This morning I volunteered in the Production Kitchen. I got to School at 6am (just as well I live behind the School, and it is approximately 300 steps from Wilbrod House to LCB, door-to-door). Chef CP immediately got me to do the cinnamon twists (made from puff pastry). Then I put egg wash on other pastries that had just come out of the proofer, and I made a cornmeal bread (for staff meals) from a simple recipe Chef CP gave me. On the chef's request, I also made half a litre of simple syrup (I learned how to calculate the amount of water and sugar needed to produce half a litre of simple syrup).
(Aside: Every term, Basic and Intermediate students have to spend one morning in the production kitchen as production assistants so that they know what is involved in the preparation of large volume meals, and understand the practical applications of what they have learned in class. If students are interested, they can volunteer for more hours. My designated production assistant shift is at the end of October, but I was keen to learn more about a real-life kitchen, so I volunteered for a few hours today. Today is a free day for me. No classes at all.)
As I was washing up the knives from my knife kit, I accidentally cut my thumb. Ouch! Those knives are sharp! Fortunately, it was only a superficial wound. And the good news is, a cut from a sharp knife heals quickly. A band-aid over the thumb and back to work I went...
Towards the end of the shift (the shift ends at around 11am), I was asked to dice a tub of potatoes (not something a pastry student would be required to learn, but it was good experience anyway). I found I quite enjoyed cuisine mise en place (cuisine preparations). There's something meditative (or calming) about chopping up potatoes for an hour or so. I'd definitely do it again.
Overall, today's production kitchen shift was a positive experience for me - it was interesting to see how a kitchen is run. I think I will volunteer for more hours next week.
