Basic Culinary
Competition Skills
Mandy Hines, Davie High School, Mocksville, NC
hinesa@davie.k12.nc.us
Teacher: Foods 1, Foods 2, Prostart 1 and 2
July 2014
About me…
• Teach at Davie High School-Foods 1, Foods 2,
Prostart
• BS in Home Economics Education, Meredith
College, 1993
• Taught in Catawba County and New Hanover
County Schools
• Sales Director with the Pampered Chef-12 years
• I was VERY INTIMIDATED to COMPETE!
About the workshop:
• Outline what curriculum guide covers in all
3 courses to help prepare students
• Activities to help teach knife skills
• Rules for competition (Prostart specific)
• Things our competition team did to
prepare
• Recipes to use with your students
Curriculum Covers:
• Foods 1• Terminology
• Food groups
• Basic Meal Prep
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KNIVES?
Start to talk names
How to hold
Basic safety
• Foods 2•
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Specific knife names
French cutting words
Use and Practice
Garnishing tools/use
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Specifics:
Cutting station
Safety/Storage
Cross contamination
concerns
Prostart
• Chapter 3.2-Knife
safety
• Chapter 5.1-Knife
names and basic
skills
• Food groupings
taught along with
some basic
skills/video with
techniques in
textbook materials
Activities to teach knife skills
• Foods 1
• 1. Demonstration of
skills/Practice stations
with work samples
• 2. Practice with
“cutting” tools- ex.
Peeling/grating,
mincing
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Foods 2
1. Knife song
2. Pictures in ppt
3. Practice stations
4. Drawings/labeling
on posters, BW, white
board
• 5. Lab and garnishing
activities
• 6. Video “Kitchen on
Fire”
Samples:
• Hokey Pokey-Knife version
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You put your CHEF’s KNIFE in, you put your CHEF’s
KNIFE out
You put your CHEF’s KNIFE in and you CHOP ALL
ABOUT
Use this knife on fruits, meats, and lots of veggies
That’s what this cuts about!
You put your BREAD KNIFE in, you put your BREAD
KNIFE out
You put your BREAD KNIFE in, and you SAW ALL
ABOUT
Use this knife on cakes, breads, and lots of doughs
That’s what this cuts about!
You put your PARING KNIFE in, you put your
PARING KNIFE out
You put your PARING KNIFE in, and you WIGGLE
ALL ABOUT
Use this knife on garnishes and little bity fruits
That’s what this cuts about!
Time to Compete!
• Look at Rules:
• 2 major segments• 1. Knife Skills/chicken
fabrication
• 2. Cooking
• Graded on other
things-sanitation,
taste, set up, etc.
That’s another
workshop!
Benefits to competing
• Creates confidence in
your students
• Meet other kids with
passion in the industry
• Scholarship awards
• Forces us to become
more proficient at
weaker skill set
• Provides new
experiences
Specific Rules for Knife Skills
• 15 minutes to complete • Finished cut will be
4 out of 6 cuts from
judged and then
these choices:
MUST be used in the
recipe without
• Julienne, chiffonade,
changing the cut.
brunoise, medium dice,
mince, tomato concasse. • TCS vegetables must
be kept at proper
• 2 students at random
temps while awaiting
will perform knife skills,
use
and 2 will do chicken
Examples of knife skill set up:
Things needed at knife set up
• 1. Cutting board
• 2. appropriate knives
• 3. damp cloth
• 4. small bowls (we
used plastic tubs)
• Bowls labeled•
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•
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Compost
*Trash (optional)
Stock
product
• 5. Metal Tub/bowl
will need to have
product you will be
cutting.
Vegetable/fruit
should be washed
prior to start time
• If TCS food, have
ice/water available
Chicken Fabrication Set UP
Things we did to get ready:
• 1. Taught skills in Foods 2
• 2. Did a QUIZ for team
selection
• 3. Looked at cuts and
what we could potentially
do with each cut.
Students selected cuts to
create
• 4. Watched video links at
www.goprostart.com
• 5. Used extra
vegetables left over for
practice.
• 6. Brought in culinary
instructor to look at
cuts
• 7. Used cuts in labs in
class and insisted these
students do the cuts.
• 8. At practice, I drew
names out of a hat.
• 9. Demonstrated cuts
in front of class.
Our knife cuts in use:
Recipes to use
• Popular recipes in my
Foods 2 class• 1. Jambalaya ala
Jennings
• 2. Southern Style
Salsa
• 3. Apple Berry Salsa
• 4. Layered Greek
Salad
• Popular recipes in my
Prostart class• 1. Green Beans with
Bacon, Shallots, and
Mushrooms
• 2. Mandarin Salad
• 3. Creamy Chicken
Chow Mein
• 4. Lasagna Chili