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Unit 2: Tools and equipment

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1.0. Intended Learning Outcome

At the end of the lesson the students will be able to;

1. Identify the tools and equipment used for meat preservation;
2. Discuss the significance or importance in identifying the tools and equipment
in charcuterie;

Overview of Charcuterie
The art and practice of the production of charcuterie, involving the chemical
preservation of meats as a means for the total utilization of various meat products,
goes back to ancient times. Today the art of charcuterie can provide a chef with a
means to provide the diner with uniquely flavorful options while utilizing the
highest quality ingredients.
The trade of charcutier goes back at least as far as classical Rome. In such a
large town, slaughterhouses, butchers, and cooked-meat shops were well organized
to safe- guard public health. This system was still being followed after a fashion in
medieval Paris, although in the Middle Ages a great increase in cooked-meat
purveyors put an intolerable strain on such control as there was. From this chaos, the
charcutiers emerged and banded together, by edict of the king in 1476, for the sale of
cooked- pork meat products and raw pork fat. But they did not have the right to
slaughter the pigs they needed, which put them at the mercy of the general butchers
until the next century. At the beginning of the seventh century, charcutiers gained
the right to sell all cuts of uncooked pork, not just the fat. And since during Lenten
time meat sales declined, charcutiers were allowed to sell salted herring and fish.
Now the trade could develop in a logical manner.
By the eighteenth century, the charcutier was closely connected with two
other cooked-meat sellers. The tripier bought the insides of all animals from both the
butcher and charcutier and sold cooked tripe; the traiteur bought raw meat of all
kinds and sold it cooked in sauce as ragout, either to be eaten at home or on his
premises. At this time private kitchens in the city were in a poor state, and often
nonexistent; people sent out to the cooked food shops for their prepared dishes. This
was starting to become a big trade, and each set of tradesmen jealously guarded
their growing businesses.
The art of charcuterie now falls in the domain of the garde manger, which
includes the preparation of all cold items in the kitchen. Today, the resurgence in the
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popularity of these items is bringing about a change in the ingredients and manner
of fabrication. There is a wider array of seasonings and herbs used to create fresher
and lighter fare. Sausages are now made with seafood ingredients, or constructed in
such a way as to reflect a healthier style of eating. Even when traditional techniques,
flavor profiles, and recipes are still used, a change can be seen in the manner of
presentation. Traditional charcuterie, while still flavorful and delicious today, is
often presented as smaller, more refined bites.

1.1 Grinders, cutters, and choppers

GRINDER
A meat grinder (also called a "meat mincer" in the UK) is a
kitchen appliance for fine chopping ('mincing') and/or mixing of
raw or cooked meat, fish, vegetables or similar food. The food to
be minced is placed into a funnel, which sits on top of the grinder.
From there, the material enters a horizontal screw conveyor; the
screw conveyor may be hand-cranked or powered by an electric
motor. The screw squashes and mixes the food. At the end of the
screw, the food is passed through a fixed plate, where it exits the
machine. The fineness of the minced food depends on the size of
the holes in the plate.

CUTTER
A meat cutter prepares primal cuts into a variety of smaller
cuts intended for sale in a retail environment. The duties of a meat
cutter largely overlap those of the butcher, but butchers tend to
specialize in pre-sale processing (reducing carcasses to primal
cuts), whereas meat cutters further cut and process the primal
cuts per individual customer request. A meat cutter is responsible
to prepare standard cuts of meat (including poultry and fish) to
be sold in either a self-serve or specialty counter

CHOPPER

Meat choppers are spatulas with soft silicone or hard

plastic blades at the end that somewhat resemble the blades
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of a boat or helicopter propeller. Used of a meat chopper is to chopped meat and

other ingredients. They’re typically made out of heat-resistant synthetic materials
like silicone or nylon, and They’re used to mash up larger chunks of beef on the
skillet into small pieces that will cook more thoroughly and consistently. Using a
meat chopper instead of a spatula will allow you to work more quickly while getting
more even results.

1.2 Mixer

A meat mixer is a versatile tool and a time saving asset in many catering
establishments. Putting seasoning together. Our goal is to deliver high quality
products that make food preparation easy and fun.

1.3 Stuffer and stuffing equipment

The sausage stuffer machine allows you to get a sausage in ten

seconds without causing a lot of sweating. Please put the appropriate
meat into the bucket, hold the ergonomic handle and push the filling
into the machine to fill the sausage. There are many sizes of sausage
stuffers available. The smaller sausage stuffers are manually
powered, while the larger stuffers are powered by electrohydraulic.
Manual sausage stuffers can range from 5- to 20-lb/2.27- to 9.07-kg
capacity.

STAINLESS STEEL TABLE FOR SAUSAGE STUFFING

Nearly as important as the active equipment used to
grind and stuff the sausage links is the surface upon which
this is taking place. A good sausage-stuffing surface must
meet a few specific characteristics or else the charcuterie
operation could be slowed, disrupted, or even dangerous.
Any table to be used should be constructed of stainless
steel. This type of material is nonabsorbent and extremely
easy to clean. Raised edges around the table will help keep
water on the table so that the sausages can slide easily as
they come off the stuffer.

HOG RINGS and CASING CLIPS

Hog rings and casing clips are the two kinds of closures available for
crimping-sealing the ends of large sausages. Hog rings are used on the fill
end of a casing at the stuffer and are used to seal the ends of the casings,
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keeping the juices in. A casing clip is applied to one end of a casing as it is being
prepared for stuffing.

1.4 Measurement instrument

A measuring instrument - is a device to measure a physical quantity. In the

physical sciences, quality assurance, and engineering, measurement is the activity of
obtaining and comparing physical quantities of real-world objects and events.
SCALES
Scales are used to weigh ingredients for preparation and
portion control.

HYDROMETER and HYDROMETER JAR (salimeter)

The hydrometer measures the density or specific gravity of a
liquid. It was invented by an English chemist named William
Nicholson in the 1790s. When placed in liquid, the glass tube floats;
the height at which it floats indicates the density of the liquid. This is
useful when measuring the amount of salt or sugar in a brine. The
hydrometer has the amounts labeled directly on it, given in either
strengths of the brine or percentages of salinity.

PH METER and BUFFERS

The pH meter is used to measure the acidity or alkalinity of a
meat product. Meat with a higher pH reading (more alkalinity) has
better water-retention properties. The pH meter is also used for dry
sausage production to make sure that the meat is acidified and that it
goes down below 5 percent pH level on the meter in a reasonable
amount of time. This is to make sure that the meat is at a level of
acidity that can prevent the growth of bacteria. The buffer is a solution
that resists changes in pH, helping to create a more stable product.

1.5 Refrigeration

Maintaining adequate refrigerated storage is crucial to any food-

service operation. It is especially important when processing meats
because of the dangers of cross contamination and bacterial growth.
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All units should be maintained properly, which means regular and thorough
cleaning.
ON- SITE REFRIGERATION
Refrigerated drawers or under-the-counter reach-ins allow ingredients in the
prep area to be held at the proper temperature.
PORTABLE REFRIGERATION
A refrigerated cart can be placed as needed in the kitchen.
REACH-IN REFRIGERATION
A reach-in may be a single unit or part of a bank of units, available in many
sizes. Units with pass-through doors are especially helpful for the pantry or prep
area, where cold items can be retrieved as needed.
WALK - IN REFRIGERATION
This is the largest style of refrigeration unit and usually has shelves arranged
along the interior walls. It is possible to zone a walk-in to maintain appropriate
temperature and humidity levels for storing various foods. Some walk-ins are large
enough to accommodate rolling carts for additional storage. Some units have pass-
through or reach-in doors to facilitate access to frequently required items. Walk-ins
may be situated in the kitchen or outside the facility

1.6 other equipment

The brine pumps

Is one of the most-used tools for brining, to inject brine into the
meat for more uniform distribution. A brine pump consists of a plunger,
cylinder, strainer, hose, and needle. Brine pumps come in different
volume sizes.
Brine tubs
(Also known as curing tubs) are large containers
used to hold pieces of meat submerged in a brine. They
come in a variety of sizes. Brine tubs should only be used
for brining or salting items. sausage sticks Sausage sticks
are stainless metal rods used for smoking and drying
sausages.

Sausage sticks
It is used to suspend other items in the smoker as well.

Bacon combs
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It is used to hang bacon and consist of about six or so pointy hooks attached
to one hook. The six or so hooks penetrate the bacon and hold it up. The one hook
attaches itself onto sausage sticks so the bacon can air-dry or be colder hot-smoked.

Skin buckets
It is use are used to store and transport sausage casings.
Casings should be sorted by their size and type, and the buckets
labeled clearly and covered. The only use for these buckets would
then be for storing casings.

Let’s see what you have Learned

Assessment

I. Direction: Identify the tools and equipment used for meat

preservation and state their function.

1.______________ 2. _______________ 3. __________________

3. ______________ 5. _________________

II. In not less than 100 words, discuss the significance or importance in
identifying the tools and equipment in charcuterie

III. List down at least 10 tools and equipment in charcuterie and tell their
functions.
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2.3 References
Flores, Eva N. (2014) Cookbook for modern Food Processors and Entrepreneurs. 2nd
Edition. Jobal Publishing House
Sonido, Divina G. (2015) Practical Food Preservation and Processing. First Edition.

2.4 Acknowledgment
The images, tables, figures and information contained in this module
were taken from the references cited above.