surface.

At the end of your shift you will need to conduct a more thorough clean of all your work surfaces, such as benches and shelves. You will also need to clean stovetops, the oven, walls, floors, cupboards and other parts of the kitchen and service area.