The Brigade System

The Brigade System 

The stream-lining of how a kitchen is currently run, was an idea from Augustus Escofier. He's extremely famous in the Culinary History of the modern world. Anyway, he ran his kitchen like it was the military. Something that is still carried out today. Each area of the kitchen was given a name and a job fitting it's location to the ovens and cold storage. The baking area, of course, would be close to the ovens, as would the roasting station. These "stations" range from dessert and cold food prep, to deep fryers, and even a left over recycling work area. Since they were used and developed in classic french kitchens, the names and purposes are still used today.

 The classic kitchen bridage had a station for everything, since they had no convenience food and had to make it ALL from scratch, while the modern brigade has been smoothed down to a skelleton crew of what it used to be. Let's go from top to bottom, shall we? See if you can translate the french word before I tell you the meanings. I bet you'll get it right more often then not.

Classic Kitchen Brigade

Chef di Cuisine 

Escoffier created a hierarchy of positions and responsibilities. At the top of this list was the chef du cuisine or "Executive Chef" by today's names. He made sure all the operations and stations in the kitchen were going smoothly. He also developed the menu, related information and ideas to the owner of the restaurant (provided he didn't own it) and is the over all figure head and leader of his kitchen.

Sous-Chef

Second in command was the sous-chef. A large kitchen could have several sous-chefs. Back in the day, these guys were responsible for all kinds of things, but especially for placing each of the "lesser chefs" in their kitchen positions. Sometimes they also made announcements for the Chef in charge, which would be an aboyuer (or announcer) but this also means "expediter." In today's kitchen world the expediter makes sure each plate leaving the kitchen looks beautiful.

Chef de Partie

Yes, this could be translated to a party chef, but not in reference to a nice evening out. The chef de partie was the head of his party or station in the kitchen. For example if the fry station has several people working in it, they answer to him. In return he answers to the sous-chefs.

Saucier

This poor bastard was in charge of all the sautéed items coming out of the kitchen and most of the sauces each day. He had one of the hardest jobs there was, so naturally it took a while to work up to his status. Now-a-days there is a saucier (sauce/soup chef) who makes and keeps track of the sauces and soups, and the sauting is done by the line cooks, or the sauces and soups are made by the prep cooks early in the day.

 Poissonier

Poisson ("Pui-saun" or "Pwe-saun" depending on who you ask) is french for fish. So the Poissonier doesn't spike the food with arsenic or try to escape from prison (haha), but they work with fish and seafood in the old kitches. They were even responcible for the sauces that go with it. It wouldn't be uncommon for the poor Saucier to take up this possition too. In modern kitchens the standard cooks would be doing shelfish, unless there was a major demand for it at that establishment.

Grillardin

The grill chef. This is harder than it sounds. This isn't a backyard bar-b-que. This chef had to know exactly when foods were perfectly grilled. To long and it's lost it's natural juices and moistness. Not long enough and it could make someone sick. This chef also cooks with the broiler and potentially the fried food. 

 Friturier

This person was responcible for all fried items. There may have been a large vat of lard back in the old days, that was over a constant heat and frying could have been done at any time. I believe the this word is a basis (or visa versa) of the french terms "fricasse" and "fritter" both fried items. Don't forget about pan frying! Last minute (A La Minute; "at the moment") fry jobs may have also been shoved off onto the saucier.

Rotisseur 

This is the "roaster" chef, it can also refer to rotissory roasting and spit roasting. Not only did they prepare the meat, dress it, stuff it baste it, etc. But they also had to collect the drippings or jus (jue) and other related sauce materials. It wouldn't be unusual to adopt the roasting station with the grill and fry station and cooks.

Potager

"Pottage" is a term that refer to soups and brothy stuff. This low end chef made the stocks and sometimes soups. Also was a small assistant to the Saucier. Finally the man gets some relief. They did a lot of skimming of stocks and sauces as well as cutting a lot of veggies for the stocks they supervised, probably also preparing of various things the saucier would need, ie. sliced mushrooms, tomato concasse etc.

Legumier

The root veggies, starches, and most other veggies came from this man. Mashed potatoes? He's got it. Honey glazed carrots? Don't even have to ask! Yes the word "legume" is related to his position.

Entremetier

This is an odd possition. Often times the Legumier and Potager would be combined into a single job or area. That was the Entremetier. On a similair note the courses served after the roast were called entremets and were usually made of sweet items and veggies, fruits and the like. Considering this course just came after a roast that probably had a starch and a few courses before that, these items had to be light on the palatte as well as the stomach and would usually be small. If you've ever had a sorbet or italian ice type thing after a course or a certain part of the meal, that's sort of a left over tradition of the entremets. It clears the palette for dessert or the next course.

Garde-Manger

Garde-Manger (gaurd-mon'zhay) is the art of the cold kitchen. It's also the Pantry chef. This person could save an establishment a truck load in money by recycling food. They picked through bones to look for usuable meat, snipped the unnused ends off of veggies to puree or use for decoration. Sausage was an art of theirs as well as small apertifs. The who idea of small orderves or appitizers came from their job. Were ever they could reuse something and turn it into a mouse or a crustini or some small piece of food and charge a lot of money for, was their responcibility. They also did fancy work, like decorating. A garde-manger chef for ice carvings and lovely melon carvings is more the common theme in modern kitchens. They have the job of delecate things, like back in the old days as well as giving them a top notch presitation. A lot of garde-manger work is done on buffets, or at least good ones. Sometimes the chef de garde-manger was the overseer of theboucher (butcher) who cut the meats and poultry.

 Tournant

Tour-naut (tourist), is known as the roundsman or swing cook. He basically roams the kitchen and helps the cooks who needed it (I bet the saucier needed him a lot). This cook had to know a bit about everything to be able to help out.

 Patissier

Could you guess this one? It's the Pastry chef. They held the responcibility for all baked items, including: breads, pasteries, cold desserts (icecreams) sweets and sweet creams for fillings or toppings. Often the bakery would be broken into a variety of jobs since baking is so intense. The Patissier was the chef du partie for the boulanger (bread baker), the confiseur(confectioner) who made candies, chocolates and small cakes like petite fours, the glacier who made cold and frozen desserts, and also the decoratuer (decorator) who would do a lot of show pieces and fancy stuff. It may include chocolate carvings, spun sugar, and a wide variety of other things. Now don't let these bakers through you off by being so low on the list. Often back then and continuing into today the bakers were in a totally differant catagory than cooks and chefs. Differant work differant principals and sometimes not getting along.

Boulanger and Glacier: work under the Patissier.

• Commis: assistants to the chefs de partie. Usually journeyman cooks.
• Apprentices: training in each of the parties in turn to learn the entire kitchen.
• Charcutier, and Butcher: work under the Garde Manger

Chinese Cuisine

introduction 

Chinese cuisine is any of several styles of food originating in the regions of China, some of which have become highly popular in other parts of the world, from Asia to the Americas, Australia, Western Europe and Southern Africa. Where there are historical immigrant Chinese populations, the style of food has evolved – for example, American Chinese cuisine and Indian Chinese cuisine are prominent examples of Chinese cuisine that has been adapted to suit local palates.

The history of Chinese cuisine is sometimes in china, traced back to the time of Peking man and his use of fire i.e. the invention of cuisine some 400,000 years ago. No one can understand the culture of a country without first experiencing its food and drink. Chinese culinary traditions have adapted freely and changed fluidly with time. Over the course of 5000 years, these culinary traditions have been devised and perfected and have withstood the test of time.

A number of different styles contribute to Chinese cuisine, but perhaps the best known and most influential are Sichuan cuisine, Shandong cuisine, Jiangsu cuisine and Guangdong cuisine. These styles are distinctive from one another due to factors such as available resources, climate, geography, history, cooking techniques and lifestyle. In most dishes in Chinese cuisine, food is prepared in bite-sized pieces, ready for direct picking up and eating. In traditional Chinese cultures, chopsticks are used at the table. Traditional Chinese cuisine is also based on opposites, whereby hot balances cold, pickled balances fresh and spicy balances mild.

Flour and rice are the two main food staples in China. In general, rice is the major food source for people from rice farming areas in southern China. Rice is also used to produce beers, wines and vinegars. In Northern China, people largely rely on flour based foods such as noodles, breads, dumplings and steamed buns. Noodles are symbolic of long life and good health according to Chinese tradition,

Dim Sum ("touch of heart") is a Cantonese term for small snacks. These bite-sized portions are prepared using traditional cooking methods such as frying, steaming, stewing and baking. It is designed so that one person may taste a variety of different dishes.

China is regarded proudly as the hometown of tea. It is from China that the tea planting techniques, processing, drinking methods and tea ceremony were directly or indirectly introduced to the world. The Chinese have a saying: 'Firewood, rice, oil, salt, sauce, vinegar and tea are the seven necessities to begin a day.'

 

HISTORY AND FOOD

Throughout its history, China's growing population has been difficult to feed. By A.D. 1000, China's population reached 100 million (more than one-third of the U.S. population in 2000). The Chinese constantly had to adapt new eating habits because of the scarcity of food. Meat was scarce, so dishes were created using small amounts of meat mixed with rice or noodles, both of which were more plentiful. Vegetables were added, and stir-frying, the most common method of cooking, became a way to conserve fuel by cooking food quickly. 

Foods of The Chinese

The Chinese eat many foods that are unfamiliar to North Americans. Shark fins, seaweed, frogs, snakes, and even dog and cat meat are eaten. However, the Chinese follow the spiritual teaching of balance signified by yin ("cool") and yang ("hot"). This philosophy encourages the Chinese to find a balance in their lives, including in the foods they eat. While preparing meals, the Chinese may strive to balance the color, texture, or types of food they choose to eat.

Rice is China's staple food. The Chinese word for rice is "fan" which also means "meal." Rice may be served with any meal, and is eaten several times a day. Scallions, bean sprouts, cabbage, and gingerroot are other traditional foods. Soybean curd, called tofu, is an important source of protein for the Chinese. Although the Chinese generally do not eat a lot of meat, pork and chicken are the most commonly eaten meats. Vegetables play a central role in Chinese cooking.

 ORIGIN OF NOODLES AND PASTAS

The Chinese believe that every meal should contain an equal division between fan, grains and starches, and t'sai, fruits and vegetables. One of the grains they rely on to provide this harmonious dietary balance is noodles. Noodles are an essential ingredient and staple in Chinese cuisine.

Whether you slurp them, gulp them down, or twirl them on your fork, everyone seems to love noodles. Nearly all cultures have at least one cherished noodle dish, from German Spaetzle (homemade noodles with egg), to Jewish Kreplachs - noodle pastries filled with beef, chicken and spices. But only the Italians rival China for the title of the culture most devoted to noodles.

 

REGIONAL CUISINE OF CHINA

Regional cultural differences vary greatly within China, giving rise to the different stylesof food across the nation. Traditionally there are eight main regional cuisines, or Eight Great Traditions

Namely:

1. Anhui.

2. Cantonese.

3. Fujian.

4. Hunan.

5.  Jiangsu.

6.  Shandong.

7.  Sichuan.

8. Zhejiang.

Chinese cuisine is also divided into five regional categories,namely:-

Northern China - Beijing/Mandarin and Shantung known especially for its steamed bread and noodle dishes.

South Eastern China - Cantonese and Chaozhou known for its lightly cooked meats and vegetables.

Western China - Sichuan or ChungKing known for its spicy dishes.

Eastern China - Shanghainese known for its slow `red cooking.' Fukien known for its seafood and clear light soups.

Central China – Honan known for its carp from the yellow river.

Bakery Recipes..4 Practs.....

 

Name of the product   :  Milk bread in a open tin
Num of portion  :  1x400 gms
Recipes and procedure
Ingredient	Quantity	Per	Rate	Unit	Amount
Flour	250	gm	22.00	Kg
Sugar	50	gm	35.00	Kg
Salt	5	gm	15.00	Kg
Yeast	30	gm	100.00	Kg
Vanaspati	50	gm	80.00	Kg
Milk	100	ml	30.00	Ltr
Milk maid	30	gm	200.00	Kg
Egg	1	num	3.00	nos
Custard pd	30	gm	80.00	Kg
		Total cost of raw meterial :
		Overheads :
		Total cost :
		cost per portion :
Procedure :
sift the flour on table top and make a well in the centre and put yeast sugar and milk .
mix it nicely and leave it to ferment for 5 to 10 mins
add the egg , fat, milk pd and salt and custard pd and using enough milk knead to smooth dough
roll the dough and place it on a floured surface on the table top and cover with a wet cloth
once it is doubles in size hit a punch and release the air and roll it back to normal size
repeat the process once again while covered with a wet cloth
add the fruits and roll it to a fine cylindrical shape and place it in a greased bread tin
place it on a warm place till it raises to 95% of the mould
bake at 200 degree celcius for 35 minutes
cool on a wire rack for atleast 3 hours and slice and pack.

Name of the product   :  whole wheat bread
Num of portion  :  1x400 gms
Recipes and procedure
Ingredient	Quantity	Per	Rate	Unit	Amount
Flour	125	gm	22.00	Kg
whole wheat aata	125	gm	20.00	kg
Sugar	10	gm	35.00	Kg
Salt	5	gm	15.00	Kg
Yeast	10	gm	100.00	Kg
Vanaspati	30	gm	80.00	Kg
Caramel	20	ml	40.00	kg
Water	150	ml	------	-----
		Total cost of raw meterial :
		Overheads :
		Total cost :
		cost per portion :
Procedure :
sift the flour on table top and make a well in the centre and put yeast sugar
mix it nicely and leave it to ferment for 5 to 10 mins
add the  fat and salt enough cold water knead to smooth dough
roll the dough and place it on a floured surface on the table top and cover with a wet cloth
once it is doubles in size hit a punch and release the air and roll it back to normal size
repeat the process once again while covered with a wet cloth
add the caramel and roll it to a fine cylindrical shape and place it in a greased bread tin
place it on a warm place till it raises to 95% of the mould
bake at 250 degree celcius for 35 minutes
cool on a wire rack for atleast 3 hours and slice and pack.