Commercial Cookery and Menu Planning

Explore the menu planning and cooking techniques for a casual dining establishment specializing in meat-based dishes. Learn about different cooking methods, the value and nutrition of meat, and the cultural influences on the menu. Discover the key answer points for verbal questioning and the equipment and techniques used in the kitchen. Find out about the history and cultures reflected in the menu.

Running head: COMMERCIAL COOKERY AND MENU PLANNING
COMMERCIAL COOKERY AND MENU PLANNING
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1COMMERCIAL COOKERY AND MENU PLANNING
Menu Planning: Rashay’s Casual Dining and Café
The following menu has been formulated as per the menu, dishes, recipes and catering
establishment of Rashay’s - a food establishment specializing in casual dining and operating
across 28 locations in Australia and providing quality service, a variety of delectable meals on a
budget and usage of fresh, nutritious ingredients obtained locally from Australia. Considering its
high demand and nutritious value, a primarily meat based menu has been formulated. A range of
culturally diverse items have also been incorporated as per dishes shortlisted in the
establishment’s menu.
Menu Course Recipes
Breads, Starters and Salads Cheesy Garlic Bread, Grilled Chicken Caesar
Salad, Grilled Chicken Avocado Salad, Potato
Wedges with Sour Cream, Bruschetta, Prawns
with Tartare Sauce
Hot Specials Chicken Crepes, Chicken Tenders, Fish and
Chips, Schnitty, Mini Rashay’s Chicken, New
York Steak
Pasta and Risotto Chicken Fettuccine, Chilli Prawn Pasta, Angus
Beef Lasagna, Risotto
Chicken and Ribs Chicken and Avocado, Lamb Ribs, Beef Ribs
Steaks Wagyu Scotch Fillet, Sirloin, Surf and Turf, T-
Bone
Seafood Battered Flathead, Salmon, Seafood Basket,
Barramundi
Burgers and Pizza Beef Burger, Grilled Chicken Burger, Haloumi
Burger, Beef Peperoni Pizza, Spicy Chicken
Pizza, BBQ Meat Pizza
Dessert Sticky Date Pudding, Pavlova, Berry Waffle,
Cheesecake with Nutella, Mud Cake, Churros
Verbal Questions
Key answer points to consider during verbal questioning by the assessor:

2COMMERCIAL COOKERY AND MENU PLANNING
 While cooking method, one must acquaint themselves with terms related to meat cuts
(sirloin, steak, ribs, flank, shank, brisket) and cooking methods (roasting, broiling,
braising, mincing, tenderizing, stir frying, stewing).
 Ingredients for meat dishes will include a range of seasoning and spices (salt, pepper,
ginger, garlic, rosemary, thyme, chilli), vegetables (onions, carrots, potatoes, leafy
greens) and variety of cuts of meat (sirloin, steak, ribs, flank, shank, brisket).
 Classical cuisine highlights the original 16th century haute cuisine from France while
contemporary cooking modernized, American cooking originating during the 1980s from
fine dining restaurants in the United States.
 Tough cuts of meat (legs, neck, shoulder) will require moist cooking methods, while
tender cuts (ribs, back) will require dry heat cooking.
 To check for freshness, meats should be evaluated in terms of presence of unpleasant
odors, prevalence of bright pink colors and presence of sliminess in the texture. Suppliers
must be selected based on transport requirements from the establishment, cost and
freshness of produce available.
 To minimize waste and store correctly, fresh meat should be purchased, stored for a
maximum of 2 day and at temperatures below -18C and thawed gradually at refrigeration
temperatures of 4C.
 The correct portion control and storage methods are essential to ensure cost effectiveness,
prevent wastage and ensure organizational profit and customer satisfaction.

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Assessor Questions
Different Equipment and Technique: A number of methods and techniques can be used
to cook dishes comprising majorly of meat. Some of these, which are widely used in the menu of
the establishment, include dry heat methods like pan frying, outdoor grilling, stir frying, and pan
broiling, broiling, baking, grilling and roasting. Techniques of meat cooking which involved
moist heat cooking include cooking in liquid, such as stewing, soups, casseroles and gravies, as
well as braising which comprises of cooking using minimal liquid. Dry heat cooking methods are
used by the establishment when tender cuts of meat are included in a recipe, whereas for tougher
cuts, moist heat methods are used which leads to ensure softening of the connective tissue,
ensure juiciness and flavor and prevent drying at the surface. In addition to the above, methods
like grilling, baking and stir frying are also used for other dishes in the establishment such as
pizzas, pastas, steaks and desserts. A convection oven is used for baking, broiling and grilling
when ladles, woks and deep as well as shallow vessels are used in general for cooking the dishes
in the menu. For cooking meat dishes, especially those requiring mincing or mashed textures,
meat pulverizers and tenderizers are used. Meat cleavers are used to obtain the desired shapes
and cuts of meat.
Value and Nutrition of Meat: Meat is considered as a valuable and nutritious part of our
diet since it is rich in good quality protein comprising of all the essential amino acids, as well as
fiber and high amount of saturated fat. Further, production of good quality meat requires
extensive investments on provision of nutritious fodder and optimum rearing environments for
cattle and poultry – hence, further contributing to the high value of meat in culinary science and
food production.

4COMMERCIAL COOKERY AND MENU PLANNING
Menu history and cultures: The menu comprises of native Australian dishes such as the
wide variety of seafood preparations reflective of the coastal lifestyle and climate of the nation.
Additionally, the menu also comprises of dishes from various cultures and diverse ethnic
backgrounds: fish and chips from Great Britain, pizzas, pastas and risottos from Italy, burgers
with a historical origin from Germany, salads with a cultural and historical origin from the
United States and Mexico.

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