1. Chapter 5
Kitchen Essentials: Equipment and Techniques

2. Receiving Equipment
The receiving area is the first stop in the flow of food.
Receiving equipment:
Receiving table/area
Scales
Utility cart
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Chapter 5 | Kitchen Essentials: Part 2—Equipment and Techniques

3. Storage Equipment
Dry goods must be stored at least 6 inches off the floor on stainless-steel shelving.
Storage equipment:
Shelving
Walk-in refrigerator or freezer
Reach-in refrigerator or freezer

4. Pre-preparation equipment
Knives
Hand tools and small equipment
Measuring utensils
Pots and pans

5. Knives & Knife Care Each knife is designed for a specific purpose.
Boning knife
Chef’s knife
Paring knife
Filet knife
Serrated slicer
A knife has several parts:
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Chapter 5 | Kitchen Essentials: Part 2—Equipment and Techniques

6. Knives & Knife Care (cont.)
Use the hand not holding the knife as your guiding hand. This hand will hold down your food and control the size of your cut.
Honing is the regular maintenance required to keep knives in the best shape.
A sharpening stone is used to grind and hone the edges of steel tools and implements.
Use a 20 degree angle for honing and sharpening knives.
A steel is a long metal rod that is used to remove the microscopic burrs that are created as a knife is used.
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Chapter 5 | Kitchen Essentials: Part 2—Equipment and Techniques

7. Hand Tools and Small Equipment
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Chapter 5 | Kitchen Essentials: Part 2—Equipment and Techniques

8. Measuring Utensils
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Chapter 5 | Kitchen Essentials: Part 2—Equipment and Techniques

9. Pots and Pans
In general, pots are larger vessels with straight sides and two loop handles. Pans tend to be shallower with one long handle and either straight or sloped sides.
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Chapter 5 | Kitchen Essentials: Part 2—Equipment and Techniques

10. Processing Equipment: Cutters and Mixers
Always use safety guards when using cutting machines.
Employees must be properly trained and informed of all precautionary measures that should be taken when operating the equipment.
It is illegal for minors to use, clean, or maintain cutters.
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Chapter 5 | Kitchen Essentials: Part 2—Equipment and Techniques

11. Steamers & Broilers Steamers cook the food with steam.
Broilers cook food quickly with the heat source above the food.
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Chapter 5 | Kitchen Essentials: Part 2—Equipment and Techniques

12. Ranges, Griddles, Fryers, and Ovens
Ranges are cooking units with open heat sources.
Ovens
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Chapter 5 | Kitchen Essentials: Part 2—Equipment and Techniques

13. Holding and Serving Equipment
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Chapter 5 | Kitchen Essentials: Part 2—Equipment and Techniques

14. Mise en Place
Getting ready to cook is called mise en place. Mise en place is French for “to put in place.”
The goal of pre-preparation is to do as much of the work in advance without any loss in ingredient quality
The basic elements of mise en place—knife cuts, flavorings, herbs and spices, and basic preparations—are the building blocks of a professional chef ’s training.
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Chapter 5 | Kitchen Essentials: Part 2—Equipment and Techniques

15. Seasoning, Herbs, and Spices
There are four basic types of seasoning ingredients:
Salts
Peppers
Sugars
Acids
Herbs and spices are important ingredients used to enhance and add to the flavor of food:
Herbs are the leaves, stems, or flowers of an aromatic plant.
Spices are the bark, roots, seeds, buds, or berries of an aromatic plant.
Heat, light, and air all speed the loss of flavor and color.
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Chapter 5 | Kitchen Essentials: Part 2—Equipment and Techniques

16. Pre-preparation Techniques
Basic cooking techniques in pre-preparation include:
separating eggs
whipping egg whites
setting up a bain-marie
making parchment liners for pans
blanching
shocking
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Chapter 5 | Kitchen Essentials: Part 2—Equipment and Techniques

17. Heat Transfer
Convection is the transfer of heat caused by the movement of molecules (in the air, water, or fat) from a warmer area to a cooler one.
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18. Dry-Heat Cooking Methods
In dry-heat cooking, food is cooked either by direct heat, like on a grill, or by indirect heat in a closed environment, like in an oven.
Broiling is a rapid cooking method that uses high heat from a source located above the food.
Grilling is excellent for cooking smaller pieces of food.
Roasting and baking are techniques that cook food by surrounding the items with hot, dry air in the oven.
Griddling is cooking a food item on a hot, flat surface (known as a griddle) or in a relatively dry, heavy-bottomed fry pan or cast-iron skillet.
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19. Dry-Heat Cooking Methods (cont.)
The sautéing method cooks food rapidly in a small amount of fat over relatively high heat. The fat adds to the flavor.
Stir-fry is a cooking method closely related to sauté. Like sauté, it is a quick-cooking, dry-heat method.
To pan-fry food, cook it in an oil over less intense heat than that used for sautéing or stir-frying.
To deep-fry food, bread or batter coat it, immerse (completely cover) it in hot fat, and fry it until it is done.
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20. Moist-Heat Cooking Methods
Moist-heat cooking techniques produce food that is delicately flavored and moist, which can be served as a separate course or used as a sauce base.
When simmering, cook food between 180°F and 200°F. The food is completely submerged in a liquid that is at a constant, moderate temperature.
When poaching, cook food between 160°F and 180°F. The surface of the poaching liquid should show some motion, but no air bubbles should break the surface.
Blanching is a variation of boiling. When blanching, partially cook food and then finish it later.
Steaming is cooking food by surrounding it in steam in a confined space such as a steamer basket, steam cabinet, or combi-oven. Direct contact with the steam cooks the food.
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21. Combination-Cooking Methods
When the best method for preparing certain food is a combination of dry-heat and moist-heat cooking methods, it is called combination cooking.
In braising, first sear the food item in hot oil, and then partially cover it in enough liquid to come halfway up the food item. Then cover the pot or pan tightly and finish the food slowly in the oven or on the stovetop until it is tender.
When stewing, first cut the main food item into bite-sized pieces, and either blanch or sear them. As with braising, cook the food in oil first, and then add liquid. Stewing requires more liquid than braising. Cover the food completely while it is simmering.
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Chapter 5 | Kitchen Essentials: Part 2—Equipment and Techniques

22. Sous Vide
Sous vide is a method in which food is cooked for a long time, sometimes well over 24 hours. Sous vide is French for “under vacuum.”
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Chapter 5 | Kitchen Essentials: Part 2—Equipment and Techniques

23. Determining Doneness & Plating
There are two important qualities that cooks look for to determine a product’s doneness:
Has it achieved the desired texture?
Has it reached the minimum internal temperature it needs to be safe?
Portioning is the amount of an item that is served to the guest.
Plating is the decision about what serving vessel will be used to present the product as well as the layout of the item on the plate or in the bowl and the garnishing of the item.
Garnish enhances the food being served.
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24. Healthy Diets A healthy diet:
Emphasizes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and fat-free or low-fat milk and milk products
Includes lean meats, poultry, fish, beans, eggs, and nuts
Is low in saturated fats, trans fats, cholesterol, salt (sodium), and added sugars
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25. Vegetarian Diets
A vegetarian is a person who consumes no meat, fish, or poultry products. There are different types of vegetarians:
A vegan follows the strictest diet of all and will consume no dairy, eggs, meat, poultry, fish, or anything containing an animal product or byproduct, including honey. They consume only grains, legumes, vegetables, fruit, nuts, and seeds.
A lacto-vegetarian consumes all the vegan items plus dairy products.
An ovo-vegetarian consumes all vegan foods plus eggs.
A lacto-ovo-vegetarian consumes all the vegan items plus dairy products and eggs.
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26. Dietary Guidelines for Americans
The Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2005 is a document published jointly by the Department of Health and Human Services and the USDA.
Total fat intake: Less than 30% of total calories
Sodium intake: Less than 2300mg (approximately 1 teaspoon salt) per day
Cholesterol intake: Consume less than 300mg per day
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27. Nutrition Labels
Each nutrient on the panel is reported as a percentage of Daily Values (DV).
The DVs are provided in percentages based on a 2000-calorie diet.
The mandatory components on the Nutrition Facts label are:
Serving size and servings per container
Total calories and calories from fat
Total fat and saturated fat
Trans fat
Cholesterol
Sodium
Total carbohydrate, dietary fiber, and sugars
Protein
Vitamin A, vitamin C, calcium, and iron
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