INTRODUCTION TO FOOD PRE-PREPARATION

PREPARATION METHODS

WASHING: This is necessary to remove superficial dirt. Meat, fish, vegetables and fruits are washed in cold water before any preparation, i.e. peeling or cutting. If cut and soaked for a long period or washed after cutting, there is a great loss of water soluble vitamins and minerals. The more cut surfaces are exposed, the more nutrition is lost.

PEELING: Spoilt, soiled and inedible portions are removed. Skin of vegetables or fruits is either peeled or scraped. The outer layer can be stripped by steam, or caustics such as lye solution.

PARING: Paring is removing the surface layer in circular motion by pressure of a knife-edge all round the object

CUTTING: Reducing to small pieces with a knife. When a similar result is obtained with a chopping knife, or with a mechanical food chopper, the process is called chopping (small pieces). Dicing-cutting into cubes is known as dicing potatoes, carrots, etc.

GRATING: Reducing to fine particles by rubbing over a rough, sharp surface grating lemon peels, cheese, etc.

GRINDING: Reducing to small fragments by crushing, as in grinding spices, or coffee in a mill or on a grinding stone.

MASHING: This is a method of breaking up of soft food with pressure, with a potato masher or with a fork.

SIEVING: Passing through a fine wire mesh to remove impurities. It also helps in enclosing air and mixing ingredients evenly, like sieving of flour for cakes.

STEEPING: Extracting colouring and flavouring by allowing ingredients to stand in water generally at a temperature just below boiling point.

BLANCHING: Literally to whiten, but used here to mean dipping food into boiling water for a few moments, and then into cold, to remove skin. To blanch almonds, boiling water is poured on them to whiten them and to remove the skins.

FILLETING OF FISH: Slit the fish down the backbone with a sharp knife and separate the flesh from the backbone on each side with short sharp strokes. Then slit from the side and take out each fillet.

MRINATION: Coating the surface of food materials, a marinade, which is usually a mixture of oil and acid as in marinating the components of a vegetable salad with French dressing.

METHOD OF MIXING

BEATING: Mixing materials briskly, lifting and drooping them with an appropriate tool. Sometimes used synonymously with whipping as defined below. This is done to thin mixture of liquids. The aims is to mix well and incorporate air.

BLENDING: Mixing two or more ingredients thoroughly, e.g. blending milk into white roux for béchamel.

CREAMING: Softening fat by friction with a spoon, usually followed by gradual incorporation of sugar as in cake-making.

FOLDING: Mixing materials with palate knife or wooden spoon, by a careful lifting and dropping motion as in folding whipped egg whites into a cake mixture. Palate knife is to life.

KNEADING: Manipulating by alternative pressure with folding and stretching as in kneading bread dough. A method of combination to the extent that it combines water and flour proteins to make gluten.

SEALING: Sauteing or pre-cooking roast, to develop colour and flavour.

STIRRING: Mixing material with an appropriate tool, such as a spoon by a circular motion, as in stirring white sauce, while cooking.

WHIPPING: Rapid beating with a wire eggbeater or mechanical beater usually to incorporate air, stirring white sauce, while cooking.

WHISKING: Whisking is done when a mixture needs a lot of air, items need to be mixed together so that they do not separate.

CUTTING IN: Cutting in usually the incorporation of fat in flour and other sifted ingredients with a knife. This method producer a relatively coarse division of the Fat and does not result in blending. e.g., Cutting fat into pastry mixture.

RUBBING IN: Rubbing fat into flour using the tips of the fingers and thumb and lifting the hands out of the basin as in the case of shortcrust pastry. Rub until the Mixture looks like breadcrumbs.

ROLLING IN: Rolling butter or fat in a soft dough, e.g., puff pastry

BASICS OF FOOD PRODUCTION