Alcohol Awareness

Alcohol is a drug which can affect physical, mental and emotional states. In legal terms alcholic drinks are 0.5% and above 

Units:

to work out units mentally is this formula 

liters X abv 

  (alcohol by volume)

Vegetables

Vegetables are important for a balanced diet in life.

Types of vegetables:

Root vegetables:

starch and sugar (energy) and some salt minerals and vitamins; cellulose; water

Green vegetables: mineral salts, particularly calcium and iron and vitamins particularly vitamin c and carotene, the greener the leaf the larger the quality of vitamins.

Quality points:

vegetables are uniquely perishable and lose quality quickly

Automated harvesting and packaging has sped the handling process to improve quality.

Quality grading:

Extra class- highest quality

Class 1- good quality

Class 2- reasonably quality

Class 3- low market quality 

Quality points- root vegetables:

should be clean

firm not soft or spongy 

they should be sound (normal looking)

free from blemishes 

even size & shape

Quality points- green vegetables:

bruised or damaged lose vitamin c quickly 

cabbages & Brussels sprouts should be firm

cauliflowers should have closely grown, firm white heads

peas and beans should be crisp medium sized, pods should be full, beans should not be stringy  

blanched steams, should be firm, white, crisp and clean 

Storage: 

fresher vegetables have better flavor and retain more vitamins, so store for shortest time possible.

store at correct temperature so the micro-organisms do not grow.

do not store in damp conditions or this will encourage mold to grow on vegetables.

store cooked vegetables away from raw vegetables to prevent cross contamination.

frozen vegetables:

-18 degrees Celsius or below

don't store beyond use by date

check packaging is not damaged or signs of freezer burn

thaw out frozen vegetables correctly never refreeze thawed out vegetables. 

  

Fish

Fish types:

Fresh water fish:

round white

oily 

Salt water fish:

oily

round white

flat

Common flat fish:

Plaice

Dover sole

Turbot 

Lemon sole

Halibut

Brill

Common round white fish:

Cod

Haddock

Coley

Hake

Whiting 

Common oily fish:

Salmon

Trout

Mackerel

Herring

Tuna

Sardines

Anchovies 

Quality points: 

Bright eyes, not sunken

Gills should be bright red

Skin should be shiny, firm and doesn't feel sticky

No smell of ammonia should be present

Any markings should be bright and colorful

No bruising or blood clots

Gutted fish cavity's should be clean

Flesh should not retain impressions when pressed.

Storage:

Fresh fish should be stored covered in crushed ice in a fridge at a temperature of 1-2 degrees Celsius.

Frozen fish should be kept in a freezer at -18 degrees Celsius not covered in ice or this will cause ice burns and defrost prior to preparation and cooking in a fridge at 1-2 degrees Celsius.

Fish should be ordered and use on the day needed to keep the fish fresh as possible.

Cuts of fish:

fillet

supreme

darne

troncon

goujon

whole

fillet:

a cut of fish free from the bone

a round fish yeilds two fillets

a flat fish yeilds four fillets

darne: 

a slice of round fish on the bone like the eye of a needle

troncon:

a slice of flat fish on the bone

goujons:

this term applies to a fillet of fish cut into strips of 8cm by 1/2cm

whole:

as the term applies to the fish, has to be gutted, gills, fins and eyes have to be removed.

supreme- usually applies to fillets of large fish, cut on a slant.

delice:

a term usually applied to trimmed and neatly folded fillets of fish

paupiette: 

fillet of fish usually sole, spread with stuffing and rolled.

Types of fish

Trout- range in size from 230g to 1kg usually served whole but can be filleted 

Mackerel- range from 200g-800g, very strong flavor usually smoked and can be served whole or filleted

Salmon- whole salmon can be farmed or wild, which has better flavor. size vary from 2kg-15kg in size, rich flavored fish usually served filleted or darnes 

Haddock- smaller fish of the Cod family only grows to 3.5kg slightly sweeter tasting flesh and most popular white fish for smoking and has a black strip marking down its back.

Cod- range from 500g-6kg, smaller fish known as Codling range from 1.8kg, A versatile fish which will take on most flavors, most common white oily fish and has a silver strip running along its back.

Sea bass- can range in size from 300g-800g usually served whole, by gutting it and removing the eyes, gills, fins and then get stuffed and baked, fillets can also be pan fried or grilled, has a delightful flavor which is complimented my strong flavors e.g. fennel.

Plaice- range from 230g-2kg easily identified by its orange spots, best eaten fresh as possible as it looses its flavor quickly can be cooked whole or filleted.    

     

Knife Safety & Care

Poor knife techniques and untidy work methods are often a cause of accidents in the kitchen follow the rules below:

Store your knives in a specially designed area when not in use, e.g. in a box, case, wallet or a magnetic rack. Storing loose knifes in a draw can damage the blade and cause injury's.

When moving knives, transport them in the appropriate box, case or wallet. Never leave them loose this avoids accidents at the work place it also stops you getting into trouble by the police when carrying your knives to and from work.

When carrying knives always point the blades down and hold by the handle and close by your side. Work colleges can be unfortunately stabbed if this rule is not followed.

If passing a knife to a co-worker always offer the handle and not the blade or this will cause accidents or even injury's.

Never leave a knife balanced on the edge of a work surface. 

Never try to catch a falling knife always let it land on the floor or this will also cause a accident or even injury's and clean your knife after its fell on the floor and resharpen.

Never use your knife as a tin opener or screwdriver this can shatter, snap and even damage the blade.

Never use a blunt or a greasy handled knife this will cause injury's and accidents.

Its recommended to use color coded handled knifes o prevent cross contaminated
Red: raw meat
brown: cooked meat
blue: fish
green: fruit vegetables and salad
yellow: poultry
white: dairy

Only ever use a knife on a chopping board to prevent damaging the blade and work surface and also have a damp cloth underneath the board to prevent it from moving. 

When using a knife clean after every use and sharpen afterwards make sure knife is full dry before sharpening it. 

Never leave a knife in the sink this can cause accidents and injury's, always wash it and put it away immediately.