1.1: The Professional Garde Manger

Thrust yourself back in time to the days of castles prior to the French Revolution of 1789. You are the Garde Manger or “Keeper of the Food”. You began as a lowly apprentice of the Guild until reaching the level of journeyman and after years of proving your acumen, you have risen to Master. There is no modern convenience of refrigerated storage or even air conditioning for that matter. You must make the most of the coolest part of the lower levels of the castle, perhaps insulated by the cool waters of the moat surrounding the fortress to keep the meats at the coolest temperature possible. Beyond that, you must put into place all of the preservation methods taught to you by Guild master throughout your training in order to add satiety, shelf life, and value to the pig, deer, rabbit and fowl from the nearby forests.

Today we can appreciate the ease that modern convenience offers us if we only take a moment to place ourselves in the shoes of those who went before us to develop a lasting profession with methods and technical skills still practical yet requiring great demand upon the chef in time and energy. In the days of Marie Antoine Careme ice was cut from lakes in the winter with large saws and stored with straw and dirt below ground for keeping. We have it pretty easy today if you think about it.

Barbant, Le Garde-Manger, U Froid.

This Guild system regulated raw materials and finished products in any number of classifications such as baked goods, charcuterie (literally meaning - cooked flesh), soups, and more. It lasted until the latter part of the sixteenth century until the French Revolution ended the nobility class, forcing the chefs to open restaurants as a matter of survival. Along the way, Monsieur Boulanger, owner of an Inn served his guest a “restorative” dish of sheep’s trotters in a sauce. He was sued by the guild of soups for infringing on their protected category. Their efforts were to no avail as the judge declared the dish beyond the scope of a soup and instead a meal unto itself. Many look to this historical moment as the beginning of a renaissance of the restaurant and the end of the guilds. Over the next few years, the 50 established restaurants in Paris grew to over 500 in number.

Today we see a great resurgence in the old becoming new again. New chefs are discovering charcuterie at a fantastic rate and learning the skill sets to bring it to life on the menu via charcuterie and cheese boards. Others are pressing the envelope to include various aspects of aspic in the creation of layered and bound salads or adding texture and sensory appeal to cold dishes with a gelee which melts in the mouth providing moisture and satiety in new ways. The alchemy of the modernist kitchen is a trend for many of these chefs who are finding a welcomed kinship in the marriage of new and old.

There is something for everyone in the art of the Garde Manger. It is inescapable from the simplicity of the cold preparations we take for granted each day to the rare cold platters of culinary competitions and all the way to the science of molecular gastronomy. The journey from the old to the new is necessary as a means of foundation building and as lofty as you are driven by your passion to take it. Punch your ticket; choose your own destination. All aboard!

Equipment of the Garde Manger

Shown: Food Processor by Robot Coupe®

Commonly referred to by its brand name, Robot Coupe, this is a vital part of the cold kitchen providing a tool for blending, pureeing, slicing, grating and more. It is imperative to understand its operation, assembly, disassembly, cleaning, reassembly, and storage. The most common error is to force the bowl off before removing the lid. This will result in breaking the pin housed in the bowl handle that engages the motor. Caution: Pay close attention to the demonstration of this equipment’s use and be careful to follow the proper procedure each time it is used.

Shown: Table top mixer by Hobart®

Mixers come in various sizes and for our purposes; we will use both 5 and 20-quart mixers for such things as blending sausage meats, fats, and spices. Be educated on this item’s operation, assembly, parts, cleaning and reassembly. Caution: Always use care in the operation of this as well as any electric tool in the kitchen.

Shown: Meat slicer by Hobart®

The meat slicer is a valuable tool to achieve evenly sliced charcuterie such as bacon, Salami, speck, etc. It can be dangerous so pay extreme attention, wear proper gloves when using, and always clean and sanitize the machine completely and at proper intervals.

Shown: Buffalo Chopper by Hobart®

A vital express chopping machine for high volume chopping indeed, however the primary purpose in Garde Manger is in the making of emulsified meats for sausages like frankfurters. The constant rotation of the bowl in conjunction with the turning blade create the paste like consistency necessary in hot dogs while the addition of ice keeps the cold emulsion from breaking. Use extreme caution and follow all demonstrated procedures when using this machine. Always sanitize before use and clean, sanitize, and reassemble after use.

Shown: Vacuum Pressure Sealer by VacMaster®

A pressure seal is used in Sous Vide canning, and packaging products for storage, curing, freezing and other uses. It is important to learn how it operates and to check it for lubrication on a regular basis.

Shown: Sausage stuffer with attachments by F. Dick®

You will become proficient at creating fresh and cured sausages as you learn the assembly and use of the tools for stuffing the sausages. Varieties of tube sizes are available for different sized casings and various sausage types.

Shown: Meat grinder by Hobart® and attachments

Before stuffing sausages, we must first learn the grinder and its assembly. The worm or auger turns the meat pieces along it screw like surface to the blade and through the die to grind the meat into various sized grinds. Chill the parts beforehand to create a good cold emulsion and assemble them correctly. Use caution and follow proper grinding procedures relating to the desired outcome of the style sausage you wish to produce.

Cheese making is a tremendous amount of fun as requires a great deal of patience and care. Learning these principles can bring a lifetime of enjoyment to you and your guests.

Time to tour the Kitchen - In class

Learning what the equipment is and where the equipment resides is key to running an efficient kitchen operation for many standpoints. It allows for a smoother workday and a stress free environment that is so important in today’s kitchen. An organized kitchen lends itself to lower labor costs, happier customers and greater profits.

We will tour the kitchen now, but it is your responsibility to familiarize yourself with where your tools and food reside and to put them in their proper place once finished with them so both you and others can easily find them when needed.

Kitchen Policies

Be in your complete uniform at the line up for roll call. This includes all uniform policies listed in the syllabus.

1. After roll call and briefing, enter the class, placing kits and bags on the proper table and wash your hands.
2. Set up your stations according to the supplied diagram from the chef and sanitize your work area, knives and cutting board. Prepare your game plans under plastic overlay for ease of checking off procedural steps.
3. After any chef demo, gather ALL mise en place necessary to complete any and all recipes for which you are responsible. Use pans to gather food.
4. Refrain from using cell phones and all unnecessary conversation as you focus on production. Put into practice all sanitation rules learned in Servsafe®.
5. Before leaving to go to the restroom, please notify the chef.
6. Wash dishes as you go; do not drop dishes at the sink without washing them.
7. Focus on the task at hand; think of the next step and prepare. Warm plates for hot food- cold plates for cold food. Think ahead.
8. Work toward meeting your deadlines in preparation for your career as a chef; now is the time to prepare - not later. We become what we practice.
9. Work together as a team to accomplish the goal of cleaning. A list is provided. Leave the kitchen better that you found it.
10. Ask questions; be prepared. Game plans are a prerequisite to attending class. If you are unprepared, it will show and reflect on your grade.
11. Keep a good attitude. We all make mistakes. Better here than in the restaurant. Take criticism well. It’s harder and harsher in the real world, though we are working to “Be the Change”.* 2018 ACF National Convention Theme

Preparing for Class

This is your new textbook for Garde Manger. It is solid yet concise. Moodle, the learning management system, is replete with resources. Note taking in lecture has no substitute. These are the bare minimums. The university library and beyond has much on the subject that will help you to gain knowledge and sharpen your memory. Young Chefs who are alumni and own their own restaurants practiced these principles.

The game plans have been developed to train you to prepare your mind for production through the practice of writing the ingredients and equipment necessary to complete the recipe along with the steps of the recipe. It makes you ready for class and keeps you from wasting precious time reading a recipe. Studies show that if you visualize your steps in your mind’s eye in addition to practice, you’ll have greater success in the competition of a task. Education is expensive- wisdom even more so. Make the most of your class time by preparing ahead.

Look too at the big picture. Culinary education is cumulative. Put into practice the principles from each class; make them ‘part and parcel’ of the way you operate in the kitchen. Do not forget the suc or fond in the pan is necessary for building flavor in a dish and too quickly wash it all away because you forgot how to braise. The same goes for sanitation. Keep putting into practice all those principles that will pay off at health inspection time and daily with healthy happy guests.

Classroom Preparation Assignment \(\PageIndex{1}\)

Introduction to Garde Manger

1. Garde manger (literally “______ ___ ___ ______”) was the term used to identify this storage area. It is still used to indicate a larder or pantry—a place for cold food storage.
2. The preservation of food in 1700’s was largely a sign of wealth and most popular among nobility. This time was the golden age of the guilds but still many chefs who were not part of the guilds as they worked for the wealthy in the castles. What event lead to the rise of restaurants and the fall of the guilds in the latter part of the 1700’s in France?
3. According to Kitchen Tour section of the Introduction, to what three things does an organized kitchen lend itself?
4. Why do we place kitchen small wares back in their proper place after we use and clean them?
5. What is the most common error when using the Robot Coupe?