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Have Hospitality studies Query? eHospitalityStudy Is Wise Choice. Sat, 19 Jun 2021 04:43:15 +0000 en-US hourly 1 32 32 Different cuts of fish Sat, 19 Jun 2021 04:36:05 +0000 Fish come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. Because of this (delicious) diversity, it can, at times, be difficult to understand what part of a fish you should be using in different recipes or even which cut to pick up on your next grocery trip. Luckily, there are a number of common cuts of …

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Fish come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. Because of this (delicious) diversity, it can, at times, be difficult to understand what part of a fish you should be using in different recipes or even which cut to pick up on your next grocery trip. Luckily, there are a number of common cuts of fish—no matter if you’re eating Tilapia, salmon or tuna—so once you’ve found your favorites, you should have no problem identifying them across the board.

Like beef or pork, there are many different cuts of fish. Some of these cuts go under different names or are specific to a certain species of fish. Because of this, it can be difficult to know which cuts of fish you should look for when eating in a restaurant or preparing a new seafood recipe at home. Here are the 6 most common cuts of fish with some tips on how prepare each.

A fillet is the meat cut from the sides of the fish. There are three types of fillets: whole, v-cut and j-cut with the latter two being the most popular. With both cuts, the pin bone is removed. In a j-cut, the nape – a small, thin, fatty piece of meat on the lower side of the fillet – has also been removed. Fillets from larger fish can be cut further into portions. The parts of the fillet that are left over are called pieces or “off-cuts,” which are just as good as the loins, but slightly less uniform. Fillets are extremely versatile cuts that can be seasoned, marinated, baked, fried and sautéed, and depending on the species, can be found skin-on and skin-off.

Butterfly Fillet

This cut is achieved by removing the head and inside of the fish, including the rib bones. Essentially all that will be left are the fillets attached to the skin. When opened and placed flat, the two fillets will still be attached in the center and will take the shape of a butterfly with its wings spread. Recipes normally require you to pan-fry or bake this sort of cut whole in order to lock in moisture and flavor.

Commonly used for small freshwater fish, a butterfly fillet is essentially two fillets attached by skin that when spread out, take on the shape of a butterfly. This cut is ideal for pan frying or baking.

Located above the spine, loins are the prime cut of a fish. This thick, flavorful cut is best grilled, but can also be breaded, baked or sautéed for a delicious meal. Tilapia loins are the thickest part of the fillet and come in narrow strips that are rich in flavour and pack a punch if prepared just right. Season loins well and cook them to your desired texture, much like you would a steak.

There are two types of loins – “natural” fillet loins from small and medium-sized fish and “cut” loins taken lengthwise across the backs of large fish like tuna, swordfish and shark. Whether “natural” or “cut”, loins are prime cuts of thick and flavorful meat without the waste of skin or bones. Loins can be sold whole or cut into large pieces such as medallions, and are great grilled, baked, or sautéed.

A fish steak,is a cut of fish which is cut perpendicular to the spine and may include the bones. Fish steaks are generally made from fish larger than 10 lbs so larger fish, such as tuna, swordfish,salmon, cod and mahi-mahi, are often cut into steaks.

Fish steaks can be grilled, pan-fried, broiled or baked.

The backend of a large fish closest to the tail is normally cut and sold separately. This portion is large enough to serve several individuals and is best seasoned and roasted. The cut is bone-in, and while it’s not the most common cut around, it’s still very flavourful and is certain to please a crowd at a dinner party.

Whole Fish

While the whole fish may not exactly be a cut, it’s still quite a common way to cook a fish. Some cooks like to keep everything intact when they are working with the whole fish, while others prefer to gut it. To make things a little easier (unless you’re feeling especially brave), we recommend the latter. Regal Springs offers gutted, frozen whole fish that are delicious whether grilled, roasted or baked allowing you to whip up some very unique Tilapia dishes. Using the whole fish allows you to season or stuff your favorite variety, depending on how creative you want to get.

Cooking of fish

Fish is an excellent protein to serve because there are many ways that you can cook it, but not all methods of cooking will work for every type of fish. For example, some types of fish are too thick to cook under a broiler, and some types of fish are too delicate to deep fry. Here, we’ll break down different things to consider when deciding how to cook a fish, and we’ll show you the ideal of fish to use for each cooking method.

General prepreparation of fish before the actual cooking.

  • Marinade the fish with salt ,lime juice and water for at least 20 minutes for reducing the strong smell of the fish..This is known as first marrination.
  • Wash the fish thoroughly under running water ,drain well and keep them dry.
  • Make the final marrination liqueur with salt.pepper powder,Dijon mustard,white oil,white wine or white viniger and marinade the fish for another 20 minutes.
  • Now process the fish as per the instructions given in the recipe.

This method is suitable for whole fish such as salmon, turbot, trout and certain cuts of the fish on the bone such as salmon, cod, turbot, halibut, brill etc. In either case the fish should be completely immersed in the cooking liquid that can be water, water and milk, fish stock (for white fish) or a court bouillon for oily fish.

Whole fish are covered with a cold liquid and brought to boil; cut fish are usually placed in a simmering liquid.

This gentle cooking method is perfect for all kinds of seafood. Poaching keeps fish moist and won’t mask the delicate flavor of the fish. To poach fish, use vegetable or chicken stock, or make a court-bouillon, a homemade broth of aromatic herbs and spices.

  • Use a pan big enough to lay each piece of fish down flat.
  • Pour in enough liquid to just barely cover the fish.
  • Bring the liquid to a simmer, and keep it there.
  • If you see any bubbles coming up from the bottom of the pan, it’s too hot–the liquid should “shimmer” rather than bubble. The ideal poaching temperature is between 165 and 180 degrees F (74 to 82 degrees C). Gently simmer until the fish flakes easily with a fork.

Steaming is another gentle cooking method. It produces a mild-tasting fish that is often paired with a flavorful sauce.

  • Rub the fish with spices, chopped herbs, ginger, garlic, and chile peppers to infuse flavor while it cooks.
  • Use a bamboo steamer or a folding steamer basket with enough room for each piece of fish to lie flat.
  • Pour about 1½ inches of water into the pan.
  • Place the steamer over the water, cover the pot, and bring the water to a boil.
  • Begin checking the fish for doneness after 10 minutes.

When you’re grilling fish, keep a close watch. Fish only takes a few minutes per side to cook. If the fillets are an even thickness, sometimes they don’t even require flipping–they can be cooked through by grilling on one side only.

  • Brush the fish lightly with oil or spray with nonstick cooking spray.
  • Place fish near the edge of the grill, away from the hottest part of the fire. (Don’t try to lift up the fish right away; it will be stuck to the grill).
  • Start checking for color and doneness after a few minutes, once the fish starts to release some of its juices.
  • Flip the fish over when you see light grill marks forming.

Shallow frying

This method is suitable for small whole fish, cuts and fillets. The fish is passed through seasoned flour, shallow fried on bit sides, and presentation side first in clarified fat in a frying pan. When the fish is placed on a serving dish or plate and is masked with nutbrown butter, lemon juice, slice of lemon and chopped parsley it is termed as meuniere.

Deep frying

Fish 1/2-inch thick is ideal for this method. Monitor oil temperature with a candy thermometer to ensure proper cooking: If oil is too cool during cooking, food will become soggy and greasy;  if oil is too hot, food will become too dark or burned on the outside before the inside reaches the proper temperature.

  • Heat enough vegetable or canola oil to 350 to 375°F to allow the fish to float once it’s done.
  • Cut thicker fish into smaller chunks so fish will cook in the time it takes to brown.
  • Sprinkle fillets lightly with flour. Dip in beaten egg. Coat with your favorite breading.
  • Cook 3 to 5 minutes until lightly browned.
  • Make sure pieces do not touch while frying. This could create steam, which causes a “soggy” coating.
  • Drain on paper towel before serving.

Baking fish allows you to get the satisfying crunch of fried fish without all the fat. Just because it’s baked, though, doesn’t mean it’s healthy: watch the amount of butter, oil, mayonnaise, or cheese called for in the recipe.

Many fish, whole, portioned or filleted may be baked in a oven. In order to retain the maximum moisture it is necessary to protect the fish from direct heat.

  • Whole fish
  • Completely cover in a thick coating of sea salt and bake.
  • Wrap in pastry and bake
  • Stuff with a duxelle based mixture of breadcrumbs, herbs, chopped onion, shallots or garlic.
  • Portions of fish
  • Place in a buttered or oiled dish and bake slowly, basting frequently. In all case a suitable sauce can be offered with the fish.

Thick cuts of firm fish such as salmon, turbot, monkfish are suitable for roasting. The fish is usually portioned, lightly covered with oil and roasted in an oven in the usual way. Finely sliced vegetables and springs of herbs can be put in the roasting tray and the fish when cooked can be removed from the tray and the pan deglazed with a suitable wine to form the base for an accompanying sauce.

It is the process thought to have developed from the age old method of preserving fish by wind- drying.Anxious to hasten a process entirely at the mercy of the elements  , prehistoric man may have hung fish on poles over wood smoke or peat smoke , thus speeding up the dehydration process and preserving fish.

There are two ways of smoking fish and each one produces a completely different result.’Hot smoking’ produces cooked  , ready to eat fish.’cold smoking’ takes place at a much lower temperature and it produces a smoky tasting fish which usually needs to be cooked before it is eaten.

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Fish & Shellfish Sat, 12 Jun 2021 08:01:07 +0000 Fish & Shellfish is readily available relatively cheap source of food which is high in proteins, vitamins and minerals. Its extremely  perishable, so  it must be cooked as quickly as possible after being caught and must be kept cold until it is cooked .There are hundred of species of fish & shellfish,  sea fish from …

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Fish & Shellfish is readily available relatively cheap source of food which is high in proteins, vitamins and minerals. Its extremely  perishable, so  it must be cooked as quickly as possible after being caught and must be kept cold until it is cooked .There are hundred of species of fish & shellfish,  sea fish from the ocean and fresh water fish from lakes, rivers and streams.

While much of the fish & shellfish consumed is still wild caught, there is distress in fish populations around the globe. It was once thought that the oceans were an inexhaustible source of fish and seafood but today we know that many fish species once in abundance like cod, herring, swordfish, sole, and tuna are in danger of being depleted to extinction. Increasing consumer demand and sophisticated fishing techniques have taken their toll on fish populations and the environment. Fish farming has helped alleviate some over-fishing, but has created environmental pollution problems from intensive farming techniques, and additional negative effects to wild fish because the meal fed to farm-raised fish is often derived wild sources. It will take a concerted global effort to devise ways to harvest fish in ecological and sustainable ways to preserve fish stocks for future generations.

Aquaculture, mariculture, and aquaponics are names used for a variety of farming techniques for fish, seafood, and marine produce. The techniques are used for freshwater and salt water fish and are employed in above ground tanks, ocean pens, and in open waters. Fish farming produces a steady supply of fish that are raised in a carefully controlled environment   to uniform size and formation, much like breeding poultry or cattle. Farmed fish can be quickly processed and delivered fresh to market in a short time. They can also relieve the pressure on endangered fish species caused by over fishing.

Classification Of Fish
fish classification
click to enlarge

Whitefish is generally a mild-flavored, often slightly sweet fish, which can be interchangeable in recipes. These include wild Alaska pollock, bass, cod, grouper, haddock, and halibut. These are great for pan-frying, pan-searing, using soups and chowders, and baking. There are also some thinner fillets of white fish, which can be used in these recipes but keep in mind they cook much faster, including flounder, perch, plaice, and sole.

john dory white fish
John Dory White Fish

Round fish:

These are the fish that have eyes on both sides of their body. They are found swimming near the surface of the water. E.g. cod, hake, haddock, whiting, eel, mackerel, salmon, trout.

red mullet round fish
Red Mullet Round Fish

Flat fish:

These are the fish, which have eyes on the same side of their body. They are found at great depths at the bottom of the sea. E.g. Halibut, lemon sole, plaice, sole, turbot.

halibut flat fish
Halibut Flat Fish

Oily fish

Oily fish are those fish which have oils throughout the fillet and in the belly cavity around the gut, rather than only in the liver like white fish.

Oily fish generally swim in mid-waters or near the surface (the pelagic zone). Oily fish are a good source of Vitamins A and D as well as being rich in Omega 3 fatty acids.

For this reason the consumption of oily fish has been identified as more beneficial to humans than white fish. Amongst other benefits, studies suggest that the Omega 3 fatty acids in oily fish may help sufferers of depression, reduce the likelihood of heart disease and improve inflammatory conditions such as arthritis.

However, oily fish are predators, high up in the food chain, and thus more likely to contain toxic substances than white fish.

Oily Fish

Shellfish is a colloquial and fisheries term for exoskeleton-bearing aquatic invertebrates used as food, including various species of molluscs, crustaceans, and echinoderms. Although most kinds of shellfish are harvested from saltwater environments, some are found in freshwater.

Crustaceans are cladocerans if they have 4–6 pairs of (thoracic) legs, lack any paired eyes, swim with their second pair of antennae, and have at least the head not covered by a carapace. Crustaceans are some of the most important marine life to humans—crabs, lobsters, and shrimp are widely fished and consumed around the world.

The molluscs (soft bodied animals) belong to the large and diverse phylum Mollusca, which
includes a variety of familiar animals well-known as decorative shells or as seafood. These
range from tiny snails, clams, and abalone to larger organisms such as squid, cuttlefish and
the octopus.

Gastropoda is the largest molluscan class with about 35,000 extant species.
The gastropods are torted asymmetrical molluscs and usually possess a coiled shell. The
soft body normally consists of head, foot, visceral mass and the mantle.

The shell in this subclass is typically coiled with an opening
at the ventral end known as aperture. The aperture is covered by operculum which closes
the opening of the shell.

There are about 10,000 living bivalve species. The bivalve as the name implies, possesses two valves (shells) lying on the right and left sides of the body. Bilateral symmetry is a characteristic feature. The shell is mostly composed of calcium carbonate. Umbo is the first formed part of the valve and is above the hinge. The soft body of the bivalve is covered by the mantle comprising two lobes. The foot is muscular and is ventral.

Cephalopods are purely marine in habit, and there are about 600 living species. They are considered as the fastest marine invertebrates. Head is highly developed. The cuttlefishes come under the order Sepioidea and are characterised by the presence of a shell (chitinous or calcareous), 10 circum oral appendages and the tentacles are retractile into pockets. Suckers have chitinous rings. Posterior fin lobes are free and not connected at midline. The cuttlebone is internal and located dorsally underneath the skin.

Spoilage Of Fish  Reasons And Signs:

  • Main bacterial spoilage is due to micrococcus, pseudomonas, corney bacteria, bacilli, achromo and flavo bactor.
  • These bacteria grow at higher pH i.e. more than 7; around a temperature of 15-20 deg. C.
  • Parasitic infections also cause early spoilage.
  • The bacterial growth can be eliminated by proper control of pH and temperature. Spoilage also occurs in the fish when lactic acid content in the fish gets reduced due to struggle and stress before death. TMA (trimethilamin) oxide is an important compound of marine fish. After death of the fish this compound is broken down due to oxidation and causes bad smell.

The other reasons for the spoilage are as follows:

  • Enzymes in dead fish because of microbes and chemicals bring about changes. Faulty method of catching and handling Personal hygiene.

Signs of spoilage

  •   Such fish is liable to float in the water.
  • Eyes are seen shrunken and collapsed.
  • The gills are either gray or brown in color.

  • Emit unpleasant and offensive odor.

  • Scales are soft and easily rubbed off.

  • Flesh is slimy and pits on pressure.

  • Flesh is detached easily from bone structure. Unpleasant and offensive smell from abdominal cavity.

  • A pink color line along the back bone is the sign of decomposition.

Assessment Of Period Of Freshness Of Fish

  • Fish is fresh when the eyes are bright and bulging with red gills.
  • In case the eyes are sunk to the level of eye brim, it may be considered 24 to 48 hours old.
  • In case the eyes are sunk deep inside, it may be considered 48 hours or beyond.

Selection and judgment of fish

 Fresh fish is ideal to procure. it depends upon the location, weather condition, high standards of hygienically maintained shops with proper infrastructure, and temperature control.

Following is the receiving standards for the receiving of the fish

In case of fish purchased whole:

  • Eyes: Should be bright, full, and not sunken, no slime or cloudiness.
  • Gills: Should be bright red, no bacterial slime.
  • Flesh: Should be firm, translucent, and resilient so that when pressed the impression goes quickly. It should not be limp ¾ Scales: Should be flat, moist, and plentiful.
  • Skin: Should be covered with fresh sea slime, be smooth and moist with sheen and no abrasions or bruising, and no discoloration.
  • Smell: Pleasant, no ammonia or sourness
  • Small fish when held horizontally on the palm, does not drop at the tail and remain rigid.

Purchasing points of prawns and lobster:

  • Purchase alive with both claws attached to ensure freshness ¾ They should be heavy in proportion to their size.
  • The coral of the hen lobster is necessary to give the required color for the soups and sauces.
  • Hen lobsters are distinguished from hen lobsters by a broader tail.

Purchasing points of crab:

  • Buy alive to ensure freshness
  • Ensure that both claws are attached
  • They should be heavy about their size

Purchasing points of mussels:

  • The shells must be tightly closed to indicate that they are alive
  • Mussels should be of good size
  • There should not be an excessive number of barnacles attached
  • Mussels should smell fresh

Structure of the meat

All the fishes consist of nearly 75% of moisture and also the aluminous (egg whites) consistency varies little from fish to fish (18%).  In the consistency of fat the variation is much wider; about 26% for the conger- eel family; 12% for salmon and salmon –trout; 9% for trout; 8.2% for shad and 6% for herring.

Fish flesh does not vary much from that of the land animals. Where the fish are at an advantage is in the contents of the phosphorated compounds and in the fact that fish especially the leaner ones, are much more easily digestible and so represent an excellent food for the sedentary and the sick.

Fish lack the connective tissue like land animals as they have no limbs and so the meat is lighter and flakier. Medium-size fish are better than large fish, which may be coarse, small fish often lack flavor.

Fish is a useful source of animal protein as meat. Oily fish such as sardines, mackerels, herrings, and salmon contain Vitamin A and Vitamin D in their flesh, white fish such as halibut and cod, these vitamins are present in the liver.

The bones of sardines, whitebait, and tinned salmon when eaten provide the body with calcium and phosphorus. Fish is also a good source of magnesium, copper, iron, and iodine. Since all fish contain protein, it is good body-building food and oily fish is useful for energy and as a protective food because of its vitamins.

Owing to its fat content oily fish are not so easily digestible as white fish and is not suitable for cooking for invalids

Store fresh fish covered with ice at 29-32°F /-2 0°C, in a self-draining perforated pan and replenish the ice as needed. Keeping the fish iced will provide a constant rinsing action that minimizes odors and maximizes shelf life up to a week. Fresh fish should always be gutted before storing and will have a longer shelf life if kept whole. Wrap fillets in plastic wrap to prevent the ice crystals from tearing the flesh of the fish. Fresh fish is best consumed within 2-3 days from delivery but whole fish can be held longer, from 1-2 weeks depending on the species and freshness and the holding method. Frozen fish should be thawed slowly under refrigeration or cold running water.

  • It is most important to maintain freshness and prevent staleness in the fish. In deep-sea fishing operations, the aim is to catch the maximum catch of edible fish in ideal conditions.
  • Fish should not be subjected to more stress and stress after the catch.
  • Freshness depends upon temperature control, weather control, and the quantum of fish. Immediately freezing at – 10 C is advisable while moving the seafood from deep-sea location to coast.
  • It is advisable to store fish at temperatures ranging from –23 to –29 deg. C to conserve enzymes from destruction or keep fishes alive in tanks.
  • While receiving fish it should be checked whether the fish is being marketed below 3 deg C or not.
  • Fishes like tuna are stored at a temperature more than – 20 deg C
  • Shellfish is normally stored in tanks alive after the catch, and then it is subjected to processing.
  • Subjecting to a temperature less than – 3deg C can enhance the shelf life of certain fish It can be stored for more than three to six months. It is the case with shellfishes also.

Fresh fish (caught less than 4 hours beforehand): The whole fish should be gut, scaled, then washed, dried with absorbent paper, wrap in foil or plastic film and freeze in a tray.

Fish Slices: Freeze raw on a tray.

Small fish: Gut, dry and freeze raw in a tray.

All fish and shellfish should be stored on sealed plastic bags, preferably vacuum-packed. All frozen fish should be thawed in a refrigerator for several hours before use. Do not thaw in water as it tends to damage the structure of the fish and does not taste as good. The cooking tie for thawed fish will be a little longer than fresh fish. Once frozen fish has been thawed it should not be in any conditions be refrozen as this could prove as a major health hazard.

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Beef Fri, 11 Jun 2021 07:00:30 +0000 Beef is the culinary name for meat from cattle, particularly skeletal muscle. Humans have been eating beef since prehistoric times. Beef is a source of protein and nutrients Cattle are reared in the following ways: Lot Fed. Grass-Fed. Grain-Fed. Lot Fed: For a minimum of 100 days the animal is fed on corn, grass and millet and allow to move in a very limited area. Fat …

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Beef is the culinary name for meat from cattle, particularly skeletal muscle. Humans have been eating beef since prehistoric times. Beef is a source of protein and nutrients Cattle are reared in the following ways:

  • Lot Fed.
  • Grass-Fed.
  • Grain-Fed.

Lot Fed: For a minimum of 100 days the animal is fed on corn, grass and millet and allow to move in a very limited area. Fat content in these cows are very high and they are the costliest too because of intense farming required.

Grass-Fed: In this method of farming the cows are allowed to move in a slightly larger area and are fed with only grass for 70 days.

Grain-Fed: The best quality beef is obtained from this kind of farming, where in the animals are allowed to move in a much larger area and hence there is a lot of marbling but not too much of it. The animal is fed only with grain and a little grass for 100 days. This is costlier than grass fed cows.

Grass fed

Grain Fed

Lot Fed

Quality determination of Beef.

When choosing Beef, the following points are to be borne in mind:

  1. It should bright red and shiny in appearance.
  2. Firm and springy to touch with a sweet light scent.
  3. It has a good network of white or slightly yellowish fat.
  4. In order to be tender, the beef must be matured after slaughtering.
  5. The meat should look fresh and moist, not watery.
  6. The lean or prime cuts should look smooth and velvety.

Composition of Beef

65% (maximum)

With some traces of phosphorus and iron. Beef produces 220-340 cal. from every 100 grms.

A cattle is broken down into what are called primal cuts, the main areas of the animal which include the loin, rib, round, flank, chuck, sirloin, brisket, and more.

These primal cuts are then broken down into sub-primal cuts, including specific steaks and chops: flank steak, flat iron steak, filet mignon, rib eye.

As you’ll see below, there are many different cuts of beef to learn.

Loin, short loin, strip loin cuts

These are usually leaner cuts of beef, best grilled or fried, and work better with high heat. It’s the T-Bone and Porterhouse Steaks, the Tenderloins, cuts of meat that respond better to dry heat cooking. For a primordial recipe where nothing gets in the way of the flavour of the meat, learn how to cook beef tenderloin on a bed of salt in a searing hot pan.

Sirloin cuts

Filet mignon, bavette, tri-tips, strip steak and roasts – coming from the rear of the animal, these are also leaner cuts, and certainly not the best beef choice if you want to slow cook. The sirloin family is best for grilling, skillet and stir-fry, with high, dry heats. Follow Gordon Ramsay’s stovetop fillet mignon recipe to bite into a luscious steak enhanced by the fragrances of rosemary and thyme.

Rib cuts

Ribeye filet, ribeye cap, ribeye steak. These cuts are getting fattier, meaning some of them are better for slow cooking and roasting. Not all the cuts in the rib family work well with slow cooking methods: ribeye steak, for example, will always kick better grilled or fried in a skillet.

Chuck cuts

Blade, chuck eye, country-style ribs, this is where the slow goodness starts to come to play with some good cuts for pot roasts. Don’t get us wrong, you’ll also find lots of chuck cuts are good for grilling: top blade, ranch steak, shoulder steak. If you only understand one section, chuck is the one as there’s a cut for every style of cooking.

Brisket cuts

You can’t really go wrong with brisket, whether you choose flat or point cut – they both want to be slow cooked. For us, brisket point works better than brisket flat, the flat cut is a bit leaner. Just be careful when slow cooking brisket, it’s a forgiving cut but the margin between delicious juicy and chewy dry is small.

Round cuts

Coming from the back legs of the cow, this is a part of the animal that usually provides leaner cuts of beef so you need to know your business at this end. Top, bottom and eye round will go well at high heats, the bottom, rump and eye roast are best for slow cooking and, you guessed it, oven roasted.

Plate & flank cuts

Skirt, flank, short ribs: only the short ribs should be slow-cooked over here, the flank and skirt steak will do you best grilled or fried. There are endless rich variations on braised ribs, where this cut is immersed in a bath of rich flavours like red wine, beer, garlic, or tomato until the meat is falling off the bone.

Other cuts

Beef cuts come in all shapes, sizes, textures and tastes. ‘Other’ covers anything that doesn’t fall into the rest of the main families. You have stewing steak, burgers, corned beef, minced and ground beef in this category. Shanks, which come from the legs of the cow, are probably one of the most interesting beef cuts and perfect for slow cooking.

One of our favourite cuts of cow is the cheeks. Beef cheeks are an often overlooked piece of meat that many top chefs use in their restaurants. One of the most forgiving cuts when cooked slowly and a simple piece of meat that will change your pot roast game for the better. The recipe below shows you how.

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Tobacco – Cigarette Mon, 07 Jun 2021 13:25:58 +0000 CIGARETTE A cigarette is a small cylinder of finely cut tobacco leaves rolled in thin paper for smoking.The cigarette is ignited at one end and allowed to smolder; its smoke is inhaled from theother end, which is held in or to the mouth and in some cases a cigarette holder may be usedas well. Most …

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A cigarette is a small cylinder of finely cut tobacco leaves rolled in thin paper for smoking.The cigarette is ignited at one end and allowed to smolder; its smoke is inhaled from theother end, which is held in or to the mouth and in some cases a cigarette holder may be usedas well. Most modern manufactured cigarettes are filtered and include reconstituted tobaccoand other additives

The earliest forms of cigarettes were similar to their predecessor, the cigar. Cigarettes appearto have had antecedents in Mexico and Central America around the 9th century in the form ofreeds and smoking tubes. The Maya, and later the Aztecs, smoked tobacco and otherpsychoactive drugs in religious rituals and frequently depicted priests and deities smoking on pottery and temple engravings. The cigarette and the cigar were the most common methods of
smoking in the Caribbean, Mexico, and Central and South America until recent times.
By 1830, the cigarette had crossed into France, where it received the name cigarette; and in
1845, the French state tobacco monopoly began manufacturing them. The French word was
adopted by English in the 1840s. Some American reformers promoted the spelling cigaret, but
this was never widespread and is now largely abandoned.

Modern commercially manufactured cigarettes are seemingly simple objects consisting mainly
of a tobacco blend, paper, PVA glue to bond the outer layer of paper together, and often also
a cellulose acetate–based filter. While the assembly of cigarettes is straightforward, much
focus is given to the creation of each of the components, in particular the tobacco blend. A key
ingredient that makes cigarettes more addictive is the inclusion of reconstituted tobacco,
which has additives to make nicotine more volatile as the cigarette burns.

  • Paper
  • Tobacco blend
  • Additives
  • Cigarette tube
  • Cigarette

The paper for holding the tobacco blend may vary in porosity to allow ventilation of theburning ember or contain materials that control the burning rate of the cigarette and stabilityof the produced ash. The papers used in tipping the cigarette (forming the mouthpiece) andsurrounding the filter stabilize the mouthpiece from saliva and moderate the burning of thecigarette, as well as the delivery of smoke with the presence of one or two rows of small laser-drilled air holes.

Tobacco blend

The process of blending gives the end product a consistent taste from batches of tobacco grownin different areas of a country that may change in flavor profile from year to year due todifferent environmental conditions.

Reconstituted leaf (RL) sheet: a paper-like material made from recycled tobacco fines, tobaccostems and “class tobacco”, which consists of tobacco particles less than 30 mesh in size (about0.6 mm) that are collected at any stage of tobacco processing: RL is made by extracting thesoluble chemicals in the tobacco byproducts, processing the leftover tobacco fibers from theextraction into a paper, and then reapplying the extracted materials in concentrated form ontothe paper in a fashion similar to what is done in paper sizing. At thisstage, ammonium additives are applied to make reconstituted tobacco an effective nicotinedelivery system.

Expanded (ES) or improved stem (IS): ES is rolled, flattened, and shredded leaf stems that areexpanded by being soaked in water and rapidly heated. Improved stem follows the sameprocess, but is simply steamed after shredding. Both products are then dried. These productslook similar in appearance, but are different in taste.

Various additives are combined into the shredded tobacco product mixtures,with humectants such as propylene glycol or glycerol, as well as flavoring products andenhancers such as cocoa solids, licorice, tobacco extracts, and various sugars, which are knowncollectively as “casings”.

Cigarette tube

Cigarette tubes are prerolled cigarette paper usually with an acetate or paper filter at the end.They have an appearance similar to a finished cigarette, but are without any tobacco orsmoking material inside. The length varies from what is known as King Size (84 mm) to 100s(100 mm).

Cigarette filter

A cigarette filter or filter tip is a component of a cigarette. Filters are typically madefrom cellulose acetate fibre. Most factory-made cigarettes are equipped with a filter; those whoroll their own can buy them separately. Filters can reduce some substances from smoke but donot make cigarettes any safer to smoke.

Cigarette butt

The common name for the remains of a cigarette after smoking is a cigarette butt. The butt istypically about 30% of the cigarette’s original length.

Smoking has become less popular, but is still a large public health problem globally.Worldwide, smoking rates fell from 41% in 1980 to 31% in 2012, although the actual number ofsmokers increased because of population growth. In 2017, 5.4 trillion cigarettes were producedglobally, and were smoked by almost 1 billion people. Smoking rates have leveled off ordeclined in most countries but is increasing in some low- and middle-income countries. Thesignificant reductions in smoking rates in the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Brazil, and other countries that implemented strong tobacco control programs have been offsetby the increasing consumption in low income countries, especially China. The Chinese marketnow consumes more cigarettes than all other low- and middle-income countries combined.

A fine cigar should be kept at between 15°C and 18°C (60°F- 65°F) and between 55%- 60%humidity, with a little variation as possible. A cigar is stored in cigar cases that are lined with cedar wood. These cigar cases are stored in a humidor. Humidor or specially made boxes they all either made with or lined with cedarwood. This is done because the aroma of cedar blends well with cigars and as cedarwood is porous it allows the cigar to breathe. A free circulation of air around these boxes is essential. Cigars are usually sold in boxes of 25, 50, and 100.

Electronic cigarette

Electronic cigarette is an electronic inhaler that vaporizes a liquid solution into an aerosolmist, simulating the act of tobacco smoking. Electronic cigarettes are no longer marketed assmoking cessation aids or tobacco replacement in most countries. There may be similaritiesbetween conventional and some electronic cigarettes in the physical design and the nicotinerelease, which may approximate the same amount of nicotine as a conventional cigarette.There are also many electronic cigarettes which do not resemble conventional cigarettes at all.The amount of nicotine contained can also be chosen by the user, with many people choosingno nicotine at all.

Fire safe cigarettes

Fire safe cigarettes self-extinguishing, fire-safe or Reduced Ignition Propensity [RIP]cigarettes) are cigarettes that are designed to extinguish more quickly than standard cigarettesif ignored, with the intention of preventing accidental fires. In the United States, “FSC” abovethe barcode signifies that the cigarettes sold are Fire Standards Compliant (FSC).

Fire safe cigarettes are produced by adding two bands of the FSC chemical to the cigarettepaper during manufacture in order to slow the burn rate at the bands. Because this processdecreases the burn rate and does not prevent unattended cigarettes from igniting nearbymaterials or tinder, the term “fire-safe” has been called a misnomer which could lead smokersto believe that these cigarettes are less likely to cause fires than standard cigarettes.

Herbal cigarettes

Herbal cigarettes are cigarettes that do not contain any tobacco and which are composed of amixture of various other herbs and/or other plant material. Such cigarettes are not to beconfused with so-called non-additive and/ or natural tobacco cigarette variety. Like herbalsmokeless tobacco, they are often used as a substitute for standard tobacco products (primarilycigarettes), and many times are promoted as a tobacco cessation aid. Herbal cigarettes are alsoused in acting scenes by performers who are non-smokers, or—as is becoming increasinglycommon—where anti-smoking legislation prohibits the use of tobacco in public spaces.

Lights, or “Low-tar,” are considered to have a “lighter,” less pronounced flavor than regularcigarettes. These cigarette brands may also contain lower levels of tar, nicotine, or otherchemicals inhaled by the smoker. The filter design is one of the main differences between lightand regular cigarettes, although not all cigarettes contain perforated holes in the filteranymore. In some light cigarettes, the filter is perforated with small holes that theoreticallydiffuse the tobacco smoke with clean air. In regular cigarettes, the filter does not include theseperforations. In ultra-light cigarettes, the filter’s perforations are larger, and in theory, theselarger holes produce an even smaller smoke to air ratio.

Menthol cigarette

Menthol cigarette is a cigarette flavored with the compound menthol, a substance whichtriggers the cold-sensitive nerves in the skin without actually providing a drop in temperature.Menthol cigarettes have also been shown to inhibit nicotine metabolism, causing “systemicenhancement in exposure to nicotine”.

Kretek is cigarettes made with a blend of tobacco,cloves and other flavors. The word “kretek”itself is an onomatopoetic term for the crackling sound of burning cloves. Haji Jamahri, aresident of Kudus, Java, created kreteks in the early 1880s as a means to deliver the eugenol ofcloves to the lungs, as it was thought to help asthma. Jamahri believed the eugenol cured hischest pains and he started to market his invention to the village, but he died of lung cancerbefore he could mass market it. M. Nitisemito took his place and began to commercialize thenew cigarettes. Today, kretek manufacturers directly employ over 180,000 peopleinIndonesiaand an additional 10 million indirectly.

Popular Cigarette Brands
  • Vogue.
  • Parliament.
  • Dunhill.
  • Davidoff.
  • Nat Sherman.
  • Marlboro.
Pipe Tobacco

A smoking pipe is a pipe that is specifically made to smoke tobacco. Typically, it will consist ofa chamber (the bowl) for the combustion of material and a thin stem (shank) ending in amouthpiece (the bit). Pipes can range from the very simple machine-made briar pipe to highly-prized handmade and artful implements created by renowned pipe makers which are oftenvery expensive collector’s items. “Estate pipes” are previously owned pipes that are sold to newowners. The bowls of tobacco pipes are commonly made of briar, meerschaum, corncob orclay. Less common are cherry wood, olive wood, maple, mesquite, oak, and bog-wood. Generally adense-grained wood is ideal. Pipe bowls of all these materials are sometimes carved with agreat deal of artistry. Unusual, but still noteworthy pipe bowl materials include gourds, as inthe famous Calabash pipe, and pyrolytic graphite. Metal and glass are uncommon materials fortobacco pipes, but are common for pipes intended for other substances, such as cannabis.

The stem needs a long channel of constant position and diameter running through it for aproper draw, although filter pipes have varying diameters and can be successfully smoked evenwithout filters or adapters. Because it is molded rather than carved, clay may make up theentire pipe or just the bowl, but most other materials have stems made separately anddetachable. Stems and bits of tobacco pipes are usually made of mountable materials likevulcanize, Bakelite, and soft plastic. Less common are stems made of reeds, bamboo, orhollowed out pieces of wood. Expensive pipes once had stems made of amber, though this israre now.

Tobaccos for smoking in pipes are often carefully treated and blended to achieve flavournuances not available in other tobacco products. Many of these are blends using stapleingredients of variously cured Burley and Virginia tobaccos which are enhanced by spicetobaccos, among them many Oriental or Balkan varietals, Latakia (a fire-cured spice tobacco ofSyrian origin), Perique (uniquely grown in St. James Parish, Louisiana) which is also an oldmethod of fermentation, or blends of Virginia and Burley tobaccos of African, Indian, or SouthAmerican origins.

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Tobacco- Cigar Mon, 07 Jun 2021 07:35:59 +0000 Tobacco means a leaf product containing 1% – 3% of alkaloid nicotine (C10H12N2) which produces narcotic effect when smoked, snuffed or chewed. Nicotiana tabacum is the plant which produces tobacco for the world commerce. Nicotianarustica is also used for making tobacco in different parts of the Europe. Tobacco grows best inwarm even climate, tropical or …

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Tobacco means a leaf product containing 1% – 3% of alkaloid nicotine (C10H12N2) which produces narcotic effect when smoked, snuffed or chewed.

Nicotiana tabacum is the plant which produces tobacco for the world commerce. Nicotianarustica is also used for making tobacco in different parts of the Europe. Tobacco grows best inwarm even climate, tropical or sub-tropical region ( java, Sumatra, Jamaica, Cuba, India etc)on well drained, carefully fertilized soil which reduces weekly moisture form rain or irrigation.

There is pre-historic evidence that man learned to smoke before they could write- various cave paintings and clay tablets show it.

In 1492, Christopher Colombus, during his voyage to America, witnessed West Indianssmoking tobacco in a hollow forked stick. He brought the tobacco seeds to Europe where the farmers grew them for medicinal purposes to relax the body.
In 1560, a French diplomat, Jean Nicot (from whose name comes to the name nicotine)introduced its use to France.
John Rolfe, an American colonist, commercialized it in Virginia from where the famous Virginia tobacco comes. America exported Tobacco to England who made it popular in Europe. It however became popular in America by 1850 only.

Varieties of Tobacco

The main type of tobacco for cigarette and pipe smoking is Virginian tobacco. The other types of tobacco include Egyptian tobacco grown in the Nile delta and Asia Minor and the Turkishtobacco grown in Turkey, Balkan, and Syria. The best quality of tobacco for cigars comes fromVeuluabazo district of Cuba where the tobacco is more aromatic than anywhere else in the world.

Processing of tobacco for Cigarettes, Cigars and Pipe Tobacco

After harvesting the leaves are left for drying and then fermented in conditioning chambers with regulated heat and moisture. After fermentation, the leaves become pliable and attain flavor. The leaves are then removed from the midribs and sorted out according to quality /perfection.
The leaves for pipe tobacco and cigarettes are shredded through the machine. The shredding is finer for cigarettes compared to pipe tobacco.

For cigars, the tobacco leaves are sorted out differently. The best quality or the perfect leaves are used for the outside wrapper. The slightly imperfect leaves are used for the binder. Whereas the broken or imperfect leaves are used for the filler. This is because there are three parts to a cigar. The filler, which is the main part of the cigar. The filler is held by the binder, which is again held by the wrapper. The wrapper is a smooth blemish-less leaf. It is then taken for maturing.

cigar is a rolled bundle of dried and fermented tobacco leaves made to be smoked. Cigars are produced in a variety of sizes and shapes. Since the 20th century, almost all cigars are made of three distinct components: the filler, the binder leaf which holds the filler together, and a wrapper leaf, which is often the highest quality leaf used.

It is the sommelier’s responsibility to sell cigars to the guest. The cigar is made of three elements. The cigar ash gives some indication about the quality of the cigar. The first-grade cigar produces grayish ash which lasts for a considerable time before dropping down.

Tobacco was widely diffused among all of the indigenous people of the islands of the Caribbean. Italian explorer Christopher Columbus is generally credited with the introduction of tobacco to Europe. During his 1492 journey, three of his crewmen Rodrigo de Jerez, Hector Fuentes, and Luis de Torres, are said to have encountered tobacco for the first time on the island of Hispaniola, (present-day Haiti and the Dominican Republic), when natives presented them with dry leaves that spread a peculiar fragrance.

The cigar business was an important industry and factories employed many people before mechanized manufacturing of cigars became practical. Cigar workers in both Cuba and the US were active in labor strikes and disputes from early in the 19th century, and the rise of modern labor unions can be traced to the CMIU and other cigar worker unions.

Manufacturing Of Cigar

Quality cigars are still handmade. An experienced cigar-roller can produce hundreds of good, nearly identical cigars per day. Tobacco leaves are harvested and aged using a curing process that combines heat and shade to reduce sugar and water content without causing the larger leaves to rot. This takes between 25 and 45 days, depending upon climatic conditions and the nature of sheds used to store harvested tobacco. Curing varies by type of tobacco and desired leaf color. A slow fermentation follows, where temperature and humidity are controlled to enhance flavor, aroma, and burning characteristics while forestalling rot or disintegration.

The leaf will continue to be baled, inspected, un-baled, re-inspected, and baled again during the aging cycle. When it has matured to manufacturer’s specifications it is sorted forappearance and overall quality, and used as filler or wrapper accordingly. During this process, leaves are continually moistened to prevent damage.

Cigars are composed of three types of tobacco leaves, whose variations determine smoking and flavor characteristics:

  • Wrapper
  • Binder
  • Filler

A cigar’s outermost layer, or wrapper, is the most expensive component of a cigar. The wrapper determines much of the cigar’s character and flavor, and as such its color is often used to describe the cigar as a whole. Wrappers are frequently grown underneath huge canopies made of gauze so as to diffuse direct sunlight and are fermented separately from other rougher cigar components, with a view to the production of a thinly-veined, smooth, supple leaf.

Beneath the wrapper is a small bunch of “filler” leaves bound together inside of a leaf called a “binder”. Binder leaf is typically the sun-saturated leaf from the top part of a tobacco plant and is selected for its elasticity and durability in the rolling process. Unlike wrapper leaf, which must be uniform in appearance and smooth in texture, binder leaf may show evidence of physical blemishes or lack uniform coloration. Binder leaf is generally considerably thicker and more hardy than the wrapper leaf surrounding it.

The bulk of a cigar is “filler”—a bound bunch of tobacco leaves.
These leaves are folded by hand to allow air passageways down the length of the cigar, through which smoke is drawn after the cigar is lit. If full leaves are used as filler, a cigar is said to be composed of “long filler”. Cigars made from smaller bits of leaf, including many machine-made cigars, are said to be made of “short filler”.
If a cigar is completely constructed (filler, binder, and wrapper) of tobacco produced in only one country, it is referred to in the cigar industry as a “puro,” from the Spanish word for“pure”.

Size & Color of Cigar

Cigars come in various sizes, three of the most important and popular being

    – 5 ½ inches
    – 5 inches
    – 4 1/4

Cigar terms which classify the wrapper leaf according to colour are-

CCC : Claro- light coloured cigar
CC : Colorado Claro-medium coloured cigar
C : Colorado- Dark coloured Cigar
CM : Colorado Maduro- Very dark coloured cigar
M : Maduro- Extremely dark coloured cigar.

A fine cigar should be kept at between 15°C and 18°C (60°F- 65°F) and between 55%- 60%humidity, with a little variation as possible. A cigar is stored in cigar cases that are lined with cedar wood. These cigar cases are stored in a humidor. Humidor or specially made boxes they all either made with or lined with cedarwood. This is done because the aroma of cedar blends well with cigars and as cedarwood is porous it allows the cigar to breathe. A free circulation of air around these boxes is essential. Cigars are usually sold in boxes of 25, 50, and 100.

Service of Cigar

Always carry a cigar cutter to cut the cigar as that ensures a cool-free drawing of smoke. If the guest requires you to cut the cigar take care that you don’t cut too deep so that you disturb the decorate band which held the cigar. For lighting the cigars avoid matchboxes, use lighters instead because for the end of the cigar to be lit, it has to be warmed first.

Few popular brand of cigar

  • Cohiba Behike 54
  • Montecristo Grand
  • Edmundo
  • New World By AJ
  • Fernandes
  • Partagas Serie D No 4
  • Partagás 8-9-8 Cabinet Varnished
  • H. Upmann Sir Winston
  • Cohiba Rubusto
  • Montecristo No 4
  • Don Rafael Maduro

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KOt and Billing System Sun, 06 Jun 2021 06:56:49 +0000 KOT is an abbreviation for Kitchen Order Tickets. It is a note which is forwarded to the kitchen, billing division, and one copy is retained in the system for future reference. The KOT application primarily contains details related to the table number, items ordered, and its quantity. Having a restaurant KOT, which is automated, reduces the …

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KOT is an abbreviation for Kitchen Order Tickets. It is a note which is forwarded to the kitchen, billing division, and one copy is retained in the system for future reference. The KOT application primarily contains details related to the table number, items ordered, and its quantity. Having a restaurant KOT, which is automated, reduces the scope of manual mistakes, saves time, helps you to have real-time reporting of all the orders at your restaurant, and reduces monetary discrepancies. With so many positives, what is stopping you from having an automated restaurant KOT generation process at your restaurant?

KOT (Kitchen order Ticket) / Bill Control System

Control implies checking at every stage, enables food and drinks to be coordinated with the aim of presenting a correct bill to each guest without delay.

In a food and beverage operation, for any food item and non-alcoholic beverage item a kitchen order ticket or KOT has to be made by the F&B personnel and concerned item is provided by the kitchen to the F&B personnel only on presenting the KOT. KOT is the written proof that the guest has been served with the item he has ordered. KOT is a very important tool of the F&B control system. Any food item ordered by the guest is written on KOT. Similarly, all alcoholic beverages that have to be obtained from the bar are noted down on BOT or the bar order ticket and are presented to the barman and it is only then the barman will provide the waiter with the alcoholic beverage.

KOT and BOT are made in 1+3 i.e. one original and three carbon copies.

Let us break down the steps of how a traditional restaurant KOT generation process works.

  • The waiter takes an order using carbon paper. Typically the traditional restaurant KOT contains three copies, in Red, Yellow, and White.
  • The Red goes to the kitchen to process the food. The kitchen keeps this copy and ideally should send all the KOTs to the audit team after the day ends.
  • The yellow copy remains with the waiter until the food is served. Once the food is served, this copy is sent to the billing counter. The cashier enters the KOT in the system.
  • All these yellow KOTs are then sent to the audit department to create their jobs. But, somehow, this is a tedious task and often ignored and delayed for this very reason. Most of the time, the entire audit process is stopped. Moreover, if the audit functions exist, then the report comes after 15 days. The action is delayed. You cannot go to that customer and ask that you have forgotten to bill 2-3 items that were consumed by them.
  • The white copy remains in the KOT application pad. Loads of such pads are created and sorted. Eventually, all those pads are sent to the recycle bin.

All of the above mentioned is a slow, manual process, with much scope for errors, and a little area for monitoring and tracking of the orders.

Importance Of Kot

KOT is the written proof of the day’s activities. It is full details of the items being sold on that particular date. Analysis of KOT can be done and records can be kept for future reference i.e. to prepare the budget for the same month next year. Plan out certain events to find out which item is the most selling and which is not. If needed the menu can be revised. The waiter’s performance can also be judged through the KOT. If he is performing well he can be appraised and if he is lacking he can be briefed about the proceedings.

1) Retour Or Return Check

If a food item has to be returned for some reason, another check or KOT has to be made out, marked return and sent with the dish in order to cancel the transaction. It has to be insured that the item is taken off the bill by sending the copy to the cashier.

2) En Place

It literally means “in its place”. In case of a table d hote menu the guest may wish a slight change in a particular dish, for example jacket potatoes instead of French fries. So, an en place check has to be made. The check has to be signed by a senior authority like the restaurant manager to show that this alteration is permitted at no extra charge.

3) Suivant

Where it is necessary to write out more than one food check for a meal, e.g., when a sweet dish check or KOT is written out after the main course has been served. At the head of this check word SUIVANT should be written, which means the following check, and shows that one check has already been written out for that particular table.

4) Suppliment Check

Sometimes a waiter requires ingredients from various sources to finish a dish. For e.g. for a cocktail or a mocktail lemon is required. A special check or a written supplement has to be made out in this case. This should be signed by the restaurant manager and normally there is no extra charge.

5) No Charge

Any complimentary items served to the guest or the executives of the hotel who are entitled to have food in the restaurant are written on this check and no bill is raised

6) Accident Check

It occasionally happens that the waiter may have an accident in the room and perhaps some food dishes are dropped. These must be replaced without any extra charge to the guest. Here a check must be made named ACCIDENT CHECK. It will show the number of portions of the particular dish required and should be signed by the restaurant manager. No charge is made.

Billing Methods

 Seven basic billing methods are:-

  • Bill as a check

 When a guest requires the bill, the waiter checks everything is entered on the duplicate copy of the food and drinks check and then totals the bill. It is presented to the guest as previously mentioned. One of the two methods of payments may now occur. The guest may pay at the cash desk on the way out or may pay the cash directly to the waiter who will give any change that is necessary. The cashier usually keeps the bill on payment but if the guest wishes to have a receipt, then a special bill is written out and receipted.

  • Separate Bill

This billing method is usually found running in conjunction with triplicate checking system. On receiving the duplicate copy of the food check from the waiter the cashier opens the bill in duplicate according to the table number on the food check. All sets of bill are serial numbered for control purposes. As the checks are received by the cashier from the waiter, he enters the items ordered as per the bill together with their correct prices. When this is done the bill and the duplicate checks are pinned together.

When the guest requests for the bill the waiter collects it from the cashier, who first checks that all items are entered and priced correctly and then total it up. It is advisable for the waiter to double check the addition. The top copy of the bill is presented to the guest on a folder, on receiving the necessary payment from the guest; the waiter returns the bill and cash to the cashier. The cashier receives and stamps both the copy and returns the first copy along with the change to the waiter which is returned to the guest.

  • Bill With Order

This billing method may take a variety of forms depending upon the requirements of the establishment and the depth of the management control information to be realized. It is further simple form of checking. This may be used in cafés, quick turnover restaurant and departmental stores. A simple form of control such as this is adopted for use in various forms of take away establishments.

The menu is normally limited with little or no choice, the waiter takes the order and marks down the guest requirements, calls for the order verbally over the hot plate and when the guest requests for the bill, the waiter writes down the price on the order sheet and hands it to the guest. The guest then hands it to the cashier on leaving and pays the required amount. There is only one copy of this order and the bill combined and the cashier for control purpose retains this once the guest has made the necessary payment. This system speeds up the process of billing for the customer and allows specific control over cash received and change given as well as controlling all stock items held.

  • Prepaid

This billing methods happens when prepayment and perhaps required for a specific occasion or event and allows the organizer to determine exact number prior to the day. In this instance, upon arrival at the event, admission or receipt of the food is obtained by handing in ones ticket or card.

  • Voucher

Here a customer has perhaps been issued credit by third party, his/her employer, in form of a luncheon voucher. This voucher can be exchanged for goods, food and non- alcoholic beverages to the maximum value indicated by the voucher. If the guest has consumed less value than mentioned in the voucher the difference is not paid to the guest. But if the guest consumes more than the value mentioned in the voucher the guest has to pay for the difference.

In the same way voucher may be issued for a specific value to be given in exchange for goods or services received. These credit vouchers are then used by the suppliers of goods or services to claim cash owing from the employer, firm or agency who issued them in the first instance.

  • No Charge

This is when the guest is not charged in exchange of any services or goods. He/she should be asked only to sign for the goods and services received and the bill should then be sent to the firm or company supplying the hospitality. In some instances the customer will require to show some type official form or letter authorizing that the hospitality may take place.

  • Deferred

In deferred billing a service has been requested by an individual, firm or company that has been confirmed and taken place. The bill for the total services received is then sent after the event and will be paid by the organizing person or body. Payment in this manner will normally relate the function catering events.

An Automated KOT System Improves Restaurant Ordering And Kitchen Operations

Contrary to what tech-phobic restaurateurs might tell you, an automated KOT system is easy to install and use. The entire process can be broken down into three simple steps:

  • Install KOT printers in the kitchen and bar.
  • Make sure that the kitchen prepares and supplies food, based on the printed KOT. Train all your staff accordingly.
  • Install the POS system at the foodservice desk.

While shifting from the traditional to the automated restaurant generation process seems rather straightforward, its associated positive impacts are a lot more than expected. The various ways an automated restaurant KOT generation process can smoothen your restaurant operations are:

  • Easy To Use
  • Accelerates Your Restaurant Service
  • Integrates With Online Ordering
  • Provides Real-time Reports
  • Reduces The Scope Of Discrepancies
  • Reduces The Dependence On Manual Entries
  • Low Investment

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Room Service / In-Room Dining Thu, 03 Jun 2021 07:45:53 +0000 Room service or “in-room dining” is a hotel service enabling guests to choose menu items for delivery to their hotel room for consumption there. Room Service is organized as a subdivision within the Food & Beverage Department of high-end hotel and resort properties. Usually food items which require a lot of garnish are not served …

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Room service or “in-room dining” is a hotel service enabling guests to choose menu items for delivery to their hotel room for consumption there. Room Service is organized as a subdivision within the Food & Beverage Department of high-end hotel and resort properties. Usually food items which require a lot of garnish are not served in rooms. Room service also extends to alcoholic drinks. However, many hotels stock such beverages in the mini-fridge.

There are two types of Room Service:

  • Centralized: Here all the food orders are processed from the main kitchen and sent to the rooms by a common team of waiters.
  •  Decentralized:  Each floor or a set of floor may have separate pantries to service them. Orders are taken at a central point by order-takers who in turn convey the order to the respective pantry.

MOBILE: This type of operation is found in resorts. In resorts there are mobile vans which go to the cottages and prepare the food in front of the guests or bring prepared food in it.

DUMB WAITER: Dumb waiter is a specialized elevator for room service. Mainly used in countries which are technically improved and have shortage of man power.

They are of three types:

  • One in which there is a waiter standing in the elevator and prepares the food inside the elevator and goes to the room and serves.
  • The second one is in which the elevator along with the prepared food opens into the floor pantry and the food is served from the floor pantry to the guests in their rooms
  • The third one is found in really technically improved countries in which the elevator along with the prepared food opens into the guest room and the food is directly served to the guests

Features IRD

  1. 24 hours room service in very good hotels.
  2. Room service is multi cuisine in nature– Except items which need a lot of garnishing, are not served at rooms because by the time it reaches the room it won’t be in the proper condition. Even noodles and pastas are not served.
  3. All meals- The various meals one have in a day are served. E.g. Bed Tea, Afternoon Tea etc.
  4. Dearly priced- It is priced more because it is served at the rooms and even lot of effort and equipments are required for the transportation of the food
  5. Low turnover- The majority of the resident guests only takes breakfast in their room which is much cheaper. They may have their lunch or dinner outside. Room service depends on the number of resident guests. And even there is no way of promoting room service in a hotel as in restaurants they do by advertising.
  6. Dispense Bar/ Mini Bar- A bar situated in the back area of a restaurant or in the pantry is known as Dispense Bar. The bar situated in the restaurant is known as American Bar or Cocktail Bar. A small refrigerator inside the room stocked with mineral water bottles, soft drinks and alcoholic beverages is known as mini bar.
  7. Ordering through phone- Order taker is one of the most important people in room service. An order taker should be attentive and listen properly to the guest and should repeat the orders

The room service department in a large hotel is located near the still room, main kitchen, and service elevator.

The cabin is equipped with:

  • Sink unit
  • Hotplate
  • Refrigerator
  • Cloche
  • Salamander
  • Small still set or other coffee making machine
  • Cutting boards
  • Knives
  • Storage space shelves and cupboard for crockery
  • Silverplate, hollowware
  • Cutlery.
  • Flatware
  • Glassware
  • Cruets, Worcester sauce, sugar, etc.
  • Linen (Table cloth)
  • Gueridon trolley
  • Chafing lamps and Suzette pans
  • Wine service equipment’s
  • Room service menu cards
  • Room service kitchen order ticket
  • Status of guests staying
  • Telephone
  • Room List
  • Computer
  1. Room service menu card:  this card features the names of dishes that are available for room service. The room service order taker refers to this card if necessary when an order is received from room guests.
  2. Telephone:  Telephone calls are handled by the room service order taker when guests make calls for room service.
  3. Room service KOT:  the dishes ordered by room guests are transferred to kitchen order ticket by the room service order taker and sent to the hot plate for collection.
  4. Status list: This gives information on VIP guests which help the room service department place complimentary cookies and fruit basket according to the policy of the hotel.
  5. Integrated computer system: This displays room number, name of guest, number of persons staying, expected date and time of departure, status of the guest, etc.

Usually, in hotels, where complimentary breakfast is offered to resident guests room service, is not extended. However, some guests due to some reasons may order breakfast dishes in their rooms.

The waiter receives the order and transmits the same to the kitchen. In the meanwhile, he prepares his tray or trolley. He then goes to the cashier to have a cheque prepared to take along with the food order for the guests’ signature or payment. Usually, clearance of soiled dishes from the room is done after half an hour or an hour. However, the guest can telephone Room Service for the clearance as and when he has finished with the meal.

Methods of collecting breakfast order:

  • Doorknob card
  • Telephone

Door knob card: A card which can be hung on the door knob mainly for breakfast. During or at the morning most of the guests order for breakfast and there is less number of order takers so guests can order their breakfast through Breakfast Doorknob Card.

  1. Placing an order through a doorknob card: In this method, the names of all breakfast dishes are printed on the card with one small box against each dish for the guest to write the quantity required. Guests fill in the following information:
  • Name of the guest
  • Room number
  • Time at which breakfast is required
  • Portion

  • It is entered by the guest themselves and hence, it is a written document of their order.
  • The volume of business can be easily predicted.

  • Guests may ask for dishes that are not available which may result in dissatisfaction.
  • Two-way communication is not possible, hence, no scope for suggestive selling

       2. Order through telephone: Guests may directly place the order to the room service department through telephone. The phone should be answered within three rings, saying ‘Good morning Room Service! How may I help you, Sir/Madam?’ the following information should be noted down:

  • Name of the guest
  • Room number
  • Time at which breakfast is required
  • Portion

  • Scope for suggestive selling
  • Dishes can be explained if necessary

  • Room service telephone may be busy during peak hours.
  • Order takers may not be able to understand the accent of the guest.

Service in the room

  •  When approaching the door of the room you will enter make sure you know the guests name.
    1.    HOW? Check a vacant rooms report, ask the Butler on the floor, call the operator or front office to check in the system.
    2.    WHY? It is an international basic standard to use the guests name all the time.

  • Observe the signage on the door (DND/Service Room)
    1.    HOW? Look at the panel beside the door where you swipe your master key to get in.
    2.    WHY? We do not want to disturb a guest if they have placed the DND sign on.
  • Check if the room is not double locked
    1.    HOW? Swipe the key and see if the red light appears and there is no sound of the lock opening.
    2.    WHY? If it is early in the morning or late at night the guest might not want to be disturbed and did not place the DND sign. It would be then better to ask the Butler to call the guests room to see if the guest doesn’t mind that someone comes in.
  •  Ring the bell once and wait for 10 seconds. Announce the department and wait for another 5 seconds.
    1.    HOW? Press the bell picture on the panel near the door. (Do not press to hard as the panels are delicate).
    2.    WHY? We have to wait as the guest might be in the bathroom, on the balcony or getting changed. We also want the guest to know who is waiting at the door and for what reason.
  • If the guest opens the door say ‘Good Morning Mr/s. guests name I am your name from your department may I state your purpose in the room’. Proceed if the guest agrees or come back at the requested time
    1.    WHY? We want to make sure that we use the guest’s name, and they know who you are, and what you are going to do in the room. Remember to be very clear when you speak as some of the guests do not speak English very well.
  • If there is no response from the room repeat the above mentioned step.
    1.    WHY? We have to give the guest adequate time and not rush them or they might be watching T.V and did not hear the first time or in the bathroom having a shower and not hear the bell
  •  Open the door slowly, knock twice and announce your department again. Only open the door till you can see the first light switch.
  • Check the bathroom and if the door is locked then knock again and announce your department.
  • Check the bedroom and the balcony to reconfirm that there is no guest on the room. When you reach the wardrobe area, announce your department once again.
  • If there is no one in the room proceed with task.

Room Service Trolley Set Up

  • The trolley is ready with a neat and clean table cloth.
  • Set up the trolley with following things.
  • Flower vase on the middle
  • Salt &Pepper
  • Sugar bowl (white sugar, brown sugar, sugar-free like Splenda)
  • Preserves and butter before you pick up the food
  • B&B plate.
  • Cutlery folder ready with bread and butter knife Main course fork and knife and dessert spoon.
  • Hot box ready and recharged.
  • Coffee cup with underline and tea spoon
  • Milk creamer with the coffee or tea orders as per the guest requirements.
  • Juice glass.
  • All hot and cold food should be covered with the plate cover as soon as picked from the kitchen.
  • New table clothe on the top of the hot box to set up the dining table inside the room.
  •  Service napkins to be used for placing hot food or for other services

Breakfast Basic Set Up On The Tray

These are the step by step what you need to do on Breakfast Basic Set Up On The Tray preparation. Be very focused on every detail because these steps will make your routine operation very effective and efficient. Will anticipate guests’ complaints and guard your company’s standard of performance excellently. These standards could vary depends on your company situation and conditions but this guide of Breakfast Basic Set Up On The Tray is used in so many 5 stars hotels all around the globe and has been tested for many years with so many compliments earns. Focus on the details is key before you deliver anything to the guest’s room and start your service role. Teamwork will make your service PERFECT!

  • Tray is ready with a neat and clean tray mat.
  • Set up the tray with the following things.
  • Flower vase on the tray
  • Salt &Pepper
  • Sugar bowl (white sugar, brown sugar, sugar-free like Splenda)
  • Preserves and butter before you pick up the food
  •  B&b plate.
  • Cutlery folder ready with bread and butter knife Main course fork and knife and dessert spoon.
  • Coffee cup with underline and teaspoon
  • Milk creamer with the coffee or tea orders as per the guest’s requirements.
  •  All hot and cold food should be covered with the plate cover as soon as picked from the kitchen.
  • Service napkins to be used for placing hot food or for other services

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Methods Of Food Service Tue, 01 Jun 2021 14:07:16 +0000 Services of food & beverage in the Food and Beverage Operations can be carried out many ways. But during the method of service, certain factors have to be kept in mind which is as follows:- The type of establishment Time available for the meal Turnover of customers expected The cost of meal served Site of …

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Services of food & beverage in the Food and Beverage Operations can be carried out many ways. But during the method of service, certain factors have to be kept in mind which is as follows:-

  1. The type of establishment
  2. Time available for the meal
  3. Turnover of customers expected
  4. The cost of meal served
  5. Site of the establishment

Some of the main methods of services are as follows:

This usually includes serving food at the table. It is a technique of transferring food from a serving dish to the guest’s plate from the left. Food is placed in the serving platters by the chef and transferred onto the plate to the guest by the waiter. It is a highly personalized service that adds to goodwill. It gives the guest the choice of selecting and quantifying the food served to him.  However skilled waiters are required for silver service. In addition to this high capital investment, maintenance cost is involved as silver service requires great attention and care.

Following are the disadvantages of silver service-

  • When the last portion is served, the food on the platter looks scattered and unappetizing. Even portions can be miscalculated, ending up in giving more or less to the last guest due to uneven distribution of food. After the service, the platters and service gear gets piled up on the sideboard.
  • Time-consuming
  • Difficult to maintain the service temperature of the food
  • Service charge is generally high
  • High capital investment

Method of serving food in which the food are placed on plates in the kitchen by the chef and is served to the guests by the waiter/waitress from the right side of the guest.It is quick and simple service which involves less capital investment, labour and maintenance cost. Garnishes are maintained on individual portions, which don’t involve much skill.

The English word “butler” is derived from the Middle English Word “Boteler” from old French “bouteiller” (bottle bearer) and before that from Middle Latin “Butticula”.

Gradually, throughout the 19th century and particularly the Victorian era, as the number of butlers and other domestic servants greatly increased in various countries , the butler became a senior male servant of a household’s staff.

Butler is involved in helping the host to conduct the service smoothly. Platters and entrée dishes are brought on trolley and kept before the host to portion out all the items. Often the butler and the assistants take the platters around for second helping. It is also called Family Style service. It is a very private type of service which doesn’t exceed ten to fifteen guests.

The definition of the term guerdon is a movable service table, or trolley, from which food is carved, filleted, flamed and served. This may include serving foods that have to be prepared and served or simply food that is being served from the guerdon. In other words, it is movable side board carrying sufficient equipment for the service requirements, together with any spare equipment that may be necessary.

Gueridon service is normally found in high class establishments with an a la carte menu. It is more expensive as it requires a higher level of service skills, more elaborate and expensive equipment and a larger area for the movement of trolleys.

Flambé dishes first became popular in Britain during the Edwardian era. Crepe Suzette claims to be the first flambé dish, which supposedly was invented by Henri Charpentier when as a commis at the Café de Paris in Monte Carlo in 1894. Common Guéridon trolleys are-

  • The Flambé trolley
  • The Pastry trolley
  • Hors d’ oeuvre trolley
  • Carving trolley

  1. Display of dishes- Pastries, Carving, etc.
  2. The showmanship and expertise act of the service personnel is brought forward.
  3. Impulse buying.
  4. Cost is minimum – Great returns.

The word “buffet” is a French word that means a refreshment table which in English means “service from a side table”.

In this type of service, the food is placed on a common table from which the guest can help themselves. It is a common method of feeding a large number of people with minimal staff in a short span of time. The option of unlimited portions makes the buffet-style popular.

Types of buffet

Sit down buffet

  • Space requirement is more.
  • Dishes are displayed and guests help themselves or assisted service is there.
  • Common for both informal and formal functions.
  • Popular for the wedding reception. Standing buffet
  • Where space is minimum this type of buffet is ideal.
  • People stand and consume their meals. Popular in case of dealers meet etc.

Fork buffet

  • Simply where flatware is used.
  • When people stand and eat, it is not convenient to use the knife, hence the fork is convenient to use.
  • All food items should be manageable with a fork i.e. large slices of meat or fish is not suitable

Finger buffet

  • No cutlery is required
  • Ideal for Indian food and finger buffet is popular for wedding reception
  • Popular in the smaller establishments and outdoor catering. Cold buffet
  • Display of cold cuts and cold hors’d oeuvre are served.
  • Popular in the western world. Display buffet
  • Display of ice carving, tallow sculpture, butter sculpture (centerpiece)
  • Salad display
  • Live counter
  • Tawa counter
  • Japanese teppanyaki (live counter) Chinese/Thai live counter. • Carving and flambé items.

Buffet service is normally carried out from a chafing dish. The various parts of a chaffing dish include a stand, food pan, water pan, and lid, and fuel pot.

  • Fast service.
  • A variety of dishes can be served.
  • High profit and low food cost.
  • Less skilled manpower.
  • Economically priced

  • Impersonalized service.
  • Portion control may not be improvised.
  • Standardization of dishes is not possible.
  • Elaborately garnished dishes can’t be served.
  • The initial cost is high
  • Breakage is more

This type of service has come from the era Tsar of Russia who believed in the show. The basic element in Russian service derives from the old style of having large joints, whole fish, or birds often decoratively placed on platters with elaborate garnishes on the sideboard visible to the guests before being served. The food is then collected on smaller platters by the waiter and served to guest on the table just as in silver service. This form of service enjoyed slight popularity in Europe in the 19th century otherwise Russian Service as a distinct and separate form of service no longer remains.

In a cafeteria service mostly cooked food is arranged behind a food serving counter. There is no or little table service. Typically a patron takes a tray and pushes it along a track in front of the counter. Depending on the establishment servings may be ordered from attendants, selected as readymade portions already on plates, or self service of food of their own choice.

In some establishments, a few items such as steaks may be ordered and the patron waits for those items to be prepared or is given a number and is brought to the table.

Beverages may be filled from the self service dispensers or ordered from the attendants. At the end of the line the patron has to pay to the cashier in case of commercial establishments. At some self service cafeterias, purchases are priced by weight rather than individual item.

The trays with selected items or food are taken to a table to eat. Institutional cafeteria may have a common table, but upscale cafeteria provides individual table as in sit down service restaurants. Upscale cafeteria has traditional cutlery and crockery and some have servers carrying the food tray to the table or clearing the used and empty trays.

Cafeteria is a Spanish word meaning coffeehouse though it has no relation with cafeteria service. It might have a single or multiple point entry.

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Types Of Menu Tue, 01 Jun 2021 13:35:34 +0000 It is a list of food items offered for a meal along with prices whether set for individual items or for the whole meal. Menu is a list , in a specific order, of dishes to be served at a given meal For commercial establishment it will also include the prices (either set for individual …

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It is a list of food items offered for a meal along with prices whether set for individual items or for the whole meal.

Menu is a list , in a specific order, of dishes to be served at a given meal

For commercial establishment it will also include the prices (either set for individual items or for the whole meal), taxes and other charges applicable

The word menu was originated in the year 1541 when the Duke Henry of Brunswick, was holding a party where was constantly referring to a piece of paper

An exquisite lady was enquiring with the Duke about the food items in a nasal tone saying, “may I know”. This phrase was later converted to the word “Menu”.

In 1718, we get the first recorded description of menu, where in a party the guest were able to look at the names, recipes and ingredients of the preparations in the look called “ Ecriteau” in French which means “Bill of Fare”

 It is usually the style of presentation of menu along with the prices mentioned. There are ways of presentation of menu.

  • Book form
  • Card form
  • Board form Place mats

Book form

This type of presentation of menu is very common in large establishments where there are more items. The items are listed along with their respective prices. Most of the restaurants follow this style.

Card Form

The food items along with their pricing are written on a card for smaller establishment.

Board Form

It is mostly found in fast food centres, food courts or pavilion where a large board is displayed with the names of the dishes and their pricing.

Place mats

Such form of menu presentation is generally found in food service areas where turnover of the guest is very high and fast efficient service is required. Place mats are printed papers placed on the guest table with the names and prices displayed. Once the guest is done with their meal, the mats are immediately removed and new ones are placed. Usually followed in coffee shop, fast food centres etc.

Table d’hôte (table of the host)

It is a fixed menu generally of a starter, a main course, a dessert and a beverage at last, and is served at a stated price which is for the entire meal.

Cater to a large number of people in a short period of time like institution, industries, transport catering etc.

À la carte (in the style of a card)

It is the selection from the menu card where each item is priced separately.

In this the menu is presented in form of a card. All the food items are listed along with their individual respective pricing. It is most popularly used menu.

Other forms of menu are:-

CARTE DU JOUR– (menu for the day): It is a card comprising of food items listed with composite pricing and has been planned for the day. Mostly used for institutional/ industrial/ welfare catering.

PLAT DU JOUR– (dish of the day/ chef’s special): A special food item prepared by the chef for a particular day. It is quite expensive.

PLATS DU JOUR-(plates/ dishes of the day): When there are multiple special items it is not verbally promoted but written in a card with individual pricing.

  1. The menu must satisfy guest expectations.
  2. The menu must attain marketing objectives.
  3. The menu must help achieve quality objective.
  4. The menu must be cost effective.
  5. The menu must be accurate.
  1. The menu must satisfy guest expectations: Because guest satisfaction is a byword of dinning service management, your menu must, above everything else, reflect your guest’s tastes and preferences – neither the chef’s, the food and beverage director’s nor those of the manager of the dinning outlet.
  2. The menu must attain marketing objectives: While part of marketing is discovering what guests want, another important aspect is providing for their needs at convenient locations and times and at prices that they are willing and able to pay. In some cases, excellent product development, pricing and promotion will convince guests that you have what they desire – even if up until now they never knew what it was that they’d been looking for.
  3. The menu must help achieve quality objective: Quality concerns are closely related to marketing concerns. It is important that you clearly understand all aspects of quality requirements and develop menus that incorporate these standards into your food menus. High quality and good nutrition go hand – in – hand. A menu that helps achieve quality objectives would also offer enough choices to the guests so that they can order a nutritionally well-balanced meal. Other aspects of food quality include flavor, texture, color, shape, consistency, palatability, flair and guest appeal. As you plan the menu, remember to balance it so that textures, colors, shapes and flavors are not repetitive.
  4. The menu must be cost effective: Both commercial and institutional food service operations should plan menus that recognize financial restraints. Generally, commercial properties cannot attain their profit objectives unless their product costs, which the menu often dictates, fall within a specific range. In institutional food service operations, minimizing costs is also the menu planner’s responsibility. Whether you plan a menu for a commercial or an institutional operation, you must select menu items that are within the operation’s budget.
  5. The menu must be accurate: You are responsible for telling the truth when you formulate menus. You must not mislabel a product, describe it inaccurately, or deceive the guest by your menu presentation. The menu is a powerful advertising tool. It can influence what guests order and their expectations. If your food service operation does not deliver the type of products that your menu represents, your guests may feel cheated and never return.

  1. Colour repetition– repetition of colour in the dishes of a menu will be monotonous for a guest which would harm the appetite of the guest.
  2. Balance of Heaviness- while fixing a menu the balance of heaviness should always be kept in mind i.e., from light to heavy and ultimately to light.
  3. Repetition of Ingredients– As with repetition of colour, repetition of ingredients or taste will also harm the appetite of a guest and will be monotonous and irritating for the guest
  4. Kitchen Skills– the efficiency of kitchen department and its output capacity is an essential factor in determining the type of menu.
  5. Seasonal Favorites– availability and usage of seasonal fresh fruits and vegetables are other factors to be considered while planning a menu. A good menu should always include seasonal favorites in its courses for example mango in summers, carrot in winters etc.
  6. Local Favorites– The favorites of the local people, their eating habits and food culture needs to be taken into consideration while planning a menu.
  7. Availability of equipments – while planning the menu, availability of the equipments required to prepare as well as serve the food needs to be considered.

  • Age– The preference of food items varies with age group. The children and aged people prefer less spicy food while the younger likes rich and spicy dishes.  Ideal menu should take care of people in each and every age group.
  • Profession– People in different profession have different food preferences, athletes, sport person will go for high carbohydrate while people in entertainment business will prefer low fat/ cholesterol diet.
  • Nationality– people of different nation have different food preferences. An European will like mild continental food, while Indian, Thai and Mexican will prefer spicy food
  • Group size– when group size is large it is difficult to serve elaborate menu.

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Courses of menu Tue, 01 Jun 2021 07:55:15 +0000 The courses of meal around the world vary in number from as small as just one to as wide as 17, in case of a traditional French meal. The courses are divided according to what food one eats. There are different food profiles according to the country’s culture and customs. Generally, there are at least …

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The courses of meal around the world vary in number from as small as just one to as wide as 17, in case of a traditional French meal. The courses are divided according to what food one eats. There are different food profiles according to the country’s culture and customs. Generally, there are at least three courses of a meal

Hors d’oeuvre- Appetizers

This course is a starter which is basically tasty and tangy and stimulates our hunger and increases our appetite

They are of two types-

  • Classical- all Pre plated and cover is item specific
  • General- most of them platter to plate and cover is fish knife and fish fork

Classical Hors d’oeuvres-

  1. Pample mousse ( Grapefruit)- This is a citrus fruit

Cover– Grape fruit cup, doily, under plate, grapefruit spoon/tea spoon.

Accompaniment- caster sugar in sugar dredger

  1. Jus (Juice) – Fruit juices like orange juice, pineapple juices, apple juices etc.

Cover- Pony tumbler, doily, teaspoon and under plate

Accompaniment-  Sweet- Caster sugar

  1. Cocktail de fruits de mer (Sea Food Cocktail)- shellfish like shrimps, lobster etc dressed with cocktail sauce

Cocktail sauce- mayonnaise + tomato ketchup

Cocktail de crevettes- indicates prawn

Cocktail d’homard- indicates lobster garnished with parsley Cover- Sea food cocktail glass, doily, under plate and teaspoon.

  1. Huitre ( oyster) –Bivalve molluscs served raw in clusters of dozen Cover- in a deep plate on a bed of crushed ice, above a cloth napkin on a large plate, one oyster fork or fish fork at an angel of 45° to the cover from the edge of the table on the right hand side.
  2. Melon- there are 4 common varieties
    • Canteloupe
    • Honey Dew
    • Charentaise
    • Water melon

Cover- Boat shaped cut (melon cup), half plate, doily, fruit fork, fruit knife. If over ripe- serve with dessert spoon to the right of the cover

If not very ripe and scooped out- serve with the tea spoon accompanied with   caster sugar

  1. Caviare (caviar)- These are roe of sturgeon

Roe- processed fish eggs

Sturgeon- Particular species of fish found in Caspian Sea or black sea

  • Grainy Caviar
  • Pressed Caviar

              Grainy caviar can be further classified into-

              Beluga- white in colour

              Sevruga- dark in colour

              Ossetra- black in colour

It is sold in weight basis. Almas is the costliest among all the caviars which costs 23000 dollar per kg.

Cover- Caviar Knife/ Fish Knife on the right side of the cover, caviar pot on a bed of crushed ice in a caviar plate

Accompaniment- Blinis/Toast (blinis is a savoury Russian pan cake), sieved egg yolk, chopped egg white, chopped shallots and segments of lemon

  1. General Hors d’oeuvre

Cover- Fish knife, Fish Fork and Half Plate

  1. Salads- dressed or tossed
  2. Oeuf Mayonnaise
  3. Fish- Anchovies, tuna, prawns, pickled fish, smoked fish etc
  4. Meat- Cold cuts
  5. Canapés- one bite sized snacks with a base of bread, toppings and garnish
  6. Pate de foie gras- paste of goose liver

Potage / Soup

Soup also act as an appetiser for the further courses to come. Soups like clear soup(consommé) and the other a thick soup (crème, veloute, puree) are served during this course. Although it must be noted that the clear soup is always placed first on the menu.

Liquid extract of solid ingredients, classified as food.

Of two types- Thick &  Thin

  • Thick Soup-
    1. Cream soup
    2. Puree
    3. Bisque
    4. Chowder

Cover- Soup Bowl/ Soup Plate, under plate, soup spoon, doily/ paper napkin

Examples- Crème de Tomate, Bisque d’homard, Puree of lentils

  • Thin Soup-
    1. With Garnish-Consommé brunoise, consommé julienne etc. Cover-Soup Bowl, doily, under plate, soup spoon
    2. Without garnish- Consommé clair, consommé en tasse etc.

Cover- Double handled consommé cup, under plate, doily and dessert spoon.

Poisson / Fish

Poisson is the dishes made from fish. Fish, being soft-fibred,prepares the palate for the heavier meats that follow. Ideal fish for dinner menu compilation are: Sole, Salmon, Halibut, Escallops, etc. Rarely seen on a menu for the evening meal are Cod, Bass, Haddock, Brill, Hake, and Plaice.

Preparation- smoked fish, grilled fish, fried fish etc

Cover- Fish Knife, fish fork and half plate

Popular dishes-

  • Poisson frit l’ orly (Batter) – tomato ketchup

Poisson grille- lemon butter sauce

Entrée / Entree

The First in the meat course Entrées is generally small, well-garnished dishes which come from the kitchen ready for service. They are always accompanied by very rich gravy or sauce when relive follow entrée then potatoes and vegetables are not served with the latter; if, however, a reliever does not follow the entrée they would be served with the dish.

Cover– small fork, small knife and half plate

Popular dishes-

  • Rognon Saute Bercy- kidney with brown sauce
  • Chop de porc- pork chops
  • Vol au vent au rognon

Releves / Joints

This is the main meat course on the menu, Releves are normally larger than entrees and take the form of butcher’s joints which have to be carved. These joints are normally roasted. A sauce or a roast gravy with potatoes and green vegetables are always served with this course.

Cover– Large knife, large fork and large plate

Accompaniments– sauce, bread, vegetables (devoid of potato), potato preparations etc

Boeuf roti(roasted beef)- sauce raifort (horseradish sauce)

Gigot d agneau roti (roasted leg of lamb) – sauce de menth (mint sauce)

Cuissot de porc roti (roasted hind pork) – sauce des pommes (apple sauce)

Yorkshire pudding, steaks etc can also be served as an accompaniment

Sorbet / Sorbet

Because of the length of the French classical menu, this course is considered to be the rest between courses . It counteracts the previous dishes and rejuvenates the appetite for those that are to follow. It is water and crushed ice slush flavoured as a rule with champagne and served in a glass.

Cover– champagne saucer/ pony tumbler, under plate, teaspoon

Roti / Roast

At this stage, the balance of the courses is gradually returning from heavy to light. Roast always contain roast of game or poultry: – chicken, turkey, duck, pheasant, quail. Each dish is accompanied by its own particular sauce and gravy, with a green salad served separately on a cresent shaped dish.

Cover– large knife, large fork and large plate

Dindon Roti (roasted turkey) – sauce d’airelle (cranberry sauce)

Poulet Roti (roasted chicken) – sauce de pain (bread sauce)

Lapin Roti (roasted rabbit) – Jus Roti

Caneton Roti (roasted duckling) -Sauce d’orange

Legumes / Vegetables

We now have a vegetable dish served only with its accompanying sauce. These are vegetable dishes that can be served separately as an individual course or may be included along – with the entrée, relevé or roast courses.

Cover– small knife, small fork and half plate

Choux fleur Mornay, Asperges chaud- Beurre fondu, Legume au gratin

Entremets / Sweets

Entremets on a menu refers to desserts. This could include hot or cold sweets, gateaux, soufflés or ice-cream.

Examples of Entrements:

Crepe suzette : – pancakes in a rich fresh orange juice and  flamed with brandy.

Ananas Flambes au kirsch: – Pineapple flamed with cherry flavoured liquor.

Peche Melba: – Vanilla Ice cream topped with a peach coated with a raspberry jam sauce and decorated with cream.

Bombes : – various Ice cream sweets.

Savoureux / Savory

A dish of pungent taste, such as anchovies on toast orpickled fruit. They are seved hot on toast or as savoury soufflé.Welsh rarebit, Scotch woodcock, Canape diane are some of the examples.

Welsh rarebit: – Cheese sauce Flavoured with ale on toast gratinated.

Canape Daine :- Chicken livers rolled in bacon and grilled, placed on a warm toast.

Champignons sur croute: – mushrooms on toast.

Dessert / Cut Fruits & Nuts

Dessert is a course that typically comes at the end of a meal. All forms of fresh fruit and nuts may be served in this course. Common desserts include cakes, cookies, fruits, pastries and candies.

Cover– Half plate, fruit/small knife, fruit/ small fork

Essential accompaniment- sugar dredger (caster sugar)

Exception- Raisins Frais (grapes) – half plate, Grape scissors, bowl of water to rinse the grapes, doily, under liner (quarter plate) for the bowl and scissor and finger bowl.

Boissons / Beverage

All types of hot or cold beverage,Tea,Coffee etc. are served. Always remember that while compiling menus beverages are not counted as a course.

Examples are:

Coffee: Cafetiere, Iced, Filter, Speciality, Decaffeinated.

Tea: Indian, Ceylon, Earl Grey, Darjeeling, Orange Pekoe

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