FOOD KNOWLEDGE
When reading menus, different items will jump out at you, ranging from extremely high-priced foods like caviar and truffles, to rare spices, to very descriptive terms, and food allergies. Be sure to know and undertand all of these items.
Many of our guests are very knowledgeable when it comes to food and even more of them are inquisitive. As professionals in a chef driven company, many of us share a passion for food and we should all share the responsibility to learn and know about all of our products.
Here are my three reasons (and many other people's) that drive my desire for food education:
1. It's the primary focus of my career and I have a responsibility to our guests to guide them in their decision making.
2. As a parent, knowledge of nutrition is a key factor contributing to my child’s well-being.
3. My love of cooking is only surpassed by my love of eating.
Sourcing food products closest to our location will provide us with the freshest food possible. Freshness and purchasing in-season product will lead us to maximum quality and flavor in our dishes. It will also reduce producers’ use of preservatives and artificial ingredients and treatments to create the illusion of freshness.
Seasonality is equally important when it comes to maximizing flavor. Most of us think of produce when it comes to seasonality, but there are also seasons for seafood and certain meats. As chefs and food industry professionals, we owe it to our guests to be informed and educated on food sourcing, preparation, and production and work just as hard when researching and purchasing products as we do prepare them. Front of the house team members need to be as educated as our culinary team, so that they can communicate to our guests the superior products we carry.
FOOD ALLERGIES
The restaurant business is often perceived as a service business within the hospitality industry. While that is part of its identity, there are two more distinct aspects: 1) Restaurants are also retailers selling food and beverages to the public for on premise consumption or for takeout; 2) Restaurants are also manufacturing plants.
The biggest responsibility that restaurants have is the wellbeing of their guests. We are manufacturing, selling, and delivering products that people will ingest and that is to be taken seriously. Each day we learn more about the numerous food allergies that children and adults are developing. No one is quite sure why these allergies are on the rise, but it is the responsibility of every team member in the front and back of house to be fully educated on the ingredients that are used in the production of each dish and beverage. When guest ask questions about ingredients it is our duty to give correct and complete answers.
Restaurants that take food allergies seriously can develop a cult following that can positively affect overall sales. People with food allergies become very loyal to establishments that take a serious approach to their allergies.
FIVE MOTHER SAUCES
What Is a Mother Sauce?
French chef Marie Antoine-Carême was the first to organize all the French sauces into groups that were based on four foundational sauces. Later, French chef Auguste Escoffier added one more sauce so that there were now five “mother sauces,” which he codified in recipe form in Le Guide Culinaire in 1903.
The Importance of Roux
Before we list the five sauces, we need to talk about roux. What makes a sauce a sauce? Basically, liquid needs to be thickened so that it coats and clings to food instead of running off it. Thickening can happen by cooking down and reducing things like tomato sauce, which will naturally thicken as moisture evaporates, but other sauces need a little help.
This is where roux comes in. Roux is basically cooking fat and flour together before adding in the liquid you want thickened. The fat used is generally butter, but oil or other fats can also be used. The fat and flour cook together briefly to cook out some of the floury, pasty flavor in the flour (and in Southern cooking, roux is cooked until very dark to add a nutty, toasty flavor). When the liquid is added to roux and everything comes to a boil, the flour thickens the liquid and you end up with sauce. Four out of the five mother sauces are thickened by roux, which is why it’s important that you know what it is.
The 5 French Mother Sauces
1. Béchamel
This is roux whisked with milk or other dairy to make a white sauce. Ever made macaroni and cheese or chicken pot pie? The base of both these dishes is béchamel. By itself, béchamel is quite bland, which is why it is usually cooked with other ingredients and not used as a finishing sauce.
2. Velouté
A velouté is a light roux whisked with chicken, turkey, fish or any other clear stock. The resulting sauce takes on the flavor of the stock, and the name is derived from the French word for velvet, which aptly describes this smooth but light and delicate sauce. It is usually served over fish or poultry that has been delicately cooked, like by poaching or steaming.
3. Espagnole
Sauce espagnole is a basic brown sauce. It’s made of brown beef or veal stock, tomato puree, and browned mirepoix, all thickened with a very dark brown roux. This sauce is sometimes used at the foundation for boeuf bourguignon and demi-glace.
4. Sauce Tomat
This is made by cooking tomatoes down into a thick sauce but used to also be thickened with roux. Unlike more modern-day tomato sauces, the classic French tomato sauce is flavored with pork and aromatic vegetables.
5. Hollandaise
This is the one mother sauce not thickened by a roux. Instead, it’s thickened by an emulsion of egg yolk and melted butter, which means it’s a stable mixture of two things that usually normally can’t blend together. This is a very delicate sauce because the emulsion can easily break, and rich hollandaise is usually used as a dipping sauce for asparagus or a finishing sauce for dishes like eggs Benedict.
VEGAN VS. VEGETARIAN AND MORE…
Vegetarian is a type of diet—people on this diet do not consume meats or seafood of any kind. They will consume products such as eggs and dairy.
Vegan is a lifestyle—while vegans also do not consume any meats or seafood of any kind, they also do not consume any products that either been derived from an animal, or a product derived from an animal was used in the production of another consumable. Vegans will also not consume products that come from animals such as eggs and dairy.
We are exploring this topic because of two reasons, Plant-Based Vegan Options is the second fastest growing food trend in the United States right now, Gluten Free is the first. Secondly, this trend is also part of the larger idea that people are more and more conscious of putting things that are healthy in their bodies.
Flexitarians - a person who has a primarily vegetarian diet but occasionally eats meat or fish. Also known as a Semi-vegertrian
It is extremely important from a front and back of house perspective that we all understand the differences between a person who is on a Vegetarian Diet and a person who lives a Vegan Lifestyle. It is all part of delivering a great customer experience.
A pescatarian is someone who adds fish and seafood to a vegetarian diet. There are many reasons people choose to forgo meat and poultry, but still eat fish. Some people choose to add fish to a vegetarian diet so they can get the health benefits of a plant-based diet plus heart-healthy fish.
Gluten-free diet -To follow a gluten-free diet, you must avoid wheat and some other grains while choosing substitutes that provide nutrients for a healthy diet. Gluten is a protein found in most grains. The gluten found in wheat, barley, rye and triticale (a cross between wheat and rye) can trigger serious health problems or other insensitivities. While other grains such as corn, rice and quinoa also contain gluten, they don't seem to cause the same problems as wheat, barley, rye and triticale.
A lactose-free diet means eating foods that have no lactose. Lactose is a sugar that is a normal part of milk products. Some people do not break down lactose well. They may not have enough lactase, the enzyme that breaks lactose down in the body.
“Kosher” is a term used to describe foods that comply with dietary guidelines set by traditional Jewish law. These laws determine which foods may be consumed and how they must be produced, processed, and prepared. Some of the main kosher dietary guidelines ban certain food pairings — particularly that of meat and dairy.
There are three main kosher food categories:
Meat (fleishig): Mammals or fowl, as well as products derived from them, including bones or broth.
Dairy (milchig): Milk, cheese, butter, and yogurt.
Pareve: Any food that is not meat or dairy, including fish, eggs, and plant-based foods.
According to kosher tradition, any food categorized as meat may never be served or eaten at the same meal as a dairy product. Furthermore, all utensils and equipment used to process, and clean meat and dairy must be kept separate — even down to the sinks in which they’re washed.
After eating meat, you must wait a designated amount of time before consuming any dairy product. The length of time varies among different Jewish customs but is usually between one and six hours.
Pareve food items are considered neutral and may be eaten alongside either meat or dairy. However, if a pareve food item is prepared or processed using any equipment used to process meat or dairy, it may be reclassified as meat, dairy, or non-kosher.
I hope you find these definitions helpful and continue to explore more information on different types of diets. This week I am sharing a video on the Keto Diet. This is a very popular fad diet at the moment. I am by no means recommending this diet, what you eat is your own personal choice. I am sharing this video because I am sure we have all dealt with guests on this diet in our restaurants.
SUSTAINABLE SEAFOOD
Present problem of the sustainability of our ocean’s resources.
Fishing includes not only the capturing of fin fish but also harvesting shellfish. In the restaurant industry, a common topic and concern for guests is line-caught fish or wild harvested fish versus farm-raised fish. The answers were given by service staff in our industry usually has its base in the belief that wild-caught fish is environmentally responsible. While researching this topic I have found that this mindset might not be totally correct. The are many methods of catching and harvesting seafood in the wild, here is a list of the most common methods:
Beach and Boat Seines (Nets)
Bottom Trawls
Dredges
Gillnets
Handlines and Jigs
Poles and Harpoons
Longlines
Midwater Trawls
Poles and Lines
Pots
Purse Seines
Trolling Lines
As you can see, the answers to the questions of environmental impact and sustainability is not a simple one. Raising fish on farms also has many different farming methods that have pros and cons when it comes to the environment and sustainability. After learning quite about these issues, my personal belief has changed regarding wild catch versus farming, and I feel a balance needs to be found to ensure sustainability. As a chef purchasing farm-raised seafood, I would suggest that you do your research and make sure the sources of the product you purchase are responsible producers.
ORGANIC
What does organic food really mean? Here is a good explanation:
Put simply, if you see the "USDA Organic" or "Certified Organic" seal on your food, the item must have an ingredients list and the contents should be 95% or more certified organic, meaning free of synthetic additives like pesticides, chemical fertilizers, and dyes, and must not be processed using industrial solvents, irradiation, or genetic engineering, according to the USDA. The remaining 5% may only be foods or treated with additives on an approved list.
"Certified Organic" isn't the only label you'll see though. You may also see "100% organic," which means all of the ingredients must meet the guidelines above. Or "Made with Organic," which means that the ingredients must contain 70% or more organic ingredients, the USDA seal cannot be used anywhere on the package, and the remaining 30% of the ingredients may not be foods or processed with additives on a particular exclusion list.
Violations of the USDA's organic labeling rules can earn companies’ civil penalties of up to $11,000. If that seems small, it should. The low penalties and the volume of organic products flooding the markets have led to skepticism that the USDA is appropriately enforcing the label, inspecting foods, and punishing violators. Some worry that "organic" has turned into a marketing term with little
meaning. Still, when you buy organic goods at most stores and from most known brands, you can be mostly sure that it meets the guidelines.
FOIE GRAS
Foie Gras is considered a luxury food product made of the liver of a duck or goose that has been specially fattened.
Foie Gras has been a controversial food offering on restaurant menus for the past twenty years. Animal rights activists have always taken the stance that the farming techniques used to fatten these bird’s livers are inhumane. I am not writing about this subject to state my opinion; rather I am writing about this to ensure that we are educated on this topic.
While the focus of this controversy affects the state of California in a meaningful way, we should all understand that some of our guests may take offense to us having foie gras on our menu. If a guest that has a negative opinion of us serving this item confronts you, follow these guidelines:
1. Let them finish speaking.
2. Be empathetic and let them know they have been heard and you will share their comments with your manager.
3. Assure the guest that we only purchase from a reputable producer that follows strict guidelines while farming these birds.
GMO
A GMO (genetically modified organism) is the result of a laboratory process where genes from the DNA of one species are extracted and artificially forced into the genes of an unrelated plant or animal. The foreign genes may come from bacteria, viruses, insects, animals or even humans.
Genetically Modified (GM) crops are genetically modified plants that are used in agriculture. The first crops developed were used for animal or human food and provide resistance to certain pests, diseases, environmental conditions, spoilage, or chemical treatments (e.g. resistance to a herbicide). An example of a GMO in food could be corn. The GM version of corn protects crops against corn rootworms and the Asian Corn Borer that can destroy crops. Commercial sale of genetically modified foods began in 1994 when Calgene first marketed its unsuccessful Flavr Savr delayed-ripening tomato. Most food modifications have primarily focused on cash crops in high demand by farmers such as soybean, corn, canola, and cotton.
Genetically modified animals have been modified for a variety of purposes, including producing drugs, enhancing yields, increase resistance to disease, etc. The vast majority of genetically modified animals are at the research stage; the number close to entering the market remains small. The first genetically modified animal to be approved for food use was the AquAdvantage salmon in 2015.
Several animal studies indicate serious health risks associated with genetically modified foods, including infertility, immune problems, accelerated aging, faulty insulin regulation, and changes in major organs and the gastrointestinal system.
SALT
Below are two different articles I found to be interesting.
1) Excerpt from www.whatscookingamerica.net
When you reach for that saltshaker on the table or on the stove while cooking what type of salt are you getting? While salt is gained from two sources, salt deposits on land or from the sea, once harvested it is essentially processed in the same way, through the creation of brine and evaporation.
Salts, like so many other foods, has become trendy with the multitude of seas salts now available to the home cook. Is the trend overrated or are these salts really worth their weight in salt!
The main difference between salts is in their texture. Each salt has its own distinctive flavor, color, and texture. Experiment with different salt when cooking. Salt is like money! You get what you pay for. You can put the best ingredients into making your dish, but if you blow it on the wrong salt, the dish will not be as good.
2) Excerpt from www.wideopoeneats.com
In the kitchen, there's no ingredient more important than salt. Aside from being one of the five basic tastes, salty, sweet, bitter, sour, and umami (savory taste is one of the five basic tastes. It has been described as savory and is characteristic of broths and cooked meats), salt has properties that release food molecules into the air, giving the food an aroma - an integral part of taste. If you've ever eaten your favorite food while suffering a cold, you'll know just how important smell is. That's why the different types of salt are important to distinguish between.
Salt also highlights and suppresses the different flavors we perceive in our food. In small amounts, salt curbs bitterness, but enhances sweet, sour and umami, giving sweet and sour dishes a more two-dimensional taste. At higher concentrations, it reduces sweetness and enhances umami, making it perfect for savory and meat dishes.
Salt makes food taste good, and that's that.
As culinary professionals, salt is a common ingredient in most of the dishes we cook. As service professionals our guests look to us for guidance. It is impossible to cover the numerous types of salts on the market today, but I do encourage each of you grow your knowledge on this topic and share the information you find with your team members. I am sharing four videos this week to help us all get a better understanding of salt.
SOUS VIDE
Once limited to the pros, sous vide (pronounced sue-veed) is a cooking technique that utilizes precise temperature control to deliver consistent, restaurant-quality results. High-end restaurants have been using sous vide cooking for years to cook food to the exact level of doneness desired, every time. The technique recently became popular for home cooks with the availability of affordable and easy-to-use sous vide precision cooking equipment.
Sous vide, which means “under vacuum” in French, refers to the process of vacuum-sealing food in a bag, then cooking it to a very precise temperature in a water bath. This technique produces results that are impossible to achieve through any other cooking method.
Sous vide cooking is much easier than you might think, and usually involved three simple steps:
1. Attach your precision cooker to a pot of water and set the time and temperature according to your desired level of doneness.
2. Put your food in a sealable bag and clip it to the side of the pot.
3. Finish by searing, grilling, or broiling the food to add a crispy, golden exterior layer.
Sous vide cooking utilizes precise temperature control with circulation to produce results that you can’t achieve through any other cooking technique. The reason–when using traditional methods of cooking, you don’t have control over heat and temperature. Consequently, it’s very difficult and time consuming to consistently cook great food. Food ends up overcooked on the outside, with only a small portion in the center that is cooked to the temperature you want. Food loses flavor, overcooks easily, and ends up with a dry, chewy texture.
With precise temperature control in the kitchen, sous vide provides the following benefits:
Consistency. Because you cook your food to a precise temperature for a precise amount of time, you can expect very consistent results.
Taste. Food cooks in its juices. This ensures that the food is moist, juicy and tender.
Waste reduction. Traditionally prepared food dries out and results in waste. For example, on average, traditionally cooked steak loses up to 40% of its volume due to drying out. Steak cooked via precision cooking, loses none of its volume.
Flexibility. Traditional cooking can require your constant attention. Precision cooking brings food to an exact temperature and holds it. There is no worry about overcooking
Note: Health Department laws vary from city to city with regard to Sous Vide cooking. Some jurisdiction do not allow it. Please make sure you are up to date with applicable laws if you are using this style cooking in your restaurant.’