Topic

kitchen layouts

The kitchen is a working room which must be easy and efficient to work in, therefore it must be well
planned.

The kitchen should be designed so that time and energy are not wasted by moving from one area to
another, and that excessive bending and stretching in order to use equipment are avoided.

There should be easy access to the sink, fridge and stove and also countertop workstations; these
make the kitchen triangle ie the area of great activity. The triangle should be between 10-25feet of
each other. Too small, people will trip over each other, too large, work in the kitchen will be a tiring
task.

The common kitchen layouts are

u-shaped layout

l-shaped layout

G-shaped layout

Gallery or Corridor style layout

The U-shaped layout

It provides a massive expanse of counter and storage space as well as great flexibility.

It is great for a one cook kitchen.

The cook can get work done while facing out of the kitchen, allowing for conversation and ability to
keep an eye on family activity

It enables a second cook to help with meal preparation and clean-up.

THE L-SHAPED LAYOUT

It consist of two adjacent perpendicular walls.

It can range in size from small to large depending on the length of the legs.

It enables to incorporate multiple cooks, invite guests into the cooking area and allow for mingling
and conversation during a family dinner or cocktail party.

It forces traffic out of the kitchen. It is ideal for more privacy style while cooking.

An island can be added for more interaction with the family or guests.

Gallery or Corridor
This style has two straight runs on either side.

The sink is on one side and the range on the other.

Islands help replace needed storage that is lost in an open kitchen design with limited wall cabinets.
G-SHAPED LAYOUT

Is a U-shaped layout with a fourth leg, attached to one side of the U at a right angle or obtuse angle.

Normally, this fourth leg is a peninsular because having a wall and upper cabinets would clearly close
off the kitchen from the rest of the home.

Meat
Definition ....meat is the flesh of animals slaughtered for consumption

Classification...meat is classified into 2

A)red meat ...eg beef, mutton , goat meat, game meat

b) white meat eg fish, poultry, pork

structure of meat

tenderness in meat

is the “softness’’ of meat which makes it cook faster. The tenderness of meat is determined by

- Size of muscle fibres.. meat made of small narrow fibres is more tender than meat made up
of larger fibres.
- Amount of connective tissue.... there is more connective tissue in tough meat than in tender
meat.
- Activity of animal just prior to death.... if the animal is very active before death, glycogen
levels are depleted therefore less lactic acid to tenderise the meat during hanging.
- Length of hanging.... during hanging, enzyme action causes a partial breakdown of proteins.

Choosing fresh meat

The colour of meat must be good

Meat should be moist but not dripping.

It should smell fresh

Lean meat should have a marbled appearance

Meat should be slightly springy to the touch.

Meat should not have too much visible fat and bones.

Buy cuts which are appropriate for the method of cooking you intent to use

Effect of cooking on meat

Meat is not palatable in its raw state so we cook it to enjoy it. Some changes take place in meat
as a result of cooking.

-some nutrients dissolve in cold water.

-Meat shrinks in size with cooking this is because the protein coagulate and shorten the muscle
fibres.
 -thiamin is lost during cooking.

When meat is cooked at low temperatures, a)shrinkage is reduced

b)it becomes more juicy

c)it is evenly cooked

-when roasting a joint, the fat becomes crisp and attractive.

Tenderising meat

Meat can be tenderised before cooking by

- Mechanically pounding
- Cutting across the muscle fibres to reduce their length
- Scoring with a fork or meat scorer
- Marinating in vinegar or alcohol and spices
- Use of enzymes such as papain which partially digest the protein
- Mincing

Fish

Classification
Fish are classified in two ways.

1) According to their origin, that is

i. freshwater fish eg, bream, tigerfish, trout
ii. Seawater fish eg herring , pilchards, mackerel etc

2)according to the fat content

i. oily fish eg mackerel, herring, pilchards, bream

ii. white fish eg hake, sole, coley, red bream, plaice
iii. shellfish is divided into a)molluscs eg cockels, mussels, winkels

b)crustaceans eg lobsters, crab, shrimp.

Choosing fresh fish

Fish should have :- a fresh sea smell

- plenty of bright scales, firmly attached to the skin

-a moist firm elastic skin

-bright eyes

-bright red gills

- plump firm flesh

Nutrients in fish

Fish is a good source of HBV protein

Oily fish contain fat soluble vitamin A and vitamin D in their flesh.

White fish contain vitamin A and D in the liver oils .

Calcium is found in fish bones

Seawater fish are good sources of iodine and fluorine

Sodium, chlorine, potassium and phosphorus are found in all fish

Storage of fish

Store fish in the coldest part of the refrigerator, well wrapped to prevent the strong odours from
contaminating other foods.

Eat fish as soon as possible after purchase

Preservation of fish

Fish can be preserved by curing with smoke

Salting and drying

Canning

Freezing.

Methods of cooking fish

Steaming eg steamed fish with parsley sauce

Frying eg fish-in batter

Stewing eg fish stew

Poaching eg poached fish

Baking eg baked haddock

Grilling eg grilled fish

Serving fish

Serve as soon as it is cooked for flavour and texture

Drain fried fish well , too much fat spoils the taste

Fish can be set in a gelatine mould and served cold with salad.

Accompaniments for fish include, curry sauce, mayonnaise, cheese sauce, tomato sauce etc