In every food catering company's kitchen, the primary concern is cleanliness and proper food handling.
Staffs should be aware how to buy and store raw materials so that they maintain their quality and are completely safe from contamination.
Kitchen hygiene aims to reduce to zero the risk of bacteria growth.
Otherwise, bacteria can multiply at a fast rate causing the peril of food poisoning.
How to keep raw materials safe? Developing good habits in the kitchen is quite easy.
Here are some steps you can follow to avoid food poisoning.
Refrigeration - Refrigerate food as soon as possible.
All perishable foods including meat, fish, dairy and poultry products, salads, green leafy vegetable should be stored in the refrigerator.
Store various foods in the different parts of the refrigerator.
Keep raw meat and fish in the coldest part, cooked dishes in the middle, vegetables and salads in the drawer and ideally dairy products in the door.
Avoid putting too much as this block circulation of air.
Freezer safety - The freezer preserves foods and prevents loss of nutrients.
Use aluminum foil or freezer bag to wrap packages for freezing.
Cooked foods should be placed in air tight containers.
It is also wise to label packages with dates and contents.
If you cannot remember when the food was refrigerated, better to throw them away.
Cleanliness in the kitchen - Wash your hands using warm water and soap before preparing food.
Clean work space daily using disinfectant.
Wipe surfaces and keep them dry.
Moisture provides breeding ground for bacteria.
Before chopping vegetables, clean your knife and board thoroughly especially after chopping meat.
Pour boiling water on your chopping board to sterilize it.
Mop up spills on the kitchen floor and use kitchen paper or clean cloth to wipe up food spills as they occur.
Soak kitchen cloths in mild bleach solution after use.
Prevent bacteria from building up by changing tea towels every day.
Keep in mind that the key to a safe kitchen is good hygiene.
Cooking practices - Make sure that liquid or blood does not drip onto other food when thawing frozen foods.
This is the major cause of food poisoning.
Cook thoroughly all hot food to ensure all bacteria are killed.
This applies to poultry and meat products such as burgers and roasts.
Keep it very hot if you have to delay serving especially in lunch buffet catering.
Bacteria will start to develop if food is left standing below 60 degrees Celsius.
Do not allow cooked food to be left at room temperature for more than 2 hours.
Discard these dishes in case they have been left unattended.