COOKING SKILLS, TECHNIQUES AND PROCESSES

Reading and Understanding Recipes

Name:………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

Preparing yourself for cooking

Hospitality

When you are preparing to cook a dish there are certain steps that you should take to make sure you are organised and prepared to cook.

These are:

1. READ THE RECIPE : read through the recipe making sure you understand all of the terms

and skills you need to complete the dish. Take time to check if you are not 100% of

what it means.

2. READ THE RECIPE AGAIN : it is very important you

know what to expect from each step so you are

confident when carrying them out.

3. ORGANISE THE INGREDIENTS : buy, weight and

measure out of the ingredients so you have everything you need to hand.

4. ORGANISE THE EQUIPMENT : collect all of the equipment you will need to make the

recipe, make sure it is all clean and is in good working order.

5. FOLLOW THE RECIPE : take care you follow each step of the recipe, ticking it off if

necessary. Take care to pay attention to any timings and tips to assess readiness.

Read the recipe and answer the questions:

Mary Berry’s Perfect Victoria Sponge

Ingredients

4 free-range eggs 225g/8oz caster sugar, plus a little extra for dusting the finished

cake 225g/8oz self-raising flour 2 tsp baking powder 225g/8oz baking spread, margarine or soft butter at room

temperature, plus a little extra to grease the tins

To serve

good-quality strawberry or raspberry jam whipped double cream (optional)

Method1. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4. Grease and line 2 x 20cm/8in

sandwich tins. (Use a piece of baking paper to rub a little baking spread or butter around the inside of the tins until the sides and base are lightly coated then line the bottom of the tins with a circle of baking paper.

2. Break the eggs into a large mixing bowl, then add the sugar, flour, baking powder and baking spread. Cream everything together until well combined with an electric hand mixer (you can also use a wooden spoon) but be careful not to over mix. Put a damp cloth under your bowl when you’re mixing to stop it moving around.

3. Divide the mixture evenly between the tins. Use a spatula to remove all of the mixture from the bowl and gently smooth the surface of the cakes.

4. Place the tins on the middle shelf of the oven and bake for 25 minutes.

5. The cakes are done when they’re golden-brown and coming away from the edge of the tins. Press them gently to check – they should be springy to the touch. Remove them from the oven and set aside to cool in their tins for five minutes. Then run a rounded butter knife around the inside edge of the tin and carefully turn the cakes out onto a cooling rack.

6. Set aside to cool completely.7. To assemble the cake, place one cake upside down onto a plate and

spread it with plenty of jam. If you want to, you can spread over whipped cream too. Top with the second cake, top-side up. Sprinkle over the caster sugar.

Questions:1. What temperature does the oven have to be set

at?................................................................................

2. What kind of flour should you

use?................................................................................................................

3. Why?..................................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................

...........................................................................

4. What size of cake tines should you

use?.......................................................................................................

5. Should you prepare the cake tins in any way? If so, what should you

do?.....................................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................

............................................................................

6. What are the 2 options for mixing the flour, eggs, butter and sugar

together?............................................................................................................................

..................................

7. What piece of equipment should you use to make sure you get all of the mixture from

the

bowl?..................................................................................................................................

.....................................

8. What is the approximate cooking time of the

sponges?...........................................................................

9. What should the cakes look and feel like when they are

ready?................................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................

...........................................................................

10.Where should you put them to

cool?..............................................................................................................

11.Can you fill them immediately? If not, why

not?....................................................................................................................................

....................................

Classic cheeseburgers

Preparation time: 10 mins

Cooking time: 15 mins

Serves: Serves 4

IngredientsFor the burger

540g minced beef chuck steak 25g chopped coriander 1 onion, chopped 1 tbsp mustard 1 egg yolk 1 tbsp olive oil salt and freshly ground black pepper

To serve

4 slices mature Cheddar 4 tbsp mayonnaise ½ iceberg lettuce, shredded 4 ciabatta rolls 1 red onion, sliced 1 beef tomato, sliced

Method1. Place all the burger ingredients in a mixing bowl and stir to

combine. Using your hands, shape into four equal-sized patties.2. Preheat the grill to hot. Cook the burgers under the grill for 15

minutes, or until cooked through, turning once.3. Top each burger with a slice of cheese towards the end of the

cooking time so it starts to melt.4. Before serving, mix together the mayonnaise and lettuce. Cut the

ciabatta rolls in half and toast under the grill on both sides.5. Top the bottom halves of the ciabatta rolls with the lettuce and

mayonnaise, followed by a slice of tomato.

6. Arrange the burger and cheese on top of the ciabatta, followed by a slice of red onion. Top each burger with the other halves of the ciabatta rolls and serve.

Questions:

1. How long does it take to prepare the burger before

cooking?...............................................................

2. What is the approximate cooking time for the

burger?...........................................................................

3. What is a

tsp?....................................................................................................................................

.................

4. How do they want the coriander

prepared?...............................................................................................

5. How do they want the onion prepared for putting into the

burger?.....................................................

6. How do they want the onion prepared for putting on top of the burger after

cooking?.............................................................................................................................

....................................

7. What does it mean to ‘shred’

lettuce?..............................................................................................................................

....................................

8. What is the cooking technique used to cook the

burger?........................................................................

9. Can you think of another way of cooking the

burger?...............................................................................

10.Can you think of an alternative meat you could use that is lower in

fat?.............................................

Read the recipe below and answer the questions:

FishcakesPreparation time: 1-2 hours

Cooking time: 10 to 30 mins

Serves: Makes 8-12 cakes

Ingredients 450g potato, chopped into chunks 450g mixed frozen fish such as cod, haddock, salmon, smoked haddock 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley 1 egg, beaten vegetable oil, for frying salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method1. Preheat the oven to 190C/170C Fan/Gas 5.2. For the mashed potato, bring a pot of water to the boil. Add the

potatoes to the pot and simmer until tender, this should take about 15 minutes. When cooked, drain and leave to drain for a few

minutes. Return to the pot and mash with a potato masher until a smooth consistency is achieved. Set aside.

3. Put the frozen fish on a roasting tin and roast in the oven for about 10-15 minutes until starting to flake. When cool enough to handle, remove the skin and any bones and flake the fish into large chunks.

4. Fold the fish, mashed potato, parsley and egg together until well combined. (Mix together carefully so as not to break up the fish too much.) Season with salt and pepper. Shape the mixture into 8-12 patties, depending on how large you want them to be and set aside to chill in the fridge for one hour.

5. Heat vegetable oil in a frying pan and fry the fish cakes until golden brown on each side and heated right through. Serve with tartare sauce and a simple salad.

Questions:1. What is the preparation time for the

fishcakes?.......................................................................................

2. What is the cooking time for the

fishcakes?..............................................................................................

3. What is the total cooking time for the

fishcakes?....................................................................................

4. How many does this recipe

make?...................................................................................................................

5. What does tbsp

mean?................................................................................................................................

......

6. Do you have to pre-heat the oven? If so,

why?...................................................................................................................................

.....................................

7. What are the 2 cooking techniques you use to cook the

potatoes?...........................................................................................................................

....................................

8. What does ‘consistency’

mean?................................................................................................................................

......................................

9. What are the 2 other cooking techniques used in the

recipe?...............................................................................................................................

....................................

10.Complete the table below:

Skill Explain how you do this/what it looks likeDrain

Mash

Flake

Fold

Shape

Lasagne

Preparation time: 30 mins to 1 hour

Cooking time: over 2 hours

Serves: 6-8

IngredientsFor the ragu

4 tbsp olive oil 4 celery sticks, finely chopped 2 carrots, finely chopped

1 medium onion, finely chopped 2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed 1 sprig rosemary 700g/1lb 9oz beef mince 340g/12oz pork mince 1 bottle red wine (750ml/26½fl oz) 2 x 400g/14oz cans tomatoes, roughly chopped 200ml/7fl oz beef stock salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the bechamel sauce

1 litre/1¾ pints whole milk 2 bay leaves ¼ onion pinch freshly grated nutmeg 50g/2oz butter 50g/2oz plain flour

For the lasagne

14 sheets lasagne pasta 3 125g/4½oz balls mozzarella, cut into small cubes 50g/2oz grated parmesan freshly ground black pepper

Method1. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4.2. For the ragu, heat the olive oil in a frying pan over a low heat

and fry the celery, carrots and onion for approximately 15 minutes, until softened and golden. Add the garlic and rosemary and fry for two more minutes.

3. Add the beef and pork mince and fry until the liquid from the meat has been absorbed.

4. Pour in approximately 400ml/14fl oz of red wine and stir well. Simmer for approximately 45 minutes.

5. Once the wine has evaporated, add the tomatoes and stock. Leave the mixture uncovered to simmer slowly for two hours. Top up with more warm stock if necessary. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.

6. To make the bechamel sauce, place the milk in a large non-stick saucepan, add the bay leaves, onion and nutmeg and gently bring to the boil.

7. In a separate saucepan melt the butter and add the flour. Beat well and cook for two minutes. Remove the milk from the heat and add a little to the flour mixture. Combine well, and when all the milk has been absorbed, add a little more. Continue to do this until all the milk has been added, whisking continually.

8. For the lasagne, Spoon a third of the bechamel sauce into the bottom of a lasagne dish in a layer, then place some of the pasta strips over the top. Follow this with some of the mozzarella and parmesan, and sprinkle over freshly ground black pepper. Follow with a layer of ragu. Repeat this step twice until all the

ingredients have been used up. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes, or until golden-brown on top and completely cooked through.

Questions:

1. Read the recipe above, do you understand all of the terms or words? If not, write

them underneath and we will define them together.

Word Definition

2. What are the 2 different units of measure that are used in the ingredients list for the

wine?

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

…………………………………………..

3. What are the 2 different units of weight that are used in the ingredients list for the

mince?..........................................................................................................................

...................................

4. What is a sprig of

rosemary?.....................................................................................................................

..................................

5. What are the cooking methods used in this

recipe?..........................................................................................................................

...................................

6. What order of layering do they want to you do to make the final

lasagne?........................................................................................................................

..................................

Moroccan-style chicken with couscous and yoghurt

Preparation time: 20 mins

Cooking time approximately 1 hours

Serves Serves 4

Ingredients 1 large onion, chopped 3 garlic cloves, crushed 275ml/10fl oz chicken stock sea salt and freshly ground black pepper 4 chicken breasts 1 x 400g/14oz can chopped tomatoes 2 tsp ground cinnamon 1 tsp ground ginger handful dried apricots or prunes (or both), chopped 2 tbsp clear honey bunch fresh coriander, chopped couscous, to serve natural yoghurt, optional, to serve

Method1. Put the onion, garlic and chicken stock into a saucepan over a

medium heat and bring to the boil. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper and boil for five minutes, or until reduced in liquid volume by half.

2. Add the chicken, tomatoes, ground cinnamon, ground ginger and dried apricots or prunes. Return the mixture to the boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover with a lid and simmer very gently, stirring occasionally, for about an hour.

3. Make the couscous by pouring 500mls of boiling water over 400g of couscous, cover with cling film and leave for five minutes.

4. Just before serving, stir the honey and coriander into the chicken and cook for a further five minutes. Serve with couscous and yoghurt.

Questions:

1. What equipment would you need for you to make this

dish?...................................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................

.................................................................................................................

2. What are the preparation skills outlined in the ingredients

list?.....................................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................

..........................................................................

3. What is the optional

ingredient?....................................................................................................................

4. Can you think of another serving option other than

couscous?..............................................................

5. What is the overall cooking time of this

dish?..........................................................................................

6. If you wanted to serve this at tea time (6pm) what time would you have to start making

it for it to be ready in

time?..................................................................................................................................

....

7. If you wanted to make this dish for a party of 12 how much chicken would you need to

buy?...................................................................................................................................

....................................

8. If you wanted to make this for 2 how much couscous would you

need?............................................

9. What other meat could you use to make

this?..........................................................................................

10.What are all of the units of measurement that the ingredients list

uses?..................................................................................................................................

....................................