Navigating the Intricacies of Temperature Management
I spend a bit of time in these blogs discussing various nuances of food safety – but one that we haven’t spent much time discussing is basic temperature management. I think we all, at least I certainly do, take this knowledge for granted after having been exposed to it for so long. Can you imagine a new hire coming to work in a commercial kitchen for the first time and how confusing all the temperatures we use on a daily basis must be for them?
Temperature management is not just a matter of achieving the perfect doneness in a steak or ensuring a refreshing chill in your salad. It really is a critical factor in safeguarding the health and well-being of anyone who partakes in the creations of a foodservice operation.
At the heart of temperature management is the division between hot and cold, each playing a crucial role in preventing the proliferation of harmful microorganism. The 2022 Model Food Code sets forth specific temperature ranges that food items must be stored, cooked, and held within to minimize the risk of foodborne illnesses. I am basing the rest of my discussion within this blog on that standard. As always, it is important that you check the standards within your local jurisdiction as they could be slightly different than what the food code has recommended.
Navigating the intricacies of proper temperature control means not only understanding the recommended temperature guidelines, but also implementing best practices in a dynamic and often hectic kitchen environment.
Hot Holding: The magic number here is 135°F (57°C) or higher. Foods like soups, stews, and cooked meats should be maintained at this temperature or above to prevent the growth of dangerous bacteria such as Salmonella and E. coli.
Cold Storage: On the flip side, the chill zone is equally significant. Cold storage, below 41°F (5°C), is vital for perishable foods like dairy, raw meats, and ready-to-eat items. Maintaining these items at the right temperature ensures the slowdown of bacterial growth.
The zone in between the cold and hot zone, or between 41°F (5°C) and 135°F (57°C) is what we have called the temperature danger zone for years. This zone is the sweet spot for microorganisms to multiple, the temperature at which food should spend as little time as possible.
Cooking Temperatures: When it comes to cooking, temperatures are not just about achieving the ideal taste and texture; they are about ensuring that the food is safe to eat. Poultry, ground meats, and fish have specific temperature thresholds that must be reached to eliminate harmful bacteria. For instance, raw eggs prepared for immediate service should reach 145°F (63°C) poultry should reach an internal temperature of 165°F (74°C), while ground meats and fish should hit 160°F (71°C).
Implementing these temperature management practices in a fast-paced kitchen is no small feat. Chefs and kitchen staff must be adept at multitasking, ensuring that food moves seamlessly through temperature transitions from storage to preparation to cooking and, ultimately, to serving.
The challenges with temperature control are now confounded more than ever with the demand for food delivery and the proliferation of delivery services such as Uber Eats and Grub Hub. Maintaining the correct temperatures during transportation presents an additional hurdle that requires careful consideration and innovation.
Navigating the intricacies of proper temperature control means not only understanding the recommended temperature guidelines, but also implementing best practices in a dynamic and often hectic kitchen environment. From the storage of ingredients to the final presentation on the plate, each step can have a different temperature requirement which must be met to ensure the food served is not only delicious but, more importantly, safe for every guest. Risk Nothing.
Developing Good Food Safety Habits
Good habits and habit development are something that has fascinated me for several years. If you’ve attended any the training programs or presentations that my colleagues and I have conducted through our Center for Food Safety in Child Nutrition Programs, you’ve likely heard me opine about the importance of habits and how habits are created. Many times, in foodservice operations we wonder why our staff don’t follow the food safety practices we have established in our operation. Perhaps they don’t wash their hands when they are required, perhaps they just don’t use the proper method of handwashing, or perhaps we find that they don’t complete our HACCP logs as often as our program dictates should occur. And while we can stomp our feet and say “it is their job, they should just do it”, it really isn’t that simple. We can’t order people to change, although if we could, business and human resources would be so much simpler.
Getting Your Playbook for Food Safety Organized
As anyone who has ever worked in a foodservice operation knows, from the time food is received in your establishment to the time it is served to your customers, following proper food safety practices is crucial. What many don’t often think about is this time really should extend from the time the manager places their orders with their suppliers (including which purveyors you utilize), through the time the food is consumed – even if that consumption occurs off your premises and days after the original order was picked up by the guest. This is something that has certainly been highlighted by the pandemic as customers across the nation are utilizing take-out, curbside to go, and third-party delivery options more so now than ever before.
Getting Started with Building the Infrastructure
Hopefully in our first January blog, we convinced you of the importance of establishing an infrastructure within your operation to support a safe food culture. So, how does one go about doing this? Well, like any major project, break it into small bites. In our opinion, having a written guide for employees that documents expectations related to food safety basics of employee health and hygiene, temperature controls, and cleaning and sanitizing is the first step. Having this documentation serves as a reference for training and helps fulfill the mission of most foodservice operators which is to serve safe, quality food.
Food Safety Resolutions for the New Year
Finally, 2020 is in our rearview mirror and we can all turn the page to 2021! Resolutions for the new year might be more of the same from prior years (lose weight, exercise more, less screen time, etc.) OR you may have identified new practices to implement in your operation. If the latter, likely goals included some practices related to food safety – especially given the turmoil of 2020 and heightened concern by customers. It is our philosophy that attention to safe food handling practices is a win-win for any operation because of the direct relationship between food safety and food quality, which in turn leads to customer satisfaction. This past year has also demonstrated that attention to safety can affect the bottom line. Thus, the topic of our first SafeBites webinar for 2021 is on the topic of the return on investment of food safety, it is scheduled for January 20, so register now and please plan to attend.
