Important Points in Food Preparation

• All hamburgers must be cooked well done to an international temperature of 165 F or greater. When serving  hamburgers from the grill, two or separate spatulas should be used. One for the cooked burger and one for the raw burger.
• Hot food on display at the midnight buffet, other buffet or in  the galley held before serving in the dining room must be at or above 140 F although it may not be possible to check the temperature of these items during the buffet,  it must be checked at the steam tables in the galley since many vessels serve break fast and lunch while in port. These temperature may also be checked on some of the meat items served during these meals.
• All poultry, poultry stuffing, stuffed meat and potentially hazardous left over food are to be served hot and must be cooked or reheated to a geometric center temperature  of at least 165 F to kill the pathogens.
• As already noted in many instances, the galley crew will be in the process of preparing or cooking food to be served at lunch or dinner. On those ships which remain in port overnight, it is possible that nothing will be in the process of being prepared or cooked. The temperature of all such products should be checked when ever possible and the importance of the 165 F should be stressed to the food service manager and chef.
• Because pork products may come from trichinosis – infected hogs, it is important that all pork be cooked to an internal temperature of 165 F in order to kill the trichina cyst, there by preventing the spread of trichinosis in humans.
• All leftover cooked food , which is to be served hot, must be cooked to an internal temperature of at least 165 F in order to ensure that salmonella or other pathogens are destroyed , if the foods were accidentally contaminated.

Cooking and Holding Temperature

Cooking Temperature

It is the temperature at which food not only becomes palatable, but also become safe for consumption. Different foods need to be cooked to different temperatures depending upon the pathogens related to them.

Rare beef  = 130 F(54 C).

Meats/gravies/fish/sea food/eggs   = 140 F (60 C).

Reheated foods/stuffed meats/pork/poultry  = 160 F (70C).

After cooking all items must be properly cooled and refrigerated at or below 40 F (4C), within 30 minutes, or held at their proper holding temperature.

Holding Temperature

It is the temperature at which cold and hot food is held before service safely.

Cold Foods – 35-40 F (7 C).

Rare Beef   –  130 F (54 C).

All other hot items  - 140-160 F (60 C).

After preparation or cooking, all items must be refrigerated at or below 40 F (4 C) with in 30 minutes or held above 140 F (60 C). The only exception is rare beef, which can be held at 130 F (54 C).

Food Service-The Danger Zone

There are two other variables that can affect  the overall freedom from harmful levels of pathogens : time and temperature. The disease causing micro-organisms found in food need to be present in significant quantities to make some one ill. Once pathogens have established themselves in a food source , they will either thrive or be destroyed depending upon how much time and temperature are manipulated .

Temperature

There are pathogens that can live at all temperature ranges. For most of these capable of causing food borne illness, however , the most friendly environment provides temperatures with in a range of 40 to 140 F (4 to 60 C) . They are usually destroyed at temperatures above 140 F. Storage at temperatures below 40 F will destroy some pathogens ; the cycle of growth and reproduction will be slowed or interrupted in others.

Time

When conditions are favourable , pathogens can grow and reproduce at an astonishing rate. There are four distinct stages of bacterial growth. The first is the lag phase, during which newly introduced bacteria become adjusted to their environment. During accelerated growth phase , the bacteria reproduce rapidly . bacteria reproduce asexually; as each bacterium grows,  it will split into two bacteria of equal size.Under ideal circumstances, each bacterium can reproduce every twenty minutes. One bacterium could produce 72 million bacteria in just 12 hours.

The growth phase led into stationary phase. This is a plateau, during which the rate of growth and the reproduction is matched by the rate of death. At this point , there is no increase in the number of the bacteria. Finally , there is a decline phase . now the essential elements for life are exhausted. The death rate exceeds the growth rate. The time during which foods stay in the danger zone is one of the most critical to the prevention of contamination through food borne illness.

The Three Requirements of Pathogens

Pathogens thrive when three basic living conditions are readily available: protein, water , and appropriate pH. A large percentage of foods typically contain these three elements in ratios favourable to the rapid growth of pathogens. The greater the abundance of protein and water and the more favourable the pH, the higher the likelihood that foods will become contaminated . In addition , some bacteria do best with a good supply of oxygen , others when oxygen is absent. Some  can get along either way. The handling procedures noted in sections on cooling, re-heating and thawing help to prevent any single condition from becoming so predominant that it will favour the pathogen’s growth and reproduction.

Protein

Most food contain some protein. Meats, fish, poultry and eggs are among the foods with greatest percentage of protein , making them highly susceptible to food poisoning and intoxication. But, grains and legumes also contain protein in significant quantities. They become especially vulnerable when cooked. Rice and potatoes are among the most likely carriers of disease. Vegetables has very small quantities of protein and fruits contain very little , if any protein at all.

Water

Foods that are moist enough to be soft and easy to chew are also moist enough to support  the growth of many types of pathogens. There are some foods that are naturally ‘dry’ and have a lesser chance of becoming infected ; certain root vegetables have relatively low moisture content ; Other foods , once processed, lose much of their moisture content , very hard cheeses such as Romano or Parmesan cheese ; dried, salted or preserved foods such as olives and hams ; nuts and seeds , and uncooked grains, cereals and meals. These are the foods that we treat as ‘non perishables’, a recognition of the fact that they can be stored at room temperature without fear of immediate loss of quality or wholesomeness.

Moderate pH

The pH of most foods falls with in a range called ‘moderate ‘ ; a state that makes foods attractive for growth and reproduction of many different type of microorganisms. A substance that is extremely acid(e.g. lemon juice ) will be closer to a value of zero. Those that are extremely alkaline (e.g. baking soda) will measure closer to 14. Most foods tend to fall with in a range of about 4 to 10. Foods that are either more acidic or more alkaline than that will generally no longer be susceptible to micro organisms. Vinegar, lemon or lime juice and other very tart and sour – tasting foods are acid; baking soda , alum, cream of tartar are bitter-tasting and cause the mouth to pucker , these items  are alkaline. We use this general principle to keep foods when we pickle , salt or brine them in order to change their pH level to above 10 or below 4, increasing the shelf life of the food.

Food Service- Food Spoilage and Food Poisoning

Food spoilage is usually detectable by sight, smell or taste.

Food Spoilage is the reduction in quality of food , caused by the microorganisms, pests, chemical change, and/or enzymatic activity and is usually detectable by smell, sight or taste.

Food poisoning is an illness caused by eating food, which is naturally poisonous or has been contaminated with toxic chemicals or pathogenic microorganisms.

Causes Of Food Borne Illnesses

Any kind of food can be a vehicle for borne illness. However , it is generally high protein food that are responsible for food borne illness. These high protein foods are classed as potentially hazardous by the U.S  Public Health Service and include any food that consist milk or milk products , shell eggs, poultry, fish , shell-fish, crustaceans(shrimp , lobster, crab etc.), baked or boiled potatoes , tofu and other soya protein foods, plant foods, plant foods that have been heat-treated, raw seed sprouts or synthetic ingredients. In addition to paying special attention to potentially hazardous foods, we should also focus on errors in food handling and the following points need to be considered.

1. Failure to properly cool foods.
2. Failure to thoroughly heat or cook food.
3. Infected employees who practice poor hygiene.
4. Foods prepared a day or more before they are served.
5. Raw, contaminated ingredients added to foods that receive no further cooking.
6. Foods allowed to stay out of temperature.
7. Failure to reheat cooked foods to temperature that kill bacteria.
8. Cross-contamination of cooked foods with raw foods , or by employees that mishandle foods, or through improperly cleaned equipment.

Food Storage- Refrigeration

• Foods left over cooked in advanced must be refrigerated within 30 minutes or held at 140F(60C) or more.
• In checking refrigeration and food temperatures pertaining to this section or the following sections, the dial type thermometer is to be used. It should be remembered that dial dial type thermometers are accurate to +or – 3 degrees. There fore, when checking temperatures with a dial dial type thermometer you must consider this fact. E.g. if you require 45 degrees,  to  be sure your thermometer should be no more than 42 degrees, since there is a possibility of 3F error in the thermometer.
• If the temperature of more than one food is checked, the thermometer must be cleaned with an alchocol swab between the uses.
• Most vessels on arrival will be in the process of preparing some food such as roast of various fish salads, sandwiches etc., for later meals, buffet or snacks. This is an observation item, since a minimum of 2 or 4 hours will be spent by the inspector in the galley or related areas. There should be no problem in making the necessary observation.  On those vessels which remain in port overnight,  it may not be possible to make the observation.
• In order for the temperature to drop quickly, cooked and left over food (greater possibility of contamination due to handling and moving) items such as gravies, dressings, sliced meat, various salads etc. must be stored at a depth of no more than four inches in the refrigerator.
• All refrigerator must be at 40F (4.5C) or below at the time they are checked. The reason refrigerator should be maintained at 40F is so that the food temperature will be maintained at 40F at all times.
• All meat , poultry and fish thawed, so that no part of the product exceeds a temperature of 45F during the thawing process. Meat , fish and poultry to be prepared for the evening meal or even lunch the following day, are removed from freezer to thaw 72 hours in advance. Close observation of meat, poultry and fish thawing are important in the butcher shop,  fish preparation area and the main galley. If any of the abovevitems are noted, the actual temperatures should be checked by use of the dial thermometer.
• Recommend that all thawing be done in a refrigerator so that there is no possibility of these items reaching a temperature in excess of 45F(7C).
• Because of the possibility of cross contamination, we recommend that cooked food be stored at either ; different refrigerators or In seperate  section of the same refrigerator if refrigeration space doesnot permit seperate refrigerators. If these foods are stored in the same refrigerators, they must be stored on racks or shelves.
• The number of storage racks and shelves will be considered to be inadequate if food items are stored on decks in the galley, refrigerators and other areas , instead of storage racks and shelves . All food must be stored a minimum of 6 inches of the deck and preferably 12 inches.
• All perishable including cream filled pastries on display such as wood be found at the midnight or other buffets , must be kept at 42F (+3 or below) either by means of mechanical refrigeration or shaved ice. All food items on display not consumed must be discarded and not reused.
• During the course of the inspection all refrigerators are to be checked using the dial type thermometer. Thermometers in refrigerators are checked against these dial thermometers and if within a +3 of each other , are accepted.

Pork

The keeping quality of pork is less than that of other meat, therefore it must be handled prepares and cooked with great care. Pork must always be well cooked.
Pork

Signs Of Quality Of Pork

• Lean flesh should be pale pink, firm and of a fine texture.
• The fat should be white, firm, smooth, and not excessive.
• Bones should be small, fine and pinkish.
• The skin or rind should be smooth.

Cuts of Pork

1. Leg
2. Loin
3. Spare rib
4. Belly
5. Shoulder
6. Head
7. Trotter

Pork Chop Charcuitiere

1. Season the chop on both sides with salt and mill pepper.
2. Brush with melted fat and either grill on both sides with moderate heat for approximately 10 minutes or cook in a non stick pan.
3. Serve accompanied by a sharp sauce, e.g. charcuitiere.

Brown Veal Stew

Brown Veal Stew

For 4  Portions

Ingredients

1. Stewing veal   : 400 gm.
2. Dripping or oil   : 25 gm.
3. Onions   : 75 gm.
4. Carrots   : 75 gm.
5. Flour, white or wholemeal   : 25 gm.
6. Tomato puree    : 1 tbsp.  
7. Brown stock   : 750 ml.
8. Bouquet garni   : 1 EA.
9. Clove of garlic ( if desired)   : 1 No.
10. Seasoning   :  To taste.

Method

• Remove excess sinew and fat from the veal.
• Cut into 2 cm (1 inch)pieces.
• Fry quickly in hot fat until lightly browned.
• Add roughly cut onions and carrots and continue frying to a golden colour.
• Add the flour and mix in ; brown on top of the stove for few minutes or use previously browned flour.
• Add the tomato pureee and stir with a wooden spoon.
• Mix in the stock, bring to a boil and skim.
• Add the bouquet garlic, season and cover with a lid .
• Simmer gently until cooked, preferably in the oven, approximately 1.5-2 hours.
• When cooked, place the meat into a clean pan.
• Correct the sauce and pass on to the meat.
• Serve with chopped parsley sprinkled on top of the meat.

Veal

Veal

Veal is obtained from good quality carcasses weighing around 200 lb (100 kg). This quality of veal is required for first class cookery and is produced from calves slaughtered at between 12-24 weeks.

Cuts of Veal

1. Knuckle.
2. Leg.
3. Loin.
4. Best end.
5. Shoulder.
6. Neck end.
7. Scrag.
8. Breast.

Roast Turkey With Chestnut Stuffing

Roast Turkey With Chestnut Stuffing

For 12 Portions

Ingredients

1. Turkey, whole   : 6750 gm.
2. Mirepoix   : 450 gm.

Stuffing   

1. Onions, chopped   : 115 gm.
2. Bacon fat   : 115 gm.
3. Breadcrumbs, dried   : 680 gm.
4. Chicken stock   : 115 ml.
5. Egg   : 1 No.
6. Parsley, chopped   : 2 Tbsp.
7. Sage   : 1 Tsp.
8. Chestnuts, roasted and chopped   : 225 gm.
9. Refined flour   : 90 gm.
10. Turkey stock   : 1.5 ltr.

Method

• Season the turkey inside out with salt and pepper.
• Place it on a rack, in a roasting pan.
• Roast it at 425F for 15 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 350F and roast it to an internal temperature of 150F.
• Add the mirepoix when the turkey has roasted for about 3 hrs.
• To make the stuffing, saute the onion in bacon fat until tender.
• Combine the breadcrumbs, chicken stock and egg and add it to the onion.
• Add the parsley, crushed pepper, sage and chestnut and mix them well.
• Place the stuffing in a buttered pan and cover it with the parchment paper.
• Bake the stuffing at 350F for 45 minutes.
• Pour off most of the fat from the roasting pan and let the drippings reduce over direct heat till syrupy in consistency.
• Add the flour and stir well to combine and cook for 5-6 minutes.
• Add the turkey stock and whisk well to remove any lumps.
• Simmer for 20 minutes 
• Strain, de-grease and season.
• Let the turkey stand for atleast 20 minutes before carving it.
• Serve it with the pan gravy and chestnut stuffing.

Note : Turkey calculation of cooking time :

20 minutes per pound plus 20 minutes over.

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