Kitchen Operations & Sanitation
The Brigade System
The professional kitchen runs on a clear hierarchy. Executive Chef: overall menu design and direction. Sous Chef: day-to-day execution and staff management. Chef de Partie: owns one station — Saucier (sauces/meat), Poissonier (fish), Garde Manger (cold larder), Entremétier (vegetables/starches). Commis: junior assistant who preps and learns. Expediter: coordinates the pass between kitchen and dining room. Every instruction flows down this hierarchy. Silence and speed are expressions of respect.
Food Safety — HACCP
The Danger Zone is 4°C–60°C (40°F–140°F): bacteria double every 20 minutes in this range. HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points) controls every stage where contamination can occur. Key rules: receive cold food cold (below 4°C). Store raw poultry on the bottom shelf, ready-to-eat foods on top. Cool hot food through the danger zone in under two hours. Reheat to 74°C (165°F) before service. Wash hands between every raw protein.
Mise en Place
"Everything in its place" — mise en place is not tidiness, it is cognitive architecture. When all ingredients are peeled, measured, and positioned before the heat goes on, you cook with complete attention on the food. When you are peeling garlic while the onions are burning, you are failing. Professional cooks spend 80% of their time on prep and 20% on execution.
Knife Anatomy & Maintenance
The Chef's Knife
Heel: heavy chopping through dense vegetables. Belly: the curved section for rocking cuts through herbs. Tip: fine work and precision scoring. Spine: cracking spice pods or gently nudging food. Full tang (metal running the full length of the handle) indicates quality and balance. Western knives: double-bevel at 20–25° per side — robust and easy to maintain. Japanese knives: single-bevel at 12–15° — razor sharp but more brittle.
The Claw & Pinch Grip
Pinch grip: thumb and forefinger pinch the blade at the bolster, remaining three fingers grip the handle. This positions your hand forward for balance and control. Claw grip: fingertips curled under, knuckles forward as a guide for the blade side — the blade cannot reach the fingertips. Both grips must become unconscious before you build speed.
Sharpening vs Honing
Honing realigns the microscopic teeth of the edge that fold during use — it does not remove metal. Hone every 15 minutes of continuous cutting. Sharpening removes metal to form a new edge — use when honing no longer restores bite. Whetstone progression: 1000-grit (set bevel) → 3000-grit (refine) → 6000-grit (polish) → leather strop.
Classical Knife Cuts
Squaring the Vegetable
Before any precise cut, create a stable, flat surface. Trim one side of the vegetable flat — this face goes face-down, eliminating rolling. All subsequent cuts are now safe and accurate. This single preparatory step separates clean, uniform cuts from jagged uneven ones.
Batonnet to Medium Dice
Batonnet: 6mm × 6mm × 5cm sticks. Trim the squared vegetable into 6mm-thick planks, then into 6mm sticks. Medium dice: rotate and cross-cut at 6mm intervals to produce 6mm cubes. Uniformity means uniform cooking time — one overcooked cube ruins a dish equally with one undercooked.
Julienne, Brunoise & Chiffonade
Julienne: 3mm × 3mm × 5cm matchsticks. Brunoise: cross-cut julienne at 3mm — the smallest standard dice, used for garnishes and fine sauces. Chiffonade: stack herb leaves, roll into a tight cigar, slice across into thin ribbons. Slicing rather than chopping avoids bruising leaf cells, which turns basil black.
The Knife Skills Platter
Present a platter with exactly one cup each of: carrot brunoise (3mm), potato batonnet (6mm sticks), onion small dice (6mm), and basil chiffonade. Every piece must be uniform.
Success criteria: All cuts within 1mm of target dimension. No wedge shapes or tapers. Chiffonade shows no bruising. The platter looks professional.
Phase 1 Practice Exercises
12 exercises to build skill through direct application.
Onion Dice Drill
Dice 10 onions in medium dice. Time yourself. Maintain claw and pinch grip.
- Claw grip muscle memory
- Medium dice uniformity
- Speed without sacrificing safety
Carrot Brunoise
100g carrot brunoise (3mm). Check every cube against a ruler.
- Brunoise precision
- Squaring technique
- Fine motor knife control
Basil Chiffonade
Chiffonade a full bunch of basil. Properly cut basil stays bright green.
- Cell-preserving cutting
- Rolling technique
- Herb handling
Full Mise en Place
Prep all ingredients for a stir-fry before touching the heat.
- Mise en place discipline
- Before-heat protocol
- Kitchen organisation
Danger Zone Cooling
Cool a hot liquid from 60°C to 4°C. Record time. Optimise to under 2 hours.
- Danger zone awareness
- Rapid cooling technique
- Food safety verification
Honing Rhythm
Hone your knife every 15 minutes during a 1-hour prep session.
- Honing reflex
- Edge maintenance
- Sharpness testing
Batonnet Precision
100g potato batonnet. Measure every 10th stick.
- Batonnet uniformity
- Stable cutting platform
- Consistent cross-cuts
Garlic Mincing
Mince 1 full head of garlic using knife only — no press, no grater.
- Mincing technique
- Fine edge work
- Cell breakdown understanding
Whetstone Sharpening
Sharpen a knife on 1000-grit stone. Test on a tomato before and after.
- Whetstone technique
- Consistent bevel angle
- Edge assessment
Cross-Contamination Audit
Photograph kitchen setup. Identify every risk. Fix each one.
- HACCP application
- Risk identification
- Practical food safety
Speed Dice Challenge
Dice 3 onions as fast as possible maintaining the claw grip. Time daily for a week.
- Speed under pressure
- Grip discipline
- Repetition improvement
Recipe Mise en Place
Prep a complete recipe entirely before applying heat. Photograph your setup.
- Complete mise en place
- Professional workflow
- Process discipline