Archive for September, 2011
Chef and Head Cook Job Description
Posted by in Chefs on September 5, 2011
Chefs entice the olfactory like no other perfume can. It is a skill that is honed over years of kitchen experience. A professional chefs can do it under extreme pressure as well. The job of head cook, is not an easy one. A head cook needs to be calm and composed under stress of meeting immediate orders and demands. He must have excellent communication skills to maintain his loyal clientele and have an efficient team. A head cook holds a managerial position that brings a great responsibility. He must be a leader in every situation, who can steer his teammates towards a successful career.
Job Description of a Head Cook
The primary task of a head cook is to decide the menu and cook. He is responsible for coming up with the right combination of drinks, starters, main course and desserts.
To prepare the whole menu or get the bare minimum ready, to prepare it when the order comes in, he must have an able staff and a sous-chef. Thus, a head cook must also play the role of a human resource manager and recruit the skilled chefs for his team.
He must also know the sources of buying the vegetables, meat, alcohol, spices and other required raw materials at wholesale rates, so that the work flow remains within the budget.
The biggest task of a head cook is that he needs to keep a quality check on food preparations and the surroundings. He must make sure that the food is being cooked as per the pre-determined standards and the eating area is clean and hygienic. A slight falter can cost him, his job.
The storage area, especially the cold storage has to be cleaned completely every twice a week to maintain prescribed sanitary norms.
The hotel industry records maximum food wastage, which in big ways contributes to global food crisis. A head cook must plan his preparation in a way, that it minimizes food wastage. Expensive spices and condiments have to be used judiciously to work within decided budgets.
A head cook is also responsible for taking inventories of stock, supplies and makes a list of items that will be required in the coming week. Read the rest of this entry »
History of Cajun Food
Posted by in Food History on September 5, 2011
Cajun food history can be traced back as far as the 1700s. The people or Cajuns (the group of Acadians and the native Indians) exiled from Canada. As these people were not treated properly by the French Aristocracy of New Orleans, they were forced to settle down in the swampy marshlands outside the city. The exiled people were forced to survive on the meager ingredients that grew on the swamps and the game and seafood that was available. This was the Cajun food origin and the main ingredients were shellfish, other forms of seafood like turtle, alligator and other game like duck, turkey, chicken and pork. Among these ingredients, shrimp and crawfish became the most popular dishes. These dishes were served with steamed rice, which is the staple food of these people. Gumbo, a type of stew and Jambalaya, which is made with vegetables, meat stock and rice, are two popular foods of the Cajun cuisine.
A typical Cajun meal consists of three pots, one pot contains the main dish, one pot that has steamed rice, a grain dish or fried cornbread and the last pot contains the vegetable. Cajun food in the earlier times was merely considered a food of the poor immigrants. But with the passage of time, as more immigrants melded together in southern Louisiana, they brought with them their own spices and methods of cooking and transformed the bland food into a spicy one. A blend of these ingredients combined in one pot became the staple diet of the immigrants and a part of the Cajun food history. After many years, the ingredients were prepared in various methods and new menus called ‘the Southern Hospitality’ was derived from the Cajun food history. Read the rest of this entry »
Beginning Cooking
Posted by in Food History on September 2, 2011
God created Adam in this idyllic garden of Eden, where he had everything he needed; Eve appeared and then sin, however the historical and archeological discoveries speak about those times, thus we get some information, lacunar at it may be regarding the beginnings.
Before discovering fire, primitive people is said to have used to feed on fruits, roots and raw meat. Researchers say that roasted meat was first discovered by pure chance. Thus, the meat of animals which fell victims to fire incidents apparently had a better taste and were more easily digested than raw meat. Other rudimentary cooking procedures included frying wild cereals on flat stones or using shells, skulls or carved stones in order to heat beverages. Nonetheless, cooking did not evolve until the introduction of pottery in the Neolithic. Researchers have also discovered that the oldest complex meal was a sort of raw paste similar to the recipe later on used by Roman legions, called “polenta”, or resembling the Romanian “mamaliga”. This paste was made by mixing water with seeds from wild plants, and then crushing them. This paste was soon fried on a hot stone until it formed a crust and this is how the first type of bread appeared.
Cooking techniques have of course improved after the appearance of the clay jars and vessel, and especially after the development of human settlements, together with the domestication of animals and the cultivation of edible plants. The very first beverages used by the primitive man included human milk, which proved to be vital for the growth and development of infants, and for the survival of the species. Read the rest of this entry »