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. More information about this topic is available in our Criteria for Website Evaluation online brochure.

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).

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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.

• Consumer Advice: Food Safety in the Kitchen - From FoodSafety.gov links to food safety tips including: washing, preparing, storing, feeding a crowd, holiday cooking, the HACCP approach.

• 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, 2nd Edition - From the National Food Service Management Institute, 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. Provides information based on the 2001 Food Code.

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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 Kitchen Tour, Equipment Reviews, Ingredient Ratings, Bulletin Boards, and Science Desk. Register to receive the free monthly e-Notes 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 food and wine dictionaries, technique videos, chef tips, kitchen tips, restaurant guides, menu ideas for meals, and much more.

• Food Network.com - Links to explore on this site include: Recipes & Cooking, Quick & Easy, and Healthy Eating. The Food Network offers new, different, and interesting ways to approach food - through pop culture, adventure, and travel.

• Food Product Design -The companion website to the print magazine, this site provides online access to the current issue and archives of older print issues dating back to December 2005. It also contains food and beverage industry news, product features, articles on food research and development, technology, ingredients, functional foods, food science, food service, food processing, additives, sweeteners, starch, flavors, food fibers, and emulsifiers.

• Healthy Cooking Techniques - The Mayo Clinic Food & Nutrition website provides descriptions of different methods to prepare food in healthy ways.

• Hormel Foods: Kitchen Knowledge - This comprehensive site provides categories of information on meat, pasta, eggs, oils, beverages, nutrition, food safety, cooking seasonal foods, charts and conversion factors, and kitchen advice on bakeware, cookware, types of knives, types of tableware.

• 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.

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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 Cooking, Food and Dining, and Eating Out. 

• Healthy Diet Basics: Using a Food Pyramid - This page from Mayo.com provides information on the basic principles of 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 and vegan nutrition, recipes, excerpts from The Vegetarian Journal, and access to excerpts from Vegetarian Journal's Foodservice Update and Quantity Cooking Information.

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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.

• Souper Cook - Part of the Quick Meals Cooking Course from the Ohio State University Extension, features on this site include basic hints for making successful soups, and what ingredients to have on hand and use in preparing soups.

• 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.

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Potato, Grain, and Pasta Preparation

• The Healthy Potato - Sponsored by the National Potato Promotion Board, the Foodservice section of this site provides information about potato varieties, recipes, nutrition facts, 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. The "Foodservice" section contains links to learn about rice varieties, access online brochures, and view educational info and demos.

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

• Pasta Knowledge - From Hormel Foods.com, this site provides information on different types of pasta, pasta handling, safety & storage, pasta nutritional facts, pasta tips and techniques, and guides to shopping, preparing, and cooking pasta.

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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.

• Greens & Ingredients - From Wishbone.com, a guide to the most popular, fresh salad greens, ingredients and garnishes available.

• 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.

• Fruits: How to Select, Store, and Serve these Healthy Foods - From MayoClinic.com, suggestions to help you select the highest quality fruits when you're shopping, ways to store them once you get home, and tips for preparing and serving fruits to enhance their flavor and retain their nutrients.

• Vegetables: How to Select, Store, and Serve these Healthy Foods - From MayoClinic.com, suggestions to help you select the highest quality vegetables when you're shopping, ways to store them, and tips for preparing and serving vegetables to enhance their flavor and retain their nutrients.

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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, downloadable guidelines for different methods of cooking beef (grilling, stir-frying, pan-broiling, sauteing, broiling, oven cooking, pot roasting/braising), 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, information on cooking temperatures, cooking techniques, handling techniques (storing, thawing), recipes, culinary instruction sheets featuring lamb cutting guidelines.

• Pork: The Other White Meat - Sponsored by the National Pork Board, "The Daily Pork" website provides information on pork cooking basics, types of cuts, tips on selecting, purchasing and storage, a chart of cooking time guidelines, pork nutrition and food safety information, a Pork-tionary, video demonstrations, recipes, news, and access to the "Pork 'N' Friends" blog. The "Freebies" section provides a link to download the brochure "Pork Tenderloin: How to Cook Without Really Trying."

• Pork Foodservice.com: Preparation Tips - Sponsored by the National Pork Board, this site provides directions on pork preparation methods for moist and dry-heat cookery; tips on testing for doneness; marinades, rubs and glazes; and directions for preparing a hog for a hog roast.

• 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, a downloadable consumer guide brochure, 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 - Categories to explore on this site sponsored by the National Turkey Federation include: Foodservice, Consumers, and Pressroom. Find information on the variety of turkey cuts, turkey basics (purchasing. storing, cooking), turkey nutrition, view Pros Prep Turkey videos, and access The Foodservice Manual & Curricula developed in conjunction with the American Culinary Federation, 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, and online access to the Dish on Fish newsletter.

• 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, cutting), and links to access the Food Service E-Newsletter.

• 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.

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Cheese

• Newer Knowledge of Dairy Foods: Cheese - This site from the National Dairy Council provides the following links (located at the bottom of the "Introduction" section) to learn about cheese: Definition and Classification of Cheese, Cheese Production, Kinds of Cheese and Cheese Products, Nutrient Content of Cheese, Specific Health Benefits of 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 (buying, storing, cooking and serving cheese, recipe of the month, and cheese of the month).

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Eggs & Breakfast

• The American Egg Board - The home of "the incredible edible egg"^TM. This site provides information about eggs for consumers, foodservice professionals, and educators. It includes recipes, tips on cooking eggs, an eggcyclopedia, 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.

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Baking Resources

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

• Baker's Glossary - From the Home Baking Association, an A-Z listing of terms used in the baking industry. Other categories to explore on the Home Baking Association site include: Baking Tips and Recipes (biscuits, breads, buns & rolls, cakes, cookies, desserts, muffins, and pies).

• 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.

• Baker's Percentages - From Artisan Bakers.com, an explanation of baker's percentages with a test example and answers to check.

• 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.

• Wheat: From Farm to Table - A flow chart from the National Grain and Feed Association which describes the life cycle of wheat from grain farms to delivery to supermarkets.

• BakingBusiness.com -This site has a wide variety of baking industry links, as well as market information, technical resources and ingredient updates. It also provides online access to current and older issues of Milling & Baking News, Baking & Snack, Baking & Snack International Edition.

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

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Plate Presentation

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

• Plate Presentation - An article from US FoodService.com that discusses the importance of food presentation.

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

• Epicurious Recipes - Select the "recipe collections" and "slideshow" links to view photos showing the artful plating of foods.

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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 the OmniFile Full-Text Select library article database. To access this database online visit the library's Find Articles page.

• 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.

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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 issue of each newspaper is available at the Library Circulation/Reserve Desk. 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 features the "Pursuits" section which contains columns on "Food & Drink" topics.
• The Friday edition of USA Today features a "Destinations & Diversions" section as part of its "Life" section which contains articles on culinary related topics.

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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.

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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, 2/2008, http://www.monroecc.edu/go/library