Brigade de cuisine

(English: kitchen brigade) is a system of hierarchy found in restaurants and hotels

employing extensive staff, commonly referred to as "kitchen staff" in English

speaking countries.

Brigade de cuisine• -The concept was developed

by Georges Auguste Escoffier.

- Note: Despite the use of chef in English as the

title for a cook, the word actually means "chief"

or "head" in French. Similarly, cuisine means

"kitchen," but also refers to food or cooking

generally, or a type of food or cooking.

Chef de cuisine (kitchen chef; literally "chief of kitchen")

• is responsible for overall management of kitchen; supervises staff, creates menus and new recipes with the assistance of the restaurant manager, makes purchases of raw food items, trains apprentices, and maintains a sanitary and hygienic environment for the preparation of food

Sous-chef de cuisine (deputy kitchen chef; literally "sub-chief")

• -receives orders directly from the chef de cuisine for the management of the kitchen, and often serves as the representative when the chef de cuisine is not present. Smaller operations may not have a sous-chef, while larger operations may have more than one.

Saucier (saucemaker/sauté cook)

• -prepares sauces and warm hors d'oeuvres, completes meat dishes, and in smaller restaurants, may work on fish dishes and prepare sautéed items. This is one of the most respected positions in the kitchen brigade, usually ranking just below the chef and sous-chef.

• hors d'oeuvre-literally "apart from the [main] work") or the first course, is a food item served before the main courses of a meal, typically smaller than main dishes, and often meant to be eaten by hand (with minimal use of cutlery)

Tomato bruschetta

Chef de partie (senior chef; literally "chief of party"; party used here as a group, in

the sense of a military detail)

• is responsible for managing a given station in the kitchen, specializing in preparing particular dishes there. Those who work in a lesser station are commonly referred to as ademi-chef.

Cuisinier (cook)• -is an independent position,

usually preparing specific dishes in a station; may also be referred to as a cuisinierde partie.

Commis (junior cook)

•also works in a specific station, but reports directly to the chef de partie and takes care of the tools for the station.

Apprenti(e) (apprentice)

• are often students gaining theoretical and practical training in school and work experience in the kitchen. They perform preparatory work and/or cleaning work.

Plongeur (dishwasher or kitchen porter)

•cleans dishes and utensils, and may be entrusted with basic preparatory jobs

Marmiton (pot and pan washer, also known as kitchen porter)

•in larger restaurants, takes care of all the pots and pans instead of the plongeur.

Rôtisseur (roast cook)

•manages a team of cooks that roasts, broils, and deep fries dishes

Grillardin (grill cook)

•in larger kitchens, prepares grilled foods instead of the rôtisseur.

Friturier (fry cook)

•in larger kitchens, prepares fried foods instead of the rôtisseur

•Poissonnier (fish cook)

•prepares fish and seafood dishes

•Entremetier (entrée preparer)

•prepares soups and other dishes not involving meat or fish, including vegetable dishes and egg dishes.

•Potager (soup cook)

•in larger kitchens, reports to the entremetier and prepares the soups

•Legumier (vegetable cook)

• in larger kitchens, also reports to the entremetier and prepares the vegetable dishes.

• Garde manger (pantry supervisor; literally "food keeper")

• is responsible for preparation of cold hors d'oeuvres, pâtés, terrines and aspics; prepares salads; organizes large buffet displays; and prepares charcuterie items.

pâtés

• is a mixture of cooked ground meat and fat minced into a spreadable paste. Common additions include vegetables, herbs, spices, and either wine or brandy

terrines• is a French forcemeat loaf similar to a pâté, made

with more coarsely chopped ingredients.Terrinesare usually served cold or at room temperature. Most terrines contain a large amount of fat as well as pork, although it is often not the main ingredient: Many terrines are made with typical French game meat, like deer and boar (which are generally not eaten any other way in France).

aspics• is a dish in which ingredients are set into

a gelatin made from a meat stock or consommé. Non-savory dishes, often made with commercial gelatin mixes without stock or consommé, are usually called gelatin salads.

aspic with chicken and eggs.

charcuterie• from chair 'flesh' and cuit'cooked') is the

branch of cooking devoted to prepared meat products, such as bacon, ham, sausage, terrines, galantines,pâtés, and confit, primarily from pork

• . Originally intended as a way to preserve meat before the advent of refrigeration, they are prepared today for their flavors derived from the preservation processes

• Galantine is a chilled poultry product created after the French Revolution by the chef to the Marquis de Brancas. The term galant connotes urbane sophistication. Other origins are suggested: the older French word for chicken géline or galineor the word gelatin.

• Tournant (spare hand/roundsman)

• moves throughout the kitchen, assisting other positions in kitchen.

• Pâtissier (pastry cook)

• The pastry chef is a member of the classic brigade de cuisine in a professional kitchen and is the station chef of the pastry department.

• Day-to-day operations can also require the pastry chef to research recipe concepts and develop and test new recipes. Usually the pastry chef does all the necessary preparation of the various desserts in advance, before dinner seating begins. The actual plating of the desserts is often done by another station chef, usually the gardemanger, at the time of order. The pastry chef is often in charge of the dessert menu, which besides traditional desserts, may include dessert wines, specialty dessert beverages, and gourmet cheese platters

• Confiseur

• in larger restaurants, prepares candies and petits fours instead of the pâtissier.

• petits fours is a small confectionery or savoury appetizer. The name isFrench, petit four meaning "small oven".

•Glacier

• in larger restaurants, prepares frozen and cold desserts instead of the pâtissier.

•Décorateur

•in larger restaurants, prepares show pieces and specialty cakes instead of the pâtissier.

Boulanger (baker)

• in larger restaurants, prepares bread, cakes, and breakfast pastries instead of the pâtissier.

•Boucher (butcher)

•butchers meats, poultry, and sometimes fish; may also be in charge of breading meat and fish items.

•Aboyeur (announcer/expediter)

• takes orders from the dining room and distributes them to the various stations; may also be performed by the sous-chef de partie.

•Communard

•prepares the meal served to the restaurant staff.

•Garçon de cuisine (literally "kitchen boy")

• in larger restaurants, performs preparatory and auxiliary work for support

Keeping Your Customers and Employees Safe

• Allergens

• are substances in food that cause allergic reactions in some people when eaten.People who have these reactions are said to have a foodallergy.

• About one in 30 peoplehas a food allergy.Allergic reactions may range from rashes to swollen glands, tightening of thethroat, shortness of breath, or vomiting. The most severe reaction is called

• anaphylactic(AN-uh-fill-AK-tik)shock, a acondition in which the victim may become unconscious,have difficultybreathing, or even die.

• The most common food allergens are:

• Dairy products

• Eggs

• Fish

• Shellfish

• Tree nuts

• Peanuts

• Wheat

• Soy products

• You, as s restaurant worker or foodservice manager are responsible for among other,

• Memorize the list of common food allergens

• Knowing all the ingredients in all the items on your menu, so that you can answer any question about a particular ingredient.

• As a cook, you must be able to prepare a customer’s specially ordered item and make certain that it is free of any particular allergen. For example, if a customer is allergic to shellfish, you must be certain that the chicken they order is not fried in the same oil as shrimp.Servers must be able to describe fully any menu item and tell how it is prepared. If not, the server must honestly tell the customer he/she isn’t sure and go ask a chef, orsuggest the customer try something else.

• Example:

•

• Seafood Allergies and Southeast Asian Cuisine

• Here’s an example of how a minor ingredient can be important to someone with anallergy. In southeast Asian restaurants, most recipes include fish sauce, an anchovy-based seasoning. From the menu, it would be impossible for the customer to tellthat the chicken dishes, the pork dishes, the vegetarian dishes, the soups, the sauces,the marinades, and even many of the salads contain this ingredient. Therefore, itwouldbe important that the managers, servers, and cooks all understand that mostof their dishes would be hazardous to someone with a seafood allergy.

• Pest Control

•

• Pests such as rats, cockroaches, and fliesspread disease. It is a major health violation to have an infestation of such animals in your establishment. The following guidelines forcontrolling pests are based on eliminating their food, water, and shelter:

Pest control• •Keep the area outside your building

clean and free of garbage and debris.

• •Make certain that outside doors close completely and automatically.

• •Eliminate hiding places, both inside and outside

Pest control• .•Use heavy-duty garbage containers and

dumpsters, and keep them tightly sealed.

• •Keep your kitchen clean and sanitized. “Clean as you go” is a good rule of thumb.

• •Keep all foods in the kitchen tightly sealed when not in use. Store food off the floor

• .•Inspect all incoming deliveries for pests.

Pest control• ••Keep your kitchen in good repair.

Seal holes and cracks in the wall, and gaps aroundpipes and electrical outlets

• .•Repair leaky pipes and dripping faucets

• Sanitation and Hygiene

• The two major paths to preventing food-borne illness involve proper sanitation in thekitchen and good personal hygiene. In this section, we look at the details of each of theseimportant topics.

• Sanitizing

• Sanitizing means washing with enough heat and/or chemicals to kill pathogens.

• Cleaning - means just getting rid of visible dirt. Dishes, utensils, work surfaces, and equipmentmustbe sanitized.

• Mechanically Sanitizing Dishes,Utensils,and Small-Equipment Parts

• There are five steps to sanitizing items in a mechanical dishwasher. This procedure may be used when washing dishes, kitchen utensils, equipment, and parts of equipment that can fit into the washer (The temperatures and times may vary according to local regulations.):

• 1.Scrape• pieces of food from the items into the garbage.• 2.Prerinse• the items, usually using a sprayer• .3.Place• items onto the rack in the dishwasher. Do not overload.• 4.Run• the machine. Make certain the sanitizing temperatures

are set at 180°F (82°C)for heat sanitation or 140°F (60°C) for chemical sanitation.

• 5.Air-dry• in a drying rack, so items will not be recontaminated by

contactwith towels, fingers, and so forth. Inspect the dishes as you place them on the rack

• Sanitizing Large Equipment and Work Surfaces

• Bacteria can grow rapidly on equipment and work surfaces that have been contaminated by residue from cooking. To prevent this from happening, observe the following princi-ples for cleaning your work area and equipment:

• •Clean and sanitize tables, counters, and work surfaces frequently during the daywith a cloth soaked in sanitizer. Again, follow the rule “clean as you go.”

• •Dismantle, clean, and sanitize large food preparation machines at least daily. Hint:To make this task easier, purchase equipment that can be easily dismantled and cleaned.

• •For parts that cannot be dismantled, sanitize all surfaces with a sanitizing solutionand wipe with a clean cloth. Especially make certain to sanitize the cutting bladeon the can opener, which is notorious not only for harbouring bacteria, but also for being the first place the health inspector checks

• .•Clean hoods, grease filters, vent pipes, ranges, and grills daily.

• •Clean empty food bins and containers before refillingthem.

• •Do not use chipped, cracked, or split meat blocks, cutting boards, or tables, which can harbordirt and bacteria.