The operation of the kitchen
Preparing for your assessment
In your assessment for this Unit, you will need to demonstrate that you are able to:
- Describe the operation of the kitchen
You’ll find lots of useful information over the following pages to help you complete this part of your assessment.
Think first
Spend some time thinking about what you may already know about how a kitchen operates. Perhaps you have seen professional kitchens on television or you know someone who works in one. Make notes about what you may have observed in a professional kitchen – consider the shape, size and layout of the kitchen, the type of people who work there and the different tasks that are performed.
The layout of any kitchen operation is extremely important. The layout has an impact on the overall operation of the kitchen and how efficiently and effectively kitchen staff are able to carry out their work tasks. If staff are able to work efficiently and effectively, then customers will receive excellent service and the business will operate successfully. The kitchen will produce high-quality food, for the required number of customers, on time, and key resources (including staff, ingredients and equipment) will be used effectively.
When deciding on the kitchen layout, the requirements of the kitchen must be clearly identified in terms of the type of food that is to be prepared, cooked and served. The activities and tasks involved in the process, the different types of equipment needed and the kitchen staff themselves must also be planned very carefully – you will learn more about all of these elements later in this Session.
The kitchen layout will be determined by the menu that is being served and the amount of customers that need to be served. The layout needs to ensure that the right equipment, workstations and space are available for the tasks that need to be carried out. For example, consider the importance of food storage areas being positioned near to where food deliveries are received, or a finishing station being positioned close to the servery where waiting staff will come to collect dishes for service.
When a kitchen is well-organised with an effective layout, tasks may be allocated and carried out effectively and all workers know what their responsibilities are.
Key point
Different types of kitchens will have different considerations when it comes to layout and overall operation. For example:
- A hotel kitchen with a large brigade of chefs will offer a wide range of dishes. For this to happen successfully, the kitchen must carry out a lot of preparation work prior to service (for example, preparation for evening service will take place during the day). The kitchen must be able to store and refrigerate this prepared food until it is needed during service.
- A small restaurant that provides a limited menu may employ fewer staff, but still be able to serve large numbers of customers (the limited menu means that only a certain amount of tasks need to be performed in the kitchen).
- Catering providers with limited kitchen facilities (such as on airlines or in department stores) may still need to produce and serve large amounts of food but the kitchen operation that provides the dishes will need to be adapted so that food can be prepared, produced and frozen/chilled so that staff are able to quickly reheat and finish the dishes just before service is needed.
- A cruise ship kitchen will need large storage units to keep enough food fresh for use throughout the journey.
On the web
Why not go to Google Images and search for ‘commercial kitchen layouts’ – check out the different options that you can see in the results.