COURSE OVERVIEW:
Welcome to the Prepare Appetisers & Salads course. This course is designed to provide you with the foundational knowledge and practical skills necessary to create a variety of appetisers and salads that meet high standards of quality and presentation. By the end of this course, you will be proficient in selecting ingredients, applying appropriate cookery methods, and presenting dishes attractively and safely.
In section A, we will explore essential culinary terms and trade names for ingredients commonly used in the production of appetisers and salads. Understanding the contents of date codes and rotation labels for stock is crucial for maintaining food freshness and safety. We will delve into the historical and cultural origins of appetisers and salads, providing context for their classical and contemporary variations.
You will learn to identify the characteristics of different appetisers and salads, focusing on appearance, presentation, taste, texture, and quality indicators. These include understanding freshness and other quality indicators that ensure the dishes you prepare meet professional standards.
Service style is an important aspect of food presentation, and you will explore various service styles, as well as the appropriate dressings, sauces, and garnishes for salads. We will cover mise en place requirements, which are essential for efficient kitchen operations, and discuss plating methods that enhance both the practicality of service and the customer’s dining experience.
The course will also address the appropriate environmental conditions for storing appetiser and salad products, ensuring that they remain safe and high-quality until they are served. You will learn safe operational practices using essential functions and features of equipment used to produce appetisers and salads.
Section B focuses on practical skills. You will learn to confirm food production requirements from standard recipes and calculate ingredient amounts accordingly. Identifying and selecting appetiser and salad ingredients from stores, ensuring they meet quality, freshness, and stock rotation requirements, is crucial for maintaining high standards.
Checking perishable supplies for spoilage or contamination prior to preparation is an essential step in food safety. You will also learn to select, assemble, and ensure the cleanliness of equipment before use, using it safely and hygienically according to manufacturer instructions.
Sorting and assembling ingredients according to food production sequencing, weighing and measuring ingredients, and creating portions according to recipes are key skills you will develop. You will practice cleaning and cutting salad ingredients using basic culinary cuts, minimising waste to maximise profitability.
Using relevant cookery methods for salads and appetisers, preparing sauces and dressings according to recipes, and making food quality adjustments within your scope of responsibility are important aspects of food preparation. Presenting prepared food items on appropriate service-ware, adding dips, sauces, and garnishes according to standard recipes, and visually evaluating dishes for presentation adjustments will ensure your dishes are both attractive and appetising.
Storing dishes in appropriate environmental conditions, cleaning work areas, and disposing of or storing surplus and re-usable by-products according to organisational procedures, environmental considerations, and cost-reduction initiatives are part of maintaining a professional kitchen environment.
You will follow standard recipes to prepare a variety of appetisers and salads, including antipasto, canapés, and tapas, as well as tossed, compound, farinaceous, warm, and fruit salads. Completing mise en place activities and using a range of ingredients such as bread and bakery items, dairy products, dressing ingredients, dry goods, eggs, farinaceous products, frozen goods, fruit, herbs and spices, meat, poultry, seafood, and vegetables will ensure you are well-rounded in your skills.
Using different cookery methods, including baking, boiling, frying, grilling, poaching, roasting, and steaming, will expand your culinary techniques. You will practice food safety for handling and storing food, and prepare, plate, and present two portions of each appetiser and salad within commercial time constraints and deadlines, following portion control procedures and responding to special customer requests.
By the end of this course, you will be capable of preparing and presenting a variety of appetisers and salads that meet professional standards, ensuring high quality and customer satisfaction.
This course is designed to align with the content outlined in the Nationally Recognised Unit of Competency SITHCCC028.
LEARNING OUTCOMES:
By the end of this course, you will be able to understand the following topics:
· Culinary terms and trade names for ingredients commonly used in the production of different appetisers and salads
· Contents of date codes and rotation labels for stock
· Historical and cultural origins of appetisers and salads
· Characteristics of different appetisers and salads
· Appearance and presentation
· Classical and contemporary variations
· Freshness and other quality indicators
· Service style, Taste, Texture
· Quality indicators for appetisers and salads
· Cookery methods for appetisers and salads
· Dressings, sauces and garnishes for salads
· Mise en place requirements for appetisers and salads
· Plating methods for practicality of service and customer consumption
· Appropriate environmental conditions for storing appetiser and salad products
· Safe operational practices using essential functions and features of equipment used to produce appetisers and salads
Section B: Performance Tasks
· Confirm food production requirements from standard recipes.
· Calculate ingredient amounts according to requirements.
· Identify and select appetiser and salad ingredients from stores according to recipe, quality, freshness and stock rotation requirements.
· Check perishable supplies for spoilage or contamination prior to preparation.
· Select type and size of equipment suitable to requirements.
· Safely assemble and ensure cleanliness of equipment before use.
· Use equipment safely and hygienically according to manufacturer instructions.
· Sort and assemble ingredients according to food production sequencing.
· Weigh and measure ingredients and create portions according to recipe.
· Clean and cut salad ingredients using basic culinary cuts according to quality standards.
· Minimise waste to maximise profitability of food items prepared.
· Select and use relevant cookery methods for salads and appetisers.
· Prepare sauces and dressings according to recipe.
· Follow standard recipes and make food quality adjustments within scope of responsibility.
· Present prepared food items on appropriate service-ware.
· Add dips, sauces and garnishes according to standard recipes.
· Visually evaluate dish and adjust presentation.
· Store dishes in appropriate environmental conditions.
· Clean work area and dispose of or store surplus and re-usable by-products according to organisational procedures, environmental considerations, and cost-reduction initiatives.
· Follow standard recipes to prepare the following appetisers and salads:
o appetisers: antipasto, canapés, tapas
o salads, including preparation of dressings as required by recipe: tossed, compound, farinaceous, warm, fruit
· Complete mise en place activities and follow standard recipes when preparing above appetisers and salads that use of each of the following ingredients at least once (at least once across preparation of the eight appetisers and salads): bread and bakery items, dairy products, dressing ingredients, dry goods, eggs, farinaceous products, frozen goods, fruit, herbs and spices, meat, poultry, seafood, vegetables
· Use each of the following cookery methods at least once when preparing the above appetisers and salads (at least once across preparation of the eight appetisers and salads): baking, boiling, frying, grilling, poaching, roasting, steaming
· Use food safety practices for handling and storing food
· Prepare, plate and present two portions of each of the above appetisers and salads:
o within commercial time constraints and deadlines
o following portion control procedures
o responding to at least one special customer request.
COURSE DURATION:
The typical duration of this course is approximately 2-3 hours to complete. Your enrolment is Valid for 12 Months. Start anytime and study at your own pace.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS:
You must have access to a computer or any mobile device with Adobe Acrobat Reader (free PDF Viewer) installed, to complete this course.
COURSE DELIVERY:
Purchase and download course content.
ASSESSMENT:
A simple 10-question true or false quiz with Unlimited Submission Attempts.
CERTIFICATION:
Upon course completion, you will receive a customised digital “Certificate of Completion”.