What should be done with food items that require long cooking times?

When dealing with food items that require long cooking times, it is essential to prepare them first. This approach ensures that these items have adequate time to cook thoroughly while other, quicker items can be prepared concurrently. By prioritizing longer-cooking dishes, the kitchen can maintain a steady workflow and ensure that all menu items are ready to serve at the appropriate time, enhancing both efficiency and quality in food preparation.

Preparing longer-cooking items first allows chefs to optimize the use of their time and kitchen resources, which is crucial in a busy dining environment. Meanwhile, the other options—preparing them last, skipping them altogether, or only making them for large orders—would lead to inefficiencies and potentially result in delays in service, negatively impacting the dining experience. Thus, the correct approach emphasizes a structured cooking order that prioritizes what takes longer right from the start.