Time Waits For No One

And neither do microbes.  Under the right conditions, they will thrive.  You won't see them, smell them, nor taste them.   Time and temperature abuse is the culprit.  The FDA food code states that time/temperature sensitive foods can not be in the temperature danger zone for more than 4 hours.

What systems do you have in place to ensure the food you are receiving is safe and stays safe?  Is the person receiving your delivery's taking temperatures, checking for quality, and documenting such? Is the food being put away in a timely manner?  Do you maintain refrigerator logs?  Cooking logs?  Cooling logs?  Are you calibrating your thermometers?

Simple tasks that do not require much time and attention, but they MUST BE TENDED TO!  Better to put in the time upfront to properly handle your food.  As the Rolling Stones said " Time waits for no one, and it won't wait for me."  What are you waiting for?

It's About Time

Cooking is a time based art, we all know that.  Gluten takes time to form as we knead bread, proteins denature over time as we cook meats and eggs, marinades take time to infuse their flavors.  As food service professionals we passionately devote time to perfect these techniques and delight our customers.

Sanitation is also a time based process.  Sanitizing pots, pans, tools,  work surfaces need time to reduce the potential of issues arising with food borne illness.  Why is this?  Just like microbes take time to grow in sufficient numbers to cause problems they also take time to die.  Remember we can not see microbes, yet there may be 100,000 of them on a work surface.  Science has shown that microbes die at a constant rate, hence the importance of following the manufacturer's directions for sanitizing agents or the application of heat.

Know and understand the directions for all chemicals in use in your kitchen, make sure your staff also understands their proper use.  After all they will be carrying out the procedures.

Are you taking the time to properly train your staff in sanitation?  One outbreak of food-borne illness from your establishment, just might be your last.