Not Delia

Tag: Food hygiene

  • Refrigeration

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    A refrigerator should operate at between 1°C and 4°C (34°F-39°F). You can buy an inexpensive fridge thermometer from many catering suppliers. Be aware that placing food in a fridge does not kill bacteria. The bacteria simply become dormant and will spring back to life when the food is removed from the refrigerator. Foods should only…

  • Reheating Cooked Foods

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    Reheated foods, particularly meat and poultry, are often implicated in cases of food poisoning. Some food handlers make the mistake of thinking that because food is cooked, it’s free from bacteria and it is sufficient just to warm it up. This is a very dangerous misapprehension. In fact not all bacteria, particularly the spore forming…

  • Keep Out of the Danger Zone

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    It is essential to keep prepared food out of the temperature danger zone. If food is not going to be served within a very short time after cooking, then it should be cooled to under 10°C (50°F) within 90 minutes. The food must then be refrigerated immediately once cooled. Quick cooling is important. While the…

  • Keeping Cold Food Cold

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    Just as we’ve seen that hot food should be kept hot, now we see that cold food must be kept cold. Many foods which are eaten cold have sufficient nutrients and moisture to allow bacteria to multiply rapidly. Examples of these types of food include cold meats and poultry, patés, soft cheeses and salads with…

  • Keeping Hot Food Hot

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    It is usually safe to eat high risk foods immediately after cooking, providing the cooking temperature was sufficiently high to kill the bacteria. If, however, even a short period of time elapses between cooking and eating then bacteria has a chance to multiply again. You can avoid this by storing the food in a heated…

  • Temperature control – Cooking with soups, stocks and eggs

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    Soups and stocks It is much safer to prepare soups and stocks in small quantities and throw away any left over at the end of the day. [Hmmm, if it’s stored properly in the fridge or freezer there’s no real need for the home cook to throw it away.] It is bad practice to top…