Occupation and Kitchen Mise en Place
Senior 1 · Home Science
Occupation and Kitchen Mise en Place
Lesson 4 of 5
22 min
Let's begin
Two cooks make the same carrot and cabbage stir-fry. In the first pan the pieces are all the same size, so they cook evenly and look attractive. In the second, some pieces are thick and some thin: the thin ones burn while the thick ones are still hard. The difference is knife skill. A third cook serves the same dish in a canteen, but gives the first students big portions and runs out before the end of the queue: the difference there is portion control.
In this lesson you will learn how to wash and prepare ingredients in the right order, how to hold and use a knife safely, the standard cuts and their sizes, and how to work out yield and portions.
Cutting food into pieces of equal size makes it cook evenly and look attractive. Kitchens use standard cuts:
| Cut | Shape and approximate size | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
| Julienne | Thin matchstick strips, 3 mm × 3 mm × 3 to 5 cm | Carrot for salads and stir-fries |
| Batonnet | Sticks, 6 mm × 6 mm × 5 to 6 cm | Vegetable sticks; the first step to a small dice |
| Brunoise | Tiny cubes, about 3 mm (made by cutting julienne strips across) | Garnishes; flavouring soups and sauces |
| Small dice (macédoine) | Cubes of about 5 to 6 mm | Mixed vegetable salad, rice dishes |
| Medium dice | Cubes of about 1.2 cm | Stews and soups |
| Large dice | Cubes of about 2 cm | Long-cooked stews |
| Paysanne | Thin flat pieces, about 1 cm × 1 cm × 3 mm | Vegetable soups |
| Chiffonade | Leaves stacked, rolled tightly and sliced into ribbons 4 to 10 mm wide | Cabbage, amaranth and other leafy greens |
| Rondelle | Round slices 3 to 10 mm thick | Carrots, cucumbers, bananas |
Not everything you buy can be eaten: peel, seeds, roots and outer leaves are removed. The yield is the usable part after preparation, often written as a percentage:
yield % = usable weight ÷ weight bought × 100
A portion is the amount of a food served to one person. Portion control means serving the same planned amount to everyone. It:
Tools for portion control include scales, ladles and scoops of known size, portion-sized dishes, and counting (for example, two sambusa per person).
Task: A cook buys 2.0 kg of carrots. After topping, tailing and peeling, 1.7 kg is left. Find the yield percentage.
Solution: yield % = 1.7 ÷ 2.0 × 100 = 85%. So 15% of what was bought is waste (which can go to compost).
Task: A school practical will serve rice to 40 students, allowing 80 g of uncooked rice per portion. Rice costs 1 500 Frw per kg (an example price). (a) How much rice is needed? (b) What does it cost? (c) What is the cost per portion?
Solution:
(a) 40 × 80 g = 3 200 g = 3.2 kg.
(b) 3.2 × 1 500 = 4 800 Frw.
(c) 4 800 ÷ 40 = 120 Frw per portion. Checking: 80 g is 0.08 kg, and 0.08 × 1 500 = 120 Frw.
Tip
Memory hook: "Claw to cut, bridge to halve." And for cuts, the brunoise is a julienne cut across.
Exam technique: in portion questions, convert everything to the same unit (grams or kilograms) before multiplying or dividing, and always check the cost per portion a second way.
Why should vegetables be washed before they are cut?
Solution: So that dirt and germs on the skin are not carried into the cut flesh by the knife, and so that vitamins do not wash out of cut surfaces.
What is the purpose of the claw grip?
Solution: It keeps the fingertips curled under, away from the blade, while the knuckles guide the knife, which prevents cuts.
Which cut is made by rolling cabbage leaves and slicing them into ribbons?
Solution: Chiffonade.
5 kg of pineapple gives 3 kg of flesh after peeling and coring. What is the yield percentage?
Solution: 3 ÷ 5 × 100 = 60%.
A pot of bean stew is 12 litres. A ladle holds 300 ml. How many portions of one ladle each can be served?
Solution: 12 litres = 12 000 ml; 12 000 ÷ 300 = 40 portions.
Summary
Sources and credits
This lesson adapts CC BY-SA material and is shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.
