Best Practices for Maintaining Food Safety in a Commercial Kitchen

More essential than an oven or the best chef’s knife, practicing food safety procedures is the key in maintaining a commercial kitchen. Food-borne illnesses are a serious health hazard and without a clean and maintained kitchen, germs and bacteria are more likely to spread. From hand washing to checking cold storage, there are a variety of practices you can use. Follow along on our best practices for maintaining food safety in a commercial kitchen so you stop germs in their tracks and keep staff and customers safe.

Cold Storage Practices

Refrigeration appliances are a key component in keeping best practices for maintaining food safety in a commercial kitchen. They keep meat from entering the danger zone and allow you to store produce so it stays fresh for longer. Follow these practices to make sure that food stays safe:

• Monitor refrigeration temperatures - Checking the fridge and freezer temperatures twice daily and keeping track can ensure that they stay at optimal points. Monitoring the temperature also allows you to stay on top of malfunctions and to toss any food incase of large temperature changes. 
• Organize following FIFO - Keeping refrigeration units and freezers organized and following the FIFO method will improve efficiency and prevent waste. Labeling shelves and food products will help to keep storage organized and easier to follow FIFO rules. If you need tips on following the FIFO rule and organizing your cold storage, check out our guide on How to Organize a Commercial Kitchen Cold Storage.

Food Temperatures

Checking the temperature for food safety is an essential practice to keep commercial kitchens safe. Maintaining temperatures keeps food safe for consumption, so follow some of these practices to keep your commercial kitchen safe:

• Check food cooked temperatures - Making use of internal food thermometers are key for cooking food to the optimal and recommended temperatures. Whether it is eggs, poultry or red meat, each food needs to be cooked to an even internal temperature to prevent bacteria from growing. Food-borne illnesses can spread by undercooking food, so ensuring staff are consistent with thermometer use is essential. For more information on food-borne illnesses check out our article on them and how to prevent them.
• Keep hot foods hot, cold food cold - Another essential food and kitchen safety practice is ensuring that hot foods stay hot and cold foods stay cold. For commercial kitchens that serve large portions like buffet or catering, it is important to have the right equipment to maintain food temperatures. Holding cabinets for hot food and keeping cold food on ice when outside of refrigeration will ensure that food is safe and maintained until ready to serve.

Kitchen Hygiene

Kitchen hygiene and food safety go hand in hand. Maintaining a clean commercial kitchen and following essential procedures can make a difference in the safety of your commercial kitchen. Don’t forget to use these tips to protect your commercial kitchen and maintain a safe environment:

• Handwashing - Handwashing is the most important practice for maintaining food safety in a commercial kitchen. This helps to prevent the spread of germs and cross contamination. There are multiple periods where a kitchen staff should be thoroughly washing their hands between tasks. For the best practice in handwashing, check out our guide on How to Properly Wash Your Hands in Foodservice.
• Use protective gear - Make use of essential sanitary gear like gloves and hair nets/caps. Using protective gear along with vigorous hand washing can keep commercial kitchens sanitary and free from contamination. Gloves protect from germs and bacteria to both staff and to food dishes, while hair nets or caps keep food safe from contamination.
• Sick leave - Best practices are not just the tools and procedures you use in the kitchen. Keeping sick staff at home and out of the kitchen will ensure that no other staff get sick and also prevent any spread of illness to customers. Enforcing a sick leave policy also means staff can rest and heal quicker so they can get back into the kitchen when they are healthy.
• Separate cutting boards - Stop any cross contamination with separate cutting boards for different food products. According to the CDC, food products like fruits and vegetables shouldn’t be cut on the same cutting board as raw meat, poultry or seafood. Keep extra cutting boards for allergy sensitive meals too, so you can cut down on cross contamination in the kitchen. 
• Sanitizing surfaces/stations - Germs, bacteria and cross contamination can be combated by maintaining a sanitizing schedule. Keeping countertops and kitchen utensils clean and sanitized throughout the day will ensure that they are prepared for use. Following a sanitizing schedule will also help when cooking for food allergies to prevent contamination being spread. 

More Food Safety & Hygiene Tips

No matter if you’re head chef or running plates, it’s important to know best food safety practices. Understanding common safety mistakes, benefits of certification and learning best hygiene practices will provide safe food production and storage. To ensure you’re protecting your staff and customers from food-borne illnesses, check out our article on Food Safety and Hygiene in a Commercial Kitchen.