c) Monitoring: at all times the Head chef can see what is happening at all stations. With ease he can float from one section to the next to check that everything is running smoothly and efficiently. This makes for the ability of his high standards to be fluid throughout every section.
d) Cleaning: due to the kitchens size cleaning is a quick and concise affair, at no time can a mess be allowed to build up, as it would severely hamper service operations.
e) Haccap: linked with the above point, as the kitchen has to be tidy through necessity it makes following haccp guidelines, such as “clean as you go”, much easier to follow. This ensures that if an Environmental Health officer was to call unexpectedly that the kitchen would be up to their strict standards.
f) Equipment: the fact that at no time do the chefs have to walk ages across a large kitchen to get equipment, make the progress during mise en place and service much quicker, also having equipment right at hand makes for less accidents as they are not been carried across a busy kitchen.
Disadvantages:
As it is to be expected a small kitchen comes with its share of problems and disadvantages. Some of which I have outlined below.
a) Storage: storage within a kitchen is much more than a want it is a necessity. And within a small kitchen storage space is at a premium. This creates problems in that the chefs have to be creative with ingredients that have to be used as they come in, they cannot afford to be wasteful so they have to be careful. Also another problem with this is that if a supplier fails to show with an order, the kitchen has to substitute, as it is very unlikely that they have any leftovers from the night before.
b) Work space: within this confined area a brigade of up to seven people at any one time have to manoeuvre around each other this creates difficulties during service when many hot item are floating about at the one time. Without extreme care accidents could happen. Equally during mise en place the chefs have to be extremely aware of what is being prepared beside them in order to avoid cross contamination. A consideration in any kitchen, but more so in a small one as the chefs don’t always have the space to strictly have their own work area.
c) Equipment: with the kitchen being so small there is only so much equipment it can hold, this generates a problem in that the chefs are always fighting for that chopping board or that cooking ring. It can be frustrating not being able to find that piece of equipment when you need.
d) Cleaning: as the equipment is sparse it means that all equipment must be cleaned very regularly, not really a problem for small equipment but items like the cooker and oven must be cleaned often which creates added work for the chefs.
e) Staff: a lot of thought must be taken when selecting employees which can be time consuming, and time is a luxury most head chefs don’t have. Due to the size of the kitchen the chefs must be versatile and be multi-skilled. Employees within the kitchen must be kept to a minimum in order to deal with the lack of space, and so multi-skilled chefs go a long way to solve this problem.
Cleaning:
As part of this report the head chef asked me to establish a working roster for the cleaning of the kitchen equipment in compliance with Haccp regulations and so I have evolved a tick sheet system for the cleaning of the restaurant and a set of haccp guidelines for the staff. Also as I was already establishing a tick sheet system I decided to establish one for the delivery system within Bleu, they receive deliveries each morning but I noticed that although they carry out all the necessary checks they didn’t have any record of the checks they carried out, therefore I felt it was a necessary item to have in the kitchen.
KITCHEN CLEANING
DELIVERY CHECKLIST
HOT FOOD TEMPERATURES
FRIDGE TEMPERATURES
NEW SHEETS SHOULD BE ISSUED AT LEAST TWICE A WEEK AND IF POSSIBLE DAILY
HACCP GUIDELINES
WHAT IS HACCP?
By law all food handlers must be rained and familiar in food hygiene by law. Poor food handling can lead to food poisoning, which is both damaging to the customer as well as the establishment.
HACCP stands for Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point, which involves establishing the hazards within the establishment and finding ways to overcome these problems, thus increasing the safety within the kitchen etc.
Personal Hygiene
- Regular baths and showers
- Keep hair pulled back in tight ponytail
- All body piercing's covered with a protective dressing, e.g. blue plaster
- Short finger nails, clean with no nail polish
- No Jewellery, Plain wedding band only.
- Wash hands on entering the kitchen and between jobs.
KITCHEN SAFETY
- Wear uniform at all times
- Wipe up spills as they happen and inform others to be careful
- Place all knifes in proper place and do not leave lying about
- Be aware of others when moving with hot substances
- Be aware of where fire extinguishers are held
- Be aware of where first aid box is stored
- Respect your area and be aware of those in it.
FOOD SAFETY
- Ensure all hot food reaches a core temp of 75ºc+ at all times
- Wash hand after handling raw goods
- Keep cold foods cold, under 5ºc
- Food should be cool in a max of 90 min
- Delivery time and temp of all food deliveries should be recorded
- Correct colour coded boards for foodstuff
- Wipe down surfaces at often with approved chemicals
- Do not store or place cooked food near raw food
- Ensure food is cooled before placing in a fridge
SAFE CHEMICAL USE
- Can cause liquids to generate heat and even boil
- Can result in the release of toxic gases
- Can destroy chemical effectiveness
- Never put chemicals in a unmarked container
- Without a label accidents may occur
- Always read labels before use
- They give full health and safety rules
- Also give details on how the product must be used
- All out of date chemicals should be dispose of carefully
- Mop up spills straight away
- Avoid staff slipping
- Avoid staff coming in contact with what may be a dangerous chemical
- Avoid contamination of foodstuff
- Store chemicals in a locked storeroom
- Avoid access by untrained personnel, avoids accidents
SAFE HANDLING OF CHEMICALS
- Always read the product labels before use, make sure is understood
- Use chemicals only as directed on the label
- Always wear gloves when handling irritant chemicals and wash afterwards
- Always wear gloves and goggles when handling corrosive chemicals
- Never carry open chemical containers, always cover
- Place correct dilutions in correct dispensers
CHEMICAL FIRST AID
- Flush out eye with water for at least 15 mins
- Seek medical assistance
- Continue to wash out with water until medics arrive
- Show label to doctor
- Drink large amounts of water
- Do not drink alcohol
- Do not induce vomiting
- Seek medical assistance
- Show label to doctor
- Remove any contaminated clothing
- Wash with plenty of water
- Seek medical advice if a corrosive product
- Show label to doctor
- Remove to fresh air
- Seek medical advice
- Show label to doctor
- REPORT ALL ACCIDENTS TO MANAGEMENT
- (John Linane, 2002)
Conclusion:
Overall it would seem that a small kitchen has the same amount of advantages as well as disadvantages. The through success of any kitchen is in how it is run not in its size, Bleu it would seem has this down to a t. Although they do come across difficult situations they also have the ability to work around them, the true recipe for success. I have suggested some solutions but having worked in this kitchen it would seem that they have already come up with their own and have succeed. Also I have provided the tick sheets asked for along with the haccp guidelines and have also included some other tick sheets, which I think the kitchen will find useful.
Suggestions and solutions:
There is no set way to solve problems within any kitchen as every kitchen is different and run differently and so the suggestions I give below may be successful in some kitchens and not in others, but I have tried to keep them all applicable to small kitchens.
- Spatial dynamics. Because you can only fit so many bodies in the space, staff have to be able to multitask as much as possible, this will help with space issues as well as cutting down on employee costs.
- Equipment. Items such as dishwashers with internal boosters or convection ovens that sit under range tops can save valuable space, thus releasing floor space for other pieces of equipment or perhaps another member of staff.
- Preparation: Within the kitchen anything can be created once there is enough preparation done, therefore it may be advisable to establish a work plan at the beginning of each morning before mise en place begins. Also taking to the chef who was on before you during staff change over to find out what has to be done will make for easier preparation and more efficient work.
My Internship with Bleu.
Name: Marie Martin
Course: ft403 2/c
Mentor: Head Chef, Jamie
Visitor: Pauline Danaher
I started my internship on the 13th of June 2003; this was a week later than anyone else due to some work being carried out in Pacific. It got off to a bit of a rocky start due to the fact then when I arrived to start on the 13th there was no one about, I rang Pauline Danaher and she advised me to go to One Pico, another of Eamonn O Reily’s restaurants. When I arrived I was set to work straight away, I was given all the basic jobs to do and pretty much put in the corner doing this, the main reason for this I feel was that I was being moved the next day to Bleu, another of Eamonn’s restaurants.
I arrived at Bleu at 9.50am on Wednesday morning, and my internship started for real. I walked into the kitchen and the first ting that struck me was its size, it was tiny and I began to wonder how the chefs ever functioned and created dishes in such a small space. And so I was put to work, and I was put to work I was, I was never without a job and I loved it. I never wanted to feel in the way and once I was kept busy I didn’t.
Half way through the week at which point I was already two weeks into internship time Pauline called in for her first visit. She informed me that my project would be set by Jamie the head chef which fine except for the fact that two weeks before hand I had already been set my assignment and was almost finished it, but that didn’t see to matter and I just had to scrap it.
The rest of the internship went by without any major hiccups although I did have one sick day but that was due to an ear infection and I really couldn’t make it in, Jamie was understanding though. Overall I enjoyed the internship I felt I got a lot from it, I was allowed to plate up, something I was keen to improve on and I also got to experience service first hand something that the Clarence didn’t allow me to do last year. Near the end of the internship a new pastry chef started and I really enjoyed working with him, he was really good in that he would give me hints and point how to do something a little differently. Pastry being the elective I want to take next year I found I really beneficial to work with him.
Near the end of the internship I hit a rock in the road so to speak, my granddad was taken into hospital and I had to go home, I contacted Pauline and Jamie and they where really understanding which made it a bit easier, but due to this fact my project and this report became a little rushed and I only just got them finished before they where due.
Bleu I would recommend as a place for future internships, although I think Jamie was a little lost as to what was expected from him. The staff overall are helpful and are willing to get you involved, they will point out faults without sounding condescending, and will willingly give out hints that will help any student. Overall the kitchen is a great place to learn and develop ones skills.
