THE FLOW OF FOOD: PREPARATION

Chapter 7

Preparation:General Preparation Practices

Equipment-make sure workstations, cutting boards, and utensils are clean and sanitized.

Quantity- Remove from the cooler only as much food as you can prep in a short period of time.

Storage-return prepped food to the cooler, or cook it as quickly as possible.

Thawing

Refrigeration: thaw in a cooler (41° or lower)Running water: submerge food under running

water at 70˚ or lower. Microwave: thaw food in a microwave oven if

it will be cooked just after thawing.Cooking: Thaw food as part of the cooking

process

Produce

Cross-contamination: make sure fruit and veggies do NOT touch surfaces exposed to raw meat or poultry.

Washing-water should be a little warmer than the produce, pay special attention to leafy greens such as lettuce and spinach

Sanitizing-water containing ozoneSoaking or storing-when soaking or storing

produce in standing water or an ice-water slurry, do NOT mix different items or multiple batches of the same item.

Produce continued

Fresh-cut produce- Regrigerate and hold sliced melons, cut tomatoes, and cut leafy greens at 41˚or lower

Raw seed sprouts- If your operation primarily serves high-risk populations, do NOT serve raw seed sprouts.

Batter and Breading

Batch size- prep batter in small batches. Store what you don’t need at 41˚or lower in a covered container

Discarding- create a plan to throw out any unused batter or breading after a set amount of time.

Allergens- Do NOT use the same batter or breading fro different types of food if one of the food items can cause an allergic reaction.

Eggs and Egg Mixtures

Pooled eggs- handle carefullyPasteurized eggs- for items that need little or

no cooking. Caesar salad dressing, hollandaise sauce, Pasta Carbonara

High-risk populations- pasteurized eggs

Salads Containing TCS Food

Using leftovers- TCS must be handled the right way (cooked, held and cooled correctly)

Storing leftovers- throw out leftover food held at 41˚or lower after seve days. (check the use-by date)

Fresh Juice Packaged On-Site

Fresh juice – use pasteurized according to HACCP plan, Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point

Or label as specified by federal regulation.

Ice

Consumption- Make ice from water that is safe to drink

Cooling food- NEVER use ice as an ingredient if it was used to keep food cold

Containers and scoops- Store ice scoops outside of the ice machine in a clean, protected location. NEVER hold or carry ice in containers that have held raw meat, seafood, or poultry or chemicals. NEVER use a glass to scoop ice or touch ice with hands.

Preparation Practices That Require a Variance

Smoking food as a way to preserve it (not to enhance flavor)

Using food additives or adding components such as vinegar to preserve or alter the food so it no longer needs time and temperature control for safety

Curing foodCustom-processing animalsPackaging food using a reduced-oxygen packaging

(ROP) method. Sprouting seeds or beansOffering live, molluscan shellfish from a display tank.

How to Check Temperatures

Pick a thermometer with a probe that is the right size for the food

Check the temperature in the thickest part of the food

Take at least two readings in different locations.

Cooking TCS Food in the Microwave

Cover the food to prevent its surface from drying out

Rotate or stir it halfway through the cooking process

Let the covered food stand for at least two minutes after cooking to let the food temperature even out

Check the temperature in at least 2 places to make sure that the food is cooked through.

Partial Cooking During Preparation

Do not cook the food for longer than 60 minutes during initial cooking

Cool the food immediately after initial cooking

Freeze or refrigerate the food after cooling it. If refrigerating the food, make sure it is held at 41˚or lower.

Heat the food to at least 165˚before selling or serving it

Cool the food if it will not be served immediately or held for service

Consumer Advisories

Disclosure- If your menu includes TCS items that are raw or undercooked, you must note it on the menu next to these items.

Reminder- If your menu includes TCS that are raw or undercooked, you must note it on the menu

Reminder- You must advise customers who order food that is raw or undercooked of the increased risk of foodborne illness. Check your local regulatory requirements.

Children’s Menus

The FDA advises against offering raw or undercooked meat, poultry, seafood, or eggs to children.

Undercooked ground beef- shiga toxin-producing E.coli

Operations that Mainly Serve High-Risk Populations

NEVER serve raw seed sprouts or raw or undercooked eggs, meat, or seafood.

Over-easy eggs, raw oysters on the half shell, and rare hamburgers.

Cooling Food

Cool TCS food from 135˚to 41˚F or lower within six hours. Total cooling time cannot be longer than 6 hours.

First, cool food from 135˚to 70˚within two hours.

Then cool it to 41˚or lower in the next 4 hours.

If food has not reached 70˚F within two hrs., it must be thrown out or reheated and then cooled again.

Methods for Cooling Food

Thickness or density of the food- the denser the food, the more slowly it will cool

Storage container- stainless steel transfers heat away from food faster than plastic. Shallow pans let the heat from food disperse faster than deep pans.

NEVER place large quantities of hot food in a cooler to cool. Coolers are designed to keep cold food cold.

Before cooling food, you should start by reducing its size. (cools faster)

Food can also be cooled by adding ice or cold water as an ingredient.

Ice-water bath

Ice paddle

Blast chiller or a tumble chiller

Reheating food

Food reheated for hot-holding From start to

finish you must heat the food to an internal temperature of 165˚F within two hours. Make sure food stays at this temperature for at least 15 seconds.

Temperature Time

130˚F (54˚C) 112 minutes

131˚F (55˚C) 89 minutes

133˚F (56˚C) 56 minutes

135˚F (36˚C) 28 minutes

136˚F (58˚C) 28 minutes

138˚F (59˚C) 18 minutes

140˚F (60˚C) 12 minutes

142˚F (61˚C) 8 minutes

144˚F (62˚C) 5 minutes

145˚F (63˚C) 4 minutes