PREPARING APPETIZER

MODULE 1

LESSON 1: PREPARING APPETIZER

Session Objectives
At the end of the session, you should be able to:

 Define the terminologies commonly used in preparing appetizer

 Examine the classical and modern interpretation of appetizer
 Determine the classification of appetizer

Introduction
A step before getting to work is to have a basic knowledge on appetizer. Studying the required
knowledge will equipped you holistically as you prepare and present hot and cold appetizer.

The required knowledge will be your cornerstone in enhancing your skills to meet the workplace
standards. Some of these include common terminologies, classical and modern interpretation of
appetizer together with its classification which will be discussed in this lesson.

Common Terminologies Used in Preparing

Appetizer
A professional food worker must have deep understanding on the common terminologies used in
preparing appetizer. Mastering these terminologies would enable you to identify what is being
talked inside the kitchen. Listed are the common terminologies used in the workplace:

 Antipasto – Italian term for Hors d’ Oeuvres, known for small bits of food

 Appetizer – also known as ‘amuse gueule’, finger food, cocktail party food; small snack
served before main meal

 Barquette – a pastry, small boat in shape that used to hold soft filling and garnishes
 Canapé – small one or two bite snack, savoury in taste

 Caviar – from the roe or fish egss of sturgeon, usually eaten raw

 Cocktail – appetizer made of seafood, usually with tart or tangy sauce; always served
chilled

 Crudite – vegetable cut into sticks or bite-size shapes, served as relishes; usually eaten
raw

 Deveine – the act of removing the black vein located at the back of a shrimp

 Dip – popular accompaniment for crackers, chips and raw vegetables

 Glazes – refers to the finishing gloss added in a dish to make it look more appetizing,
such as aspic, egg wash, colored flavored oils and melted butter.

 Hors d’Oeuvres – a French term, pronounced as ‘awr-DURV’, that means ‘apart from
the main meal’; a finger food served at the reception, usually served with cocktails

 Sauté – to fry quickly in a high-heat pan that has small amount of oil

 Sweat – to frequently stir and turn ingredients in a medium to low-heat pan to release the
aroma and draw out its flavor

 Tapas – Spanish snack food and style snack, mainly served in bars
  Turmeric – member of ginger family, used for its color and flavor

Classical and Modern Interpretation of

Appetizer
Classical Interpretation

Appetizer is classically known as hors d’ oeuvres (pronounced as awr-DURV), that originates

from France, which literally translate as ‘outside the work’ meaning ‘apart from the main meal’.

It is a small meal that comprises of one to three bites originally prepared outside the kitchen.

They can be either hot or cold, and is served before a meal. Serving or distributing the appetizer
gives idea to the guest that standard food is to follow, because it is customarily used to arouse the
appetite stimulating the flow of gastric juices.

Traditionally, appetizer is traditionally served while sitting down at the table using a knife and
fork. An Hors d‘Oeuvres, on the other hand, is usually a finger-food served in a reception and
with cocktails that are usually easily handled by the guests.

Modern Interpretation

Appetizers are viewed differently by today’s Chefs.

Nowadays, it is strictly prepared in the kitchen.

Appetizer (sometimes referred to as ‘amuse gueule’ or ‘amuse bouché’) is served before the
entrée but after taking the order of the meal.

‘Amuse gueule’ are not ordered but serve as a ‘gift’ from the kitchen. It can be mini version of a
dish a chef needs to test for future menu or items the chef needs to get rid of.

They can be served from hot or cold with a variety of crockery or tableware, ranging from side
plates to small espresso cups.

Despite the evolution in the interpreting ‘appetizer’, its function of whetting or stimulating the
appetite and starting the gastric juice is still the same.

Classification of Appetizer
In the courseware, we classify appetizer into two groups: Composed Hors d’Oeuvres and
Miscellaneous Hors d’Oeuvres.

Composed Hors d’Oeuvres refers to the dish which originates from France where appetizer was
first served. This includes canapé, cocktail, relish and dips.

1. Canapé – described as open-faced, bite-size sandwich, usually served cold.

2. Cocktail – usually seafood or fruit with tart or tangy sauce. It is always served chilled,
often on a bed of crushed ice.
3. Relish – has two categories of food: raw vegetables or crudités, and pickled items.
Crudités are raw vegetables while pickled items are preserved vegetables. These are
served cold.
4. Dips – perfect accompaniment for raw vegetables, crackers and chips.

Miscellaneous Hors d’Oeuvres, on the other hand, are variations of appetizer that originates
from different parts of the world. This includes antipasto, tapa, caviar and savoury.

1. Antipasto – an Italian dish that comprises of small tasty bit of food, usually served cold.
2. Tapa – a Spanish small food item eaten with wine or drinks.
3. Savoury – a small portion of hot food served with pre-dinner drinks.
MODULE 2
LESSON 1: OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HYGIENE

Session Objectives
At the end of the session, you should be able to:

 Identify appropriate personal protective equipment used in preparing food

 Examine proper hand washing technique done before and during the work process
 Determine the correct hygienic practices, sanitary procedure and safety measures in the
kitchen

Introduction
A professional food worker is expected to maintain high standard personal and occupational
hygiene. Taking a bath, brushing of teeth and trimming of fingernails on daily basis are referred
to as personal hygiene. The professional food worker takes good care of himself by ensuring
good cleaning and washing practices. Occupational safety and hygiene, on the other hand, are
practices done to maintain a clean work environment. This includes wearing of protective
equipment, frequent washing of hands between work processes, regular sanitation of kitchen
premises and continuous hygienic kitchen practices.

This lesson focuses on the essential knowledge in occupational safety and hygiene done before
and during food preparation. These required knowledge must be perform before one can set-up
the workstation.
Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs)
Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs) are specialized equipment worn by the employees to
protect themselves from health and safety hazards while working. PPEs in preparing appetizer
includes, but not limited to, the following:

1. Hairnet - worn to keep hair contained

2. Apron - gives legs special protection against spills

3. Trouser - protects legs from spills and splashes

4. Shoes -use to protect the feet if something hot spills or something sharp dropped

5. Mask - worn to prevent the saliva from contaminating the food

6. Gloves -worn to protect food from contamination when hands have burns, cuts or
infection. It can never be a replacement for washing hands.
Handwashing Technique
Handwashing is the single most important procedure for preventing the spread of biological
contamination to the food being prepared. Here are some handwashing procedures for your use:

Procedure:

1. Always consider the faucet, sink and its surrounding contaminated when starting the hand
washing procedure.
2. You must avoid touching the sink. Use the hand-washing sink, not the food preparation
sink.
3. Turn the water on and wet your hands, wrists, and arms.
4. Pour enough liquid soap on your palm then work until later or mass of bubbles are
produced.
5. Vigorously rub together all surfaces of the lathered hands and arms for 15 seconds.
Friction helps remove dirt and microorganisms. Wash around and under rings, around
cuticles, and under fingernails.
6. Rinse hands thoroughly under a stream of water. Running water carries away dirt and
debris. Point the fingers down so that water won't drip toward elbows.
7. Use side of your arms or knuckles to turn off the faucet, avoiding touching any
contaminated area.
8. Dry hands completely with a clean dry paper towel.
It is also important that you know when to wash your hands. Here is a list of times when washing
of hands is essential:

 On arrival at work, before you get started.

 After you've been to the toilet.
 After handling garbage or garbage containers.
 After handling raw foods, before handling cooked foods.
 After you've covered your mouth or nose to sneeze or cough.
 After you've blown your nose.
 After touching or scratching your head or other parts of your body.
 Before resuming work after a break or a change of work area.
 After you've had a cigarette.
 After handling money.

It is also important that you know when to wash your hands. Here is a list of times when washing
of hands is essential:

Hygienic Practices
Aside from frequently handwashing, there are also numerous ways to reduce the spread of
harmful germs. Hygienic practices refer to the ways carried out by any food professionals to
provide safe and quality food to their customer.

Listed below are the hygienic practices one should follow:

 Always wash your hands before preparing food.

 Avoid wearing jewellery, watch, or perfume
 Make sure that your nails are short, clean, and without nail polish.
 Wear clean clothing.
 Do not wear the uniform while travelling to and from work – change it into arrival and
out of it before you leave.
 Don’t brush or comb your hair when you are near food.
 Do not smoke in the food areas.
 Keep your fingers away from your face, mouth, hair, and skin and other parts of the body.
 Do not come to work if you have a cold or are feeling unwell - you may transmit bacteria
to the food and put the health of others at risk.
Sanitizing the Kitchen Premises
Aside from wearing PPEs and performing handwashing and hygienic practice, a professional
food worker must also sanitize the kitchen premises to prevent the spread of microorganism to
food. All equipment, utensils and working surfaces must be disinfected before and after each use.

How to sanitize the kitchen premises? Cleaning and sanitizing tools, utensils and equipment
varies on the cleaning solution to be used and the standard or prescribed procedure of the
workplace. However, listed below is a suggested procedure you could follow:

 Wear proper cleaning clothes.

 Wear gloves to protect your hands from the chemicals to be used.
 Prepare the detergent solution.
 Check and sort the utensils. Separate the oily from the less oily utensils.
 Scrub first the less oily utensils with detergent and solution. Rinse with clean water.
 Prepare the sanitizing agent. Sanitizing agent refers to the chlorine solution to be used.
The chlorine solution depends on the percentage or number of concentration.
 Sanitize the utensils with 50 ppm chlorine solution. (*ppm is unit of measurement for
concentration of chlorine solution)
 Drain and dry the tools. Drying could be either to air-dry or to towel dry.
 Sanitize the working table and equipment using 200ppm chlorine solution.
 Store the dried, clean utensils on its appropriate shelves.
Safety Measures in the Kitchen
Cooking is fun, but kitchen safety is a priority. Think about it: Knives! Fire! Bacteria! Observing
basic rules of kitchen safety is a good habit to develop. Always pay attention to what you’re
doing in the kitchen because one slip can cause serious injury or accidents.

 Store knives in a wooden block or in a drawer.

 Never cook in loose clothes and keep long hair tied back. You don’t want anything
accidentally catching fire (not to mention hair ending up in the food!).
 Never cook while wearing dangling jewellery. A bracelet can get tangled around pot
handles.
 Keep potholders nearby and use them. Be careful not to leave them near an open
flame.
 Turn pot handles away from the front of the stove. With this, children can’t grab
them, and adults can’t bump into them if they’re out of the way.
 Don’t let temperature-sensitive foods sit out in the kitchen. Raw meat, fish, and
certain dairy products can spoil quickly, so refrigerate or freeze them right away.
 Wipe up spills immediately. Keep the floor dry so that no one slips and falls.
 Separate raw meat and poultry from other items whenever you use or store them.
This precaution avoids cross-contamination of harmful bacteria from one food to another.
 Wash your hands before handling food and after handling meat or poultry. Hands
can be a virtual freight train of bacteria.
MODULE 3
LESSON 1: ORGANIZING YOUR WORK

Session Objectives
At the end of the session, you should be able to:

 Identify tools, equipment and utensils needed in preparing salads and dressings
 Identify tools, equipment and utensils needed in preparing appetizer
 Identify ingredients to be used in preparing appetizer
 Determine the process on how to set-up the workstation

Introduction
As discussed on the previous lesson, preparing oneself and the workplace is important to ensure
the safety of oneself and others in the kitchen. The preparation, together with the new lesson in
organizing the work station, is still part of mise en place in preparing appetizer.

How to set-up the workstation? First, know the appetizer recipe included in the menu. Then
identify the tools, equipment and utensils to be used, as well as the ingredients needed. Doing
this helps you set your mind on what to use and where to locate those. Next is to organize your
worktable based on the workflow that will suit you best. Doing these results to ‘mise en place’
which means putting everything in order. This is required before preparing different kind of
dishes.

Identifying Tools, Equipment and Utensils

Needed in Preparing Appetizer
Before setting up your work station, you must first perform occupational hygiene and safety
procedures as discussed on the previous module. A menu should also be planned in accordance
with the workplace standard.

With the dish to be prepared in mind, you must note the tools, equipment and utensils to be used
in preparing appetizer. Thinking ahead of time of the materials would help you do the task
continuously and help you save time. Remember, that time is of essence inside the kitchen.
Professional food worker must manage their time well to prepare all dish needed to be served
before meal time.

REMEMBER: Familiarize yourself with the things needed in making appetizer. Identify the
place where it is kept and or stored. Make sure that the tools and materials used in cooking are
clean and sanitized so as to prevent cross-contamination of microorganism. Also wash the tools
and equipment separately from the food supplies and materials.

Below are the recommended tools, equipment and utensils in making appetizer:
Selecting and Preparing Ingredients
Selecting ingredients is the key to produce mouth watering, flavorful bite-size food. Choosing
high-quality is essential for this task.

Listed are the guidelines that should follow in selecting ingredients:

 The ingredients selected and prepared should be in accordance with the purchasing and
standard recipe specification.
 Freshness and variety are considered essential in choosing ingredient for high quality
salad.
 It is best to purchase ingredients that are in season.
 If the important ingredient is not available, eliminate the dish from the menu. Substitution
only happens after the impact is assessed in relation to the whole menu.
 Appearance of the fruit and vegetables is a good indicator of its quality. Vegetable
ingredients should be free from blemishes, excess dirt and insects. Fruits to be used
should meet the degree of ripeness required, and should be free from blemish, scarring or
bruising.
 Check the expiration date of the items to be purchased.
 Purchase regularly. Don’t purchase more than you will need to minimize wastage through
purchase.

Suggested ingredients to be used in preparing appetizer are the divided according to its
classification:

 Ingredients to Prepare Canapé

 Ingredients to Prepare Cocktails
 Ingredients to Prepare Relishes
 Ingredients to Prepare Antipasto
 Ingredients to Prepare Caviar
Ingredients to Prepare Canapé - The Base
Canapé is a small one or two bite snack that has 3 parts namely the base, spread and garnish.

The Base
The base of the canapé serves to hold the spread and garnish. The suggested canapé base are:

 Bread cut-outs
 Toast cut-outs
 Crackers
 Melba toasts
 Toasted pita wedges
 Tortilla chips or cups
 Tiny biscuits
 Tiny unsweetened pastry shells
 Miniature pancake
 Profiteroles (miniature unsweetened cream puff shells)

On the suggested ingredients, bread and toast cutouts are the most widely used because of its
affordability. However toasts are used most likely because its firmness gives a pleasing texture and
crispness to canapé.
Ingredients to Prepare Canapé - The Spread
The Spread
The spread is used to give flavor to the canapé. Put the spread thick enough to let it stick well to the
base and so the garnish will not fall off.

It is basically divided in 3 categories:

Flavored butter – made from softened butter with flavorings. Popular butter spreads include anchovy,
blue cheese, shrimp, pimiento, mustard and tarragon.

Flavoured cream cheese – made from cream cheese with flavouring. Cream cheese can be blended with
a firmer cheese to make it more spreadable. Liquid like milk, cream or port wine can make a softer
mixture. Cheese spreads are often flavoured with spices and herbs like paprika, dry mustard, parsley and
tarragon.

Meat or fish salad spread – made from cold meat or meat mixture that is spreadable. Examples include
tuna, salmon, shrimp, chicken and deviled ham spread.
Ingredients to Prepare Canapé - The Garnish
(Vegetables)
The Garnish
The garnish is referred to as any food combination placed at the top of the spread. It can be major part
or spread of the canapé. Listed are the food items that can be used alone or in combination to decorate
the canapé

Vegetables, pickles and relishes

 Radish slices
 Olives
 Pickles
 Capers
 Pimiento
Ingredients to Prepare Canapé - The Garnish
(Fish)
The Garnish
The garnish is referred to as any food combination placed at the top of the spread. It can be major part
or spread of the canapé. Listed are the food items that can be used alone or in combination to decorate
the canapé

Fish

 Smoked oysters and clams

 Smoked salmon
 Shrimp
 Rolled anchovy fillets
 Caviar
 Salmon or tuna flakes
 Crab meat
 Lobster chunks or slices
 Sardines
Ingredients to Prepare Canapé - The Garnish
(Meats)
The Garnish
The garnish is referred to as any food combination placed at the top of the spread. It can be major part
or spread of the canapé. Listed are the food items that can be used alone or in combination to decorate
the canapé

Meats

 Ham
 Salami
 Chicken or turkey breast
 Roasted beef
Ingredients to Prepare Canapé - The Garnish
(Others)
The Garnish
The garnish is referred to as any food combination placed at the top of the spread. It can be major part
or spread of the canapé. Listed are the food items that can be used alone or in combination to decorate
the canapé

Others

 Cheese
 Hard-cooked egg slices
Ingredients to Prepare Cocktails
Cocktail Appetizer, as discussed on the previous lesson, is made of seafood or fruit with tart or
tangy sauce. It is always served chilled, often with a bed of crushed ice.

Suggested ingredients are the following:

 Oyster and clams on the half shell – popular seafood cocktails

 Shrimp
 Crab meat
 Lobster
 Firm flaked white fish
 Fruits
Ingredients to Prepare Relishes - Raw
vegetables
Relishes are the raw or pickled vegetables served as an appetizer. These dishes are usually
served cold.

Raw vegetables that can be used as relish are:

 Celery
 Carrot
 Radish
 Green and red pepper
 Zucchini
 Cucumber
 Scallions
 Cauliflower
 Broccoli Stems
 Cherry tomatoes
 Belgian endive leaves
Ingredients to Prepare Relishes - Pickled
items
Relishes are the raw or pickled vegetables served as an appetizer. These dishes are usually
served cold.

Pickled items that can be served as relish are:

 Dilled cucumber pickles

 Olives
 Watermelon pickles
 Pickled peppers
 Spiced beets
Ingredients to Prepare Antipasto
Antipasto is a variation of Hors d’Oeuvres that originates from Italy. This cold dish is typically
served in a platter.

Suggested Antipasto ingredients that can be used are the following:

 Cured meat: salami, prosciutto, bologna, boiled ham

 Seafood items: canned item like sardines, anchovies, tuna
 Cheese: provolone, mozzarella
 Hard cooked eggs and stuffed eggs
 Relishes: raw carrots, celery, fennel, radishes, cauliflower, tomatoes and cooked or
pickled items like olives, artichoke hearts, small hot peppers, onions
 Mushrooms and other vegetables
 Cooked dried beans and other firm vegetables in a vinaigrette
Ingredients to Prepare Caviar
Caviar is an expensive and hard to find ingredient if prepared as a dish. Caviar is the salted roe,
or eggs, of the sturgeon – a fish often classified as part of the ‘primitive or ancient fish’.

Caviar from the Beluga Sturgeon yields the most expensive eggs. Next is the Osetra and
Sevruga.

Roe from other fish that is salted to make caviar are the trout, salmon, whitefish and lumpfish.
Bleak roe from Baltic and Tobiko from Japanese flying fish are also used in making appetizer.

How to choose high-quality caviar?

The best way to determine the quality of the caviar or salted roe is to taste it. It should not have
strong, fishy smell. The caviar should not look watery or oily, and the whole eggs should be
shiny.
MODULE 4

LESSON 1: BASIC PROCEDURE IN PREPARING APPETIZER

Session Objectives
At the end of the session, you should be able to:

 Enumerate the sequence in preparing appetizer

 Identify the basic washing and cutting techniques of ingredients
 Identify garnishes and accompaniments used in appetizer according to the industry standards
 Realize the importance of presenting and arranging appetizer

Introduction
To be ready in making an appetizer dish, professional food worker must perform first the
occupational hygiene and safety procedure, followed by the selection of ingredients, tools and
equipments to be used.

In this lesson, the focus is on the basic procedure done to prepare appetizer that includes washing
and cutting of ingredients, preparation of garnish and accompaniment, and presentation of the
dish.

Gaining the knowledge required before the actual preparation will enable you to carry out or
prepare appetizer dishes with ease.

Washing
Washing of ingredients is the first step in preparing any type of appetizers. Remember that raw
ingredients must be separated from the cooked one. Ensure that the kitchen and the utensils are
clean. Also, do not forget to wash the hands with soap, rinse and dry it before and after preparing
raw food.

Washing vegetables

It is essential to wash the vegetables to wash off the pesticide and chemical residue in them. Give
it a quick rinse in cold running water. For fruits and vegetables with smooth surface, gently scrub
all the surfaces using a vegetable scrub. Remember not to soak the greens for a long period of
time because the chemicals will stick harder on the leaves. Rinse it once more in a colander and
let it air dry.
For root vegetables, pare it first, rinse and let it dry before cutting in its shape. Rinse it again
after cutting to ensure its cleanliness.

Washing meat

Meats that are not washed thoroughly could be a source of E. coli or salmonella bacteria which
could be a possible cause of diarrhea and dehydration.

To clean the chicken and pork, soak it in a container filled with water that has one to two spoons
of salt and lemon cut into halves. Let it stand for 10 – 15 minutes. Rinse the meat in running
water and let it drip dry in a colander.

Remember not to soak red meat such as lamb or beef because it will lose a lot of flavor. To clean
red meat, rinse it in running water and let it drip dry before cooking.

Washing seafood

To clean shellfish such as mussels or clams, wash it in slow running water and put in a spoon of
salt. Then scrub the outside shell and rinse it before cooking. Newly bought shellfish must be
cleaned and cooked right away or cook and preserve it for the next day. It is done to prevent food
poisoning and to lessen the chance of food allergy from shellfish.

To clean crabs and lobster, scrub the other shell first and rinse it in running water. For slippery
seafood like shrimp, squid or oyster with removed shell, use salt and wash it once. Use a spoon
of corn starch or potato starch to wash once again and then rinse thoroughly.

Cutting
Basic Cutting Techniques

A factor that makes salad mouth-watery is because of its appearance, and the way ingredients are
being cut contributes greatly to it. That is why in preparing salad the cut and size of ingredient
should be exact, identifiable and neat because its shape adds eye appeal.

In this lesson, you will have knowledge on different cutting techniques that you could use not
only in preparing salad but also in other qualification. These are basic and advance techniques in
cutting all types of ingredients.