KITCHEN STEWARDING

While designing the wash up area a number of considerations must be kept in mind. The
salient
features are :

1) It must be so designed so that the work must be carried out easily without impeding
any ones movement while the wash up is in operation.

2) It should be done with minimum legwork, without causing any fatigue among the
workmen.

3) There should be enough equipments and adequate supporting infrastructure

matching with the volume of soiled articles generated at various POS (Point of sale).
Therefore, keeping the above points in mind

1)

The wash up must be spacious and well- ventilated befitting the volume of soiled plates
and dishes generated from the POS and the type of operation carried out by the dish
washing section, manually or mechanized. Again, the area should not be too large which
would result in scattered layout resulting in unnecessary strides for the personnel which
apart from consuming both time and energy would also result in incurring loss for the
establishment arising out of unnecessary occupation of space. Average dish washing area
would be around 1/4th the area of the restaurant.

2) The wash-up area must be located as near as possible to the POS.

3) There must be a demarked door for entry and exit.
4) Since the wash up area is a meeting place of two categories of personnel- the dish
washing staff considered as the deliverer of the services and the servers and/or the
kitchen brigade in short the receivers of the services. Therefore, the wash-up area
should be so designed so that there is a demarked area for the movement of the two
category of staff , viz. area for movement of the
deliverers and area of movement of the receivers and it is necessary to set the staff
of the individual sections receivers and the deliverers moving in a definite direction.

5) There should be ample of trolleys, large washing sinks/ dishwashers.

The kitchen stewarding department oversees the cleanliness of those areas of the hotel
that are not covered by the housekeeping department, mainly back of house areas such as
kitchen, cafeteria, corridors, receiving and store areas and administrative offices located in
the back of house etc. Generally this team of persons is the main support to the F&B
department, both kitchen and service. The kitchen is the only area in the hotel which is
restricted to the housekeeping department for maintaining its cleanliness. The kitchen
stewards become the backbone of the operation and are constantly engaged in cleaning the

kitchen floors and washing the utensils and supplies them to the cooks to maintain smooth
operation.

Not only are the utensils used by kitchen washed by the kitchen stewards, but also
the tableware used in the restaurant. They buff and polish the silverware, works dedicatedly
in the dish washing area to

ensure that the restaurant tables are well equipped with the necessary crockery, cutlery and
glassware. The service equipments if not made ready by them hampers the food service,
thus leaving the guests unsatisfied. Working behind the scene, this team of people has to be
kept highly motivated as they contribute a lot to the service standard and goodwill of the
organization.

The name of this department suggests that this department comes under the bigger
spectrum of the kitchen, as so the chief of this department is the Executive Chef. The
department mainly looks after the overall cleanliness of the kitchen and the utensils along
with the cleaning of crockery and cutleries. This job description also brings this department
slightly under the F&B section. In the modern days as the department has grown quite
bigger with more responsibilities undertaken, the department of kitchen stewarding has
found a place of itself which directly reports to the Assistant F&B Manager or the F&B
Manager.

The kitchen stewarding department is primarily concerned with the storage,

maintenance, cleanliness and issue of hollowware. It is also responsible for cleanliness of the
kitchen and washing the pots and pans. It procures, installs and services gas connections
and coal supply for cooking. The department should have ideally a large store for kitchen
and service equipment, dishwashers and pot washing section. Many hotels may confer the
department with the responsibility of running the staff cafeteria when it would have its own
brigade for cooking staff meals. The department is also responsible for pest control activity
of the kitchen in conjunction of the house keeping department. The job of the kitchen
stewarding can be split into two segments :

1)
2)

Utility Functions.
Maintenance of inventory of various F& B Service & Production Equipments.

UTILITY FUNCTIONS OF KITCHEN STEWARDING :

1)

Providing clean and hygienic pots and pans by using corrects cleaning agents and
practices and cleaning utensils at the right temperature, and ensuring that the
methods and practices used are according to the regulations of the health and safety
standards.

2)

Maintaining high standards of hygiene and sanitation by using practices and products
that discourage cross contamination, food poisoning and other health hazards.

3)

Keeping all working areas not covered under the housekeeping department clean and
free from dirt and grease by periodic mopping the floors and work surfaces during the
work cycle.

4)

Ensuring proper garbage disposal by separating garbage at source, removing garbage

promptly, storing garbage under ideal condition and disposing of it by correct means.

5)

Keeping all production and service equipments clean and functioning properly in
coordination with the engineering & maintenance department.

6)
7)

Providing F&B service equipment support to banquet functions.

Playing an active contributor to F&B cost control by:

1)

Using correct quantity of detergents and cleaning agents. This not only keeps
the consumption of cleaning agents low but also lowers the cost for purification
of the discharged waste water.

2)

Reducing breakages by proper handling of glassware and crockery.

3)

Providing properly cleaned equipment as unclean equipments would result in

rapid deterioration of cooked food thereby amounting to wastages.

4)

By providing correct service equipments entre dishes and platters. Food

served in incorrect equipments would result in improper portion control thus
resulting in increased food cost or loss of goodwill.

5)

Storing equipments in proper methods as improper methods of storage would

lead to breakages.

6)

Checking the garbage bins so that they do not account for misplacement or
pilferage which ultimately results in wastages.

7)

Conducting periodic checks on equipments which are not frequently used.

8)

Conducting surprise checks on equipments for misuse and malfunctioning that

can lead to higher maintenance cost.

9)

Ensure periodic service of equipments and replacement of worn out parts

which is a part of preventive maintenance and reduces cost.

Checking equipments for gas leakage and reporting to maintenance section immediately for
their
attention.

1)

Storing flammable materials in safe places marked for such storage.

2)

Ensuring that fire extinguishers and fire fighting equipments are in right places
and in working condition.

3)

Using proper equipments and signage indicating their work in operation.

TYPES OF F&B ATRICLES WASHED :

(1)Earthenware

(2) Metalware (3) Glassware

Abrasive : Abrasives are cleaning materials which are solid and insoluble in water and non
corrosive. They are rough coarsely ground substance which cleans by friction. Examples are
coal ash, pumice powder, silver sand, etc. They can also be scrubbers like nylon, glass wool,
steel wool, etc.
THE HIERARCHY :

The department is headed by the Kitchen Stewarding Executive, who is assisted by

Kitchen Stewarding supervisors followed by the kitchen stewards. The kitchen stewards
often referred to as

Galley Assistants in cruise liner are the men in blue , referring generally to the
colour of their uniform, are very much responsible to maintain the hygiene standards of
the kitchen. The entire washing and cleaning in the Pot Wash and Plate House is their main
focus which they devote all day, ensuring a smooth operation even in the busiest hours.
Asst. F&B Manager / Deputy Purser (Cruise)

Executive Chef
Restaurant Manager
Kitchen Stewarding Manager / Junior Purser

Executive Kitchen Steward / Galley Boson

Kitchen Steward Supervisor

Kitchen Stewards / Utility Worker / Galley Assistant

Pot Wash

Plate / Dish House

Still / Silver Room

Cafeteria

Kitchen Stewarding Manager :

The chief of the kitchen stewarding department and is responsible for the total
upkeep of the entire food production area and the maintenance of all utensils and
service equipments, including crockery, cutlery and glassware. Co-ordinates closely
with the Executive chef and also with the F&B outlet managers to ensure a smooth
operation even at busy hours.
Executive Kitchen Steward: :
He is responsible for planning, organizing, directing and controlling the kitchen
stewarding stores the stewarding activity. He would and ensure that the food service
operation runs smoothly with the essential support of the department even at busy hours.
Kitchen Steward Supervisor :
This is a supervisory level responsible for a particular shift, for it is a round the
clock activity, to look after the entire days operation, and reports to the manager

or executive for any activity beyond the control of the supervisor for necessary action.
Dishwashers / Pot Washers / Utility Workers / Kitchen Porter :
They operate the dishwashing machine or manually wash the dishes and other
silverware required for the smooth functioning of the F&B service team. In the pot wash they
clean large pots and cooking utensils of the kitchen, using jet water sprays or as systems
provided by the organization. They

are the cleaning brigade, who clean kitchens and equipments and also picks up stores. They
comprise of a multi-task brigade who picks up ingredients from stores and does heavy jobs
as and when required.
THE WASH UP AREA:
The Wash up area is the most important service area and must be cited correctly so
that the brigade can work speedily and efficiently when passing from the food service area
to the kitchens. The layout and positioning of the area should be at strategic point so that it
can be easily reachable with least walking, to save time and energy. The waiter would move
from the food service outlet after clearance of the soiled plates, cutleries, entre
dishes and stack them in definite part of the dirty collection table and then move to
the kitchen to collect the next order. The plates should be correctly sized with the table
wares. All glassware is to be stacked on a separate tray and carried at a separate point to be
washed separately to minimise breakage.
The actions is to clean the soiled (dirty, used) equipments, plates, spoons, glasses, cutlery,
hollow wares, etc. coming from the restaurants and floor and as required by the kitchen. The
wash up area is composed of 3 sub sections each manned by a steward from the kitchen
stewarding department.

Loading : Dirty equipments, plates, spoons, glasses, cutlery, hollowwares,

etc. They are prewashed and loaded on baskets for the machine or passed to hand washing.

Washing : It is done by machine or hand and in any case the process is the same. It
undergoes three stages - Washing, Rinsing and Sanitizing.

Unloading : At this stage they are kept on racks to be picked by stewards or waiters
to be used for service again.
THE SILVER ROOM & THE PLATE ROOM :
The Silver and the Plate Room is the store room for all the clean earthenware and metal
tableware. In small hotel this room is combined with the wash up. They maintain an
adequate stock of all the tableware, earthenware and glassware for service together with a
slight surplus stock to handle emergency situations. The room is equipped with cupboards
and shelves. The inventory of all the articles is regularly taken and tallied with the book
stock. The shelves and the cupboards are so designed so as the larger silver items like
platters and entre dishes are stored on the shelves while earthen ware articles
are stored in the cupboard. While stacking the heavier items should go at the lower shelves

while the lighter items are stored higher up. Smaller items such as ashtrays, menu card
holders, table numbers, cruet set, butter dishes are best stored in drawers lined with green
baize.
Procedure for washing kitchen utensils and equipments :

Kitchen utensils can be manually or machine washed in the pot wash following the
same principles of Wash, Rinse and Sanitize. It is advisable to use a 3 sink system and the
utensils and chopping boards are to be dipped in chlorine solution of 100 ppm (parts per
million) before being re used.

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Scrape and pre rinse to keep the washing water clean for a longer time.
Wash with detergent in preferably hot water.
Rinse in hot water to remove detergent to avoid chemical poisoning.
Sanitize in warm water using chlorine or directly in steam or hot air.
Drip dry.

The wash up is carried out mainly in two methods:

1) Manual Washing Method : The first method is known as three sink washing method.
The first sink contains a hot water and soap solution, and the second sink contains
hot water to rinse and the third sink contains tepid warm water with a sanitized
solution. The stacked and grouped dirties come in their groups to the first sink and
here they are manually scrubbed with the hot water solution after which they are
passed to the second sink where they are rinsed and ultimately to the third sink with
tepid water where they are sanitized. The equipments can also be sterilized by hot
steam and then wiped and send to the plate room and silver room accordingly.

2) Machine Washing Method : The second method is washing by dish washing machine.
The machine itself is very expensive and should be maintained and operated strictly
as per the instructions given in the manual. The plates and other earthenware are
stacked and put in a wired basket, and the glass wares in a separate similar basket to
avoid breakage. The machine is aided by a conveyor belt running through it. The
baskets are loaded on the conveyor that takes them to the inner part where they are
sprayed with soap solution, and then rinsed, and depending upon the type of
machine the articles can even be sterilized and dried as they come out from the
other end of the machine.
DETERGENTS:
Detergents are products made up of a solvent, buffering agent, wetting agent and
water. They are cleansing agents capable of removing grease or foreign materials adhering
to the surfaces. The most common of them are soaps in form of powder, granules or liquid,
acid cleansers, grease solvents and abrasives. Though water has cleaning properties but it is
generally treated as a vehicle for carrying the cleanser to the soiled surface. Alkalis are also
added to some cheaper detergents because their ability to form soaps with fats adhering to
the soiled surfaces. But the disadvantage to such alkaline detergents is that they tend to
harden and therefore has poor rinsing qualities. Besides, alkalis exert a corrosive action on

the dishes. Polyphosphate detergents however remove the problems of precipitation,

corrosion and water hardening and have been found very satisfactory for hand washing of
dishes.

FOOD WASTE DISPOSAL EQUIPMENTS USED :

It depends greatly on the method of washing, waste collection and disposal system
followed :

1)

INCERNATOR Mainly used for General Waste where they are burnt away as a
method of disposing waste.

2)

COMPACTER It is a machine which acts like a crusher, mainly used for Food Waste,
where all food materials are crushed to a paste and drained away to a disposal
system.

3)

CONVEYOR SYSTEM Used in dish washing machines for efficient cleaning of

equipments, crockery, cutlery, glassware, etc with the minimal use of manpower
and in the most hygienic and
safe conditions.

The job of dish washing comprises of removal of the adherents. The common
adherents on soiled equipments are saliva, lip marks, food materials and insoluble carbon
and salt residues remaining from the scorching of foods which sometimes occurs at the base
of the cooking utensils.

Since sanitation is essential to catering and therefore the importance of proper

cleaning methods, for kitchen, service, storage and other equipments is essential in any
catering operation. Cleaning involves two components, water and detergents. The two
aspects of water are its purity and temperature. The purity of water is guided by presence of
pathogenic and non-pathogenic micro organism. For the water to be pure it should be free
from all pathogenic micro-organism the presence of which is liable to contaminate all
washed articles. However the water is considered to be safe if the presence of non
pathogenic organism. The presence of such non pathogens will not account for any
contamination but their presence contaminate the sewerage system which is needed a
periodic treatment. Another impurity that is present in water is the soluble calcium and
magnesium salts that make the water hard that makes the detergents literally inactive.
Samples of water are collected at random and are checked for its impurities. Accordingly,
water is treated and sent for its use.

The temperature of water is again a factor for effective washing. Water subjected to
high temperature destroys the micro-organisms, makes the water soft and helps in removal
of fats that
adheres to the soiled articles. The ideal temperature for the different stages of washing are :
Pre rinse : 50C,
(30C)

Wash : 60C,

Final Rinse : 80C,

Sanitize : Room temperature

GARBAGE DISPOSAL :
Wet and dry garbage is stored separately. Wet garbage is stored in containers
themselves in an air - conditioned shelter to prevent fermentation and smell. Dry garbage is
sometimes incinerated. Garbage handling is very important as because they have to be
segregated according to their nature before being treated or else a lot of time is wasted in
separating them. Dry garbage is generally incinerated; glasses and cans are crushed to
reduce volume and then disposed for recycling. The

garbage segregation is of utmost importance for being environment friendly. The different
kinds of garbage found in the hospitality sector are : a) Food Waste, b) General Waste, c)
Cans, d) Glass. Care should be taken in proper disposal of burnt oil, which are sent to other
industries for various industrial purpose. Even starch from rice should be disposed carefully
into the public waste water discharge. There are also possibility of Medical (First Aid) and
garbage for Batteries (Electronic) in a fully fledged operation.

MAINTENANCE OF INVENTORY BY KITCHEN STEWARDING :

The kitchen stewarding department is also responsible for storage of various service
and production equipments. They have to maintain their inventory and periodically
undertake physical stock taking and tally the same with the Stock Book. Any breakages and
losses are brought into the notice of higher authorities, the F&B Service Manager, so that
action is taken accordingly.
The different registers maintained in this department are :

1. Log Book to maintain daily information of the department

2. Duty Roster Chart to distribute the manpower efficiently and mentioning off days.
3. F&B Inventory Register to maintain the inventory of all equipments related to F&B
service.

4. Kitchen Equipment Register - to maintain the inventory of all equipments related to

kitchen.

5. Dead Stock / Scrap Register - to maintain the inventory of all discarded equipments.
6. Breakage and Condemn Register - to maintain the inventory of all breakages.
7. LPG / Fuel Consumption Register - to maintain the consumption of fuel used.
8. Machine Report register register where machine operations are recorded.
9. Maintenance Request Register - to register the maintenance of all F&B equipments.
10. AMC Records Register - to maintain the annual maintenance records of all
equipments.

11. Requisition Forms these are forms where the departments are recorded for
procurement from the stores.

RECORD MAINTENANCE IN THE KST DEPARTMENT

LOG BOOK FORMAT
Date
:
Kind attention :

Shift :

Information
:
For :

3)

.
.
.
.
.
.

4)

................................
.

1)
2)

Shift In- charge (KST) :

Signature :

EQUIPMENTS INVENTORY REGISTER FORMAT

Name of article :
Date

Inventory No. :

Particulars

Op. Bal.

Received
Qty.

Cl. Bal.

Discrepancy

Rate

MAINTENANCE WORK REQUEST FORM FORMAT

Name of outlet :
Department :
Requested by :
Maintenance work required :
Received by :
Date :
Time :

Day :

Time :
Location :

Remarks

REQUISITION SLIP FORMAT

Sl. No :

Department :

Sl. No.

Ingredients

Qty. Reqd.

Date :

Qty. Issued

Cost
Rs.

Per

paisa

Extension
Rs.

paisa

DUTY ROASTER CHART

Period : From . To
..

Week Code :
Name of staff

Dated :

Signature

Mon

Tue

Wed

Thurs

Fri

Sat

Sun

AMC REGISTER FORMAT

Name of

Date

Period of

Expiry

Parts

Date of

Machine /

of

validity

date

covered in

visit by

Machine No.

AMC

AMC

company

Replacements Remarks
made

INVENTORY OF SCRAPS
Date

Op. Bal.
Qty.

Vol. Of scrap

Amt.

Qty.

Total

Rate Amt. Qty.

Sold

Sold To

Amt. Qty. Amt. Qty.

Cl. Bal.

Amt. Qty.

Amt.

BREAKAGE & CONDEMN REGISTER

Date

Article

Written off
Broken

Condemne
d

Stock

F&B

Prepared

Signature

Register
Ref.

Controls
approval

by

of
competent

No.

authority

MACHINE REPORT REGISTER FORMAT

Date Name of

Usage status

Operational /

Last

Machine Running Sometimes ceased when Breakdown

and no.

checked

date

Last date
of

On event of breakdown
Reported

Attended

Repaired

servicing Date Time Date Time Date Time

LPG CONSUMPTION REGISTER FORMAT

Date Total
LPG in
Gas
Bank

Full

Empties Connected
to
cylinders
manifold

Received

Closing
Balance

Returned
to dealer

Invoice Qty. Gate Qty.

No.

Pass
no.

Full

Empty Online Total

Remarks