First Cooking Demonstration

15 April 2011

Today I did my first cooking demonstration. This demonstration consisted of 2 chicken mayonnaise salads with chopped nuts that I had to prepare. I started by explaining the cloth that we use under the chopping board to prevent it from sliding on the working surface and causing an accident when working with knives. Then I explained the different types of chopping boards there is and what each one is used for. The green chopping board is for vegetables and leafy ingredients. The brown is for cooked meats. The yellow one is for working with poultry. The blue chopping board is for fish and seafood products. The red chopping board is for working with raw meats. The white chopping board is for bread and dairy products. I explained that we use different chopping boards to prevent cross contamination of food products. Then I explained about the chemicals that we use in the kitchen. The multi purpose cleaner is for surfaces and utensils. The sanitizer is for killing the remaining germs on chopping boards, knives and surfaces. After I set up my chopping board and cleaned my chef’s knife I set 2 salad plates ready to present the salads in. I explained more about the products I was using to make the salad with. First I assured everybody that all vegetables and salad ingredients are washed to remove any dirt particles. The fancy lettuce was put on the plate first for a better presentation. I then put normal lettuce on the plate and explained how we cut the lettuce and what the technique is called we use. I arranged cocktail tomatoes on the lettuce. Then I cut the cucumber into long strips and arranged it on the plate. I then cut the feta into macedoine blocks and explained what that is and how it looks like and arranged it on the plate. I used normal olives and arranged it on the salad plate. I crushed the nuts with the chef’s knife and chopped it fine and sprinkle it on top of the salad. I put a dollop of chicken mayonnaise in the middle of the salad. I then cut the onion into rings to put on top of the salad to finish it off. I also explained how you must prepare everything beforehand and why we do it is to work more efficiently.