The pub and catering industry has its fair share of strange terms and abbreviations. Here is our guide to help you understand some of the terminology...
| Al dente | pasta or rice is just cooked and still firm (see pasta cooking tips on the left of this page) |
| Baste/basting | pour juices in pan over meat to prevent drying out during cooking |
| BDM | Business Development Manager |
| BII | British Institute of Innkeeping |
| BPEX | British Pork Executive |
| Chicken | How to cook safely |
| Look at colour of cooking juices | juices run red - not fully cooked; juices run clear - meat is cooked |
| CIEHO | Chartered Institute of Environmental Health Officers |
| COSHH | Control of substances hazardous to health - regulations on how to handle chemicals/cleaning products safely |
| Covers | number of customers you can accommodate at your tables |
| Cross-contamination | bacteria spread from handling raw and cooked food |
| EHO | Environmental Health Officer |
| EBLEX | English Beef & Lamb Executive |
| Extraction | unit of equipment used to take out cooking fumes, grease and smells |
| FAQS | frequently asked questions |
| Footfall | how many customers you get through the door |
| GP | gross pofit - this is profit before VAT is deducted |
| GP% | gross profit percentage - this is the amount of profit before VAT is deducted compared to your total sales |
| HACCP | hazard analysis critical control points - identifies risks to food safety at each stage of handling |
| HASAWA | Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 |
| HMRC | HM Revenue and Customs |
| HSE | Health and Safety Executive |
| Ingoings | the amount of money needed ro run a particular pub |
| Marinades & Rubs | a marinade is a seasoned liquid in which to soak food; a rub is a dry seasoning mixture applied to the outer surface of meat (see marinating tips on the left of this page) |
| Marinating | the process of soaking foods in seasoned liquid to tenderise and/or add flavour prior to cooking |
| Net profit | the amount of money left when all costs and VAT have been deducted |
| NSF-CMi | leading international food safety and assurance company |
| NVQ | National Vocational Qualification |
| P&L | profit and loss accounts |
| PC | Personal computer |
| POS | point of sale - marketing and display materials |
| PPE | Personal Protective Equipment |
| Profit | the amount of money left when all costs have been deducted |
| Reduce/reducing | cook until amount of liquid has reduced and thickened |
| RIDDOR | Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurences Regulations 1995 |
| Saute pan | shallow frying pan |
| SFBB | Safer food, better business pack |
| Steaks | degrees of cooking - see cooking tips on the left of this page |
| blue | outside of meat is sealed only |
| rare | meat is still bloody in the middle |
| medium | meat is cooked through but still pink in the middle |
| well done | meat is thoroughly cooked through |
| Sweating onion | cooking onion until softened without browning or colouring |
| Table talkers | advertising cards, tent cards to go on tables |
| Terrine mould | long, narrow container used for making pates or terrines |
| Turnover | annual sales |
