Hot shop chef: job features and responsibilities

From the name "cook of a hot shop" it is often concluded that he only cooks hot dishes. But the features of work in this area are not limited to high temperature. Functional responsibilities can be noticeably more diverse, and you must always remember them.

The cook of the hot shop is one of the key figures in the industrial or school canteen, and in a restaurant of a solid level. Everywhere it is hot food that is a fundamental component of nutrition. And it is precisely on it that they primarily judge the skill of the cook team, the dignity of the institution as a whole. But cooks in a hot shop can be very different. There is a difference between them, if only because of narrow specialization.

In the hot shop:

• passes a heat treatment of a wide range of products;
• prefabricated semi-finished products are brought to full readiness;
• first, second courses are created;
• sweet food is made;
• Confectionery is baked.

Such complex culinary processes would be inconceivable without the proper organization of the workplace. Although the administration is responsible for its preparation, the contribution of the cooks themselves cannot be ignored either.

They themselves must also ensure that everything is in perfect order. Will have to use:

• ovens;
• electric and gas stoves;
• refrigerators;
• shelving;
• special desktops;
• cooking boilers with internal water supply.

Very large hot shops can be further divided into soup and sauce segments.In any case, there stands professional culinary equipment, which is more perfect than household analogues. For fish dishes, a separate working zone is most often allocated so that fish and meat do not intersect. The organization of jobs is affected by:

• the degree of specialization of cooks and their plots;
• the availability of equipment;
• variety of culinary products;
• total cook production.

The cooks of the hot shop can be trained both in higher and in secondary special educational institutions. However, such a specialist (and in the framework of culinary production this is a specialist) must know in both cases the recipes and technologies for the preparation of semi-finished products. Upon receipt of higher education there are no requirements for experience. Culinary graduates from a college or college will have to work a preliminary year of 1 year or more in other positions.

The necessary qualification level also implies the possession of:

• principles of storing dishes, dividing them into portions and attractive serving rates;
• methods of organoleptic quality assessment;
• methods to eliminate the shortcomings of ready meals;
• basic methods of food processing, their nuances and limitations;
• the art of using aromatic components, spices and spices.

The specific functionality, as already mentioned, depends on the scale of the kitchen. In small restaurants and canteens, usually one chef is responsible for the entire plot. In more reputable institutions, someone makes sauces, someone makes soups, someone fries meat. The duties are usually assigned by the chef, who is the highest authority in this matter. It is extremely rare for administrators to intervene in this topic.

Important: the cooks of the hot shop usually do not prepare semi-finished products from meat and fish, auxiliary and preparatory work. This is the prerogative of the employees of the butcher shop and assistants, respectively. But no one can relieve the cook of the obligation to comply with cooking technology and sanitary and hygienic standards. In such a position, it is very important to act in a strict discipline mode and carefully consider the time spent.

Cooks in the hot shop must evaluate for themselves what the quality of the products and raw materials is. They release dishes at the distribution (unless another employee does this). These specialists ensure that everything is stored properly, so that the workplaces and around them are clean. Ideal cleanliness should be maintained both inside the refrigerator and in the utility rooms. It is also worth saying about the necessary qualities:

• absolute responsibility;
• punctuality;
• excellent eye
• sense of time;
• willingness and ability to work in a group;
• willingness to carry out a large amount of work;
• physical stamina.

According to this document, the cooks of the hot shops follow the instructions of the sous chefs and chefs. They give orders to trainees and assistant cooks. Be sure to have to interact with administrators, waiters and junior kitchen staff. In job descriptions they often write that it is necessary to control the freshness of the products and their conformity to the menu, the consistency and the necessary form of slicing. After each manipulation and at the end of the working day, “hot” cooks clean their jobs.

When they hand over the shift, it is necessary to indicate what blanks are there, if necessary, apply for the missing products. The cook of the hot shop has the authority. So, he has the right to demand all the documents necessary for the organization of culinary production.There is also the right to participate in the inventory, in checking the technical and operational status of kitchen equipment. There is also the right to make suggestions on how to improve production, how to expand the assortment and improve the quality of food.

The hot shop chef is responsible for:

• food quality;
• compliance with its exit standards;
• keeping order while cooking;
• compliance with requirements for taste and design;
• violation of safety standards and sanitation;
• maintenance of inventory, products and other property;
• prompt execution of all orders;
• material damage;
• intentional non-fulfillment of duties.