BTEB Food & Beverage Cooking key terms

The transfer of harmful bacteria or other pathogens from one food, surface, or utensil to another, usually through unwashed hands, shared chopping boards, or dripping raw juices.

The temperature range between 5°C and 63°C in which bacteria multiply most rapidly, so perishable foods should be kept outside it during storage, preparation, and holding.

The heat measured at the thickest or coldest centre of a food item, used to confirm that it has reached a safe cooking or reheating temperature throughout.

A documented food safety system that identifies biological, chemical, and physical hazards at each step of production and sets critical control points to prevent, eliminate, or reduce them to safe levels.

A specific step in a food process where a measurable limit must be met, such as a cooking temperature, to prevent or remove a identified hazard before the food is served.

Treating a cleaned surface or utensil with heat or an approved chemical so that the number of disease-causing microorganisms is reduced to a level considered safe for food contact.

The routine practices a food handler follows to stay clean and healthy at work, including bathing, clean uniform, tied-back hair, short nails, and reporting illness to a supervisor.

The defined sequence of wetting hands, applying soap, lathering and scrubbing for at least twenty seconds including under nails, rinsing, and drying with a disposable towel.

Any person who directly touches food, food-contact surfaces, or equipment during preparation and service, and who is legally responsible for following hygiene and health rules.

A written plan that lists each area, item of equipment, and surface in the kitchen, together with how often, by whom, and with which chemicals it must be cleaned.

The French term for having everything in its place: ingredients measured, tools ready, and workstations arranged before cooking begins so that service runs smoothly and without delay.

The planned sequence in which food moves through receiving, storage, preparation, cooking, and service areas, arranged to avoid backtracking, congestion, and cross-contamination.

A hierarchical kitchen staffing structure in which a head chef or chef de cuisine directs section chefs such as the sauce, fish, and pastry cooks, each responsible for a defined part of the menu.

A defined work area in a professional kitchen, such as the grill or pastry section, where one cook prepares the dishes assigned to that section during service.

A hand-held instrument with a metal stem inserted into food to read its internal temperature, used to check cooking, cooling, and holding temperatures and to verify that equipment is working.

The process of checking and adjusting a measuring instrument, such as a thermometer or scale, against a known standard so that its readings remain accurate and reliable.

A precise weighing device used in the kitchen to divide food into equal servings by weight, supporting consistent quality, accurate food cost, and controlled waste.

The set of habits that prevent cuts, including keeping blades sharp, carrying knives with the point down and edge away, and never leaving them in a sink or across a board.

Restoring a knife's cutting edge by grinding or honing the blade on a stone, steel, or mechanical sharpener so that it cuts cleanly with less force and less risk of slipping.

Adding salt, pepper, herbs, spices, or acidic ingredients to a dish to develop and balance its flavour, ideally in stages and always tasted before the final adjustment.

Adjusting a dish so that salty, sour, sweet, bitter, and savoury tastes support one another without any single element dominating the overall impression.

A documented formula listing exact ingredients, quantities, method, yield, portion size, and presentation for a menu item, so that any trained cook can reproduce it consistently.

The amount of usable product a recipe or ingredient produces after preparation and cooking, often expressed as a percentage of the original weight or count.

The part of a purchased ingredient that can actually be served after trimming, peeling, and cooking losses are removed, used to calculate true cost per serving.

Changing a measurement from one unit system to another, for example grams to ounces or millilitres to cups, using fixed factors so that a recipe scales correctly.

The browning that occurs when proteins and sugars are heated together, producing complex savoury aromas and colour on grilled, roasted, or fried foods.

The browning and flavour change that happens when sugar alone is heated to a high temperature, giving a nutty sweetness used in sauces, desserts, and stocks.

Browning the surface of food quickly in a hot pan with a little fat, creating flavour and colour before the item is finished by roasting, braising, or simmering.

Adding liquid such as stock, wine, or water to a hot pan and stirring to dissolve the browned deposits left from cooking, which then enrich a sauce or gravy.

Simmering a liquid such as stock or sauce uncovered so that water evaporates and the remaining liquid becomes thicker and more concentrated in flavour.

Briefly cooking food in boiling water or hot fat and then cooling it rapidly in ice water to set colour, loosen skins, or prepare vegetables for later finishing.

Plunging just-cooked food into iced water to stop the cooking process immediately, preserving texture and colour and moving the food quickly out of the danger zone.

Serving a predetermined, consistent quantity of food for each item, measured by weight, count, or ladle, so that guests receive fair value and costs stay predictable.

The cost of the ingredients used to produce a dish or a period's sales, divided by the selling price or sales revenue and expressed as a percentage of turnover.

The planned handling of kitchen waste through prevention, correct segregation, safe storage, and approved disposal or recycling routes to reduce cost and environmental and hygiene risk.

Any condition in the kitchen that could cause injury or illness, such as wet floors, hot oil, sharp blades, heavy lifting, or faulty electrical equipment, which must be reported and controlled.

Lifting, carrying, pushing, or pulling loads using safe technique, including bending the knees, keeping the load close, and asking for help with heavy or awkward items.

Items worn to reduce injury risk at work, such as gloves, aprons, safety shoes, and eye protection, chosen for the task and kept clean and in good condition.

A naturally occurring protein in a food, such as milk, egg, fish, shellfish, nuts, or gluten cereals, that can trigger a severe immune reaction in sensitive guests and must be declared accurately.

A service worker's detailed understanding of every dish, including ingredients, allergens, preparation method, and suitable substitutions, so that guests can be advised confidently and correctly.

Recommending a larger, premium, or additional item to a guest in a helpful and honest way, increasing the average spend while improving the dining experience.