[Sca-cooks] OOP, somewhat on-topic...

[Olwen the Odd]

>Column A is your menu or menus, subdivided by meals, if more than
>one, then by courses, and then by dish name. In column B, next to
>each dish, and working your way down, are your ingredients for each
>dish. It helps to spell consistently, capitalize or not capitalize
>consistently, etc. Column C is the quantity of each ingredient needed
>for each dish. Et cetera. Remember to include entries for salt and
>such, even if you don't know the exact quantities. You can also
>include a column showing total prep and cooking time, assuming you
>know these. Subtract these times from service time and you have your
>schedule, more or less. If you want to go hog-wild, include a column
>of basic instructions for each ingredient, as in Onions/6
>lbs/chopped, sweat in olive oil. This is your master chart.
>
>You can then make a copy, delete Column A, which is only confusing at
>this point, and sort alphabetically by entries in Column B. Suddenly
>you have a chart showing all instances of butter usage, together, and
>how much for each. Ditto milk, flour, etc. Say hello to your shopping
>list. Yes, you'll have to add up the quantities (and there's probably
>a way to make this unnecessary, too, but I don't bother), and figure
>out stuff like how much salt to buy (I usually waste a ton of money
>and splurge on a box of Kosher salt for every feast, use it for
>seasoning, throwing it on greasy floors, fighting fires, cleaning
>griddles, etc.).
>
>It also can be used to generate your ingredients list for those who
>need this information.
>
>I've noticed, though, that when you have your notes set up this way,
>the other cooks will actually go and consult them, and you have much
>more time to consult with the people with allergies to nutmeg, or
>whatever.
>
>So, what's the stuff that other people do to make life easier? We've
>talked about this before, but we also have a fair number of newish
>people on the list that might benefit from this.
>
>Adamantius

This is pretty much the way our shopping/ingredient list is done here in
Bright Hills.  Usually Mistress Jeanne or Lady Cordelia do it (they keep
teaching others) and that generates our shopping/supplies-on-hand lists.  We
have several people who check the prices at places they haunt and some check
newpaper sale ads until we come up with the best price.

As for what we have in the kitchen, well, there are recipe books done in 3
ring binders.  The head cook gets their own copy so they can mark up as to
what's done, changed, who did what, etc.  Then there is at least one copy
for the crew to check and follow.  Since many of our dishes come from
recipes served at the guild meeting it usually falls to whomever brought
that particular dish to prepare it at feast if they are present since they
would be most familiar with a newer dish.  We also have a copy of the book
at troll for folks to read over.  The head cook gets to keep their copy sort
of as momento.

I don't believe in cell phones so that would never be an option for me.
Olwen

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