Preparing and Cooking Stocks, Sauces and Soups

1 Prepare and cook stocks

• Types of stock: vegetable, chicken, fish, game, beef 
• Stock ingredients: meat, fish, bones, mirepoix (onion, carrots, celery, other vegetables), herbs and spices, liquid (water, wine)
• Quality points in ingredients: meat, appearance, colour, aroma or smell, texture, vegetables smell, fresh-looking colour, free from soil, free from insect damage, free from blemishes, free from freezer burn where frozen, frozen fish, hard with no signs of thawing, packaged correctly with no signs of damage, no signs of freezer burn, fresh fish, clear bright eyes which are not sunken, bright red gills, scales intact, skin is moist and slightly slippery, skin is shiny with bright natural colouring, stiff tail, firm flesh, fish has sea fresh smell, bones, no stickiness, appearance, aroma, fat free, undamaged packaging
• Tools and equipment: ovens, cookers, liquidiser, stock pots, saucepans, spoons, containers, strainers
• Preparation methods: weighing and measuring, peeling, chopping, dicing, grating, mixing, rubbing, stirring, seasoning 
• Cooking methods: browning or roasting, simmering, boiling, skimming, straining, reduction
• Stock qualities: colour, texture, appearance, aroma, taste, consistency, quantity 
• Holding temperature: above 63ᵒC
• Safe storage: temperatures, storing in shallow airtight containers, date labelling

2 Prepare and cook sauces

• Hot sauces: thickened gravy (jus lié), roast gravy (jus rôti), curry gravy, white sauce (béchamel), brown sauce (espagnole), velouté, purée
• Ingredients: fresh stocks - brown, white, convenience alternatives including dried sauce mix, chilled, tinned, liquid roux, bouillon or stock powder, concentrates, chilled, other ingredients including milk – fresh, skimmed, powdered, cream, butter, flour, margarine soft spreads, olive oil
• Quality points in ingredients: fresh vegetable items free from insect or pest damage, other ingredients - appearance, colour, odour, and flavour
• Tools and equipment: ovens, cookers, knives, spoons, spatulas, greaseproof paper, saucepans, colour coded chopping boards, whisks, strainers (chinois), sieves, colander, serving dishes, storage containers
• Techniques: weighing or measuring, peeling, chopping, dicing, simmering, boiling, ‘make roux’, passing or straining or blending, skimming, whisking, adding cream, adding thickening agents, pureeing, reducing
• Cooking methods: weighing or measuring, chopping, simmering, boiling, ‘make roux’ passing or straining or blending, skimming, whisking, adding cream, adding thickening agents, pureeing, reducing
• Sauce Qualities: colour, texture, appearance, aroma, taste, consistency, quantity
• Holding temperature: hot above 63ᵒC, cold below 5ᵒC
• Safe storage: temperatures, storing in shallow airtight containers, date labelling

3 Prepare and cook soups

• Types of soup: broth, cream, purée, clear‍
• Soup ingredients: meat, fish, bones, mirepoix, herbs and spices, liquid e.g. water, wine
• Quality points in ingredients: meat, appearance, colour, aroma or smell, texture, vegetables smell, fresh-looking colour, free from soil, free from insect damage, free from blemishes, free from freezer burn where frozen, frozen fish, hard with no signs of thawing, packaged correctly with no signs of damage, no signs of freezer burn, fresh fish, clear bright eyes which are not sunken, bright red gills, scales intact, skin is moist and slightly slippery, skin is shiny with bright natural colouring, stiff tail, firm flesh, fish has sea fresh smell, bones, no stickiness, appearance, aroma, fat free, undamaged packaging
• Tools and equipment:  knives, spoons, ladles, peelers, kitchen scissors, hand graters, slicers, chopping boards, colanders, electric food mixer, liquidiser, blender, food processor
• Techniques: weighing and measuring, peeling, chopping, dicing, simmering, boiling, ‘make roux’, passing or straining or blending, skimming, whisking, adding cream, adding thickening agents, pureeing, reducing
• Cooking methods: sweating, mixing, simmering, skimming, temperature control, straining. 
• Soup Qualities: colour, texture, appearance, aroma, taste, consistency, quantity
• Holding temperature: hot above 63ᵒC, cold below 5ᵒC
• Storage: temperatures, storing in shallow airtight containers, date labelling

4 Plate, present and garnish soups

• Plating: size, colour, shapes, style, portion size, balance, placement, precision
• Presentation: style, flair, modern, traditional, experimental
• Garnish: herbs and leaves, edible flowers, fruits and vegetables, purees, sauces and syrups

5  Work as an effective member of the team

• Communication: 
• ~spoken e.g., tone of voice, terminology
• ~written e.g., documents, forms, reports, presentations
• ~body language e.g., posture
• Situations: formal, informal, queries or requests, complaints
• Codes of conduct: workplace policies, rules and procedures
• Reporting: supervisor, line manager, challenges, issues, queries

6 Follow health and safety procedures

• Common workplace hazards: slips, trips, falls, breakages, hot surfaces, chemicals
• Health and safety procedures: following fire regulations, fire drills, evacuation, manual handling, safe use of chemicals, report accidents, first aid
• Workplace emergencies: accidents, fire, breaches of security, illness
• Emergency procedures: raising alarm, calling emergency services, firefighting equipment, evacuation procedures 
• Security procedures: control of keys, electronic systems, surveillance, control of entrances and exits, staff and visitor identity badge, reporting of suspicious persons and packages to line manager

7 Follow hygiene procedures

• Personal hygiene:
• ~clean clothing, footwear and headgear
• ~hair neat and tidy
• ~wear a head covering e.g., hairnet, hat
• ~washing hands
• ~no jewellery
• ~cover cuts and grazes
• ~report illness and infections to the proper person
• ‍Cleanliness of work areas: clean cloths for wiping and cleaning between tasks, equipment used for preparing, displaying and serving food are clean and in good condition, waste disposed of promptly, hygienically and appropriately, use of correct cleaning chemicals
• Handling and storing food: 
• ~covering food, separation of raw and cooked food, contact surfaces and equipment
• ~storage temperatures e.g., fridge, freezer
• ~food labelling and dates
• ~food temperatures e.g., cooking, serving re-heating
• ~cleaning and washing-up procedures
• ~handling of food waste