You know what day it is, #TuesdayTips, and today we will be talking about Food and Safety. We previously covered Kitchen Rules, on how kids should be safe in the kitchen on a basic level. I explain these rules on that post and have a printable version as well.
It is important to know not only how to cook but how to keep safe while doing so. It avoids injury for and your family and friends, or clients. There are a few parts to food and Safety. The first part is uniform and why chefs have one and the second keeping clean and proper hand washing and the third is knowing proper food handling procedures.
Chefs Uniform
It is really important for Chef’s to have the right uniform. Not only does each piece serve its purpose but they play an important role.
Lets start from the bottom up.
Closed toed shoes are a must. You do not want to be tripping but its very possible you will spill or drop something. A comfy shoe helps your feet when you are standing on your feet for long periods at a time but having a shoe that is harder or thicker in the front will avoid more harm in case you accidentally drop a knife.
Pants, while it may not seem like a big deal, most chefs wear black or checkered chef pants. It is a professional look but they are also comfortable.
Chef Jacket. The symbol of being a true and tried chef. Earning your jacket as well as your Torque, is an honor. It looks professional, it looks cool and it keeps your street clothes clean.
Apron. Aprons aren’t always necessary but if you are going for the full uniform, you should be wearing one. It keeps your chef jacket cleaner.
Its not mentioned in these pictures but having two dish towels is very typical. One is usually for cleaning your station and the other as a thick oven mit for hot food as needed.
Finally the Torque, or the chef hat. The Torque is the tall chef hat you mostly see Executive chefs or Pastry chefs wear. There is a chef hat that is more like a basic cover. Both of these not only symbolize your in full uniform, what your rank is in the kitchen but also kept to prevent hair getting into your food
Clean and Handwashing
We mentioned hand washing in the kitchen rules but did not cover how to properly wash your hands. It is important because you help stop spreading germs and viruses by using proper hygiene. Watch the video below and go practice. Each time you need to wash your hands, this is how it should be done.
Can you list all the times you wash your hands? Have you been washing them enough?
As for Cleaning, you need to make sure your space is cleaned. We use a diluted bleach solution and paper towels. We always make sure our space is cleaned before and after use but (not using the bleach solution) you should clean your station as you go and make sure everything you needed if washed properly in the sink if it is a tool, or extra ingredients are placed back in their proper spots. Next week I will cover Kitchen Organization for our #TuesdayTips.
Food Handling
Watch these two videos on how to keep food safely.
What did you learn?
Do you have all the right tools to continue cooking and storing safely?
All of this is really important to make sure you avoid getting food poisoning or spreading it to others. It is also important to make sure you store your food properly both before cooked and after. Using tape and a sharpie marker to add a note about what you are storing and the date will save you from getting sick.
Stay Tuned for next weeks #TuesdayTips where I’ll talk more about food storage as well as organization.