Minna no Tokugi

Subject guide · 飲食物調理 Cooking

Food and drink preparation (飲食物調理): prep and cross-contamination, frying oil and additives

飲食物調理 (inshokubutsu chōri, food and drink preparation) is the smallest of the four subjects in the Tokutei Ginou 2 restaurant exam: 30 of 250 points, or 12%, at 2 points per academic question and 4 per practical one. But when you are 3 or 4 points short of the pass mark of 163, this is the subject that closes the gap.

This page covers the questions and points, the key ideas of each chapter of the official study text, three example questions from Minna no Tokugi’s practice set with all three options explained, and how to study. The Japanese terms are kept alongside the English, because the exam is in Japanese without furigana.

Last updated 2026-11-11 · By Minna no Tokugi, an independent study app not connected with OTAFF

Food and drink preparation (飲食物調理) on the exam: questions and points

5 academic questions at 2 points and 5 practical questions (3 judgement, 2 planning) at 4 points: 30 points in all. The pass is judged on the combined score, with no minimum per subject.

Questions and points for Food and drink preparation. The practical part is 3 judgement and 2 planning questions
Part Questions Points each Subtotal
Academic (学科) 5 2 10
Practical (実技) 5 4 20
Total 10 — 30
  • 飲食物調理 Food and drink preparation30 pts · 12%

Scope (our summary of Appendix 3 of the guidelines)

Ingredients, preparation, cooking methods, cooking plans, equipment, occupational safety, food distribution, additives. The practical part also tests judging the right action in a situation.

Source: MAFF implementation guidelines (revised April 2026, checked 2026-09-03). The scope summary is ours; the original wording is in the guidelines.

Key ideas, chapter by chapter

The study text volume 飲食物調理 has seven chapters (plus a glossary of kitchen terms), and Minna no Tokugi has one lesson per chapter. Here are the key ideas in chapter order. Much of it is what you already do every day in the kitchen, so read it against your own shop’s routine.

  1. How to judge and handle meat, fish and vegetables 肉・魚・野菜の見分け方と扱い方

    Meat protein starts to set around 60℃, so sear the surface over high or medium heat and finish over low heat to keep the juices in; formed meat (成形肉) is always cooked right through. Fresh meat has no smell or drip and springs back; a fresh fish has clear eyes and red gills. Frozen meat thaws on a tray in the fridge's meat section. Of the four wagyu breeds, Japanese Black (黒毛和種) is over 95%.

    Written from the study text volume 飲食物調理, chapter 1 食材（原材料）に関する注意点 (PDF p. 5)

  2. Preparation that protects flavour and hygiene 下処理で味と衛生を守る

    Hygiene in prep (下処理) means not letting microbes multiply and not carrying them by hand, knife, board or worktop onto cooked food: secondary contamination (二次汚染). Wash vegetables starting with the least dirty and finish under running water, score the sinew of meat, and do fish in the order scales, gills, innards. After raw meat or fish, wash your hands and switch board and knife.

    Written from the study text volume 飲食物調理, chapter 2 下処理に関する注意点 (PDF p. 9)

  3. Key points of cooking with and without heat 加熱調理と非加熱調理のポイント

    Know the difference between boiling, simmering, deep-frying, grilling, stir-frying and steaming, and when stir-frying add the slowest-cooking ingredient first. Frying oil oxidises with use: worse colour and smell, viscosity, and foam that will not clear are the signs of deterioration (油の劣化). Skim out crumbs often and keep the oil from air, long heating, sunlight and impurities. Dishes made without heat have no cooking step to fall back on, so watch cross-contamination.

    Written from the study text volume 飲食物調理, chapter 3 各調理方法に関する注意点 (PDF p. 10)

  4. Checking and caring for kitchen equipment and utensils 調理機器と器具の点検・手入れ

    Always ventilate a gas range; poor ventilation risks carbon monoxide poisoning. Fryer oil with an acid value (AV値) of 3.0 or more is replaced after that day's service; a griddle whose edge and centre differ by 10℃ or more is adjusted. The dishwasher runs at 60 to 70℃ for washing and 80 to 90℃ for rinsing and is checked daily. Knives and boards are kept separate by use and washed at once; on fridges, the gasket and handle are kept clean.

    Written from the study text volume 飲食物調理, chapter 4 調理機器、器具・備品などに関する注意点 (PDF p. 12)

  5. Preventing kitchen injuries: falls, cuts and burns 厨房のけがを防ぐ：転倒・切り傷・火傷

    The most common restaurant accident is a fall (転倒, about 30%), then cuts and abrasions, then contact with hot or cold objects. Wipe a wet floor the moment you see it and move heavy loads on a cart or in several trips. Keep your eyes on a blade, and protect your hands from broken dishes and skewers in rubbish bags. At the fryer wear boots, a long apron and heat-resistant gloves. Hazards are made visible on a hazard map (ハザードマップ).

    Written from the study text volume 飲食物調理, chapter 5 労働安全衛生に関する注意点 (PDF p. 15)

  6. How food reaches the shop and how to choose a supplier 食品が店に届くまでの流れと仕入先の選び方

    Distribution (流通) is the route from producer through shippers, the wholesale market, manufacturers and retailers to the consumer. The wholesale market has six roles: collection, price formation and settlement, plus information, supply in disasters and hygiene. A restaurant's suppliers are retail shops, trade supermarkets, the wholesale market and wholesalers, chosen for fit with the shop's concept rather than price alone.

    Written from the study text volume 飲食物調理, chapter 6 食品の流通 (PDF p. 19)

  7. Kinds of food additives and what they are used for 食品添加物の種類と使われ方

    Food additives (食品添加物) are added for processing or preservation; the Food Safety Commission assesses safety and the Minister of Health designates them. Four kinds: designated, existing, ordinary-food additives and natural flavourings. By purpose, tell apart preservatives (sorbic acid), antioxidants, anti-mould agents, colour fixatives (sodium nitrite), emulsifiers (乳化剤, blend water and oil), leavening agents (膨張剤, make things rise) and thickeners or stabilisers.

    Written from the study text volume 飲食物調理, chapter 7 食品添加物 (PDF p. 20)

The key ideas and example questions are written and edited by Minna no Tokugi from the study text 外食業特定技能2号技能測定試験 学習テキスト published by the Japan Food Service Association. They are not a reproduction of the original, were not produced or endorsed by the association, and Minna no Tokugi is responsible for their content. Page numbers refer to the published PDF.

Three example questions, every option explained

One question of each format: academic, judgement and planning. As in the app, read why each wrong option is wrong, not only which one is right.

Academic format (学科試験)

揚げ油の劣化について、正しいものはどれですか。

Which statement about deterioration of frying oil (油の劣化) is correct?

  1. 油は高い温度で長く加熱し続けるほど、劣化しにくくなる。

    The longer oil is kept at a high temperature, the less it deteriorates.

    Not correct

    The opposite is true. Long heating advances oxidation and makes the oil deteriorate sooner. Exposure to air or direct sunlight, and impurities getting in, speed up oxidation in the same way.

  2. 揚げかすなどの不純物が混じると酸化が早まるので、こまめにすくい取る。

    Impurities such as fried crumbs speed up oxidation, so skim them out often.

    Correct

    Oil deteriorates through oxidation. Impurities such as fried crumbs speed it up, so skim them out frequently even while frying. Deteriorated oil has a worse colour and smell, becomes viscous, and the foam on its surface stops clearing.

  3. 表面に泡が立ち続けるのは温度が高すぎるだけなので、火を弱めればそのまま使える。

    Foam that keeps sitting on the surface just means the oil is too hot; lower the heat and carry on using it.

    Not correct

    Persistent foam that does not clear is the sign of deterioration: oxidation has made the oil viscous. Lowering the heat does not restore it. What matters is recognising deteriorated oil from the foam and from changes in colour and smell.

From Minna no Tokugi’s practice questions. Written from the study text volume 飲食物調理, chapter 3 (PDF p. 10)

Practical: judgement format (判断試験)

生の鶏肉を切ったあと、同じまな板と包丁で、盛り付ける前の焼いた鶏肉を切ろうとしています。どうしますか。

You have just cut raw chicken, and you are about to cut grilled chicken for plating on the same board with the same knife. What do you do?

  1. 手を洗い、まな板と包丁を洗って殺菌したものか、別のものに替えてから切る。

    Wash your hands, and switch to a board and knife that have been washed and sanitised, or to different ones, before cutting.

    Correct

    Bacteria from raw chicken reaching cooked meat by way of hands or tools is secondary contamination (二次汚染). The grilled meat will not be heated again, so any bacteria transferred go straight to the customer. Cleaning hands and tools, or switching to different ones, is the right response.

  2. 焼いた肉はもう安全なので、そのまま同じまな板で切る。

    The grilled meat is already safe, so cut it on the same board as it is.

    Not correct

    Grilling dealt only with the bacteria that were on that piece of meat. The board and knife still hold bacteria from the raw chicken, and they transfer to the grilled meat the moment you cut. Cooked food is handled with tools kept separate from raw ingredients.

  3. まな板を水でさっと流し、包丁はふきんでふいてから切る。

    Give the board a quick rinse with water, wipe the knife with a cloth, and then cut.

    Not correct

    A quick rinse or a wipe with a cloth does not count as removing the bacteria from the raw chicken. If bacteria get onto the cloth, they spread to the next tool you wipe. The basic rule is to wash and sanitise, or switch to different tools.

From Minna no Tokugi’s practice questions. Written from the study text volume 飲食物調理, chapter 2 (PDF p. 9)

Practical: planning format (計画立案試験)

新メニューの準備で、ケーキをふくらませる材料と、手作りドレッシングの水と油が分かれないようにする材料を注文します。それぞれに使う添加物の種類の組み合わせとして、正しいものはどれですか。

To prepare a new menu, you are ordering an ingredient to make a cake rise and one to keep the water and oil in a house-made dressing from separating. Which pair of additive types is correct for the two jobs?

  1. ケーキには膨張剤、ドレッシングには乳化剤

    A leavening agent (膨張剤) for the cake, an emulsifier (乳化剤) for the dressing

    Correct

    A leavening agent is an additive that makes cakes and the like rise. An emulsifier is an additive that blends water and oil evenly. Choosing the type that matches each purpose also settles what to order.

  2. ケーキには増粘剤、ドレッシングには乳化剤

    A thickener (増粘剤) for the cake, an emulsifier (乳化剤) for the dressing

    Not correct

    The emulsifier for the dressing is right, but the cake is wrong. A thickener is an additive that adds body or makes the texture smooth; it does not make anything rise. What makes a cake rise is a leavening agent (膨張剤).

  3. ケーキには膨張剤、ドレッシングには安定剤

    A leavening agent (膨張剤) for the cake, a stabiliser (安定剤) for the dressing

    Not correct

    The leavening agent for the cake is right, but the dressing is wrong. A stabiliser, like a thickener, is an additive that adjusts body and texture. Blending water and oil evenly is the job of an emulsifier (乳化剤).

From Minna no Tokugi’s practice questions. Written from the study text volume 飲食物調理, chapter 7 (PDF p. 21)

OTAFF publishes no sample questions for this exam. The questions here are practice questions written by Minna no Tokugi; they are not the real exam questions.

How to study this subject

The scope is wide, but what is asked is the basic kitchen routine and the reason behind it. Study that turns your experience into words and numbers pays off.

  1. Start where it overlaps with hygiene

    Secondary contamination (raw ingredient to cooked food), thawing in the fridge, separate boards and knives. What you learned for hygiene applies directly, so this is the most efficient part of the subject.

  2. Be able to give the reason in one line

    Sear meat first because protein sets around 60℃; add the slowest-cooking ingredient first when stir-frying; oil whose foam will not clear has deteriorated; no ventilation means carbon monoxide poisoning. Wrong options are built from wrong reasons.

  3. Put the numbers and categories in a table

    Dishwasher wash 60 to 70℃, rinse 80 to 90℃; replace fryer oil at AV 3.0; the top workplace accident is a fall. Sort additives by purpose (preservative, antioxidant, emulsifier, leavening agent…) and by the four kinds.

  4. Finish with practice questions

    A small subject cannot take a large share of your time. Answer practice questions and go back to a lesson only for what you got wrong.

In Minna no Tokugi, up to 20 practice questions a day and mock exam 1 are in the free plan; the cooking lessons are part of the paid plan.

Points from the MAFF implementation guidelines (checked 2026-09-03). The order is our suggestion and is no guarantee of a pass.

The other subjects

The points of all four subjects and the overall study plan are in the exam guide.

Back to the exam guide

Close the last few points with cooking.

Minna no Tokugi has seven cooking lessons, practice questions that explain every option, timed mock exams in the real 55-question, 70-minute format, and Toku, an AI tutor who explains in English. Free to download; practice questions (20 a day) and mock exam 1 are in the free plan.

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