Certificate IV in Kitchen Management cheat sheet

Food safety: bacteria multiply fastest in the temperature danger zone 5°C–60°C; keep high-risk food out of this range and hold hot food at or above 60°C and cold food at or below 5°C.

Two-hour/four-hour rule: ready-to-eat high-risk food held between 5°C and 60°C for less than 2 hours may be refrigerated or used; 2–4 hours means use immediately; over 4 hours it must be discarded.

Cooling rule: cooked high-risk food must be cooled from 60°C to 21°C within 2 hours and from 21°C to 5°C within a further 4 hours (total 6 hours).

HACCP is a seven-principle system: hazard analysis, determine critical control points, set critical limits, monitor CCPs, establish corrective actions, verify, and keep records.

Allergen management: the nine declared allergens in Australia/NZ are egg, milk, peanut, tree nuts, sesame, fish, shellfish, soy, and wheat/gluten; sulphites above 10 mg/kg must also be declared.

WHS duty of care: PCBUs must eliminate or minimise risks so far as reasonably practicable using the hierarchy of control - elimination, substitution, engineering, administrative, then PPE.

Manual handling: keep the load close to the body, bend the knees not the back, avoid twisting, and use team lifts or mechanical aids for loads over about 16–20 kg.

Knife safety: carry knives with the blade down and point away, never leave knives in a sink, cut on a stable board, and use the correct knife for the task (chef's knife for general prep, boning knife for meat).

Cleaning and sanitising are different steps: cleaning removes visible soil; sanitising reduces microorganisms to safe levels using heat (e.g., 77°C water) or approved chemical sanitiser at label dilution.

Standard recipe card: lists ingredients, exact quantities, yield (portion count), portion size, method, and cost per portion; it is the basis for consistent production and accurate pricing.

Portion cost = total ingredient cost ÷ number of portions yielded; selling price = portion cost ÷ food cost percentage (e.g., $4.00 ÷ 0.30 = $13.33).

Gross profit = selling price − portion cost; gross profit percentage = gross profit ÷ selling price × 100.

Menu engineering matrix classifies items by popularity and profitability: Stars (high/high), Plowhorses (high popularity, low profit), Puzzles (low popularity, high profit), Dogs (low/low).

Contribution margin = selling price − variable cost per item; use it to judge which menu items add most to covering fixed costs.

Yield testing: usable yield % = edible weight ÷ as-purchased weight × 100; use it to calculate true cost per edible portion (e.g., 80% yield means cost per kg edible = as-purchased cost ÷ 0.80).

Menu balance: plan for variety in colour, texture, flavour, cooking method, and price; include vegetarian and allergen-aware options and consider seasonality and local availability.

Roster and labour cost: labour cost percentage = total labour cost ÷ total sales × 100; compare against budget and adjust rosters to forecast covers.

Stock control: par level is the minimum stock to hold before reordering; reorder point = usage during lead time + safety stock; conduct regular stocktakes and rotate stock FIFO.