The following categories contain links to selected sources on the web pertaining to topics covered in the course FSA 103 Culinary Arts I: Fundamentals of Food Preparation. Although every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy and content of these websites the usual evaluation measures should be taken by the researcher. For tips on how to evaluate information found on websites go to our Web Site Evaluation guide.

The Hospitality, Tourism, & Golf Management Research Guide provides tips on how to find books available in the Library collection, and tips on how to find journal, magazine and newspaper articles available in MCC Libraries article databases.

Professional Associations and Organizations

Professional associations and organizations serve as valuable sources of information for their particular industry by providing access to current news, information about industry products, services and trends, and special research reports. They also sponsor continuing education opportunities such as annual conferences and other training events for their members. Many also publish journals dedicated specifically to their area of interest (often known as trade/industry journals).

Back to Top

Food Safety & Sanitation

Additional information on food safety and sanitation can be found on many association and organization websites listed throughout this web page, and through the FSA 106 Food Safety & Sanitation course web links page.

• FoodSafety.gov - This site is maintained by the FDA's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition and includes information on Food Handling, Foodborne Illness, News & Safety Alerts.

• Food Safety Information Center (FSIC) - This site provides links to information on: Pathogens and Contaminants, Sanitation and Quality Standards, the Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP), Food Preparation and Handling, Food Processing and Technology.

• Serving it Safe, 3rd Edition, Revised 2009 - From the National Food Service Management Institute, University of Mississippi, this manual describes why food safety is important and gives guidance on how food service personnel can assure the preparation and service of safe foods.

Back to Top

Kitchen Terms, Tools, Techniques, and Ingredients

• America's Test Kitchen - The most-watched cooking show on public television, America's Test Kitchen is filmed in the test kitchen of Cook’s Illustrated magazine, located just outside Boston. Links to explore on this site include: Equipment Reviews, Ingredient Ratings,Science Desk, and Video Tips & Techniques. Register to receive the free monthly Notes from the Test Kitchen e-newsletter and access to recipes and ratings from the current season of the test kitchen.

• Basic Knife Techniques - An article in PDF format from Cook's Illustrated which shows types of knife gripes, positions of the guiding hand, and various knife cutting techniques.

• Cooking Terms: Definitions from A to Z - From Crisco.com, definitions of some popular and not-so-common cooking terms found in many recipes.

• The Cook's Thesaurus - "A cooking encyclopedia that covers thousands of ingredients and kitchen tools. Entries include pictures, descriptions, synonyms, pronunciations, and suggested substitutions."

• Epicurious.com - This comprehensive site contains a dictionary of food and wine terms, technique videos, chef tips, kitchen tips, restaurant guides, menu ideas for meals, and much more.

• Food Network.com -  The Food Network offers new, different, and interesting ways to approach food - through pop culture, adventure, and travel. The Food Network website provides recipes, plus tips for cooking and healthy eating.

• Food Product Design -The companion website to the print magazine, this site provides online access to the digital edition of the current issue and archives of issues from last year. It contains food and beverage industry news, product features, and information on food research and development.

• Healthy Cooking Techniques - This article on the Nutrition and Healthy Eating section of the Mayo Clinic website provides descriptions of different methods to prepare food in healthy ways.

• Spice Encyclopedia - From Tone Brothers, this A to Z listing provides a general description of the spice, traditional ethnic uses, taste and aroma information, history of origin, storage tips, and suggestions for use in recipes.

Back to Top

Special Dietary Needs and Concerns

• Food Allergy Awareness - An article from Restaurants USA Online from the National Restaurant Association that presents information on how to minimize food-allergy problems restaurants.

• Cooking for Lower Cholesterol - From the American Heart Association, cooking tips for meats, vegetables, using vegetable oils, modifying recipes, and reducing sodium for individuals on low cholesterol diets.

• The DASH Eating Plan - From the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, information on the Dietary to Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) plan which helps prevent the development of high blood pressure. This updated downloadable booklet contains a week's worth of sample menus and recipes recalculated using 2005 nutrient content data. The DASH eating plan features plenty of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and other foods that are heart healthy and lower in salt/sodium.

• Diabetic Gourmet Magazine - An online magazine which presents information on health and nutrition for diabetics including sections on Food and Dining, Healthy Living, and links to Resources. 

• Pyramid or Plate? Explore These Healthy Diet Options - This page from MayoClinic.com provides information on the basic principles of My Plate, all food pyramids, and diagrams of the Mayo Clinic Healthy Weight Pyramid, and Vegetarian, Asian, Latin American, and Mediterranean Diet Pyramids.

• Vegetarian Resource Group - Here you will find information on vegetarian nutrition, guides & handouts, recipes, and featured articles from The Vegetarian Journal.

Back to Top

Links to Support Food Preparation Lab Topics

Sauces and Soups

• The Association for Dressings and Sauces - The "Condiment Creations" section of this site contains links to the Dressing and Sauce Dictionary, links to information on Marinades, Mustard, Barbecue Sauce, Salsa and Chutneys, Horseradish, and Soy.

• Sauce Savvy: Culinary Magic in Your Kitchen - From the PBS Series Tricks of the Trade: Julia Child Lessons from Master Chefs, this site provides tips on how to create savory sauces.

• The Food Timeline: History Notes on Sauces - This site presents original recipes and information about the history of popular sauces including Bechamel, Espagnole, Gravy, Tomato, Veloute, and Vinaigrette.

• The Scoop on Soup - From the Culinary Content Blog, author Janice Faulk Duplantis explains common types of soup, how to remove fat from soup, methods to correct over-salting, methods to thicken soup, freezing and reheating tips.

Back to Top

Potato, Grain, and Pasta Preparation

• Potato Goodness.com - Sponsored by the U.S Potato Board, this site provides links to information about potato nutrition, potato varieties, recipes, and potato news.

• Rice: A World of Great Ideas - Sponsored by the USA Rice Federation, this site provides information on rice for consumers and food service professionals including links to learn about rice varieties, access online brochures, and view nutrition videos.

• National Pasta Association - This site provides links to learn about different pasta shapes, cooking tips & sauce pairings, frequently asked questions about pasta, and recipes.

Back to Top

Salad and Vegetable Preparation

Be sure to check for industry trade associations, commissions, councils, and organizations dedicated to specific fruits, vegetables, etc. as they provide valuable nutrition information, recipes, and cooking tips for both foodservice professionals and consumers. Some excellent examples include the: California Avocado Commission, U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council, and National Onion Association.

• Salad Greens - From The Cook's Thesaurus, an A to Z list of different types of salad greens complete with definitions and information on equivalents and recommended substitutes.

• Fruit & Vegetable of the Month - Part of the "Fruits & Veggies - More Matters Campaign", a new initiative which replaces the "5 A Day The Color Way" program. This page provides access to profiles on a variety of fruits and vegetables. Profiles include food history information for the item; selection, storage, preparation guidelines; types of varieties, nutrition information (% daily values) per serving size, and recipes.

• Safe Handling of Fruits and Vegetables - This factsheet from the Ohio State University Cooperative Extension provides suggestions for safe handling of fruits and vegetables at the store and at home.

• Selecting and Storing Fruits and Vegetables - From the Clemson University Cooperative Extension Service this page provides information on wax coatings, and a chart of refrigerator and freezer storage time guidelines for fruits and vegetables.

Back to Top

Protein: Beef, Lamb, Pork, Poultry, Seafood

• Beef, It's What's for Dinner - Sponsored by the Cattleman's Beef Board and the National Cattleman's Beef Association, this site provides information on shopping for beef, types of cuts, handling & storage, guidelines for different methods of cooking beef, recipes, nutrition information, and a newsletter.

• Beef: From Pasture to Plate - Sponsored by the Cattleman's Beef Board and National Cattleman's Beef Association, this site provides information on stages in the beef production process, beef choices, beef cooking basics, types of cuts, beef recipes, resource links to other organizations and agencies, and a glossary of terms.

• The American Lamb Board - This site features lamb cooking ideas, nutrition information, tips for buying and storing lamb, information on cuts of lamb, and cooking guidelines.

• Pork: Be Inspired - Sponsored by the National Pork Board, this website provides information on pork cooking basics, types of cuts, tips on selecting, purchasing and storing pork, a chart of cooking time guidelines, pork nutrition and food safety information.

• Eatchicken.com - Sponsored by the National Chicken Council and the U.S. Poultry & Egg Association, this site provides tips for cooking chicken, storage guidelines, information on the different parts of a chicken, guidelines for cutting chicken, chicken nutrition, recipes, and statistics.

• MeatPoultryNutrition.org - This site provides information on dietary fats, the relationship between protein and health, sensible portion management, and recipes for beef, chicken, lamb, pork and turkey.

• National Chicken Council: Consumer Information - This page contains links to information on chicken terms (which may appear on chicken labels); classes of chickens; buying, handling, storing, and preparing chicken; from grocery cart to dinner plate; and guidance on cooking temperature for chicken.

• Turkey: The Perfect Protein - Sponsored by the National Turkey Federation this site provides information on the variety of turkey cuts, turkey basics (purchasing, storing, cooking), turkey nutrition, Turkey Prep videos, and access to The Foodservice Manual & Curricula developed in conjunction with the American Culinary Federation, which features time-saving training modules contain expert information on the latest and greatest trends in turkey.

• About Seafood.com - The website for the National Fisheries Institute, About Seafood.com provides cooking tips for different types of seafood, recipes, videos, health & nutrition information, and seafood news.

• Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute (ASMI) - This site provides information about different types of seafood species, recipes & tips, and health & nutrition information. The "Foodservice" section contains best practices associated with seafood purchasing, storing, freezing, thawing, and cutting.

• Other Seafood Links to explore for cooking tips, recipes, videos, and nutrition information include: The Shrimp Council, Maine Lobster Promotion Council, and the Louisiana Seafood Promotion and Marketing Board.

Back to Top

Cheese

• The American Cheese Society (ACS) - The "Education" section of this site contains links to access ACS Newsletters, and information on Styles of American Cheese, Definition of Terms, and Tips for Cheese Consumers.

Back to Top

Eggs & Breakfast

• The Incredible Edible Egg - Sponsored by the American Egg Board, this site provides information about eggs for consumers, foodservice professionals, and educators. It includes recipes, tips on cooking eggs, and industry links.

• Home Baking Association - This site provides baking tips and recipes for various breakfast foods such as biscuits, breads, buns & rolls, and muffins.

Back to Top

Baking Resources

Links to baking associations are located in the Professional Associations & Organizations section of this web page.

• A Glossary of Chocolate and Baking Terminology - From Godiva.com, an A to Z listing of linked chocolate and baking terms.

• Baker's Percentage Calculator - From FoodArtisan.net, an interactive online tool for calculating recipe ratios for baking ingredients.

• Bakery-Net.com - News and trends for the retail and commercial baking industry and the baking industry professional.

• Grains of Truth About Wheat Flour -  A fact sheet on wheat flour from the Wheat Foods Council which includes information on classes of wheat, types of flours, and wheat flour terms.

• Steps in Yeast Dough Production - This page from BreadnMore.com explains the following steps involved in producing yeast dough: scaling, mixing, fermentation, punching, rounding, panning, proofing (rising), baking, cooking, and storing.

• Quick Wheat Facts - This page from Oklahoma 4-H Ag Facts, part of the Oklahoma State University Extension, discusses the history of wheat, growing wheat, wheat processing, uses for wheat, facts about bread, other wheat facts, and non-food wheat products.

• BakingBusiness.com -This site has a wide variety of baking industry links, as well as market information, technical resources and ingredient updates.

• BetterBaking.com - The online magazine for bakers who cook. It contains articles, features, recipes and more.

Back to Top

Plate Presentation

• FabFoodpix - A food image library and food photographic studio. Many images show plate presentation techniques.

• Plating Tips and Techniques - This page from Kraft Foodservice discusses factors and methods to consider when plating foods.

• Tasting Menu - This site includes a category on "Food Photography" which contains pictures of plate presentations for a variety of foods.

• Epicurious - The "Recipes & Menus" section of this website provides numerous links to view photos showing the artful plating of foods.

Back to Top

Restaurant and Menu Trends

Many of the associations listed on this web page also contain information on food, menu and restaurant trends.

• Flavor & the Menu  - Consumer and menu trends, flavor forecasts, strategies and techniques.

• Nation's Restaurant News - The online companion to the print publication, this site reports on news and trends occurring in the foodservice industry.  Areas covered include: Foods & Beverages, Operations, HR & Labor, Marketing, and Chains. Note that this site does not provide free access to full-text articles appearing in the print version of Nation's Restaurant News. Full-text articles from this publication are available through these library article databases.

• Restaurants and Institutions - This online magazine contains top food & menu trends, recipes, industry news, sections on commercial and non-commercial segments, and coverage of management issues, and operations.

• Restaurant Report Online - The online companion to the print magazine Restaurant Report, this site serves as resource for owners, chef/owners, executive chefs and general managers of the upscale/midscale, independent restaurant community.

• StarChefs - An online magazine which features interviews with chefs, news, business tools, recipes, cooking tips and techniques, trends, and more.

Back to Top

Print and Online Culinary Publications

MCC Libraries maintain print subscriptions* to Empire Food Service News, Food Management, Nation's Restaurant News, Nutrition Today, and Restaurant Start-up & Growth which include brief news stories and/or in-depth articles on food and other culinary related topics. Recent issues are located in the Current Periodicals section on the Main Floor of the Library. To locate older issues do a search on the title of the periodical in the MCC Library Catalog.

In addition to the print subscriptions mentioned above, MCC Libraries online article databases also provide access to full-text articles available in these and other publications. To search the Library article databases go to the Find Articles and Other Information page. Note that some publications also have companion websites which provide access to certain full-text articles directly online. Some websites for these publications may require you to register for free access to view content on their site. Professional association and organization websites are also a good place to look for current news stories.

The Hospitality, Tourism, & Golf Management Research Guide provides tips on how to find books available in the Library collection, and tips on how to find journal, magazine and newspaper articles available in MCC Libraries article databases.

Newspaper Articles

MCC Libraries subscribe to the following newspapers in print which contain articles on culinary related topics. The most recent issues of The New York Times, and USA Today are located in the newspaper rack across from the Leisure Reading seating area on the Main Floor of the LeRoy V. Good Library (Brighton campus).  To locate holdings information for older issues search the MCC Library Catalog.

Full-text articles from The New York Times and USA Today are also available through the Custom Newspapers online article database accessible from the Library Find Articles and Other Information web page.

• The Wednesday edition of The New York Times features a "Dining In" section which includes recipes, restaurant reviews, and articles on food and other culinary related topics.
• The "Dining & Wine" section on The New York Times website features culinary book reviews, restaurant reviews, recipes, and numerous articles on food, drink, desserts, etc.
• The "Travel" section in the Sunday edition of The New York Times may also contain articles on culinary related topics.
• The Weekend Edition of The Wall Street Journal (Eastern edition) features the "Pursuits" section which contains columns on "Food & Drink" topics. Holdings information for this newspaper is available in the MCC Library Catalog.
• The Friday edition of USA Today features a "Destinations & Diversions" section as part of its "Life" section which contains articles on culinary related topics.

Back to Top

MCC Course Web Links

The following web pages were developed in collaboration with MCC faculty to support the content of both on campus and SUNY Learning Network (SLN) distance learning online courses. Visit them for additional information on your particular area of interest.

Back to Top

Contacting the Teacher

Michelle Bartell and Gerald Brinkman teach FSA 103 Culinary Arts I: Fundamentals of Food Preparation. Students may contact each instructor by e-mail and telephone, and during their scheduled office hours.
Michelle Bartell: mbartell@monroecc.edu (585) 292-2579
Gerald Brinkman gbrickman@monroecc.edu (585) 292-2583.

P. Czaja, Revised 10/2011 http://www.monroecc.edu/go/library