Saturday, February 24, 2007

Chef Qualifications -> Entry 4

Normally there are different qualifications for being a chef, there is no such thing as THIS is always the kind of qualification that you MUST have. Being a chef, you can either work in a hotel or restaurant, and that is depending on what kind of qualification they wants. Mostly they will look for the kind of skills and knowledge you have.

Knowledge of:
1. Principles and methods of food preparation and cooking, particularly as related to quantity preparation.
2. Kitchen sanitation and methods of care and cleaning of kitchen equipment.
3. Basic safety procedures as applied to food preparation and cooking.
4. Basic business arithmetic and record keeping procedures.
5. Basic supervisory principles and practices.
Skill in:
1. Directing and reviewing the work of an assigned kitchen staff.
2. Preparing and cooking large quantities of foods.
3. Directing and ensuring safe and sanitary kitchen operations.
4. Planning, coordinating and overseeing the serving of well-balanced and nutritious meals.
5. Performing arithmetic calculations to determine ingredient portions.
6. Preparing daily records of meal service and other written materials.
7. Establishing and maintaining effective working relationships with those contacted in the course of the work.

There will be class that were responsible for ensuring the proper preparation and cooking of food for a variety of City-sponsored meal sites and/or meal programs. Incumbents are expected to work closely with professional nutritionists and other meal program supervisors for the purpose of providing well-balanced and nutritious meals.

EXAMPLES OF DUTIES
1. Provides lead direction, instruction and work review to assigned kitchen staff;
2. Estimates food inventory requirements and requisitions food and supplies;
3. Directs and assists in the cleaning and sanitation of kitchen areas and equipment;
4. Maintains and oversees kitchen safety standards and the disposal of garbage;
5. Instructs staff in food preparation and cooking methods;
6. Maintains daily meal records and prepares reports of meal service for appropriate supervisory review;
7. Prepares meats for cooking by cutting, trimming, grinding or slicing;
8. Cleans, cuts, chops and slices vegetables and fruits for use in salads and desserts;
9. Cooks meat, vegetables, soups and other foods according to recipe or other instructions;
10. Prepares sauces, gravies, breads, cakes and pastries;
11. Sets up food for portable meals program on steam table;
12. Ensures proper storage and temperature of foods for serving;
13. Assists in overseeing the service of food and serves food portions at mealtimes;
14. Makes necessary food preparations for the following day's meals;
15. Assists in the receiving and storing of food items and supplies;
16. Cleans kitchen utensils and equipment and maintains cooking area in clean and safe condition;
17. Sweeps and mops kitchen or dining area;
18. Performs related duties as assigned.

Most restaurant will only employ experience chef. Equivalent to completion of high school and two years of experience in large scale food preparation and cooking which involved the preparation of quantity amounts of meats, vegetables, soups, salads, desserts, sauces and gravies.

Information from http://www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/hr/classspecs/6421.htm

Posted by WEIJIAN at 7:30 PM

Tuesday, February 20, 2007

Reflection on the hardware video -> Entry 3

About the National education video that our our English teacher played the other day, I still felt that Singapore is a place where we belongs. Only Singapore gives me a sense of belonging. The video shows that many Singaporeans went overseas for work. I also feel that what we do in Singapore is much more appreciated here compared to other country. In my own opinion, going overseas to work is no matters, it's just that we must always where we belong, Singapore is after all, our home.

Posted by WEIJIAN at 11:01 PM

My Ambition -> Entry 2

My ambition, i always really wanted to be a chef. Reasons? I want to be a person not only who only knows how to eat but also know how to cook a simple dish into a delicious dish. The secrets behind a cup of coffee, or even a piece of bread, I want to unlock the secret. And also really wanted to satisfied people's stomach, it really fells good when a person says your dishes is really nice.

The origin of the hat of the chef wears, i found two and it both makes sense so i will post both of them.

Chef Hat - The History & Origin

The chef hat isn't for style but sheer practical use. They are for preventing every food eater's nightmare of finding hair in their food, purely and simply. They also denote how accomplished the chef is. If you've ever noticed the pleats on a chef's hat and thought they were simply for sheer fanciness then guess again - they are the equivalent of stripes on the arm of a military person. The number of pleats goes up to one hundred, which would be the most accomplished a chef could be.
There is no single known origin of the toque, the French name for the chef hat, and it is shrouded in historical guesswork and nothing is conclusive. One widely accepted origin of the chef hat is it originated in the Henry VIII era, when much to the King's horror he found a hair in his food. He then beheaded the person whose head it fell from, and thereafter ordered all of his kitchen staff to wear chef hats.
However other countries lay claim to been the first inventors of chef hats. The simple fact is it wouldn't be too outrageous to assume some sort of hygienic head wear was adopted by the many refined cultures of the world, in some shape or form.

What is the origin of the chef's hat? --Rwatson628
SDSTAFF Veg replies:
Elementary, my dear Rwatson. The chef's hat originated when a royal cook in the emply of King Henry VIII started going bald. Henry found a hair in his soup, had the cook beheaded, and ordered the next chef to start wearing a hat (the cook was only too happy to comply).
Actually, there are couple of different theories about the origin of the chef's hat, or toque, and there is probably some truth in both.
Some say the toque can be traced back to the seventh century A.D., when chefs were considered learned men (remember that "epicurean" derives from the name of a Greek philosopher, Epicurus). Learned men didn't always get the respect they deserved, though, and were often persecuted; at such times, they often took refuge in the local church, where they donned the same costumes that the local clergy were wearing, hats and all, as a disguise. Eventually, not wanting to incur the wrath of God any more than the wrath of the local savages, they started wearing white hats instead of the black hats worn by Greek Orthodox priests, and the toque was born.
The other most prominent story about the history of the toque is that it comes to us from the ancient Assyrians. Since one of the more common ways to do in His Royal Highness back then was to poison his food (not to mention the fact that spoiled food was more common in the days before Whirlpool), chefs were chosen carefully, and treated very well, often even holding rank in the king's court. Legend has it that the chef's high position entitled himto wear a "crown" of sorts, in the same shape as the king's, though made out of cloth and without all of those bothersome jewels. The crown-shaped ribs of the royal headdress became the pleats of the toque, originally sewn, and later stiffened with starch.
Speaking of pleats, the most widely circulated legend about the toque appears to be one concerning the number of pleats. From "A Pageant of Hats, Ancient and Modern," by Ruch Edwards Kilgour, copyright 1958: "It was regarded as natural that any chef, worthy of the name, could cook an egg at least one hundred ways. The most-renowned chefs often boasted that they could serve their royal masters a different egg dish every day in the year, some ofthem so cleverly prepared, that aside from being highly palatable they had flavors as widely different as completely diverse kinds of foods. Today, noted chefs are seldom called upon to prove their prowess in this manner. Nevertheless, they still wear one hundred pleats on their hat, the old-time symbol of their skill in the egg department." Maybe they did back in 1958, but several Internet sites advertising toques for sale, both paper and vinyl,described their hats as having 48 pleats. I guess the advent of cholesterol screening had a bigger impact than most of us thought.
The toque has changed many times over the years, but most stories about its origins are variations on one of the two above. Since the most dramatic changes in style and shape are attributable to the French, I'd be remiss if I didn't include something from a snotty Frenchman regarding the decline of toquish excellence. Roger Fessaguet, a previous co-owner of La Caravelle (which, I believe, is in New York), laments, "American chefs don't wear atoque. Could you think of a policeman without a hat? That is part of the full uniform. I still have 12 uniforms. In the old days, I used to send my toques back to France aboard French Line ships, to Havre, where they were washed, ironed and starched by women who knew exactly what to do." Yeah, and I'll bet he walked five miles in the snow to his restaurant every day, and ten miles back home.

Posted by WEIJIAN at 2:08 PM

Saturday, February 03, 2007

The English Blog Homework -> Entry 1

I am Ang Wei Jian from Chong Boon Secondary School. I am currently in secondary three express stream, class Integrity two. I am a boy, fourteen years old, going to be fifteen years old in august. I like to play badminaton since i was in primary school, and after school my classmate and I would go somewhere not far away from the school to play. Besides playing badminaton, I also enjoys cycling and listening to music. When I was in primary school, I will always cycle at the park near to my school. I hate people who would always lies to me, and I also hate back stabbers. I have a family of four, my father, my mother, my younger brother and me. My second uncle's house is just at the twelth floor of the same block that I am living in. Sames goes to my Grandmother and my fourth uncle. My younger brother is studying at Ai Tong School, which is located in Sin Ming Avenue, and my house is at Sin Ming Road. I have lots of friends not juzt only in my class, but others class also have as I have known them since secondary one. Because of the streaming exercise, we are being transfered to different classes. Our school core values, Perseverance, Respect, Integrity, Dedication to nation and last but not least, Excellence. Our school vision is to be a thinking and gracious citizen. School mission is to develop the potential of every child and to nuture him into an individual with a sence of self-worth and integrity, capable of cpoying with life challenges and responsible in meeting the needs of the community. The school wants us to strive to be committed, caring and responsible citizens. Teachers in our school are very caring towards students in the school, teachers will helps us if we have any problem. When we grow up and became someone that serve our country, we must thank all those people that helps us, including teachers.
The End (318 Words)

Posted by WEIJIAN at 5:01 PM