Red Seal Cook cheat sheet

WHMIS/GHS workplace labels convey the product identifier, hazard pictograms, signal words, hazard statements, and precautionary statements.

Fire classes: A ordinary combustibles, B flammable liquids, C electrical, D combustible metals, K commercial cooking oils; use the extinguisher rated for the fire class.

PASS technique: Pull the pin, Aim at the base of the fire, Squeeze the handle, Sweep side to side.

Temperature danger zone: 4°C to 60°C (40°F to 140°F); time in that range is cumulative for potentially hazardous food.

Honing straightens a knife edge; sharpening removes metal to form a new edge; a dull knife requires more pressure and is more likely to slip.

Ice-point calibration uses crushed ice and water at 0°C (32°F); boiling-point calibration adjusts for altitude.

Cleaning removes soil and grease; sanitizing reduces microorganisms; chemical sanitizers require correct concentration, contact time, and a clean surface.

Knife safety rule: never leave knives in a sink or soaking water; carry a knife with the point down and edge away from the body.

Danger zone: 4°C to 60°C (40°F to 140°F); discard potentially hazardous food held there for more than 2 hours cumulative.

Minimum internal temperatures: poultry 74°C, ground meat 71°C, whole pork 71°C, fish 70°C, reheated leftovers 74°C for 15 seconds.

Cold holding is 4°C or lower; hot holding is 60°C or higher; frozen storage is -18°C or lower.

Cooling limits: 60°C to 20°C within 2 hours, then 20°C to 4°C within 4 more hours, for a total of 6 hours or less.

HACCP principles: hazard analysis, critical control points, critical limits, monitoring, corrective actions, verification, and record keeping.

FATTOM growth factors: Food, Acidity, Time, Temperature, Oxygen, and Moisture.

Store raw meat, poultry, and seafood below ready-to-eat food; use separate utensils and cutting boards for raw and ready-to-eat items.

Handwashing procedure: wet hands, apply soap, scrub for at least 20 seconds, rinse, and dry; avoid bare-hand contact with ready-to-eat food.

Stock method: start bones in cold water, bring to a simmer, and skim; boiling emulsifies fat and produces a cloudy stock.

White stock uses unroasted bones; brown stock uses roasted bones; fish stock simmers for about 30 to 45 minutes and is not boiled.

Mother sauces: béchamel (milk and white roux), velouté (white stock and blond roux), espagnole (brown stock, tomato, brown roux), hollandaise (egg yolk and butter emulsion), tomato.

Roux uses equal weights of butter and flour; white, blond, and brown roux differ by cooking time and color; beurre manié is equal uncooked butter and flour.

Consommé is clarified with a raft of egg white, ground meat, mirepoix, and acid, which traps impurities as the stock simmers.

Demi-glace is made by combining espagnole sauce and brown stock and reducing the mixture by half.

Clear soups include broth and consommé; thick soups include cream, purée, bisque, and chowder.

Sauce consistency is nappe when it coats the back of a spoon; hollandaise is held warm at about 50°C to 60°C and must not boil.

Whole-muscle beef may be cooked to 63°C for medium-rare; ground beef must reach 71°C; poultry must reach 74°C.

Moist, slow heat converts collagen into gelatin and tenderizes tough cuts such as shank, shoulder, and cheek; elastin does not break down.

Resting cooked meat allows juices to redistribute and carryover cooking to finish the interior.

Poultry white meat is safely cooked at 74°C; dark meat can be cooked higher for tenderness without exceeding safe limits.

Fish is cooked at about 70°C or when the flesh is opaque and flakes; shellfish are cooked until shells open or flesh is firm.

Fresh fish signs: clear bulging eyes, bright red gills, firm springy flesh, mild odor, and tightly adhering scales.

Market forms of fish include whole, drawn, dressed, fillet, and steak; flatfish and round fish are fabricated differently.

Thaw frozen seafood under refrigeration; do not refreeze seafood after it has been thawed.

Chlorophyll is green and turns olive with acid; anthocyanins are red in acid and blue-green in alkali; carotenoids are relatively stable pigments.

Blanching vegetables briefly in boiling water followed by ice-water shocking stops cooking, sets color, and preserves texture.

Waxy potatoes hold shape when boiled and suit salads; high-starch russets become fluffy and suit mashing, baking, and frying.

Long-grain rice cooks fluffy and separate; short-grain rice cooks sticky; arborio rice is used for risotto.

Acid added to legumes during cooking can toughen them; add acid after the legumes are tender.

Classic vegetable cuts include julienne at 3 mm by 3 mm by 60 mm, brunoise at 3 mm cubes, and chiffonade as thin ribbons.

Starch gelatinization occurs when starch granules absorb water, swell, and burst with heat; cooling can cause retrogradation and staling.

Egg proteins coagulate beginning around 63°C; whole eggs set near 70°C; overcooking squeezes out water and makes eggs rubbery.

Egg functions include binding, leavening, emulsifying, thickening, and glazing.

Poached eggs are cooked in water at about 80°C to 90°C with a small amount of acid; very fresh eggs hold their shape best.

Hollandaise is an emulsion of egg yolk, water, clarified butter, and lemon; it is held warm at about 50°C to 60°C.

Omelettes are cooked quickly over moderate to high heat with clarified butter; French omelettes are pale and tender, American omelettes may brown.

Cream whips best when cold and at 30% to 35% fat; butter contains about 80% fat.

Bacon is rendered slowly at low heat to crisp without burning; sausage must reach 71°C.

Stirred custard such as crème anglaise is cooked to about 82°C to 85°C; baked custards are cooked in a water bath to prevent curdling.

Baker's percentage: flour is always 100%, and other ingredients are expressed as a percentage of the flour weight.

Bread flour has high protein for gluten development; cake flour has low protein; fat and sugar inhibit gluten formation.

Leaveners include yeast, baking soda with acid, baking powder, steam, and trapped air.

Mixing methods include creaming, muffin, pastry, and straight-dough; each controls gluten development and aeration differently.

Laminated dough alternates layers of dough and cold butter; cold butter creates steam and flaky layers during baking.

Baked custards are set in a water bath; pâte à choux relies on steam from high moisture to puff during baking.

Dark chocolate tempering: melt to about 45°C, cool to about 27°C, then reheat to about 31°C.

Scaling ingredients by weight is more accurate than measuring by volume; oven temperature and rack position affect browning and rise.

Basic vinaigrette ratio is about 3 parts oil to 1 part vinegar or acid; mustard helps stabilize the emulsion.

Mayonnaise is a cold emulsion of egg yolk, acid, and oil; oil is added slowly to prevent breaking.

Salad greens are washed and dried thoroughly; dressing is added at service to prevent wilting.

Curing salt #1 contains sodium nitrite for short cures; curing salt #2 contains nitrate for long cures; both must be weighed precisely.

Forcemeat is a cold mixture of meat, fat, and binder; examples include sausage, pâté, terrine, and galantine.

Terrine is baked in a loaf pan; pâté is a seasoned ground meat mixture; aspic is a savory gelatin preparation.

Cold holding for garde manger items is 4°C or lower; ready-to-eat food is handled with gloves or utensils.

Canapé components are a base, a spread or topping, and a garnish; balance of flavor, texture, and size is required.

Food cost percentage = (food cost ÷ selling price) × 100.

Selling price = food cost ÷ target food cost percentage.

Yield percentage = (edible portion weight ÷ as-purchased weight) × 100; portion cost = as-purchased cost ÷ yield.

Menu engineering categories: stars are high popularity and high profit; plowhorses are high popularity and low profit; puzzles are low popularity and high profit; dogs are low popularity and low profit.

Contribution margin = selling price - food cost.

A standard recipe lists exact ingredients, quantities, yield, portion size, and method for consistent costing and production.

Menu balance considers variety, nutrition, seasonality, equipment capacity, labor, and price range.

Inventory turnover = cost of goods sold ÷ average inventory value.

Dry-heat methods include roast, bake, grill, broil, sauté, pan-fry, and deep-fry; moist-heat methods include poach, simmer, boil, and steam; combination methods include braise and stew.

Sauté uses a small amount of fat over high heat; do not overcrowd the pan; deglaze with liquid to lift fond.

Braising uses liquid at about one-third to one-half the height of the food and a covered pan at a low simmer; stewing covers smaller pieces with liquid.

Deep-frying temperature is generally 175°C to 190°C; do not overcrowd; potatoes are blanched at about 140°C to 150°C and finished at about 180°C.

Poaching is about 71°C to 82°C, simmering about 85°C to 96°C, and boiling at 100°C at sea level.

Maillard browning occurs at roughly 140°C and above on dry, hot surfaces; caramelization is the browning of sugars.

Roasting often uses high initial heat for browning followed by lower heat to finish; resting allows carryover cooking.

Sous vide cooks food in a temperature-controlled water bath; pasteurization depends on both temperature and time, and searing after cooking adds browning.