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The room/s and fittings
There shouldn't be anywhere in your kitchen, pantry etc that can't be easily cleaned. You should make it as hard as possible for insects and mice to get in, and give them nowhere to hide if they do get in. It's amazing how many problems can be prevented with a few cartridges of silicone sealer!
Are the work and storage areas big enough for the work being done? Are the lighting and ventilation OK? Is the floor waterproof, washable and free from gaps/holes/cracks? Are there any gaps/holes/cracks in the walls or ceiling? Make sure you check around door and window frames. Are there gaps/holes/cracks inside the cupboards? Don't forget to look for gaps around water pipes and electrical cables. Is there any flaking paint or unfinished, dusty surfaces anywhere? Is there an old fireplace or stove recess? Can it be cleaned, and can insects get down the flue or chimney? Are the gaps under the doors as narrow as possible? Are the flyscreens OK and a good fit? Are there gaps between built-in cupboards etc and the wall? Can the fridge and freezer be pulled out easily to clean under and behind them? Can the areas around the stove and dishwasher be easily cleaned? Are the bench and table tops and other work surfaces smooth, waterproof and free from gaps/holes/cracks?
Hand washing facilities
Handling food with dirty hands is a recipe for disaster. The standards take their hand washing facilities very seriously.
Is there a basin/sink ALWAYS available for hand washing and NEVER used for anything else? Is it clearly designated for washing hands, arms and face only? Does it have warm running water? Are soap/detergent and single use towels ALWAYS available at the hand washing facility?
Thermometer
The old regulations wanted you to have a gauge for every fridge. While that's still a darn good idea, the new requirement is to have an accurate thermometer in the kitchen. So you can check food in the fridge, the freezer, stuff you're cooking or cooling, or whatever else needs checking. As you'll notice further down the list.
Do you have a probe thermometer that's accurate to +/-1°C?
Cleaning
It's hard to honestly answer the question, "Am I a grub?" But you've got to do it! Or ask a friend to help out with this bit - as long as it's a really robust friendship! Germs can grow in any buildup of dust, food scraps or grease. Plus they attract insects and mice.
Is it clean around and behind the stove/dishwasher/fridge/freezer? What about the cupboards and shelves behind all the tins and packets? And the back of the cutlery and utensil drawers? Is there any visible buildup on things like handles and knobs that you're always touching? Check the stove, dishwasher, fridge and freezer again. Plus door and cupboard handles. Look under the top of the mixer. And under the microwave. Then inside it - especially the top - it's easy to miss food splashed up there! Check the fridge and freezer door/lid seals. Sorry, but it must be done. Look inside the oven. And around the top of the stove.
Sanitising
It's not good enough for cutlery, crockery and kitchen equipment - that's all your mixing bowls, spoons, ladles, tongs, sharp knives, peelers, beaters, boards - everything that touches food - to just look clean. You have to know there are no germs on them, so they have to be sanitised. And that can't be done if they're damaged.
Have you got any chipped or cracked crockery or other damaged stuff? Throw it out! Do you use a dishwasher? Check that it meets one of these criteria:
Commercial dishwasher - 60sec/55°C wash then 10sec/77°C rinse Domestic dishwasher - won't run until water is heated to 65°C, or Domestic dishwasher - supplied with hot water at above 68°C
How do you sanitise stuff washed by hand? HOT WATER FROM THE TAP IS NOT HOT ENOUGH. Effective methods include:
How do you sanitise benchtops and other stuff that won't fit in the sink or dishwasher? You could:
Spray or swab with bleach solution Spray or swab with diluted methylated spirits Use a commercial sanitiser in accordance with the maker's instructions
If you have any equipment or utensil in continuous use, do you clean and sanitise it every four hours? Do you change dishcloths etc every four hours, and clean and sanitise them before re-use?
Sanitiser Recipes |
| Sanitiser |
Use At |
To Make It Up |
| Chlorine |
25ppm in hot water (50°C)
50ppm in warm water (38°C)
100ppm spray or swab
|
6ml of 4% bleach(about 1¼ teaspoons) per 9lt water
12ml of 4% bleach(about 2½ teaspoons) per 9lt water
24ml of 4% bleach(about 5 teaspoons) per 9lt water
|
| Methylated Spirits |
two-thirds strength spray or swab |
add one part water to two parts metho |
Food Receipt
Do you know your ingredients are OK when they're delivered or you bring them home, or do you just hope?
Do you accept or buy damaged packages? Does food turn up out of date? Is the delivery van cold enough? And "delivery van" includes the back of your car! Potentially hazardous food should be at 5°C or colder. Frozen food should be fully frozen, ie completely hard.
Food Storage
Food must be protected from contamination and kept at the right temperature.
Are there open packets of flour, cereal, pasta, rice etc in your pantry or cupboards? Is all the ready-to-eat food in the fridge covered? Is all the raw stuff stored below the ready-to-eat stuff? Is potentially hazardous food kept below 5°C? Is the frozen stuff fully frozen, ie completely hard? If you're storing any potentially hazardous food hot, is it kept above 60°C?
Food Processing
Similar rules to those for storage apply - protect it from contamination, keep it at the right temperature. Plus sometimes, eg when you're cooking something, you actually need to make the food safe by killing germs present in its raw state.
Do you have separate cutting boards and utensils for raw and ready-to-eat foods, or wash everything when changing from handling raw to ready-to-eat stuff? When you have potentially hazardous stuff out of the fridge to work on it, do you have things organised so you can do the job without interruption and get everything back in the fridge or into the oven as soon as possible? Does potentially hazardous food ever get left lying around at room temperature? Do you cook everything thoroughly? Have you got any way of checking? For example, do you use a meat thermometer in roasts, or check that the juice from the thickest bit of the meat runs clear? If you cool hot potentially hazardous food, do you make sure that its temperature drops from 60°C to 21°C within 2 hours, then right down to 5°C within another 4 hours? If you reheat potentially hazardous food, do you get it up to 60°C as quickly as possible? When thawing frozen ready-to-eat potentially hazardous food, do you always do it in the fridge or microwave?
Food Display
If you put food out for all your guests to serve themselves, eg as a breakfast buffet, it must be protected from contamination.
Do you provide separate serving utensils for each food? How do you minimise the chances of guests contaminating the food? Do you supervise the display and remove any contaminated food?
Personal Hygiene
This is a bit like cleaning. Ask yourself again, "Am I a grub?" Plus, if you work alone, ask yourself, "Am I aware of my unconscious body habits?" If your friend is still talking to you, ask them to help you out with this one too!
Do you wash your hands properly and dry them completely? If you can do the job in much under 15 seconds, you're probably taking too many shortcuts. Do you always remember to wash your hands whenever you're changing from working with raw food to working with ready-to-eat stuff? And do you always remember to wash them whenever you come back into the kitchen after an interruption? And after you've blown your nose, smoothed your hair, rolled an earring or scratched an itch? Do you make sure you always turn away from the food and utensils before you cough, sneeze or blow your nose? Do you keep your hands off the ready-to-eat food whenever possible? If you're wearing a bandage, do you put a waterproof covering over it? (Do you keep some disposable gloves next to your packet of bandaids?) Do you make sure no-one smokes in food handling areas? Who can fill in for you if you're sick? You must not handle food if you have any symptoms of food-borne disease.
Odds and Ends
What precautions do you take against mice and cockroaches? Do all your pets stay out of the kitchen all the time? Do you have rubbish bin that's big enough and can be easily kept clean? Are all your cleaning chemicals etc kept where they won't contaminate food?
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