SITHCCC014 - Prepare meat dishes

SECTION 1: SELECT INGREDIENTS

Q1: List three factors you must consider when confirming food production
requirements.
 Menu
Number of Customers
 Sales figures

Q2: You have a recipe for 12 portions of beef stew. The recipe lists 1 kg beef and
24 mushrooms in the required ingredients. How much of each ingredient do you
need to prepare 36 portions?
 3 kg beef
 72 mushrooms.

Q3: You need to select some fresh meat for a recipe you’re preparing. List four
quality indicators you’ll look for.
 Flesh should show no signs of bruising, be firm, moist and have a texture
appropriate to the meat type and cut.
 Temperature of fresh meat should be between 1 °C and 5 °C and frozen meat
between -18 °C and -25 °C.
 Packaging should be sealed and show no signs of damage or tampering.
 Colour should be appropriate for the meat type.

Q4: You want to use some leftover meat cuts you’ve found stored in the freezer.
Apart from quality, list two things to look for when deciding whether or not to
use the meat.
Rotation labels
Use-by or best-before dates

Q5: What does the culinary term ‘saddle’ mean?
 The full loin including mid-loins, rib-loins and fillets.

Q6: What do the culinary terms ‘whole dressed’ and ‘sweetbreads’ mean?
 Whole dressed
The whole carcass that has had the head, tail, feathers/fur, feet, hooves and
intestines removed and is ready for butchering or cooking.

 Sweetbreads
The thymus (growing) glands found along the trachea in the neck of young
animals such as lambs and calves.

Q7: From which countries did the following traditional dishes originate?
  Buffalo wings
America

 Beef stroganoff
Russia

 Wiener schnitzel
Austria

Q8: Put the following meat in order from most to least healthy based on their fat
content, nutritional quality and cooking style.
 Stewed minced lamb leg 2
 Stir-fried beef tenderloins 1
 Deep-fried pork loin 3

Q9: List four pieces of information you might find on stock date codes and rotation
labels.
 Storage date
 Best-before or use-by dates
 Weight
 Number of portions

Q10: What are the four age classifications of lamb?

 Young lamb (from sheep up to five months old and dressed carcass weight of
about 16 kg)
 Hogget (from one year old where the lamb starts to show a pair of permanent
incisor teeth)
 Mutton (when a hogget reaches about two years of age)
 Lamb (from sheep between five and 12 months old and dressed carcass
weight of 16 to 22 kg)

SECTION 2: SELECT, PREPARE AND USE EQUIPMENT

Q1: List four different types of knives, tools or equipment you might use when
roasting meat.
 Oven or spit
 Roasting pans and racks
 Ladle and spoons for basting
 Larding needle
Q2: List two types of knives, tools or equipment you might use when stewing meat.
 Tilting bratt pans
 Wooden stirring spoons

Q3: What tools or equipment could you use to tenderise and flatten meat portions?
 Meat hammer
 Meat bat

Q4: What two things must you check before using any equipment?
 Check it is clean.
 Check it has been assembled correctly.

Q5: List four safety tips for using a meat slicer.

 Always return the blade setting to zero when you’ve finished slicing.
 Never leave a slicer running. If you have to stop slicing for any reason, turn
the machine off.
 Use cut-resistant gloves if provided by the establishment.
 Never EVER clean or wipe down a slicer while it’s turned on.

Q6: List three food safety practices for handling meat.

 Use tongs, forks or serving trays to transfer food. Don’t use your hands.
 If you have to use your hands, wear disposable gloves.
 Practise good personal hygiene and wear protective clothing.

SECTION 3: PORTION AND PREPARE INGREDIENTS

Q1: What is the safest way to thaw frozen meat?

Remove it from the freezer a couple of days before you need it. Then place the
frozen meat in the refrigerator at 1 °C to 3 °C until it’s completely defrosted.

Q2: You’re preparing to make a dish and aren’t sure what to get ready first. What is
the most logical and efficient way to sort and assemble ingredients ready for
cooking?
You should get the ingredients ready according to food production sequencing
– the order in which you will need to use them according to the recipe or food
preparation list.

Q3: How would you weigh and measure the following ingredients?
 250 g diced meat
Scales
 1 tbsp tomato paste
 Measuring spoon
 250 ml water
Measuring cup or jug
 6 button mushrooms
Manually count

Q4: A recipe tells you to cook a dish in a moderate oven. What temperature is this
in Celsius?
180 °C to 190 °C

Q5: Briefly describe the following portion cuts.

 Escalope
A thin boneless slice of meat, usually pork or veal, cut at an angle across the
grain.
 Medallions
Round portion of boneless meat, usually cut thin enough for sauté.
 Rack
The portion of three to six cutlets joined together in a single set.
 Cutlet
Portion cut from the rib section of the loin and includes the bone. Part of the rib
bone extends out beyond the meat.

Q6: Your recipe instructs you to prepare a trivet from a mirepoix of vegetables.
What does this mean?
Use a mirepoix of vegetables (roughly chopped celery, onion and carrot) to
raise the meat off the bottom of the roasting dish and prevent the lower part of
the meat from shallow frying.

Q7: You’re asked to coat some brains in preparation for deep-frying but you can’t
remember how to prepare the brains or what type of coating the establishment
uses. Where can you find this information?
Refer to the standard recipe.

Q8: You have used half a packet of bacon for a dish you’re making. With waste
minimisation being your key priority, what should you do with the remaining
contents of the packet?
 Remove from the packet and store in a clean, dry, airtight, food-grade
container.
 Cover with lid.
 Label the container with the contents and date of storage.
 Store in the refrigerator.
SECTION 4: COOK MEAT DISHES

Q1: What type and texture of meat is suitable for stewing?

Tough forequarter cuts such as diced lamb, square-cut shoulder, pork shoulder
or beef blade.

Q2: Outline the steps involved in roasting quality cuts of beef, veal, lamb or pork
(including the required cooking temperature).
 Lard lean meats before roasting.
 Season with pepper, salt, herbs and spices prior to sealing.
 Start the cooking process in a hot oven (220 °Cto 230 °C) or over hot coals to
seal in the juices. Once the sealing process is complete, reduce heat to 180
°C. This temperature may be varied depending on the size of the meat as well
as the form of roasting used.
 Trim away excess fat and sinew before cooking.
 Roast meat cuts that contain a layer of fat, such as beef striploin, with the fat
side up.
 Consider placing the meat on a mirepoix of vegetables.
 Allow roasted meat to rest before carving and serving.

Q3: Choose the accompaniment you would prepare for each of the following
dishes.
Your choice of accompaniments is naan bread, Yorkshire pudding, noodles.
 Roast beef
Yorkshire pudding

 Lamb korma
Naan bread

 Pork stir-fry
Noodles

Q4: Why would you add marinade to meat?

For the purpose of tenderising the meat, imparting flavour and preserving it for
longer storage life.

Q5: Your pickled meat is very salty after boiling. What is the likely cause?
The meat was not started in cold water.

Q6: Your roasted meat is dry. How could you prevent this happening in the future?
 Lard or bard the meat to add moisture and baste during the cooking process.

Q7: What should you do if the dish you’re preparing doesn’t meet quality
requirements for taste or texture?
Make the necessary adjustments, within your scope of responsibility, before the
completed dish is served to the customer.

Q8: One of your customers is on a low-fat diet. Number the following methods of
cookery in order of their suitability for your customer (with 1 being most
healthy/suitable and 3 being least healthy/suitable).
Deep-fry 3
Steam 1
Roast 2
SECTION 5: PRESENT MEAT DISHES

Q1: List three tools or pieces of equipment you need for carving meat.
 Carving knife
 Carving/meat fork
 Cutting board

Q2: You have removed a roasted leg of lamb from the oven. What must you do
before carving it?
 Rest the meat.
 Place the cooked meat onto a preheated tray and cover it with a clean damp
kitchen cloth or aluminium foil.
 Then place the tray in a warm position for 15 to 25 minutes until the meat has
rested and the juices have settled.

Q3: List two reasons why it’s important to use correct carving techniques.
 For effective and consistent portion control.
 To minimise wastage.

Q4: Outline the steps for carving large boneless cuts of meat.
 Place the cooked meat with the fat layer (if any) facing up on a suitable cutting
board and secure it in place using a carving fork or a pair of tongs.
 Carve the meat vertically across the grain using a slicing motion. This will help
to give even slices without tearing the meat.
 Most boneless cuts are carved as thin as practicable while retaining the shape
of the slice, although roasted tenderloins are sometimes cut into thicker slices.
 As you carve, allow the meat to fall from the knife naturally onto the cutting
board.
 You can then arrange the meat into neat portions for service.
Q5: List two things you can do to control portion sizes when serving dishes to
customers.
 Buy pre-portioned foods that have been cut to certain specifications. 200 g
steaks or three-rib lamb racks, for example.
 Use suitable utensils and measures to serve food, such as 200 ml ladles for
serving soup or 50 ml ladles for serving sauces.

Q6: Choose the best sauce to go with each of the following meat dishes.
Your choice of sauces includes jus de roti, pepper, sweet and sour, apple, and
mint.

 Roast lamb
Mint sauce
 Roast beef
Jus de roti
 Roast pork
Apple sauce

 Fried pork
Sweet and sour sauce

 Grilled steak
Pepper sauce

Q7: List three examples of garnishes you might use when serving meat dishes.
 Delicately carved fruit or vegetable
 Deep-fried noodles or vegetable slices
 Sprig of rosemary, parsley or other herb
Q8: You visually evaluate dishes and find the following problems. State how you
would adjust presentation to address them.
 Dish looks crowded on the plate.
Check portion size and if it’s correct, replate on a more suitably sized plate.
 Dishes lack colour/contrast.
Change accompaniments and garnishes to maximise eye appeal.
 There are drips or fingerprints on rims of plates.
Carefully wipe clean with a clean, lint-free cloth.

Q9: At what temperature must you store hot and cold meat dishes to ensure food
safety?
 Hot
Above 60 °C
 Cold
5 °C or lower
Q10: What information should you put on a date label attached to surplus food being
stored for service at another time or day?
What the food item is, the date it was made and stored.

Q11: What are three common tasks you complete when cleaning your work area at
the end of service?
 Sweep and mop floors.
 Clean and sanitise all surfaces, such as bench tops and shelves.
 Clean and sanitise equipment and containers.
 Put away cleaned equipment.
 Place dirty linen, such as tea towels and cleaning cloths, in the linen bag.
 Empty and wash the rubbish bins.