The march forward
When professionals get to work in their kitchen, lab or bakery, they are (if they are conscientious) very sensitive to hygiene and cleanliness.
It is impossible for a good baker for example to do a day's work without regularly cleaning the table where he or she works, and it is even more frequent for pastry cooks or cooks who handle more sensitive products such as MFE (meat-fish-eggs) which can easily be a source of contamination if strict hygiene and temperature respect are not respected.
It is impossible for a good baker for example to do a day's work without regularly cleaning the table where he or she works, and it is even more frequent for pastry cooks or cooks who handle more sensitive products such as MFE (meat-fish-eggs) which can easily be a source of contamination if strict hygiene and temperature respect are not respected.
16 K 5/5 (22 reviews)
Keywords for this post:HygieneProcedureCleanlinessUsesHaccpLast modified on: June 30th 2021
The march forward
They have a whole series of rules and ways of doing things, one in particular being that "the dirty never crosses the clean", otherwise known as the "forward march". This means that in a kitchen, all the products go in one place, the waste goes out another, and the processed products yet another. For carrots, for example, the necessarily earthy carrot boxes enter through a door, are washed, peeled, washed again, the wash water is changed, the peelings are discarded (hopefully composted) and the clean carrots enter the kitchen to be processed. With the forward motion, the peelings will never cross paths with the clean carrots again.
Not with as much rigor of course, but we can still be inspired by it, and then especially it makes life easier on the work surface. In practice, it's always better to work in one direction, which varies if you are right or left handed.
Here is a specific example: breaking eggs in a bowl, simple? Simple! but a little method is not bad either, see :
On this picture, we are going to break eggs to put them in the bowl of a food processor in the middle, it's really quite simple, but :
- The eggs are on the right hand side (for a right handed person), easy to access
- You break them on top of the bowl which is in the middle
- When it's done, you put the shells on the left hand side, not on the right hand side, and on a sheet of newspaper that preserves the work surface
- Once it's done, we fold the newspaper on the shells and go to the bin. The work surface remains clean and clear.
The eggs have thus followed the direction of the green arrow, the "forward march".
Of course for a left-handed person it would be more convenient the other way around.
This way of doing things, all French apprentices learn it at the very beginning of their training, they never put peelings, shells, trimmings or any other waste directly on the work surface, they always have in a corner a "dustbin" (a simple bowl for us) where all the waste goes which is never left for a long time near the food.
It's quite simple, more hygienic, more practical and a very good way to work in your kitchen.
To sum up: Think of always working in the same direction on your work surface, to avoid crossing clean food with raw food.
What about us?
In our kitchen, should we do the same?Not with as much rigor of course, but we can still be inspired by it, and then especially it makes life easier on the work surface. In practice, it's always better to work in one direction, which varies if you are right or left handed.
Here is a specific example: breaking eggs in a bowl, simple? Simple! but a little method is not bad either, see :
On this picture, we are going to break eggs to put them in the bowl of a food processor in the middle, it's really quite simple, but :
- The eggs are on the right hand side (for a right handed person), easy to access
- You break them on top of the bowl which is in the middle
- When it's done, you put the shells on the left hand side, not on the right hand side, and on a sheet of newspaper that preserves the work surface
- Once it's done, we fold the newspaper on the shells and go to the bin. The work surface remains clean and clear.
The eggs have thus followed the direction of the green arrow, the "forward march".
Of course for a left-handed person it would be more convenient the other way around.
This way of doing things, all French apprentices learn it at the very beginning of their training, they never put peelings, shells, trimmings or any other waste directly on the work surface, they always have in a corner a "dustbin" (a simple bowl for us) where all the waste goes which is never left for a long time near the food.
It's quite simple, more hygienic, more practical and a very good way to work in your kitchen.
To sum up: Think of always working in the same direction on your work surface, to avoid crossing clean food with raw food.
Lasts posts
Travel cakes
You may have come across the term "travel cakes" ("gateaux de voyage" in french) for certain pastries, so let's take a look at what they're all about.January 27th 20252,147
The aromatic power of sugar
In the kitchen, sugar doesn't just sweeten, it also has an exceptional ability to capture flavors. Combined with aromatic ingredients, such as citrus zest, it acts as a veritable sponge for aromas. By taking the time to let the sugar soak up the flavors, you can transform your desserts, making...December 25th 20242,4785
The little trap of thick cream
When you need to add cream to a recipe, you might be wondering: thick (heavy) cream or liquid cream? In most cases, there's no big difference: you can use either. But there is one exception, and that's when the cream needs to be cooked, for a sauce for example, and here the difference between...December 13th 20243,0875
Sauce and salad: When and how to mix them?
When dressing a salad, there's a kind of golden rule: add the dressing very shortly before serving, especially if your salad contains crunchy elements such as croutons or fresh vegetables, which will retain their crunchiness or crispiness. But, as is often the case in the kitchen, there are...November 29th 20243,2565
No need to boil gelatin
Gelatin is a magical ingredient for making light, creamy, structured desserts, yet it's often misused in the kitchen. A common mistake in some recipes is the idea that it needs to be boiled for it to work properly, but this is a mistake indeed: gelatin melts at a much lower temperature, around...November 21th 20243,1215
Other pages you may also like
What is the difference between bakery and patisserie?
This is a question that you may well have asked yourself and which I will attempt to answer. In France the two trades of "boulangerie" (bakery) and "pâtisserie" (patisserie and confectionery) have always been quite distinct, but where exactly do the boundaries lie? .February 7th 2017126 K 14.1
The infinite variety of salads
Making a salad for a meal, a few ingredients of your choice and a sauce to bind it all together is still one of the best ways to cook something really good quickly and simply. And since there is often a "fresh" aspect with the vegetables in the ingredients, not only does it taste good, but it's...March 13th 20216,9944.6
The softness of sandwich bread
You're probably familiar with what's known in France as "pain de mie", a very white, molded and rather soft bread, widely used in cooking, particularly for croque-monsieur. Let's find out what it's all about.September 5th 20239,2035
There is vanilla and vanilla
The vanilla is a delicious taste that can be found in many many dessert recipes, creams (the cream and the cream for example), ice creams, but also cakes and entremets. Whenever you need to add this vanilla note, you have several possible choices because vanilla is commercially available in...December 14th 20179,6475
The Holy Grail of French bakers
While browsing through the recipes on this site, you may have noticed that while I adore cooking (everything, in fact, to do with eating and drinking), I am particularly drawn to bakery: bread, viennoiseries and all that goes with them – it’s a real passion of mine; I love making them and I...March 24th 201816 K 34.7
Post a comment or question
Follow this page
If you are interested in this page, you can "follow" it, by entering your email address here. You will then receive a notification immediately each time the page is modified or a new comment is added. Please note that you will need to confirm this following.
Note: We'll never share your e-mail address with anyone else.
Alternatively: you can subscribe to the mailing list of cooling-ez.com , you will receive a e-mail for each new recipe published on the site.