Catering

Assignment
Take Home Assignment

Obafemi Alabi, 10L

9 January 2015
MILK
Signs of Quality:
Smell Good quality milk does not have a smell. Spoilt milk will have either a
sour or foul smell.
Colour The colour of good quality milk is pure white. When milk is off, it will
take on a yellow or dark shade.
Texture Good quality milk will have a liquid texture with no sign of curdling
i.e. having the appearance of chunky cottage cheese or having a thicker,
yoghurt texture.
Nutritional Value:
A cup (250ml) of full fat milk will contain:
285mg of calcium
8 grams of protein
Other nutrients including Vitamin A, B1, B2, D and K, potassium, riboflavin,
magnesium and biotin among others.
Uses:
Milk is used as a liquefier in pastry i.e. it is used for thinning out a pastry
mixture
It is also used as a softener in bread making rather than the use of water.
This ensures that the bread is softer than that where water was used.
It is used as a base in soups
Whipped (milk) cream is used in making many types of desserts

FISH
Signs of Quality:
Good quality fish has:

Clear eyes. Where the eyes are cloudy, the fish is not fresh.
Firm and springy flesh which appears shiny. Dark spots and bruises
indicate poor quality.
Gills which should be wet and appears either as bright red or bright
pink. Poor quality fish will have gills that are dry, slimy or faded.
 A clean smell of the fish. Where there is a fishy smell, the fish is not
fresh.
Fillet which has tight flesh which is not separating. Any liquid on the
flesh should be clear and not milky or slimy.
Nutritional Value:
Fish is a good source of high quality protein and contains many vitamins and
minerals. White fish contains very little fat (about 1%) whereas oily fish
contains about 10-20% fat with good supply of essential fatty acids.
Uses:
Fish is generally used in the catering industry for starters and main dishes.
Other fish products used include:
Fish Sauce which is a condiment that is derived from fish and which is an
essential ingredient in many curries and sauces.
Fish eggs are used to make caviar, a very expensive delicacy.

EGGS
Signs of Quality:
The albumen (white part) of good quality egg does not spread out and the
yolk (yellow part) is slightly globe shaped and sits high.
Good quality eggs when put in a bowl of water will sink to the bottom and
probably sit on its side.
Nutritional Value:
Average medium egg contains high quality of protein, all B Vitamins
especially B12 and B2 and a good source of vitamins A and D and some
Vitamin E. Eggs are also excellent source of iodine, selenium, significant
source of phosphorous and some zinc and iron. It also contains omega 3 fatty
acids as well as cholesterol.
Uses:
Eggs are used for the following in catering:
Binding
Coating
Glazing
Emulsifying agent
Baking
 Enriching other foods

VEGETABLES
Signs of Quality:
Leafy vegetables should be crispy, colourful and should not be wilting,
damaged or have spots.
Tomatoes and soft fruits should be slightly firm to the touch and should not
be bruised. Very soft fruit is a sign that it is over ripe and may be rotting
away internally
Root vegetables such as potato, onion and yam should be firm to the touch
and should not be sprouting i.e. having growths on them.
Nutritional Value:
Dark green vegetables are typically rich in calcium, iron, B Vitamins and
Vitamin C among others.
Yellow and red vegetables are usually good sources of Vitamins A, C, E and
carotenoids.
Root vegetables such as potato and onion are usually rich in carbonhydrates.
Pulses such as beans are rich in protein.
Uses:
Served as stews such as Efo riro, Edikaikong, Afang etc
May be dried or processed and used as flavouring during cooking e.g. herbs,
bitterleaf and locust bean.
Used for making different types of salads.
For garnishing of food or cocktail drinks such as Chapman.

DIFFERENCES BETWEEN GIBLET AND OFFAL

Giblets and offal are the edible parts of an animal that do not come from its
carcass. The organs are called giblets when they are the entrails of poultry
and offal are those organs that come from four-legged slaughter house
animals such as cows, sheep, goats and pigs.
Giblets are made of the liver, heart, gizzard, pinion and neck of the poultry.
Offal are divided into red offal (heart, liver, tongue, kidneys and tails) and
white offal (brains).
Giblets and offal are generally served as hors-doeuvres, appetizers, main
courses or garnishes.