Cold food preparation forms part of the Garde Manger's work in the professional kitchen. 

The term garde-manger literally means “to guard food” and was originally used to identify a storage area (or larder) for preserved foods like hams, cheeses and sausages. The term has evolved to mean more than just a storage area.  Escoffier developed the brigade system in the late 19th century and since then garde manger also refers to a station and chef in a professional kitchen responsible for preparing cold food.

Today this culinary discipline covers a much broader spectrum with garde manger chefs actively involved in buffets, starters and hors d’oeuvre. In some kitchens they are also responsible for vegetable preparation and garnishes.

In this introductory module to Garde Manger you will be studying salads, cold sauces, sandwiches, hors d'oeuvre and fruit preparations. It is helpful to study this module with KM 11 - Basic Ingredients.