Pancyprian TS Cooking Arts flashcards

32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

Mise en place

French for 'put in place': all ingredients prepped, measured, and arranged at the station before service begins, so cooking proceeds without interruption or searching.

Chef de partie

Station chef in the brigade responsible for one section of the kitchen, such as sauces, fish, or pastry, and reporting to the sous-chef.

Par stock

The minimum reserve quantity of an item kept on hand, calculated as expected usage between deliveries plus a safety buffer to prevent running out.

HACCP

Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point: a seven-principle system that identifies biological, chemical, and physical hazards and sets control points, limits, monitoring, and records.

Danger zone

The temperature range 5–63 °C in which bacteria multiply most rapidly; high-risk foods should spend minimal time in it during preparation and service.

Two-hour/four-hour rule

Food held under 2 hours in the danger zone may be refrigerated; 2–4 hours must be used immediately; beyond 4 hours it must be discarded.

Cross-contamination

Transfer of harmful microorganisms from raw food, hands, or equipment to ready-to-eat food; prevented by colour-coded boards, separation, and sanitising.

Maillard reaction

Non-enzymatic browning between amino acids and reducing sugars on dry surfaces above roughly 140–165 °C, producing savoury aroma and brown colour.

Caramelisation

Thermal breakdown of sugars starting near 160–170 °C, producing brown colour and a sweet-bitter flavour; distinct from the Maillard reaction.

Emulsion

A stable mixture of two immiscible liquids, such as oil and water, held together by an emulsifier like lecithin in egg yolk or mustard.

Roux

Equal weights of flour and fat cooked together to thicken liquids; white, blond, and brown stages differ in cooking time and colour.

Brunoise

A classical cut producing cubes of 1–2 mm per side, made by cutting julienne and then turning them 90 degrees and cutting across.

Chiffonade

A cut of fine ribbons used for leafy herbs and greens: leaves are stacked, rolled tightly, and sliced across the roll with a sharp knife.

Honing versus sharpening

Honing realigns a straight edge with a steel; sharpening removes metal on a whetstone or grinder to create a new edge at roughly 15–20 degrees per side.

Yield percentage

Edible portion weight divided by as-purchased weight, multiplied by 100; it converts as-purchased cost into the true cost of the served portion.

FIFO

First In, First Out: older stock is used before newer stock, with date labels ensuring rotation and reducing spoilage and waste.

Ethylene

A ripening gas released by apples, bananas, and tomatoes that accelerates spoilage in sensitive produce such as leafy greens and cucumbers, so they are stored separately.

Brown stock

Stock made from bones roasted until deep brown, then simmered with mirepoix and aromatics; the roasting gives colour and a fuller, roasted flavour.

Court-bouillon

An acidulated, seasoned poaching liquid of water, wine or vinegar, and aromatics used once for fish and shellfish; it is not a stock.

Five mother sauces

Béchamel, velouté, espagnole, hollandaise, and tomato: the base sauces from which most classical derivative sauces are made.

Consommé

A clarified clear soup made by simmering stock with a raft of egg white, minced meat, and mirepoix, which traps impurities and is then strained.

Conduction

Heat transfer by direct contact between molecules, as when a pan transfers heat to a steak or a spoon heats in a pot of soup.

Convection

Heat transfer through a moving fluid such as air or water; a convection oven uses fans to circulate hot air for faster, more even cooking.

Braising

A combination method: food is seared in fat, then cooked covered in a small amount of liquid at a gentle simmer until collagen converts to gelatin.

Collagen conversion

Long moist heat at roughly 70–80 °C converts tough collagen into soft gelatin, which is why braised shanks and stews become tender.

Elastin

A tough, elastic connective tissue protein in meat that does not break down with cooking; it must be trimmed away rather than tenderised.

Flat versus round fish

Flat fish such as sole and turbot lie on one side and yield four fillets; round fish such as cod and salmon are symmetrical and yield two.

Bivalve safety

Live mussels, clams, and oysters close when tapped; discard open ones before cooking and any that remain closed after cooking.

Anthocyanins

Red-purple plant pigments sensitive to pH; they turn red in acid, blue-green in alkali, and are lost with long cooking or contact with certain metals.

Egg coagulation temperatures

Egg white sets near 60–65 °C and yolk near 65–70 °C; overheating boiled eggs produces a green-grey ferrous sulphide ring around the yolk.

Baker's percentage

A baking formula where flour is always 100% and every other ingredient is expressed as a percentage of the flour weight, enabling easy scaling.

Chocolate tempering

Controlled heating and cooling that stabilises cocoa butter crystals: melt to 45–50 °C, cool to 27–28 °C, reheat to 31–32 °C for snap and shine.