Practical Food Preparation and Service Skills
What is tested
Applied organisation, knife skills, cooking control, plating, service technique, hygiene and safety during a practical task, plus self-evaluation.
Core rules
- Write a time plan and a mise-en-place list before touching food; group tasks and dovetail them.
- Knife cuts: julienne, brunoise, dice, chiffonade; use the claw grip and a bridge hold for safety.
- Weigh and measure accurately; follow the standard recipe and portion control.
- Control heat and doneness: test with a skewer, thermometer or visual cue; season and taste with a clean spoon; rest meat.
- Plate with balance: protein, starch, vegetables, colour, height, edible garnish, clean rim, hot plate.
- Service: carry plates on the left, serve from the right, present correctly.
- Hygiene and safety throughout: wash hands, separate boards, keep food out of the danger zone, handle knives and hot pans correctly.
Worked example
Plan a 90-minute practical producing soup and a grilled chicken main. Work backwards from service: plating 5 minutes, resting 5, grilling 15, soup reheating 10, preparation 35, setup and cleaning 20. Dovetail by putting stock on to simmer while chopping vegetables, and sanitising boards during oven time. Reasoning: backward planning protects the service time, and dovetailing uses waiting time productively.
Traps
- Starting plating when food is cold.
- Over-garnishing or using an inedible garnish.
- Using a tea towel as an oven glove.
- Tasting with the stirring spoon and returning it to the pot.