Food Skills Flashcards
Colours of chopping boards
Red = raw meat
Blue = raw fish
Yellow = cooked meat
Brown = vegetables
Green = salad/fruit
Portioning a chicken
- Remove the wings
- Remove the legs and tough from the carcass
- Remove the feet from the end of the leg
- Cut between the thigh and the leg joint to separate the thigh and leg
- Remove the breast by cutting away from the main carcass
- Cut the wing away from the breast
Filleting fish
- Remove head and fins
- Start at the head and cut down the spine of the fish, lift the fillet as you work down the fish
- Turn the fish over and remove the second fillet
- Trim the fish and remove any bones
Moist methods of cooking
- boiling
- simmering
- poaching
- blanching
- steaming
Boiling
Large amounts of rapidly bubbling liquid to cook foods
- quick, not likely to burn, simple
- food may disintegrate, some flavour is lost, water soluble vitamins may be lost
Simmering
Foods are cooked in hot liquid
- used for foods which require gentler treatment than boiling
- some flavour lost, water soluble vitamins may be lost
Poaching
The temperature of the liquid is just below simmering
- quick, water soluble vitamins may be lost
Blanching
Food is cooked and is then cooked quickly to stop the cooking process
- stops enzymic action in vegetables to be frozen
- not all foods can be successfully blanched
Steaming
Food doesn’t come into contact with water, cooked by the steam
- light texture and so easy to digest
- can take a long time to do
Dry heat methods
- frying
- grilling
- microwaving
Frying
Dry frying: no fat is added
Shallow frying: fat comes halfway to food
Stir frying: very little fat is used
- quick
- food attractive in colour
- soluble vitamins not lost
- more difficult to digest
- heat sensitive vitamins destroyed
Grilling
- quick
- possible to trim excess fat off some meats before grilling
- reduces amount of fat in some foods
- not suitable for tough cuts of meat
- careful timing is needed
Microwaving
- food cooked quickly
- bright colour of veg is retained
- less loss and destruction of water soluble and heat sensitive vitamins
- can be easily overcooked
- flavours may not develop in the food
Steam as a raising agent
- steam is produced from the liquid in a mixture and is used as a raising agent in some recipes
- as the mixture is heated the steam is formed from the liquid which causes the mixture to rise
- a protein in the mixture (gluten or egg) will then set the mixture in its risen state
Function of the ingredients in cakes mixture
Flour
- forms the main structure of a product
- raising agent if self raising flour is used
Fat
- adds colour
- traps air bubbles during mixing which helps with rising and creates a light texture
- shortens when rubbed into flour to make a crumbly texture
a provides moisture
Eggs
- hold air when whisked
- adds colour and flavour
Sugar
- sweetens
- helps to trap air when creamed with fat
Liquid
- acts as a raising agent when converted to steam
- binds ingredients together
Baking powder
- aerates -> makes a cake rise
Common faults in cake making
Cake has sunk in the middle
- too much raising agent was added
- too much sugar used -> gluten became to soft and collapsed
- not cooked for long enough
Cake has risen to a peak and cracked
- oven temp too high
- cooked to close to top of oven
Has a heavy texture
- not enough raising agent or air was added
- oven temp too low
Has a hard crust
- too much sugar
- a coarse sugar like granulated sugar was used and didn’t have enough time to dissolve
Has risen unevenly
- oven shelf isn’t level
Has an open and coarse texture
- flour not thoroughly mixed
Functions of ingredients in bread making
Strong plain flour
- high gluten content which provides the structure to the cooked bread, kneading the bread helps to develop the gluten and to hold the carbon dioxide bubbles produced by yeast
Yeast
- raising agent
Salt
- adds flavour and strengthens gluten
Liquid
- to bind ingredients together
Common faults in bread making
Has a dense texture
- ordinary plain flour was used > has a low gluten content
- yeast was killed before bread was baked
- too much salt used
Bread hasn’t risen well
- dough was left to prove for too long
- yeast was killed
Bread has an uneven texture and holes
- bread wasn’t kneaded enough after first proving
Dough collapses when baked
- mixture was left to prove for too long
