SITHCCC043

Work effectively as a cook

Major Assessment C Activity
Version 1.0

Contextualised and customised by MIA

RTO: 40813

Student Name:

Student ID Number:

Trainer/Assessor
Name:
Class:
This activity will enable you to demonstrate the following performance evidence:
 Safely and hygienically prepare, cook and serve menu items for a minimum of 48 complete
service periods in a commercial kitchen, that cover a combination of:
o breakfast
o dinner
o lunch
 During the above service periods, prepare, cook and present items for at least two of the
following different menu styles:
o à la carte
o set menu
o buffet
o cyclical
 During the above service periods, prepare, cook and serve items from the following food
types that meet industry and organisational quality requirements:
o appetisers and salads
o fish and shellfish
o hot and cold desserts
o meat, poultry and game
o stocks, sauces and soups
o vegetables, fruit, eggs and farinaceous products
 During the above service periods:
o multi-task and integrate technical and other skills to respond to multiple demands
simultaneously
o work professionally as part of a team and coordinate team activities in line with kitchen
roles and responsibilities, and organisational requirements
o respond to special customer requests and dietary requirements
o prepare, plate and present dishes within the typical time constraints of a commercial
kitchen.

Answer the activity in as much detail as possible.

Equipment needed:

 Access to either a professional kitchen or training kitchen environment

 Access to relevant organisational requirements or Case Study B
 Access to work schedule example or Case Study C
 Relevant ingredients and equipment to carry out the task successfully
 Full kitchen staff team
 Mise en place lists, menus and standard recipes or Case Study D.

In a real or simulated workplace, you are required to safely and hygienically prepare, cook, and
serve menu items for a minimum of 48 complete service periods in a commercial kitchen. This
should cover a combination of:

 Breakfast
 Dinner
 Lunch.
During the service periods stated above, you are required to prepare, cook, and present items for
at least two of the following different menu styles:

 À la carte
 Set menu
 Buffet
 Cyclical.

You are also required to prepare, cook and serve items from the following food types that meet
industry and organisational quality requirements:

 Appetisers and salads

 Fish and shellfish
 Hot and cold desserts
 Meat, poultry and game
 Stocks, sauces and soups
 Vegetables, fruit, eggs and farinaceous products.

This task requires the completion of a journal. You will need to submit the completed journal as
part of your assessment for evidence and reference purposes.

If working in a simulated environment and have no access to organisational requirements, you

should refer to Case Study B – Simulated organisational procedures.

During these service periods you must:

 Document the whole process within a journal

 Multi-task and integrate technical and other skills to respond to multiple demands
simultaneously
 Work professionally as part of a team and coordinate team activities in line with kitchen
roles and responsibilities, and organisational requirements
 Respond to special customer requests and dietary requirements and interpret required
changes to food preparation lists and recipes
 Prepare, plate and present dishes within the typical time constraints of a commercial
kitchen.

1. This activity does not require observation.

Develop a work schedule for each upcoming service period to prioritise, sequence, delegate
and monitor tasks and processes for all the staff expected to be on shift.

You should have an example work schedule to use as a reference. If working in a simulated
environment, you should refer to Case Study C – Work schedule template.

Attach or record your work schedule in your journal.

2. This activity requires observation.

Organise a briefing session with all staff before each service period commences. This should
involve:
  Providing them with information about the upcoming service period
 Asking questions to clarify when further information is necessary
 Briefing members of the kitchen team on new products and recipes
 Anticipating and responding to any kitchen operation challenges.

Take notes of this discussion in your work journal.

3. This activity requires observation.

During each service period, you are required to gather and prepare the ingredients for a dish
that needs to be prepared. You must measure the quantities of ingredients required using
simple measuring instruments and follow all organisational procedures, hygiene practices and
mise en place lists.

If working in a simulated environment, you should refer to Case Study D – Dish options.

You should record the actions you took in your journal.

You should then interpret any required changes to food preparation lists and recipes within
the dish according to customer special requests and dietary requirements, taking care to
follow organisational requirements.

If working in a simulated environment, the organisational procedures from Case Study B –

Simulated organisational procedures can be used.

You should describe your key findings and any changes that need to be made within your
journal.

4. This activity does not require observation.

Upon completion of dishes within a service period, you should evaluate the quality and make
adjustments to a dish when necessary.

You should explain any adjustments you make and the reasoning behind them within your
journal.

5. This activity requires observation.

After the completion of each service period, you should organise a debriefing session with all
members of staff. Within this session you should:

 Listen to any colleague and customer comments, complaints, or questions

 Respond to colleagues’ feedback
 Discuss process improvements and changes to food production and service requirements,
which may include changes to food processes, work procedures and menus.

Take notes of this discussion in your work journal.

6. Once you have completed all 48 service periods, you should describe within your journal how
you have dealt with the pressure of work and coordinated your own safe work across multiple
tasks.
 Use the table below to structure your answer.

Service period elements Details

Service period number (1 - 48)

Work schedule and staffing requirements

Briefing session

Dishes prepared

Dietary changes and adjustments

Completion of dishes and adjustments

Debriefing session

Self-evaluation
Case Study B – Simulated organisational procedures

These policies and procedures have been created for all employees and customers health and safety
Therefore, you are responsible for closely observing these policies and rules.

General conduct

 No discrimination against other employees or guests

 You must follow all hand-washing and sanitising procedures

 No serving, eating, or taking food that has expired

 You must adhere to prescribed security, safety, or health procedures

 Eating, chewing gum, using cell phone or taking breaks in food-serving areas is strictly
prohibited

 Any malfunctions of kitchen equipment should be promptly reported to management for

maintenance.

Food storage

 All ingredients and supplies should be correctly labelled so that employees can quickly find
exactly what they need in the storeroom

 When shipments are received, all food temperatures will be checked to ensure they have
been maintained during transport preventing any spoilage

 Kitchens need to be equipped with fridge and freezer equipment that is of sufficient capacity
to properly store food

 All prepared, ready-to-eat foods and raw vegetables in refrigerated storage will not be
permitted to be stored below raw meat and fish products

 All food items need to be stored separately from all non-food items.

Dietary changes and special requests

Marking certain dishes on the menu with information such as dairy free (DF), or gluten free (GF) will
be helpful for guests and helps to indicate that we can cater for certain diets and special requests.

You should use separate equipment to cater for people with food allergies or intolerances. This
includes an extra sandwich press, deep fryer, and kitchen utensils such as chefs’ knives that should
all be clearly marked. Use a clear food labelling system to keep track of all ingredients in the kitchen.
The proper cleaning of kitchen equipment such as food processors is also important to avoid cross-
contamination.

The following points outline considerations that must be taken when serving specialist diets:
 Specialist organisations such as the Vegetarian and Vegan Society can go over your current
menu, ingredient by ingredient, to establish which dishes are worth converting

 For vegetarian or low-carb diets, the swaps are usually simpler as they do not require special
attention to allergens. However, broths and sauces can contain gelatine or other animal
products

 Use a separate counter and dedicated tools for gluten-free menu items. This will help
prevent cross-contamination, which can be harmful to those with celiac disease. The same
practice applies to nut allergies. Customers with a severe nut allergy require complete
sanitation of cooking materials, utensils, and plates

 Use icons to label specialty diet items such as easy-to-read icons on food packaging that
declare specialty diets including non-GMO, gluten-free, paleo, dairy-free and vegan

 Have a list of ingredients readily available and update menus with new specialty diet dishes.
Make copies for chefs and servers to easily access if a customer requests the information

 Have chef or manager “on call” to speak with diners about their dietary restrictions upon
their request.
Case Study C – Work schedule template
Time/Period Duration/Day Designated Menu Health and Additional
of week tasks requirements safety notes
requirements
Case Study D – Dish options
Dish 1 – Creamy mushroom pasta Dish 2 – Chicken satay salad

Ingredients: Ingredients:

 2 tbsp olive oil  1 tbsp tamari

 1 tbsp butter  1 tsp medium curry powder
 1 onion, finely chopped  ¼ tsp ground cumin
 250g button chestnut mushroom, sliced  1 garlic clove, finely grated
 1 garlic clove, finely grated  1 tsp clear honey
 100ml dry white wine  2 skinless chicken breast fillets (or use
 200ml double cream turkey breast)
 1 lemon, zest only  1 tbsp crunchy peanut butter (choose a
 200g parmesan (or vegetarian alternative), sugar-free version with no palm oil, if
grated, plus extra to serve possible)
 300g tagliatelle or linguini  1 tbsp sweet chilli sauce
 ½ small bunch parsley, finely chopped.  1 tbsp lime juice
 sunflower oil, for wiping the pan
 2 Little Gem lettuce hearts, cut into wedges
 ¼ cucumber, halved and sliced
 1 banana shallot, halved and thinly sliced
 coriander, chopped
 seeds from ½ pomegranate.

Dish 3 – Vegetarian casserole Dish 4 – Chorizo and pea risotto

Ingredients: Ingredients:

 1 tbsp olive or rapeseed oil  1 tbsp oil

 1 onion, finely chopped  200g chorizo, peeled and chopped
 3 garlic cloves, sliced  300g arborio risotto rice
 1 tsp smoked paprika  2 tbsp vinegar (white wine vinegar if you
 ½ tsp ground cumin have it)
 1 tbsp dried thyme  1.2l chicken stock (fresh is best), heated
 3 medium carrots, sliced (about 200g) until simmering
 2 medium sticks celery, finely sliced (about  200g frozen peas
120g)  60g parmesan, finely grated, plus extra to
 1 red pepper, chopped serve.
 1 yellow pepper, chopped
 2 x 400g cans tomatoes or peeled cherry
tomatoes
 1 vegetable stock cube made up to 250ml
 2 courgettes, sliced thickly
 2 sprigs fresh thyme
 250g cooked lentils.