Control plays a major role in any catering establishment. To have control in an organisation the following points have to be considered: purchasing of food, storage of food, proper security, proper preparation of the food, proper storage and presentation of the food, optimum usage of energy, usage of proper equipment, and maintaining proper hygiene.
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
1. What is a purchase cycle?
A purchase cycle has the following steps:
Purchasing: This includes product testing, yield testing, purchase specification, the buying process and documentation.
Receiving: Quantity and quality inspection followed by documentation.
Storing and issuing: First In First Out (FIFO) and Last In First Out (LIFO) depending upon the product, stock taking, documentation (bin card, requisitions, stock taking register).
Preparing: Volume forecasting, portion control.
Selling: Control of cash and documentation such as bills generated and sales analysis.
2. What are the points to be considered while storing food in a dry store?
The points to be considered while storing food in a dry store are:
Food entering and leaving the stores should be properly checked.
The store should be cool, preferably facing north.
The store should be well ventilated and free from dampness.
The store should be conveniently located to receive the goods being delivered by the suppliers.
The stocks of food should be kept at a suitable level so as to eliminate the risk of running out of a commodity.
Good lighting, both natural and artificial is necessary.
It should be equipped with both small and large, efficient, easy to clean weighing machines.
3. What are the storage points to be considered?
The storage points to be considered are:
Comply with ‘best by' or ‘use by' dates.
Old stock should be brought forward as and when the new supplies arrive.
Stock should be inspected regularly, particularly cereals and cereal products, to avoid infestation.
Tinned goods should be unpacked from boxes, inspected and then stacked on shelves.
Cleaning materials, which often have a strong smell, should be kept in a separate store.
4. What is a bin card?
A bin card is used to record data. The following points are mentioned on a bin card: name of the commodity, the unit of issue, the date the goods are received and issued, who they are received
from and issued to, maximum and minimum stock, total quantity received and total quantity issued, the balance held as stock.
5. What are the points to be considered while storing meat and poultry?
The points to be considered while storing meat and poultry are:
Joints of meat should be hung on hooks with drip trays under them.
The temperature of the refrigerator should be between –1 and 1°C.
Humidity level should be around 90%.
Drip trays and other trays used for meat or poultry should be cleaned daily.
Frozen meats and poultry should be stored at a temperature between –20 to –18°C
6. What are the points to be considered while storing fish?
The points to be considered while storing fish are:
It should be stored on ice or in a fish refrigerator at a temperature between –1 to 1°C.
Different types of fish should be kept separately.
Smoked fish should be stored separately from fresh fish.
Frozen fish should be stored at –18°C.
7. What are the points to be considered while storing vegetables?
The points to be considered while storing vegetables are:
Store the green vegetables on the racks in a refrigerator.
Store lettuce in a cool environment.
Onions and shallots should be stored in a net.
Potatoes should be stored in a dry store and not in a refrigerator.
Mushrooms must be kept in containers.
All vegetables should be stored at a temperature between 4–6°C.
8. At what temperature should dairy products such as milk, cheese, and butter be stored?
All dairy products should be stored in a refrigerator at a temperature in the region of 5°C.
9. What is standard purchase specification?
Standard purchase specifications are documents which are prepared for each commodity suitable for the organisation. They describe the size, weight and volume of the commodity.
10. What are the reasons for preparing a standard specification?
Preparing a standard specification enables the organisation to prepare a standard product for its customers. The portion and yield of the food remain constant and so the food cost is controlled.
11. What is a standard recipe?
A standard recipe is a written recipe with the ingredients, quantity, and the procedure for a certain dish maintaining the quality of the ingredients and the method of preparation.
12. What is cost control?
It is the process by which the exact cost of each item produced is calculated, using cost analysis and cost information and taking into consideration the net profit of each section of the organisation.
13. What are the major problems of food and beverage control?
The major problems of food and beverage control are:
Perishability of food: Raw and cooked food is a perishable product and has a limited life.
Predictability of the volume of business: Sales instability may lead to a change in volume of business and a change in the quantity of a commodity purchased.
Menu mix unpredictability: To be competitive and satisfy a particular market the establishment must offer a wide choice of menu items to the customer with an intuition of predicting the sale of menu items.
14. What is break even analysis?
Break even analysis is the relationship between fixed, semi fixed and variable costs. It is carried out at specific volumes of business and is represented graphically.
15. What is BEP?
Break Even Point (BEP) is that volume of business where the total
costs are equal to the sales and where neither a profit nor a loss is made.
16. What is a standard portion?
A standard portion is the quantity of a particular food item which is served to a customer; its quantity is measured either in volume or by weight. The size of a portion of a particular dish is decided by the management in consultation with the heads of kitchen and the restaurant.
REFERENCES
Davis, B., Lockwood, A., Alcott, P. and Pantelidis, I.S., Food and Beverage Management, Fourth Edition, Elsevier, London 2008
Foskett, D. and Ceserani, V., The Theory of Catering, Eleventh Edition, BookPower, London, 2007