Chinese Cuisine Craftsman study guide
Chinese Cuisine Craftsman · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
The Chinese Cuisine Craftsman credential is an independent, competency-based assessment for cooks who want to demonstrate professional-level skill in Chinese culinary arts. It suits line cooks, sous chefs, and culinary students preparing for leadership roles in Chinese kitchens, from regional restaurants to hotel banquets. The Chinese Cuisine Craftsman study guide has 9 sections and about 3,077 words.
01Chinese Culinary Fundamentals: Regional Cuisines, Flavour Profiles, Ingredient Knowledge
This domain tests whether you can place a dish inside China's regional system and justify every seasoning decision with an ingredient fact rather than habit. 川菜 (Sichuan): 麻辣、鱼香、怪味、糊辣, built on 郫县豆瓣、汉源花椒、泡椒.
322 words, about 2 min02Knife Skills, Cutting Techniques and Mise en Place
This domain tests measurable knife output: uniform block dimensions, correct grain direction, controlled 花刀 depth, and a station that is fully prepped before the wok is lit. 直刀切 for crisp vegetables; 推刀切 for boneless meat; 拉刀切 for fibrous or sinewy cuts; 锯刀切 for soft items such as cooked meat; 铡刀 (double knife) for 茸 and 末.
334 words, about 2 min03Cooking Methods and Heat Control: Stir-fry, Braise, Steam, Roast, Double-boil
This domain tests whether you can name the heat level, the time, and the thickening method for a given dish - and explain why they were chosen. 旺火 for 炒 and 爆, roughly 30–60 seconds of contact; 中火 for 烧 and 焖; 小火 for 炖 and 煨; 微火 for 吊汤 and holding.
384 words, about 2 min04Food Safety, Hygiene and Kitchen Sanitation (HACCP)
This domain tests numbers and control points: temperatures, holding times, sample retention, and the seven HACCP principles applied to a working Chinese kitchen. 冷藏 0–4 °C; 冷冻 at or below −18 °C; danger zone 5–60 °C; cooked food centre temperature at least 70 °C (74 °C is the practical target for poultry); 留样 125 g per dish at 0–4 °C for 48 hours; two-stage cooling of 60 → 21 °C within 2 hours and 21 → 5 °C within 4 hours.
360 words, about 2 min05Nutrition, Dietary Balance and Menu Planning
This domain tests whether you can build a menu that hits dietary targets without losing the cooking - and whether you know which technique destroys which nutrient. Salt under 5 g; cooking oil 25–30 g; added sugar under 25 g with an upper limit of 50 g; 谷薯类 250–400 g; 蔬菜 300–500 g; 水果 200–350 g; 畜禽肉 40–75 g; 水产 40–75 g; 蛋 40–50 g; 奶及奶制品 300 g; 大豆及坚果 25–35 g.
325 words, about 2 min06Menu Design, Costing and Kitchen Management
This domain tests arithmetic and structure: net yield, two different margin definitions, pricing formula, and a kitchen layout that keeps raw and cooked flows apart. Keep 荤素 near 6:4 across the hot dishes and never repeat a 味型 within the same menu - two 鱼香 dishes is a design fault, not a coincidence.
319 words, about 2 min07Practical Dish Preparation and Plating to Standard
This domain tests execution under observation: whether the dish is cooked to the standard, thickened correctly, hot enough, and plated cleanly enough to leave the pass. 色、香、味、形、器 plus temperature and hygiene.
351 words, about 2 min08Professional Ethics, Sustainability and Culinary Heritage
This domain tests judgement: what the law requires, what sustainability looks like in a real kitchen, and how a craft tradition is transmitted rather than merely claimed. 食品安全法 prohibits non-food raw materials, recovered 地沟油, and expired ingredients.
352 words, about 2 min09Creative Integration and Modern Chinese Cuisine Innovation
This domain tests whether you can update a dish with technique and still answer for flavour, cost, safety and speed of service. 中菜西做: 低温慢煮, plated portions, sauce work, resting and temperature control.
330 words, about 2 min