How to be perfect at final competition

Okay - this looks like a lot of finger-wagging coming at you. But this is really a reminder list.

This is stuff you already know. You just need to remember it for finals, so take a quick run-through.  There are dish-specific tips and suggestions on better interviewing coming up soon. 

·       Know the rules and make sure you’re observing them to the letter.

·       Know your recipes inside and out.

·       Develop a timeline that includes techniques for each step of each recipe.  You can tape a timeline to the top of your tool kit or keep it in a pocket for reference.

·       Keep a clean working area. 

·       Don’t leave anything stacked on the cutting board while you continue to cut another ingredient.

·       Have a waste bucket and a scrap can (so usable ingredients can be salvaged). (Remember, it's a judge's easiest question: "What are you planning to do with your scraps?"  ANSWER: "Make stock!")

·       Clean up as you go and remember to maintain sanitation.

·       Be careful of cross-contamination.

·       Have enough gloves along with you.

·       Ditto on pots. Have an extra one or two on hand in case something burns or you need to redo a step quickly.

·       Don’t use glass containers for your mise en place – if they shatter, it’s a sanitation mess.

·       Don’t wait until the night before competition to sharpen your knives – you need to know how sharp they are so you can avoid accidental cuts.
·       During competition, stay busy every minute – or, at least, look as if you’re busy.

·       Know how to think on your feet, so that nothing throws you off course.

·       Taste, taste, taste! Know how each recipe is supposed to taste and get it as close as possible.

·       Get a good oven thermometer and make sure you use it. (Why? because you can't trust an oven you don't use every day.)

·       Know your cooking temperatures as well as times.

·       Stir everything as it should be stirred.

·       Use enough ingredients to create a presentation plate, a tasting plate, and to resolve any mistakes or problems that may develop.

·       Leave the food alone while it cooks!

·       Don’t leave a plate to sit with half a presentation on it – plate everything at one time.
·       Remember when plating: hot food, hot plate; cold food, cold plate.