Food-Service-Manual-for-Health-Care-Institutions

may be less appealing to customers, in most operations, seeking evaluations from customers is
helpful in determining the level of acceptance.
If careful evaluation indicates that changes are needed in the recipe, they should be made
and carefully noted on the recipe. It is important to have the cooks’ cooperation because they
may find it hard to resist asserting their individuality by changing the ingredients or procedures
without authorization.
Ingredient Control
The preparation of high-quality food is the most important task of the food service department.
Ingredient control is a vital component of the total system, as illustrated in Figure 19.4.
Traditionally, each person responsible for food preparation performed all the tasks, from collecting
and weighing the ingredients to portioning the final product. Because of the need for
greater control over quality and costs, some food service operations have centralized the preparation
of recipe ingredients in ingredient areas or a single ingredient room. Centralized ingredient
control frees skilled cooks from performing repetitive tasks that do not require their level of skill.
Eliminating the possibility that production workers might alter the ingredients or batch size,
ingredient control operations can control food quality and quantity. In some operations, only dry
ingredients are weighed or measured. (Table 19.3 lists standard weights and measurements.) In
Figure 19.4. Production System Based on Ingredient Control
Patients
Foods issued from inventory
To ingredient control area for preparation such as
measuring, washing, cleaning, chopping, weighing
To production areas, where skilled employees process the food items
Salads Baked goods
Meats, vegetables
To service areas
Other
Source: Adapted from R. P. Puckett, 2002. Used by permission.
Cafeteria
Food Production
625