Tamil Nadu HSE Second Year Food Service Management key terms

A French phrase meaning 'put in place'. It refers to gathering, measuring and pre-preparing every ingredient and tool needed before cooking starts, so that service runs smoothly and without interruption.

A knife cut producing thin, uniform strips about the size of a matchstick, roughly 3 mm thick and 4 to 5 cm long. Uniform size helps food cook evenly and plate neatly.

Briefly immersing food in boiling water and then plunging it into iced water. It sets colour, loosens skins, removes strong flavours and partly cooks vegetables before final service or freezing.

A cooked thickening mixture of equal weights of flour and fat, used to bind sauces, soups and gravies. White, blond and brown roux differ mainly in how long the flour is cooked.

One of the five basic sauces of classical French cookery - béchamel, velouté, espagnole, hollandaise and tomato - from which many derivative or 'small' sauces are made by adding other ingredients.

Adding liquid such as stock, wine or water to a hot pan after roasting or sautéing, then scraping up the browned bits stuck to the base so they dissolve and flavour the sauce.

Cooking small, dry pieces of food quickly in a little fat over fairly high heat, tossing or turning them so they brown evenly instead of stewing in their own juices.

The browning reaction between amino acids and reducing sugars that occurs when food is heated above roughly 140 °C, producing the colour and savoury aroma of toast, roast meat and fried foods.

The process in which starch granules absorb water when heated, swell and burst, thickening the liquid around them. It is the principle behind sauces, custards and rice cookery, and reverses on cooling.

A stable mixture of two liquids that do not normally mix, such as oil and water, held together by an emulsifier. Mayonnaise and milk are everyday food examples; a broken emulsion separates.

The breakdown of sugar when heated dry, turning it brown and giving a sweet, slightly bitter flavour. It differs from the Maillard reaction because no protein or amino acid is involved.

A diet supplying all essential nutrients - carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins, minerals, fibre and water - in the proportions and amounts the body needs for health, growth and daily activity.

The energy a person uses at complete rest to keep the body alive - breathing, heartbeat and cell repair - expressed in kilocalories per day and influenced by age, sex, body size and thyroid activity.

One place setting at a table, meaning one diner. In catering the same word also means the total number of guests served or expected, as in a '120-cover banquet'.

A menu on which every dish is listed and priced separately, and each guest chooses individual courses. Food is cooked to order, so service is slower but choice is maximum.

A fixed menu offered at a single set price, with limited choice within each course. It is cheaper and quicker to serve than à la carte because dishes can be bulk-prepared in advance.

A formal service style in which food is presented from a dish held in the left hand and placed onto the guest's plate from the right using a service spoon and fork.

The transfer of harmful micro-organisms from raw food, hands, equipment or surfaces to ready-to-eat food. It is prevented by separate boards, colour coding, handwashing and correct storage order.

The temperature range between about 5 °C and 60 °C in which bacteria multiply fastest. Food should not be held in this range longer than preparation, storage or service genuinely requires.

Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point: a food safety system that identifies biological, chemical and physical hazards at each production step and sets controls, limits and monitoring to prevent them.

First In, First Out: a stock rotation rule that older stock is used before newer stock, so stored food does not pass its shelf life and wastage in the store is reduced.

Folding a layer of fat, usually butter, into dough by repeated rolling and folding so that many thin alternating layers form. On baking, steam separates the layers and the pastry rises crisp and flaky.

A substance that makes dough or batter rise by producing gas. Yeast releases carbon dioxide by fermentation, baking powder and soda act chemically, and steam or trapped air also leaven physically.

The final resting and rising of shaped yeast dough in a warm, humid place before baking, allowing the yeast to produce enough gas for a light crumb and good volume.

A cake-making technique in which fat and sugar are beaten together until pale and fluffy, trapping air that helps the cake rise. Beaten eggs and sieved flour are then folded in alternately.

A smooth mixture of chopped chocolate and warm cream used as a filling, glaze or icing. The ratio of cream to chocolate decides whether it sets firm or stays soft and pourable.

A written formula for a dish giving exact ingredient quantities, method, portion size and yield for a fixed number of covers, so quality and cost stay the same whoever cooks it.

Serving a measured, consistent quantity of food to every guest using scoops, scales or ladles. It keeps costs predictable, supports nutritional consistency and prevents complaints about unfair servings.

The usable amount of food left after trimming, cooking or processing, often expressed as a percentage of the raw weight purchased. Yield is used to work out the true cost of a portion.

A document listing every detail of a function - date, time, room, menu, cover count, layout, billing and special requests - so kitchen, service and front office all work from one instruction sheet.

The number of rooms sold divided by the number of rooms available, multiplied by 100. It is the basic measure of how well a hotel is filling its rooms on a given night.

The late-night front office routine that balances the day's accounts, posts room charges, settles no-shows, checks arrivals and departures, and produces the daily revenue report before the next business date.

A planning tool that lists a business's internal Strengths and Weaknesses alongside external Opportunities and Threats, helping an entrepreneur judge whether a venture can succeed and where to act first.

The money available for day-to-day running, calculated as current assets minus current liabilities. A food business needs enough of it to buy stock and pay bills before customers pay.

The level of sales at which total revenue exactly equals total cost, so the business makes neither profit nor loss. It is calculated from fixed costs and the contribution each cover or unit makes.

The cost of food used in a period divided by food sales for the same period, multiplied by 100. It is the main indicator of kitchen efficiency and of whether menu prices are healthy.

Suggesting a higher-priced or larger version of what the guest has already chosen - a premium drink, a side dish, a better room - helpfully, so the bill rises without pressure or irritation.

Personal cleanliness, a neat uniform, tidy hair, trimmed nails and a pleasant appearance maintained while on duty, which builds guest confidence and reflects the establishment's standards.

Non-verbal communication through posture, gestures, facial expression, eye contact and distance. In service it conveys welcome or impatience faster than words and must match the spoken message.