According to researchers, there are over 250 foodborne diseases. The symptoms of some of these diseases can become life-threatening. Therefore, following safe food preparation practices in your restaurant's kitchen is highly important.
To follow the best restaurant food safety practices, you need to know the rules. Before you and your employees get proper food prep best practices training, if everyone hasn't already, read this article. You'll learn about five common food preparation mistakes.
1. Not Enough Hand-Washing
Frequent hand-washing is one of the most important restaurant food preparation practices. A restaurant worker's hands touch hundreds of things each day. The reality is that some of the items you will touch, especially raw food, have bacteria on them and your hand cause cross-contamination if not properly washed and washed often enough.
Hand-washing is what keeps bacteria lower and reduces the spread to other food and food contact surfaces. Unfortunately, the practice often gets forgotten during rushes. Make sure that you remind your employees to wash their hands for 20 seconds often.
2. Tasting Food That May Have Spoiled
Wasting food can be disheartening. Not only is it a waste of money, but it's also a waste of resources. However, when it comes to food that may have spoiled, it's best to err on the side of caution and throw it away or compost it.
It's also very dangerous to taste food that may have gone bad. Bacteria on the bad food can make an employee sick and spread to other employees or customers. First look at the appearance, touch and see if it is slimy, and smell it for an odor. Do not take a chance, saving a few dollars could cost you an excessive amount of money or even your business.
3. Not Cooking Meats Thoroughly
This is another practice that can go out the window during rushes. Employees may attempt to cook meats for shorter times to please impatient customers or to reduce ticket times.
If food isn't thoroughly cooked, the bacteria on the food can seriously harm your customer. Improper cooking is one of the 5 CDC top contributing factors to foodborne illness in the United States. It is always best to adhere to the proper cooking temperature and time. It is not worth the risk.
4. Leaving Food Outside the Fridge or Freezer
Leaving freshly cooked food to cool or frozen food to thaw on the counter are common home practices but are also found in commercial kitchens. Just look up the local inspections in your area and you will find these violations. Foods left sitting out ar room temperature can quickly reach danger temperatures between 41F-135F. The best method to cool food is to ensure you follow the 2-stage cooling method and thaw foods in a fridge where the temperature should be at 41F or lower.
5. Washing Raw Meat
This may come as a surprise, as washing meat is another common practice. However, experts do not recommend it.
The water that runs off the raw meat can and does carry germs that can get on the counters and sinks.
Make Sure Your Employees Learn Proper Food Preparation Safety From Our Classes
Yes, these food preparation safety practices may seem like small details. However, that doesn't make them as less important as they may seem. Making small mistakes with these practices can quickly lead to large problems (foodborne illnesses and lawsuits). Remember the old saying, the devil is in the details and it applies to food safety.
If you want your employees to learn how to prepare food safely, the best way is through specialized training. Our courses can protect your business and customers from the harm that foodborne illnesses can cause. This is our specialty.
Call us anytime to get the details and scheduling of these classes.