Vegetables are the most important sources of nutrients in the human diet. In conditions of increased exposure to adverse factors, they contribute to the preservation of health and longevity. They are rich in carbohydrates, mineral salts, dietary fiber, vitamins, volatile, essential oils. The substances contained in the fruits of cultivated plants are mandatory for the full functioning of the body and maintain its acid-base balance.
Besides the fact that fruits have a positive effect on the assimilation of various foods, the diversity of their color, taste and aroma helps to improve appetite. More than 100 types of vegetables are grown and used as food. In many ways, the nutritional value of plant food depends on its proper storage, processing, and packaging that meets certain standards.
Purpose of the vegetable shop
In specialized equipped premises, initial processing of vegetables, production and short-term storage of semi-finished products are carried out. The location of the vegetable shop is as follows:
- Processing of products is organized at medium and high power catering enterprises working on raw materials for their production.
- At vegetable stores for a centralized supply of various semi-finished products and packaged root crops of pre-harvest organizations. This includes catering facilities for educational, industrial, retail outlets that do not have procurement workshops.
Room requirements
One of the characteristics of the vegetable shop is the parameters of the room. The calculation of the area is based on the planned volume of processed raw materials, rational placement of equipment and the creation of comfortable working conditions. The workshop is located so that the transportation of contaminated fruits from the warehouse is carried out without touching the general economic corridors. The room must be equipped with heating, ventilation, sewage, water supply, as well as provide lighting sources. In order to prevent personal injury, the floor must be even and safe.
It is convenient to arrange the vegetable workshop in canteens, cafes and restaurants on the 1st floor next to the warehouse, and premises for further preparation of cold and hot dishes. Large enterprises with vegetable stores can have several branches.
Types of raw materials
Depending on the part of the plant consumed in food, vegetables are divided into vegetative and fruit.
The first include:
- tubers, mainly potatoes;
- roots;
- cabbage;
- onion;
- salad spinach;
- dessert: rhubarb, artichoke, asparagus;
- spicy.
Fruit:
- pumpkin;
- tomato;
- legumes;
- cereals (ears of corn).
Of the tubers, the most common use in nutrition is potatoes. Its tubers should be of a standard form, healthy, ripe, dry. As well as a uniform color, solid, dense, without greens, sprouts and damage. Most of these requirements apply to other vegetable products.
Organization of the work of the vegetable shop
In small workshops, the main responsibility for the organizational process is assigned to the production manager, in large and medium-sized ones - to the foreman or boss. Under the supervision of the head are vegetable cleaners who perform technological operations. Typically, the work in the workshop is single-shift, taking into account the timely procurement of products for the evening activities of the enterprise.
The manager draws up a work plan based on the general production program and requests from pre-prepared points, as well as a schedule for the preparation of semi-finished products per shift, depending on the period of sale of the dishes. Provides timely and quality processing of raw materials, the continuity of the process, following all conditions, instructions, sanitary and hygiene standards. The responsible person calculates the consumption of consumed fruits and the volume of finished products in the daily reports.
Before use, the raw material is contained in boxes for storing vegetables in a warehouse, from where the head of the department organizes its receipt according to the application. Then, together with the storekeeper carries out incoming quality control of products.
Technological process
The characteristic of the vegetable shop is determined by the number of operations included in the technological scheme of working with raw materials. These include:
- product weighing;
- sorting;
- selection of spoiled raw materials;
- washing machine or manually (carried out in isolation from the finished product to prevent the entry of microbes and bacteria from contaminated fruits);
- mechanical or manual cleaning;
- manual purification;
- sulfitation (treatment with sodium bisulfite to prevent darkening);
- washing;
- cutting and chopping mechanically or manually;
- packaging, packaging in containers;
- short-term storage;
- cooling (if required);
- marking (if required);
- expedition (transfer to other workshops, delivery to pre-training organizations).
Equipment and inventory of the vegetable shop
The specifics of working with plant raw materials dictates the use of special equipment of various types of enterprises. The production of vegetables and the production of finished products should be mechanized as much as possible in order to reduce costs and optimize the process. According to the order of technological operations, the organization of jobs in the vegetable shop and the acquisition of inventory and equipment.
The equipment is installed according to the steps of the technological process and can have wall and island placement. A sufficient number of equipment items is selected in accordance with regulatory regulatory documents. A number of equipment requires connection to various systems: electrical, exhaust, sewage, water supply. The larger the workshop, the greater the range of equipment for it is acquired.
Mechanical equipment:
- scales, weight dispenser;
- calibration machines (for large workshops);
- conveyors (for large rooms);
- vegetable-washing lines and machines (vibration washers, pressure washers, continuous - for high throughput, periodic - for small and medium-sized workshops), reducing the time of preparation of raw materials before machining;
- combi steamer (the technology produced in the oven with the help of steam for peeling, peeling, which reduces the amount of waste);
- apparatus for dry cleaning tubers (caustic soda, for large workshops);
- vegetable peelers;
- potato peelers;
- vegetable cutters (for boiled and raw vegetables);
- kitchen processor;
- cutter, slicer, mixer;
- apparatus for sulfitation;
- refrigerating cases, chambers;
- extracts (for absorption of essential oils of sharply smelling raw materials);
- packaging machines.
Non-mechanical equipment:
- tables with a washing bath;
- shelving;
- washing with a choking device;
- post-treatment tables (with recesses for blanks and a hatch for removing waste into the tank);
- stationary and mobile washing baths;
- salesmen;
- containers and boxes for storing vegetables;
- production tables ;
- mobile trolleys;
- cutting boards;
- trays;
- waste tanks;
- Chairs with footrest and armrests.
Non-mechanical equipment also includes kitchen scissors and vegetable knives.
Workplaces are equipped with improvised equipment and various devices. In manual cleaning and tertiary treatment, root and grooved vegetable knives are used to clean the roots and excavate the eyes. For these purposes, mechanical devices are also used. Prepared raw materials are cut with knives: carbohydrate (with a wavy or zigzag blade), crooked. They use the cook three, devices for shredding, curly notches and graters.
Technological lines
In small and moderate capacity vegetable shops at public catering establish 2 main production lines:
- processing of root crops and potatoes (washing, machining in vegetable peelers, manual post-treatment, washing, placing potatoes in water for 3 hours, sulphonating if necessary, slicing);
- preparation of onions, cabbage, greens, seasonal vegetables and pickles (processing of raw materials, removal of substandard parts, washing, peeling of stalks, stems, stumps, peels, seeds, washing, slicing, protection against drying).
In workshops of considerable capacity, processing more than 1 ton of vegetables, they create similar technological lines, but all processes are more mechanized.
Product range
It is determined by the type, capacity, production plan of the enterprise and is a characteristic of the vegetable shop. An approximate nomenclature of semi-finished products of specialized premises of medium-sized enterprises:
- raw peeled potatoes;
- processed onions, beets, carrots;
- sulphitated potatoes peeled raw;
- processed: green onions, parsley, dill, celery, salad;
- white peeled cabbage.
In modern large vegetable shops, the product list is supplemented by production lines:
- packing vegetables into bags;
- fried potatoes;
- vegetable cutlets;
- vinaigrette and salads.
Rules for the organization of work
Strict adherence to the rules of safety and labor protection contributes to the elimination of emergency situations in the workshop:
- Admission to the operation of the mechanisms of workers who have studied their device and have been trained accordingly.
- The presence of rules for safe operation near mechanisms.
- Exclusion of contact with moving parts of professional devices.
- Mandatory grounding, grounding of electrical equipment.
- Weight of goods with a one-time lift: women - up to 15 kg, men - up to 50 kg; for constant lifts in the work shift: women - up to 7 kg, men - up to 15 kg.
- Room temperature over 15 °.
- Timely waste disposal.
Personal hygiene is also a must. In this regard, it is required:
- Put personal items and outerwear in special lockers and dressing rooms.
- Before work, thoroughly wash your hands with a disinfectant, wear overalls and a protective hat.
- Change contaminated clothing.
- When using the toilet room, remove clothing in a designated place, wash your hands with disinfectants.
- Report on the appearance of symptoms of infectious or viral diseases, purulent foci, wounds, to the head and contact a medical institution.
- Inform employer of intestinal infections in family members.
- Remove fragile and piercing objects (jewelry, watches, pins), cut nails shortly, do not use varnish for them.
- Eat and smoke (taking off protective clothing) in designated rooms.
The use of vegetables is the key to a healthy human diet. A variety of varieties, advanced storage methods and excellent taste qualities of vegetable products contribute to its widespread use in modern cooking. Efficient and rational organization of the work of the vegetable shop is one of the conditions for the successful functioning of public catering enterprises.