Tips, hints, and help in competition

She’s a competitor. Chef Francine Marz was a member of the competition team during her days in culinary school, and now she coaches the team at the Art Institute in Phoenix.

           

Following Saturday’s practice session, she had some general and also some very specific suggestions that went well beyond “Practice, practice, practice.”

General help in competition

• Know the rules and make sure you’re observing them to the letter.
• Know your recipes inside and out.
• Deve lop a timeline that includes techniques for each step of each recipe.  You can tape  a timeline to the top of your tool kit or keep it in a pocket for reference.
• Keep a clean working area.
•      Don’t leave anything stacked on the cutting board while you continue to cut other ingredients.
•      Have a waste bucket and a scrap can (so usable ingredients can be salvaged).
•      Clean up as you go and remember to maintain sanitation.
•      Be careful of cross-contamination.
• Have enough gloves along with you.
• Ditto on pots.  Have an extra one or two on hand in case something burns or you need to  redo  a step quickly.
• Don’t use glass containers for your mise en place – if they shatter, it’s a sanitation mess.
• Don’t wait until the night before competition to sharpen your knives – you need to know how sharp they are so you can avoid accidental cuts.
• During competition, stay busy every minute – or, at least, look as if you’re busy.
• Know how to think on your feet, so that nothing throws you off course.
• Taste, taste, taste! Know how each recipe is supposed to taste and get it as close as possible.
• Get a good oven thermometer and make sure you use it.
• Know your cooking temperatures as well as times!
• Stir everything as it should be stirred.
• Use enough ingredients to create a presentation plate, a tasting plate, and to resolve any mistakes or problems that may develop.
• Leave the food alone while it cooks!
• Don’t’ leave a plate to sit with half a presentation on it – plate everything at one time.
• Remember when plating: hot food, hot plate; cold food, cold plate.

Supreme poulet chasseur avec pommes chateau 

(Hunter’s chicken with turned, sauteed potatoes)

• Make sure your chicken breast is about the right size for a serving.  If it’s too large, cut it.
• Stock needs to be perfectly clear, with a good taste.
• To help sweeten the stock, add more onion.
• Be careful with the glace.  Even a small burned bit in your saucepan will give it a bitter, burned taste.   (Butter will help take care of lingering bitterness.)
• Don’t leave tomatoes or potatoes sitting in an ice bath.
• Remember to season the potatoes.
• Let the potatoes get just a little color in the saute pan.
• Be careful how you slice the chicken for plating; don’t fan it out too much (it will cool too quickly).
• Have some sauce under the chicken and  some sauce or garnish on top.
• Create a presentation with a delicate look to it; if you use a parsley or herb garnish, mince finely and don’t let it clump.   Also, it belongs on the food, not the plate.