Handling Food Safely

One of my biggest concerns in the restaurant industry, and your own home as a matter of fact is handling food safely. As a chef for 30+ (yes, I've been at this business all my life and I'm getting up in age!) I've always watched, trained and taught this subject to everyone that's ever worked for me. From the dishwasher to the servers to the prep cooks and chefs in my own business and others I've worked for, everyone needs to pay attention to how to handle food safely. From wearing our favorite powder free gloves, to food handling signs and using color coded cutting boards we'll share our favorite products too.

Use my Top 6 safe food handling tips
to keep your kitchen safe, healthy and on board with all the Department of Health rules and regulations - while keeping your customers and your own family members safe from food bourne illnesses.

1. When in doubt - wear a glove. Not sure you should cut that piece of meat or those veggies wearing a glove? Err on the side of safety and caution and put a disposable powder free glove on. They're cheap compared to the cost of sickness to a customer or staff member!

2. For handling food safely, always wear your disposable powder free gloves when handling meat. Even though you'll be cooking it, you want to make sure that any dirt or germs on your own hands doesn't transfer to any meat product. This is especially true if you or anyone working with food has any cuts on their hands - just the thought of that is super gross don't you think...

3. Always remove your gloves and wash your hands in between handling different types of products for example from going to meat then vegetables or meat and then another meat. Reapply a new set of gloves.

4. Use color coded cutting boards for different items: yellow for chicken, green for produce, red for meats and white for cheeses or breads and tan for fish.  These color coded cutting boards are my favorite and must-have items in the kitchen to prevent cross contamination of any germs. You won't regret having them and they clean easily with a little bleach and soaking, then straight to your dishwasher, air dry standing upright.

5. Wear gloves when preparing and plating food for customers. If it's going from your plate to their mouth, you must protect them and wear gloves. I've seen food service workers add a garnish of parsley to a plate without wearing a glove and I can't stand it... I stop it every time I see it and I've dismissed employees that don't take this rule seriously. I sure wouldn't want to be the customer eating that parsley, would you?

6. Use proper hand washing: run warm water, wet your hands, add soap, rub hands together and make sure to get the between fingers and wrist areas while you sing happy birthday to you. Rinse the hands thoroughly, dry well with a clean towel. Teach your employees how to wash the hands the right way every time in the kitchen and after using the rest room. Hang these Employees Must Wash Hands Sign in your restrooms and the kitchen! They're a good reminder and way to hold your staff accountable for knowing your rules.

When you pay attention to how your staff works with the food you are serving in your restaurant, you can have comfort knowing that you are doing everything right and that your customers are safe eating at your establishment. Never quit on the pursuit for perfection in business - it's your business and your reputation that is on the line!

I let all my customers tour my kitchen any time of day or night. They like seeing the work being done, how clean the kitchen is and they feel good about dining with us. Are you comfortable letting your customers tour your kitchen? If not, this is a good time to get all the supplies you need, teach your staff the proper food handling techniques and improve your business today.

Cheers and best wishes to your successful restaurant business.