Terms Chefs Use !?!...

 Going to hotel school was one of the best things that can happen in the life of anyone. It has a way of preparing you for life through a course of studies that enables you to understand what you previously took for granted. 

There's so much more to food than just putting a collection of ingredients together because that's what an older family member did and call it a dish. They may have done this out of necessity not realizing that some of what they did has its beginnings in classical cooking. 

Questions surrounding consistency, portion control, yield management, texture, and colour, to mention a few develop their meanings when someone takes the time to study the processes and break them down in a manner that the methods can be taught and the outcomes are consistent. 

I remember having to learn kitchen French since if you had the opportunity to work in an international environment it was necessary to understand and be understood when communicating within a fast-paced kitchen environment.  This was one way to reduce misunderstandings and enhance the safety of working within a food and beverage area. 

There are common terms that Chef's team will use and methodologies that should exist to ensure that service goes well. There are many establishments cropping up where this information is lacking and it results in inconsistency of the end product. 

 We did not only learn to prepare the foods but how to describe them in a way that made them seem appetizing, presenting a clear visual to the patron. We also could say what their tastes and textures were. Nowadays, too many servers go with this sickening phrase, "I don't know", to indicate that they have never had it. In other words, so sampling was done with the sales team "serving staff" so they can do a good job of presenting it to guests. 

If you want to improve your knowledge of food service just a little then learn from this list and seek help from qualified people as to the meanings: Here's the list via this link. Learn its contents and share it with others. Then find out how you can apply terms from this list to your offering. 

With all this preamble, can we get the consistency of product when we use these techniques of the kitchen in food preparations? 

Across the Caribbean, we use base ingredients with different outcomes based on our cultural practices and traditions. E.g. Akra, fishballs, fritters, fishcakes 

Antigua Ducana and Saltfish

Trinidad Paime

Whatever you decide to eat, one thing is certain, there's diversity of cuisine in the Caribbean. Given the use of the technical cooking terms, one thing is certain, you'll be in for a gastronomic treat.