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Full-text Articles from the CET Spring 2008 Issue

Equipment in the Green Kitchen
Pastry cream: Making pastry cream starts by teaching the basics
The Future is Green in Hospitality and Tourism

Equipment in the Green Kitchen
Teach students energy efficiency and save your school money
Author: John A. Drysdale, M.S., F.M.P.

Editors Note: Part two of purchasing lab equipment will be published in the next edition of Chef Educator Today.

While many culinarians are getting into the green movement, some (and we know who you are) are dragging their feet. If you're one of those souls not really into this movement, look at it this way: Most of the aspects of embracing the green movement save money, primarily in energy costs. So, no matter what your viewpoint on this subject, going green is a win-win situation. In keeping with the green theme of this issue, let's discuss what you can do to conserve energy in your lab.

Refrigeration

Council your students to plan ahead. We all know they like to open the refrigerator or freezer door and then think, "Lets see; I need a little of this and a little of that and, oh look, I'll probably need some of those." The longer they stand there and debate, the more energy is wasted.

Over semester break when your inventory is low, consolidate product into one or two units and turn the temperature up on the empty ones.

Check the gaskets on the door. They should provide a proper seal.

Try and locate refrigeration in the coolest part of the lab, away from the cooking line if possible.

Keep the condenser coils clean. This should be done on a monthly basis, preferably by the students because it provides them with a great learning experience and establishes good habits for later in their careers.

Don't cram as much product into the cabinet as is humanly possible. Allow air to circulate to reduce energy consumption.

While walk-ins are necessary to store large quantities, keep in mind that they are very inefficient energy-wise. Too much wasted space is being refrigerated; plus when we walk in, our body temperature raises the temperature of the unit. If you have a walk-in, purchase plastic strip curtains to reduce the exchange of hot kitchen air with the cold walk-in air.

Cooking equipment

Minimize oven preheating. Many instructors have a bad habit of turning on appliances long before a lab starts and leaving them on between labs. In most cases, several minutes of preheating are all that is needed.

Purchase an inexpensive oven thermometer and use it to see if your ovens need to be calibrated.

If the oven has a window, use it. If not, trust the recipe instructions for time and temperature.

Clean the oven after each use, as cooked on spills act as an insulator.

Make sure that the bottom of pots and pans are flat. Over time, they tend to become bowed, which causes extra energy to be used to heat the product. Also, make sure that the bottoms are clean.

Use convection ovens when possible as they use less energy than a conventional oven.

Clean the ductwork in the exhaust system twice a year for fire safety as well as to eliminate resistance to air movement.

On gas ovens and ranges, make sure that the flame is blue. If there is any yellow, contact your gas service company to have the gas-to-air ratio calibrated.

Speaking of gas ranges, clean the burner ports weekly by boiling them in a strong lye-water solution for 15 minutes.

Drain and clean the deep fat fryer weekly (more or less depending on usage), as sediment collected in the "cool zone" acts as an insulator.

The water pan on proof boxes and hot holding cabinets should be cleaned and de-limed weekly to prevent buildup and wasted energy.

The steam generator on pressure steamers needs to be de-limed and de-scaled periodically. Also, check the gaskets (if used) on the door to make sure the seal is tight.

Plumbing

If you're going to purchase a dishwasher, consider a low temperature one. Keep in mind, however, that with some severe water conditions, they do not have as good of results as high-temperature units. If you have water-cooled refrigeration in your lab, rather than having the water go down the drain (which is quite hot after it cools the refrigeration unit) consider having it hooked up to the water going into the hot water tank. And twice a year, drain the hot water tank to remove collected sediment.

By all means, this list isn't comprehensive. If you have additional ideas to add to the list or methods used to teach conservation in the kitchen to students, e-mail them to me and we'll publish them in an upcoming issue. In the meantime, this checklist could be used by students to analyze the energy and water consumption of the classroom kitchen, and then work to fix and prevent problems they found along the way. It's a great opportunity for them to learn how to respect our environment and save money at the same time.

John A. Drysdale is professor emeritus in the Hospitality Management and Culinary Arts Program at Johnson County Community College. He is the author of Foodservice Equipment; Operation, Sanitation, & Maintenance, published by Hospitality Publishing and Profitable Menu Planning published by Prentice Hall. He can be reached at jadrysdale@juno.com.

Alto-Shaam's 7-14ES Electric Combitherm is designed with EcoSmart technology for reduced energy and water usage.

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Pastry cream
Making pastry cream starts by teaching the basics
Author: Jim Quinter, C.W.P.C.

We could say that pastry cream is the mother sauce for pasty chefs. There are so many different uses, including cream puffs, éclairs, chibost cream, soufflé and ice cream bases, cake filling, pies and even a quick crème anglaise.

Students must learn that each ingredient in pastry cream serves a useful purpose—starting with the egg. During the cooking process, the protein in eggs begins to coagulate, lending structure to the cream due to the strands of amino acids that become linked together. The yolks, which are comprised of fat and the enzyme alpha-amylase, speed up the chemical reaction that helps break down the starches for thickening. That is why students must be taught to bring pastry cream to a boil for 15 to 30 seconds to kill the alpha-amylase so it does not destroy the pastry cream as it cools by loosening up the starches and making it watery.

The proteins in milk (especially casein) should be watched because they dry out when they come into contact with air. To avoid the casein forming a skin atop the pastry cream, cover it with a sheet of plastic wrap during the cooling process.
Sugars are helpful in the egg and starch mixture because they help create air cells that make it easier to whip the eggs to a pale yellow or ribbon stage. Whipping the eggs to a ribbon stage then helps break down the starches and reduces the cooking time once returned to the heat. Sugars also help when mixed with the milk to help the cream come to temperature a little quicker.

The problem with sugars comes into play during mixing. Because sugar is hygroscopic, it will draw out water from the yolks and they will become dry and appear to be cooked, causing lumps. That is why students should know never to allow sugar and yolk to sit without whisking them together first.

Starches bring all the ingredients together. Although cornstarch or flour can be used as a thickener, most recipes call for cornstarch because it will stabilize the cream through the process of gelatinization. If the students do not learn to properly cook the mixture, the starches or flours will have a pasty taste. If that occurs, bring the pastry cream to a boil to kill the alpha-amylase and cook out the starch taste.

Teaching Tips

Use a non-reactive saucepan. Aluminum will have a chemical reaction with milk and when whisking (metal on metal) can turn your pastry cream gray.
Have a high-heat spatula ready when putting the cream back onto the stove to help get into the corners of the pan. When the mixture starts to thicken, vigorously whisk to prevent lumping.
Always keep the pastry cream moving with a medium flame under the pan; never let the flame rise up around the outside of the pan.
Cool pastry cream on a shallow sheet pan covered in plastic wrap for quick cooling and to reduce the risk of bacteria growth.

Pastry Cream
4 oz. sugar
1 qt. milk
4 egg yolks
2 whole eggs
2.5 oz. cornstarch
4 oz. sugar
2 oz. butter
1/2 oz. vanilla flavoring (or 1/2 vanilla bean)

Method (1) In a heavy saucepan dissolve sugar in milk and bring just to a boil. (2) With a whip beat yolk and whole eggs in a stainless steel bowl. (3) Sift starch and sugar into egg mixture. Whip until smooth. (4) Temper milk into egg mixture slowly. (5) Return pan to heat and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. (6) Remove from heat and stir in butter and flavor. (If using a bean split it and add to milk in step 1; remove before returning to the heat.) (7) Cool in the refrigerator on a sheet pan covered in plastic.

Jim Quinter graduated from the Restaurant School of Philadelphia at Walnut High College. In 1998 he earned an AA in pastry arts and was certified with the ACF as a C.W.P.C. He has been with Sullivan University in the baking and pastry program since October, 2005.

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The Future is Green in Hospitality and Tourism

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Full-text Articles from the CET Spring 2008 Issue

Equipment in the Green Kitchen Teach students energy efficiency and save your school money Author: John A. Drysdale, M.S., F.M.P.

Pastry cream Making pastry cream starts by teaching the basics Author: Jim Quinter, C.W.P.C.

The Future is Green in Hospitality and Tourism

Equipment in the Green Kitchen
Teach students energy efficiency and save your school money
Author: John A. Drysdale, M.S., F.M.P.

Pastry cream
Making pastry cream starts by teaching the basics
Author: Jim Quinter, C.W.P.C.