What a good prep list does
A prep list tells each section what to make, how much, and in what order. The common failures: copying yesterday's list without checking stock, or writing "chips" with no quantity. A working list has a par for every item, a count of what's on hand, and a "to prep" figure calculated from the difference — split by station, with long jobs (stocks, braises, doughs) ranked to start first.
02The template
Header fields: date, forecast covers, written by. Example rows for a 120-cover Saturday:
| Item | Station | Par | On hand | To prep | Unit | Priority |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Veal stock | Sauce | 10 | 4 | 6 | litres | 1 — start first |
| Braised short rib | Main | 30 | 8 | 22 | portions | 1 |
| Pomme purée | Main | 4 | 0 | 4 | kg | 2 |
| Pickled shallots | Larder | 2 | 1.5 | 0.5 | kg | 3 |
| Crumble mix | Pastry | 3 | 1 | 2 | kg | 2 |
Priority 1 is long cooks and anything other tasks depend on; priority 3 can wait. Keep units consistent per item or the calculations break.
03Setting par levels
Portions needed = forecast covers × take-up rate · Par = portions needed + small buffer · To prep = par − on hand
Take-up rate comes from till data for the same weekday over the last four weeks — not the last four days. Worked example: short rib sells to about one in five covers. For 120 covers that's 24 portions; with a buffer, par is 28–30. With 8 on hand, prep 22.
- Buffer cheap items, not expensive ones.
- Par can never exceed what you can use before it expires.
- Review pars when the menu or season changes.
- Count stock physically — never assume.
- Use a waste log to spot pars set too high.
The opening checklist
- Read and record fridge and freezer temperatures, with initials.
- Check the walk-in for expired or near-expiry stock — use it or bin it, and log it.
- Check yesterday's labelled prep: date, contents, remaining shelf life.
- Note today's deliveries and who's checking them in.
- Clean and test the probe thermometer.
- Confirm allergen information matches today's menu and specials.
- Complete the counts, fill in "to prep", hand it to each section.
HACCP daily records
UK food businesses need a HACCP-based food safety management system — for small kitchens, the FSA's Safer Food, Better Business pack includes the daily diary. The temperatures to record:
| Check | When | Target |
|---|---|---|
| Fridges / chilled display | Opening & closing | Food at 8°C or below (legal E/W/NI); set fridges to 5°C or below |
| Chilled food out of fridge | Prep & service | Max 4 hours out, then discard |
| Freezers | Opening & closing | Around −18°C |
| Cooking | Each batch / high-risk dish | Core 70°C for 2 min, or 75°C for 30 sec |
| Reheating | Every time | Steaming hot throughout; reheat once only |
| Hot holding | During service | 63°C or above; below for max 2 hrs, then chill or discard |
Good records have time, reading, initials, and the corrective action when something's out of range. A column of identical readings tells the EHO nobody's checking.
06How Chef's Intelligence helps
The Kitchen Operations zone — 18 skills covering prep, pass, HACCP and SOPs — drafts the paperwork:
"Write an opening SOP for a new commis."
"Turn tonight's temp log into a HACCP record."
It doesn't know your kitchen on day one, so early lists need editing — and it can't take a temperature reading. It removes the writing, not the checking.
07Questions
What belongs on a prep list?
Item, station, par, on hand, amount to prep, unit, priority and a done box — plus date, covers and author at the top.
How do I calculate par?
Forecast covers × the share of covers that order the dish (from same-weekday till data), plus a buffer, minus stock on hand.
What's the UK fridge temperature?
Chilled food at 8°C or below per GOV.UK, with fridges set to 5°C or below in practice.
Can AI write the prep list?
Yes — the Kitchen Operations zone drafts it. Your team still counts stock and verifies the numbers.
Zone 01
Kitchen Operations · 18 skills · £29/mo
Or the Full Suite — all 7 zones, 60 skills — for £89/month.