September 2006 Archives

Continuing its mission of promoting Thai hospitality to the world, the Dusit Group presents its coffee table book, Thai Way of Life, The Dusit Cook Book. As the latest project of Thanpuying Chanut Piyaoui, the group's founder and Honorary Chairperson, this book offers well-loved Thai recipes that reflect the uniqueness of Thai culture. The cover's visually arresting image – a trio of noodle-wrapped prawns garnished with gold leaf, sitting on a pale green anthurium petal, and with red chilies scattered around -- embodies the artistry of Thai cuisine. The book delves into the fundamentals of Thai cooking, from the basics of food preparation to the blending of the four basic taste groups -- sweet, salty, and sour and spicy. Thai Way of Life, The Dusit Cook Book also includes a guide to various herbs and spices and their medicinal properties, as well as an explanation of traditional Thai kitchen utensils. The book then takes the reader to the various regions of Thailand and the recipes they are known for. These recipes feature beautiful and detailed photos, complemented on the opposite page by clear preparation and serving instructions, ingredients, and some handy chef's tips. Entertaining and informative, the writing boasts of easy-to-follow recipes that will surely bring pleasant memories to anyone who has savored the culinary delights of Thailand through Dusit Hotel Nikko's Benjarong Royal Thai Cuisine restaurant and its string of Dusit Hotels around the globe. With the popularity of Thai cooking and the plethora of Thai restaurants in the Philippines, it is about time that Thai Way of Life, The Dusit Cook Book becomes a part of one's cookbook collection. The book is available for sale at Benjarong and the Deli Shop of Dusit Hotel Nikko, Ayala Center, Makati City.

TESDA launches a new system of learning making it easier for technical-vocational students to pursue a college degree. Article by Mai Mislang For many Filipinos, the dream to overcome poverty is necessitated by a college degree. An indication of a BS or BA degree in your resume can surely take you places, as it usually merits a distinction during employee selection. Ironically, in a country where good education has become so elusive, being a college graduate is a fundamental requirement when recruiters evaluate possible new hires. In fact, pedantic managers will tell you that college graduates have a better chance of getting entry-level jobs that pay decently enough to survive in today’s economy. But what about vocationally-skilled individuals? Can they still compete? Is there a way of bridging income and skill disparities to give equal educational opportunities to all? Under the principle of empowerment and sustainability, the Philippine government has installed the ladderized Education System under Executive Order 358, “To Institutionalize A Ladderized Interface Between Technical-Vocational Education and Training (TVET) and Higher Education (HE),â€

Beware of native methods of food preparation which can sometimes lead to greater risk of foodborne illness. Article by Rommel Gerodias The Philippines boasts much ethnic and cultural diversity, including its food. Whether for almusal (breakfast), tanghalian (lunch), hapunan (dinner) or merienda (snacks), we enjoy a wide variety of dishes that comprise our native cuisine. Rice products are the major component of many Philippine dishes, from entrées to snacks. Most of these are made of rice or a combination of rice and other ingredients. Another major component of Philippine cuisine is gatâ or coconut milk, a very popular ingredient in main dishes, snacks and desserts. With rice and coconut milk as major elements of Philippine cuisine, let us talk food safety when handling these food items. Bacillus Cereus is the foodborne pathogen most associated with rice, rice products and cereals. Toxins produced by the Bacillus Cereus bacteria can lead to gastrointestinal intoxication or food poisoning. There are two types of toxins -- the Diarrhoeal (causing diarrhoea) and the Emetic (causing vomiting). Bacillus Cereus exists in normal bacterial and spore forms in foods. The normal form is inactivated by cooking, but most illness is a result of the multiplication of spores during inadequate refrigeration of moist cooked protein foods and rice. Cooking often kills competing bacteria while heat activates the Bacillus Cereus spores. Therefore, storing large masses of cooked food between 5º C and 57º C can allow the bacteria to multiply. Food poisoning caused by Bacillus Cereus may occur when foods are prepared and held without adequate refrigeration for several hours before serving. B. Cereus is an aerobic spore-forming bacterium that is commonly found in soil, on vegetables, and in many raw and processed foods. Consumption of foods that contain >106 B. Cereus /gram may result in food poisoning. Foods incriminated in past outbreaks include cooked meat and vegetables, boiled or fried rice, vanilla sauce, custards, soups and raw vegetable sprouts. Two types of illness have been attributed to the consumption of foods contaminated with B. Cereus. The first and better known is characterized by abdominal pain and diarrhea. It has an incubation period of 4-16 hours and symptoms that last for 12-24 hours. The second, characterized by an acute attack of nausea and vomiting, occurs within 1-5 hours after consumption of contaminated food. Diarrhea is not a common feature in this type of illness. More often than not, native foods are prepared and served under room temperatures. It is recommended that, after cooking rice products like suman, kakanin, bibingka, puto bumbong, etc. (or any food for that matter), have it prepared right away while it is hot. As soon as the internal food temperature drops below 57º C, make sure that the food is either reheated to 74º C or refrigerated to reach a temperature of 5º C within four (4) hours. Exposure of the food (especially if it is mixed with coconut milk, meat and other protein-rich items) to temperatures between 5-57º C for more than four hours may pose a hazard to the consumer. Between these temperatures, B. Cereus and other microorganisms may be developing already in the food. Always wash, rinse and sanitize the utensils being used in the preparation of kakanin (rice-based delicacies). If the food is to be wrapped in leaves ( e.g. coconut leaves, banana leaves), be sure to wash, rinse and sanitize the leaves before food contact. Any microorganism left in the leaves may be able to survive and eventually get into the food. This is a must for binalot where the leaves are used as packaging material for the ready-to-eat food and will no longer be cooked further. It is also important to note that food handlers preparing this type of food must observe proper personal hygiene. Adequate hand washing (20 seconds or more) should be done, since most foodborne pathogens come from the hands of food handlers. Although one may think that old practices in the preparation of native foods have not affected the health of many people (as we may think), it is not far-fetched to say that most of the diarrhoeal and vomiting cases that occur after a barrio wedding, fiesta or any local celebration are caused by the improper handling of food during preparation and serving. Again and again, always keep hot foods hot and cold food cold. Bibingka, ginataan, puto, kutsinta, halayang ube and other local native foods are not exempted from this rule. Be safe!

Learn how to keep kitchen combustibles under control and ensure fire safety at all times. Article by Chun Valencia The concern for fire safety knows no boundary -- it spans across different industries worldwide and affects people regardless of race, creed or social status. Throughout history, fires have created havoc in homes, schools, restaurants, churches, hotels, hospitals, theaters, discos and even sea vessels. Everyone is indeed a potential fire victim. Always remember that heat, fuel and oxygen are the elements necessary to create fire, or in technical terms, to sustain combustion. If any of these is not present, there can be no chemical reaction to produce flame. If we want to extinguish or control fire, then we must remove one of these elements. Kitchen fires pose unique problems because of the peculiar chemical nature of fats and oils used in the cooking process. Today’s commercial kitchens can turn into an environment for fire risk due to the prevalence of hot cooking oils, fats, grease and other flammable substances, as well as high-energy input/output cooking appliances. The trend towards healthier foods has led to the use of fat-free vegetable oil instead of animal fat such as lard. Since vegetable oils burn hotter than animal fat, vegetable oil fires are also hotter and more difficult to extinguish. Moreover, modern cooking appliances are now highly insulated and slow-cooling. Thus, in order to protect the kitchen from fire accidents, there should be a fire suppression system that is properly designed to put out these hotter fires. Automatic Sprinkler Systems Because of the nature of fire hazards in the commercial kitchen, a special type of fire suppression system is required. These fire suppression systems are designed to effectively protect the kitchen from unwanted fire accidents. They can protect griddles, range tops, fryers, boilers and woks, as well as hood and duct systems. Other systems offer rapid flame knockdown -- in approximately 1 minute, they typically reduce the temperature of the cooking oil or grease below its ignition temperature. That is about 15 times faster than conventional wet chemical systems where the fuel may remain hot enough to reignite for as long as 15 minutes after discharge. Some systems are even enclosed in stainless steel to blend right into the surroundings of today’s modern kitchen, enhancing both functionality and aesthetics. Fire Extinguishers According to Koetter Fire, a distributor of fire suppression equipment, studies have found that 90% of fires can be controlled with the use of the proper fire extinguisher. Since different types of fire require different types of fire extinguishers, foodservice workers (especially those assigned in production areas) must be adequately trained to identify and use the right extinguisher for the fire in its early stages. Fire Safety Practices In addition to the installation of fire suppression systems, it is essential in any foodservice operation for its workers to recognize fire hazards in their workplace. The following are some safety practices that can be adopted in the kitchen: 1. Keep the kitchen area clean and well-organized. Watch out for the accumulation of grease on stoves/hoods, missing knobs on burners, and missing filters on hood systems. Understand how and when to clean the kitchen hood, ducts, grills, vents, filters and fans. 2. Never leave cooking food unattended. Many fires have been investigated to have started when the person cooking steps out “for a while.â€

To develop a cutting-edge Philippine tourism industry, we need to broaden our understanding of “customer service.â€