You may not know, but negligence in the kitchen can cause 250 diseases. Many people get sick of it, yet the problem is not highlighted. A commercial kitchen has more responsibility than a home kitchen as it serves a more significant number of people every day.
When I thought of starting a hotel, I was shocked to see the cleanliness and maintenance in my friend’s commercial kitchen. He told me the food safety standard to save your customers from illnesses. Moreover, he told me that running a successful commercial kitchen is not an easy nut to crack.
10 Food Safety Tips for Your Commercial Kitchen
In this article, I will pass on the knowledge on how to safely run your commercial kitchen, so you can also serve clean and fresh food to your customers.
1. Check Gas Appliances
The safety of the chefs and helpers working in the kitchen is essential. More than 90% of your success lies in the hands of your chefs. There are many gas appliances in the commercial kitchen; every dish needs to be prepared on a gas appliance.
Before you start a gas appliance, it is vital to check for its safety. The process is simple; contact an experienced gas safety engineer for inspection. He will then hand over gas safety certification stating that your appliances are safe to use.
2. Maintain Temperature During Cooking
The maintenance of right temperature is very important in the cooking of food. Otherwise, the food can cause trouble for your customers. Your kitchen staff must be well aware of the guidelines and safety standards.
For instance, chicken needs 165 Fahrenheit temperatures to cook correctly; beef must be cooked at 155 Fahrenheit for 15 seconds. Beef is sensitive in cooking as a bit of fluctuation in temperature can result in trouble.
There are meat thermometers for checking the temperature of the food. Proper training should be provided to the kitchen staff to use the device.
3. Wash Hands Properly
Food safety is the primary safety measure of any place, especially a commercial kitchen. You need to take care of it, and for that purpose, make a proper place for hand washing. Introduce the culture of washing hands.
Every employee entering the hotel should wash their hands before touching anything. As the owner, lead from the front, so your employees follow the practice.
4. Use Gloves
The use of gloves is now standard in every commercial kitchen. Use of same pair of gloves of masks for every task causes problems. It transfers the bacteria to every place, causing problems for everyone, especially your customers.
We advise you to make SOPs of changing gloves regularly. Ensure that the workers follow it, and please them in case they show negligence. Moreover, keep extra boxes of gloves in your stock to be on the safe side.
5. Wash Food Properly
There are specific food safety standards when it comes to washing the food and vegetables in the kitchen. The first and the basic standard is to wash the food and vegetables. Even if it is washed, rewash it, so bacteria are correctly removed.
A lot of devices are available in the market for washing. We recommend you buy a bacteria checker for your kitchen. Moreover, make sure that you wash the vegetables under cold water.
6. Train Your Staff
Well-mannered and organized staff attracts customers. Your customers will increase exponentially if your staff is trained properly about the food safety rules. The proper way is to train the whole staff appropriately, and if any new employee joins, ask the staff to pass on the knowledge.
A good way of achieving the task is to attach SOPs regarding food safety and training on the kitchen wall. It will help your staff recall any training they forgot about. A trained staff is the hidden secret to the well-being of your customers.
7. Check The Shipment
If you run a big commercial kitchen, you will be in touch with all the vendors for food delivery. Not all food providers need to follow the food safety rules. Therefore, we advise you to check every shipment that comes your way.
Firstly, try and do contracts with the vendors who are famous among the people. If you still have to order the shipment, ensure the food is checked with the latest technology. Provide proper training to the receiving department in this regard.
8. Avoid Expired Ingredients
Happy customers are the reason for your successful running of a commercial kitchen. Value the health of your customers. For this purpose, check every ingredient’s expiry date before using it.
Announce strict punishments for any negligence in this regard. Assign the task to your workers to put labels on every ingredient, so it is visible easily. Your little mistake can cause severe problems for your customers. Not only this, your restaurant will get a negative reputation.
9. Refrain From Cross Contamination
Bacteria is very dangerous to human health, and transfers from one place to other. Cross-contamination is a huge problem for commercial kitchens. The main reason is the use of one thing for several purposes.
To minimize the chances, use separate boards for each purpose. Put labels on it, or you can also use a colored scheme. Use the method of your choice and ease; make sure bacteria are deleted.
10. Clean Equipment and Surface Regularly
Cleanliness is an essential requirement of every place, whether a kitchen or living room. Cleanliness not only ensures health but also attracts customers. Make sure that your commercial kitchen is cleaned regularly.
Make a cleaning schedule. Ensure that the surfaces and the equipment are cleaned once a week.
Conclusion
Everyone wants their business to grow. The commercial kitchens are more remarkable in number, offering the same dishes. What makes the kitchen get close to perfection is the fact that how clean and well maintained the kitchen is.
The health of the customers and the staff is directly proportional to the food safety protocols followed in the commercial kitchen. The tips mentioned above will help you maintain food safety standards.
Let us know about your valuable feedback in the comments. Thank you so much for your time.
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