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Food Safety for Cooks

From Cooking to Cooling

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Describe personal responsibilities that can help promote safe food.
Identify characteristics and examples of TCS foods.
List proper techniques for thawing, cooking, cooling and reheating foods.
Demonstrate proper use and calibration of probe thermometers.

To review TCS foods (which stands for time and temperature controlled for safety); to review proper temperatures and techniques for thawing, cooking, cooling and reheating food; and to review the proper use of a probe thermometer.

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Food Safety for Cooks

Purpose:

Objectives:

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There are three purposes of today’s presentation. To review TCS foods (which stands for time and temperature controlled for safety); to review proper temperatures and techniques for thawing, cooking, cooling, and reheating food; and to review the proper use of a probe thermometer.

By the end of the training, you should be able to describe personal responsibilities that can help promote safe food; identify characteristics and examples of TCS foods; list proper techniques for thawing, cooking, cooling, and reheating foods; and demonstrate the proper use and calibration of probe thermometers.

Why do you think these objectives are important? These basic food safety practices are critical to keeping your customers healthy and keeping your business afloat. A foodborne illness outbreak could lead to sick customers or the failure of a foodservice operation. Everyone must work together to make sure food is served safely!

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Why do we need to care?

Foodborne illness…

-Affects millions and causes thousands of deaths each year

-Costs billions of dollars each year

-Can result in legal action and damaged reputation

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Food Safety for Cooks

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So, here is some further detail about why we need to care. Foodborne illness affects millions of people each year and leads to thousands of deaths. It costs the country billions of dollars every year, and it can result in legal action against a foodservice operation, causing a damaged reputation in the process. Most importantly for you… an event like this could cost you your job!

According to the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (or CDC):

An estimated 48 million cases of foodborne disease occur each year in the United States. The great majority of these cases are mild and cause symptoms for only a day or two. But some cases are more serious. The CDC estimates that there are 128,000 hospitalizations and over 3,000 deaths related to foodborne diseases each year.

https://www.cdc.gov/foodsafety/foodborne-germs.html

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Main Factors of Unsafe Food

5 Most Common Mistakes with Food-Handling

Purchasing food from unsafe sources
Failing to cook food correctly
Holding food at incorrect temperatures
Using contaminated equipment
Practicing poor personal hygiene

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Food Safety for Cooks

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There are many factors that contribute to unsafe food, but these are the 5 most common mistakes that lead to foodborne illness…

Discussion:

How do each of these factors contribute to unsafe food?

1)Purchasing Food from unsafe sources à you can’t be sure food safety standards were followed prior to you purchasing it

2)Failing to cook food correctly à if the proper temperatures aren’t reached, pathogens may still be present on the food

3)Holding food at incorrect temperatures à if you don’t hold food at the right temperature, bacteria can grow and multiply quickly

4)Using contaminated equipment à contaminated equipment leads to contaminated food

5)Practicing poor personal hygiene à if those who are preparing food aren’t following appropriate hygiene practices, foodborne illness can be spread from the employee to the customer

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Personal

Handwashing

No Jewelry

No fingernail polish or artificial fingernails

Must use hair restraints

Clean clothing and aprons

Report all illness to person in charge

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Hygiene

Food Safety for Cooks

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First things first: all employees must follow personal hygiene practices. Handwashing is the single most important way to stop the spread of germs to others and avoid getting sick yourself. Other important personal hygiene practices include no jewelry when preparing or serving food. No fingernail polish or artificial fingernails. Use of hair restraints, like a hairnet or cap. Clean clothing and aprons.

Also, always be sure to report any illness to a person in charge.

Discussion:

Why do you think these things are important? Jewelry can trap bacteria and spread it to food items. Fingernail polish can chip off into food. Hair must be secured so it doesn’t end up in food. And clothing should be clean in order to prevent the spread of germs between your clothes, hands, and the food you are preparing or serving.

Do you know WHEN you should wash your hands? There are many events throughout the work day that should prompt you to wash your hands; let’s talk about those now…

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When to wash hands

Before handling or serving food
After using the restroom
After sneezing or blowing nose
After taking a break, eating or smoking
After touching face or hair
After returning to kitchen from another area
After handling uncooked foods
After taking off gloves
After busing tables or handling dirty dishes
After working with chemicals

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Report Immediately

If you have any of the following symptoms caused by illness or infection:

-Vomiting

-Jaundice (yellowing of the eyes and skin)

-Diarrhea

-Sore throat with fever

-Infected wounds or lesions with pus (on hands or exposed body parts)

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Food Safety for Cooks

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Report Immediately

If you or a household member has been diagnosed by a doctor with:

-Norovirus

-Salmonella typhi (typhoid fever)

-E. Coli

-Hepatitis A

-Shigellosis

-Salmonella (nontyphoidal)

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Food Safety for Cooks

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TCS Foods

Did you know?

Once you put the knife through a melon or tomato, any bacteria that was on the outside of the product has now traveled to the inside of the product (even if the food has been washed)

Milk products, whole eggs, meats, poultry, fish, shellfish, cooked rice, sliced melons, cut tomatoes, cooked potatoes, tofu and other soy foods, plant foods that have been heated, raw seeds and sprouts, untreated garlic-and-oil mixtures

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Food Safety for Cooks

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FAT TOM

What do bacteria need to grow?

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(a helpful acronym)

Food Safety for Cooks

Food

Acidity

Temperature

Time

Oxygen

Moisture

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Temperature Danger Zone: Four-Hour Rule

41°F - 135°F: temperatures at which bacteria grow and multiply the fastest

The four-hour rule: food cannot be in the danger zone for more than four hours total

Time is cumulative, from time of receiving through storage, preparation, holding and reheating

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Food Safety for Cooks

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Internal Cooking Temperatures

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Internal Cooking Temperature	Foods
135ºF	Cooked vegetables
145ºF for 17 seconds	Raw eggs cooked for immediate service Fish, except as listed below Intact Meat
155ºF for 17 seconds	Injected meats Mechanically tenderized meats Raw eggs not for immediate service Comminuted meat, fish, or commercially raised game animals
165ºF for <1 second	Wild game animals Poultry Stuffed fish, meat, pork, pasta, ratites & poultry Stuffing containing fish, meat, ratites & poultry

Food Safety for Cooks

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Reheating: 165ºF in 2 Hours

All foods must be reheated to 165ºF within 2 hours
Only reheat one time, then discard
Microwave reheating temperature is 165ºF, covered and held for 2 minutes to allow temperature equilibrium

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Four Proper Ways to Thaw

Under refrigeration
Cold running water within 2 hours
Continuous cooking method
Microwave (must finish cooking immediately)

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Food Safety for Cooks

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Cooling

Cooling Methods

Divide food into smaller quantities
Use cooling tools (Rapi-Kool)
Use ice bath before refrigeration
Food no more than 2” depp in the pans, then put them into the refrigerator
Blast Chiller

Remember:

Cool TCS foods from 135ºF to 41ºF or lower within 6 hours

135ºF to 70ºF within 2 hours
70ºF to 41ºF or lower within the next 4 hours

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Containers for Cooling

Containers make a difference!

Did you know? Plastic and glass containers trap heat and can increase cooling time.

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Container Material	Container Rating for Cooling
Aluminum	Excellent
Stainless Steel	Good
Plastic	Poor
Glass	Poor

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Proper Use of a Probe Thermometer

Before Use: Wash, rinse, sanitize and air dry thermometer.

Make sure to wash, rinse, and sanitize thermometer between each product checked!

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Food Safety for Cooks

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Obviously since temperatures are so important, thermometers play a key role as well. Let’s talk about how to properly temp your food items.

Before use, make sure to wash, rinse, sanitize, and air dry the thermometer. This should also be done between each product that you temp.

The dimple, located on the stem of a probe thermometer, anchors the coil in the stem for greater accuracy, and also shows where the top of the coil is welded. Make sure the dimple is inserted into the center (or thickest part) of the product in order to get an accurate reading.

You may need to stir the product or check in multiple places in order to get a proper reading. If you are temping a sealed package, such as a bag of milk, fold the product over onto itself with the thermometer in between.

All thermometers need to be recalibrated periodically. A good practice is once per shift.

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Calibrating a Probe Thermometer

Fill a glass with ice.

Place thermometer in glass.

Wait 3 minutes.

Thermometer should read 32ºF.

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Calibrating a Probe Thermometer

Corrective Action:

If thermometer does not read 32ºF, use pliers or a wrench to move the needle until it reaches 32ºF.

Wait 3 minutes to make sure it stays 32ºF.

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Thank you.

If you have questions,

Please contact the Nutrition Resource Center at:

1.800.968.4426

nrc@gfs.com