chefs corner

 by Chef Megan

Winter recipe favorites

The best recipes to get you through winter!

We have put together our absolute favorite recipes for a cold lazy winters day.

The most epic pumpkin fritter recipe you’ll ever taste. They are absolutely delicious and with a thick caramel fudge sauce you cant go wrong!

 

Recipe PDF June

 

in chefs corner 1 comments
 by Chef Megan

Covid-19 in the workplace

How do I get my kitchen Covid-19 ready?

During the Covid-19 pandemic we have to make sure our workplace is 100% sanitized.

To accomplish this we need to adhere to strict government regulations regarding safety and hygiene in the workplace. Hygiene should always be top priority in the kitchen and this time the spotlight is on the industry to see how we handle high risk situations.

The worst nightmare for any restaurant or factory owner is having a break out of Covid-19 that could have been avoided.

What measures should I have in place to prevent an outbreak?

Here is a Summary of government recommendations to implement proper control measures. These were updated at the end of march and might be slightly out of date, but still relevant!

  1. Installing high-efficiency air filters.
  2. Increasing ventilation rates in the work environment.
  3. Installing physical barriers such as face shields.
  4. Encouraging sick workers to stay at home.
  5. Minimizing contact among workers, clients, and customers by replacing face-to-face meetings with virtual communications e.g. conference calls, Skype, etc.
  6. Minimizing the number of workers on site at any given time e.g. rotation or shift work.
  7. Discontinuing nonessential local and international travel. Regularly check travel advice from the Department of Health at: www.health.gov.za
  8. Developing emergency communications plans, including a task team for answering workers’ concerns and internet-based communications, if feasible.
  9. Providing workers with up-to-date education and training on COVID-19 risk factors and protective behaviors (e.g. cough etiquette and care of PPE).
  10. Training workers who need to use protective clothing and equipment on how to put it on, use/wear it and take it off

 

Up to date information from around the world.

Click here for latest stats.

 

 

Tip for washing your hands:

Hum a song in your head that’s at least 20seconds long.

 

 

What equipment is essential for running my business during lock down level 4?

  • Hand sanitizer Or a 5l Sani Kleen hand sanitizer at least 70% alcohol content needs to be readily available at every entrance. We also have Chlorex scrup 500ml
  • Disinfectant 750ml dilution should last a week for sanitizing work surfaces
  • Only paper towel may be used to dry your hands on after washing them – strictly no fabric towels.
  • Face masks a day Or visors if you can’t maintain a distance of at least 1.5m. In some instances it will be necessary to up a physical barrier. Everyone on the premises – including suppliers – must wear masks at all times. A minimum of two cloth masks must be provided to each employee, free of charge. One can be used on the commute to and from work, the other while at the workplace. An employer must ensure that these masks are washed.

While unsure about the upkeep of fabric masks in the kitchen we recommend using disposable masks that can be recycled once thrown away. Workers must be educated about using a face mask correctly.

The employer is responsible for the PPE equipment that staff are using.

All safety equipment should be discarded in an appropriate manner.

What can be recycled should be recycled.

 

What about all the plastic waste?

Plastic waste can be ecobricked and when the eco brick is complete it can be dropped off at any of these locations on waste.eds site! https://waste-ed.co.za/the-ecobrick/

Eco bricks are a great way of ridding extra plastic you don’t want to end up in landfills or rubbish bins. This can be a time consuming effort but the environmental impact is worth the end result!

FREE for your business

Check out these awesome posters, FREE to print out and put up in your work place for your staff to become more aware of covid-19

https://www.websiteplanet.com/blog/free-printable-posters-covid-19/

💜

Source:

Business insider https://www.businessinsider.co.za/covid19-coronavirus-rules-business-companies-workplace-regulations-masks-2020-5

Government department of labour

http://www.labour.gov.za/department-of-employment-and-labour-unveil-guidelines-to-deal-with-covid-19-at-workplaces

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 by Chef Megan

The future of baking is Egg-free

Trying to Bake without eggs? You’ve come to the right place!

Here are My top tips to egg replacement baking success!

 

There are so many egg re-placers to consider when creating a dish or replacing an egg in a recipe.

Different egg re-placers have different functions for different dishes.. flax egg doesn’t work in a cake but is magic in cookies.. Everything has its place!

 

Replacements:

  1. Flax seed powder is great in cookies when replacing eggs, Use 1 tablespoon flax seed powder with 45ml water for the equivalent of 1 egg.
  2. Cooked chickpea flour custard, flavored and seasoned with various spices such as garlic, onion, nutritional yeast, nutmeg, salt and pepper can result in a delicious quiche filling base. My Favorite Filling is a spicy roasted madras with whatever veggies are around. Tofu is also great to experiment with for the perfect quiche like filling.
  3. Apple cider vinegar and soy milk curdle Or egg free mayo make the best liquid and egg Replacement in cakes,scones & Breads.
  4. To crumb coat Pieces of veggies like cauliflower or mushrooms, use chickpea flour. Cut your veggie in bite sized pieces place some flour in one bowl. In another bowl place 1/4 cup chickpea flour with 3/4 cup water, whisk together and In the third bowl add your crumb mix. Season everything as you like dip your veggie in your flour THEN in your egg-y mixture and THEN in your crumbs, double coat if you’d like. Deep fry or bake.
  5. Make vegan royal icing by replacing the egg whites with equal parts chickpea Brine and add some glucose for extra shine. Tightly seal and keep in the fridge or freezer until ready to use. Royal icing is great for small cake details, flooding cookies or making sprinkles.
  6. When Brushing pastry to be baked in the oven, Puff pastry Or Phyllo pastry, mix a teaspoon of B-well Mayo with a few drops of soy milk. This will result in a dark golden crispy crust on your pastry.

Bonus chef tip:

Bicarbonate of soda and vinegar React similarly to eggs in aerated bakes such as cakes, muffins and scones. Simply add a 1/4 tsp of bicarb per cup of flour with the dry ingredients and add about 2 Tablespoons vinegar to your wet ingredients. I use white vinegar or Apple cider Vinegar.

Try It and let us know your experience!

Just for fun!

If you’re craving a scrambled egg like Meal Tofu is your best replacement at the moment.

There are many ways of preparing it and many things you can add to it… Just like “regular” scrambled eggs!

If you don’t like soy , alternatives can be steamed & Grated Cauliflower, Chickpeas Flour, moong beans Or Organ Scrambled egg alternative.

Here’s a quick recipe For scrambled Tofu On sourdough: https://wakeandbake.co.za/recipes/scrambled-tofu-on-sourdough/

Ready in 5min

Serves 2 Portions , and can be doubled as needed.

This is a versatile recipe and can be adjusted to suit your taste.

  • Add mixed peppers with the onion for a colourful look and crunchy texture.
  • ½ tsp curry paste for a spicy finish.
  • some nutritional yeast for a cheezie finish.

 

Let me know in the comments if you’ve tried this recipe.

Would love your feedback!

 

Here are two blogs I found that go into some epic detail check them out!

vegan baking success

https://www.vegansociety.com/whats-new/blog/all-you-need-know-about-successful-vegan-baking

Great tips to airy egg-less cakes

https://ganachepatisserie.com.au/how-to-make-the-most-airy-eggless-cakes/

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