Republic of the Philippines

SURIGAO DEL NORTE STATE UNIVERSITY

Narciso St., Surigao City, Philippines, 8400

SUBJECT: 210 Meal Management and Menu Planning

TOPIC: Meal Preparation for Special Occasions

MEAL PREPARATION
Meal preparation means the ability to safely prepare food to meet the basic nutritional requirements of the
individual. It includes cutting food and placing food, dishes and utensils within reach for eating.

TYPES OF SPECIAL OCCASIONS

 Christmas  Thanksgiving
 New Year  Easter
 Birthdays  Religion’s Feast
 Weddings
PRODUCTION AND PREPARATION
Producing food for any special occasion requires a great deal of thought and preparation. Food ingredients,
equipment and facilities must be of a high standard and preparation techniques must follow hygiene and safety
regulations.
 Buying foods
When you buy potentially hazardous food, place it in insulated bags or boxes for transporting to the preparation
place if it is not close to your shops. Place your potentially hazardous food in a refrigerator or freezer as soon as
possible.
 Preparing food
 Make sure that hands, clothes, equipment and kitchen surfaces are clean. They will also need to be kept
clean throughout food preparation.
 If your event is to be held outdoors with limited facilities, prepare the food in a kitchen and then transport it
to the event.
 Preventing food from becoming contaminated during preparation
 Never use the same utensils for raw meats and foods that are ready to eat, such as cooked meats, unless
they have been thoroughly cleaned, sanitized and dried.
 Cooked food and other food that is ready to eat, such as salads, should always be placed on clean and dry
serving dishes.
 Follow the 2-Hour Rule – The absolute maximum time for leaving prepared foods at room temperature is 2
hours—including time for preparation, serving and eating. Discard any perishable foods left at room
temperature longer than 2 hours. If you are eating outdoors at a picnic or barbecue on a hot day, discard
foods after 1 hour.
 Cleaning and sanitizing utensils
There are three steps needed to effectively clean and sanitize utensils:
 Washing
 Sanitizing
 Drying
 Cooking
 Always cook food thoroughly. Do not partially cook food and then warm it up later.
 Cooking will reduce dangerous bacteria to safe levels if it is done properly.

Guidelines for Selecting and Preparing Food for Special Occasions.

1. FOOD BUDGET
 Make a Menu.
 Plan your meals around foods that are on sale.
 Seasonal Food Availability.
 Check your pantry, refrigerator, and freezer.
 Check and inspect the contaminated, damaged, rotten, or out-of-date foods
2. FOOD PREFERENCE OF GUEST
 Appropriate to the occasion and appeal the ages.
 Culture, religious beliefs and likes of the group in season
 Color, flavor, and texture
 Order food in suitable quantities to avoid wastage
 Prepare at a suitable time to ensure the best quality
 3. TOOLS AND EQUIPMENT
Kitchen equipment must be safe and reliable if it is to be used to prepare and serve food for special occasions.
Remember that:
1. Cutlery, plates and storage space in refrigerators, freezers, cupboards, and benches must be organized
before the event to avoid any last-minute shortages
2. Kitchen equipment such as hand mixers, microwave ovens, blenders and stoves must be tested and checked
before the event to detect any faulty equipment.
3. Oven, refrigerator, and freezer temperatures must be tested to see that they are suitable for keeping food safe
and so preventing any risk of food poisoning.
4. Equipment should be cleaned before and after use to ensure proper hygiene stored equipment can often
attract insects, rodents, and cockroaches.
5. There must be enough serving equipment such as spoons, forks and tongs-when people swap serving
utensils, cross-contamination can easily occur.
4. TIME AND ENERGY AVAILABLE
Take everything out – Place everything you need for your meal prepping on your countertop, so that you won’t
waste time searching.
 Guidelines On Time and Energy Management
The following guidelines or principles can help you to use time effectively and avoid stress.
 Start with the tasks that may require long time to accomplish.
 During the work process, wash up utensils and put them away
 To avoid confusion, fatigue and ensure that tasks are accomplished at a specific time, use a time plan.
 Arrange all the food preparation chores properly, so that they can be done sequentially.
 Use appropriate equipment for preparing various meals like using oven for baking.
 Learn and apply the best method for doing each task well.
 When performing a task in the kitchen, prepare properly. Do not put on an uncomfortable dress or high-
heeled shoes.

SMALL AND LARGE-SCALE CATERING

The size of an event can have a great impact on the preparation involved. Planning an event for five or ten people
is very different from organizing an event for hundreds of guests.
This planning is necessary to:
 avoid excessive waste of food and money
 avoid the embarrassment of running short of food
 ensure that the food is the best choice for the event.

TYPES OF FOOD SERVICE

 Food service is a process or system where food is served to a guest or customer in an establishment.
 Food Service means the storage, preparation, serving, and cleaning up of food intended for consumption in a
facility or a formal agreement that meals will be regularly catered by a third party.

TYPES OF FOOD SERVICE DEFINITION

1. WAITER SERVICE
2. CHINESE BANQUET
SERVICE
3. BUFFET-STYLE
Most known as sit-down service, this type of service requires a waiter to take care of
everything from taking orders to serving food and payment.
Benefits
 Service is more personalized as you serve diners directly.
 You can accommodate special requests more easily compared to other services.
Challenges
 It requires skilled service staff because the waiter must remember orders and
service protocols, as well as serve promptly.
 More prone to mistakes as miscommunication with the kitchen can lead to wrong
orders being served to guests.
This is another form of waiter service where each waiter takes care of a table or group
of tables with 10-12 guests. Dishes are usually communal and shared.
Benefits
Guests feel more relaxed because of the communal sharing dishes.
Food served is usually pre-ordered, so the waiters don’t have to worry about taking
orders.
Challenges
It requires several skilled staff because different tables you must be able to serve
simultaneously.
Coordination with the kitchen is crucial since servers must present the food all at once.
 Serving foods buffet-style can help make entertaining a number of guests more
 SERVICE enjoyable for the host. Just make sure to keep hot foods hot and cold foods cold.
 Make sure there are plenty of serving utensils to help your guests serve themselves
without mixing foods from different dishes.
Be sure to provide a serving spoon and plates for dips and salsas. Placing chips and
dips at opposite ends of the buffet table may also help discourage “double-dipping.”

In a buffet service, guests can choose their food from a wider selection made available
on the buffet line. There are 4 common types of buffet service:
1. Simple Buffet – Guests get food from a buffet line and waiters move around to clear
tables and help guests with minor requests.
2. Station-type buffet – Waiters serve the beverages while guests get the other dishes
from the buffet line.
3. Modified deluxe buffet – Tables are set with cutlery; waiters serve the beverages,
coffee, and dessert while guests get the other dishes from the buffet line.
4. Deluxe buffet – Waiters serve appetizers, soup and/or salads, and beverages.
Guests take the other dishes from the buffet line.
Benefits
Buffet tables are easy to prepare.
Waiters focus only on serving a few dishes and clearing tables.
Challenges
Last-minute special requests can be challenging because of time and resource
constraints.
This service can make diners feel alienated as waiters only clear plates and have little
interaction with them.
4. SELF - SERVICE In this type of food service, diners place, pay, and pick up their orders at a counter like
fast casual and fast-food establishments. 

Benefits
Waiters only need to stay behind the station counter to take orders.
Waiters do not have to go around the restaurant as the food is self-serviced.
Challenges
Diners expect quick service, so you must prepare or pre-prepare promptly.
Rush hours can be tiring and stressful because there may be queues. 

Prepared by:

MS. MIAMIE C. VILLA