In restaurants, the visitor’s question about the components of an unfamiliar dish is puzzling or the answer is that this is a big secret. The client wants to know exactly what he ate - this is a completely normal requirement. To give an answer, you can look into the routing.
Why make up a routing?
In the work of catering enterprises focused on a different level of providing such a service, a mandatory requirement is the availability of such a document as a technological map of a dish. Without it, the enterprise is not allowed to work. Why does the card exist? This is a question of random people in the restaurant business, because cooking cards have all the information that begins with the purchase of products and ends with the work of a waiter who puts the customer’s order on a properly served table. Proper drafting of this document allows chefs to find a way out of any situation in the kitchen without the instructions of the chef. For the owners of the restaurant, the technological plan of the dish performs the function of controlling the consumption of products, the cost of each dish, the cost of raw materials, obtaining daily revenue and calculating the profitability of the enterprise and many other functions. This is a basic document that allows you to find out the profitability of the restaurant.
Cooking technology - what is it?
The cooking technology includes all concepts about products, starting from their quality, ending with the chemical composition and consumer value, about the methods of processing raw materials and semi-finished products, about the correct methods of storage of products, blanks and finished products. There are also requirements for equipment, inventory in the kitchen with step-by-step instructions for all the actions of the cook. In general, work at catering establishments is technological maps for dishes. Thanks to these nondescript tables and descriptions, it becomes possible to properly, beautifully, tasty, healthy and timely feed the client with the ordered food in the volume that is stated in the menu. Then get a certain price for such a service that will provide a profit to a restaurant or cafe, and a random person who is satisfied with the combination of the quality of food and its price becomes a regular customer.
What data is in this document?
The information carried by cooking cards certainly includes the ways in which raw products are cleaned, washed, cut, and subjected to some heat treatment. There are net and gross weight of products, their grade and quality, storage rules for raw materials and prepared foods. This information should correspond to special collections of recipes that are referenced in the map. Each technological map of the dish explains how to prepare the raw materials, how long and at what temperature the product is processed, what weight losses occur during proper heat treatment, starting from the preparatory stage and ending with the stove. These data will allow the cook to use the necessary amount of product for cooking portioned dishes. In addition to step-by-step instructions, technological sheets for dishes contain data on the possible replacement of products, which are also regulated by special collections and allow you to make adjustments without losing taste and nutritional value. Up to registration and filing - everything is written in this document.
How to draw a map?
In order for the technological map of the dish to be drawn up correctly and to fulfill its functional load, the following data must be entered into it.
- On the nutritional value of the dish, the data is calculated according to special tables of the collection of recipes, taking into account the calorie content and chemical components per 100 g of the finished product or portion.
- You can find out about the terms and conditions of supply of the finished product in the same source - these are instructions on the time frame of preparation and the issuance of an order taking into account the serving temperature of the components of the dish.
- It is necessary to know about the requirements for the proper storage and sale of the product so that the pre-purchased raw materials are suitable for use in cooking or for the production of semi-finished products, which should also be in a certain temperature environment and in proximity to other components.
- On the technology of the complete readiness of the dish for serving. The preparation, processing, sequence and combination of each product included in the recipe are signed. It also discusses: the possible interchangeability of products, time and temperature conditions, actions when serving a dish, its design and the intended combination with other products (meat with a side dish).
- About the recipe, the data are entered strictly according to the collection, taking into account the weight of the raw product, semi-finished product and the finished culinary product, minus the quality categories and natural losses.
What can be learned from this document?
Technological maps for dishes make the work of cooks of any category easier. It is no secret that many restaurant-type establishments undertake to train cooks from scratch, referring to a specific menu and an experienced chef. The question of such training is whether a kitchen professional will be able to tell the beginner everything that is needed, and will he want to do it? For a novice cook, it is much more useful to read the verified information gathered in a single document. It is also useful for experienced workers to read such a card, because there are culinary products on the menu that are ordered once a year, and some of the subtleties of the technology can be forgotten. However, the most important function of cards is the acquisition of a strictly necessary quantity of products and their correct consumption. And also - the most delicious dish, but forgotten by the waiter or cooked incorrectly, can forever deprive the reputation of any kitchen.