Safety Tips for Your Commercial Kitchen
August 29, 2019Safety tips for your commercial kitchen to keep it running smoothly and keep disease out.
A well-run commercial kitchen means maintaining the utmost cleanliness and safe conditions for your food preparation. If you were to contaminate an area with Salmonella or other dangerous bacteria accidentally, your customers and employees could get very sick. You also need to know how to pass any checks done by the local health department, so your restaurant can operate with full certification.
Ask Yourself, Is My Commercial Kitchen Safe?
Preventing food preparation area accidents:
- Do my employees use a stool or footrest to avoid prolonged standing?
- Do I make stools and footrests available to my kitchen workers?
- Do we rearrange food prep tasks to avoid overreaching?
- Do we use mechanical kitchen appliances for chopping, dicing, or mixing foods to avoid repetitive stress injuries?
- Do we provide approved uniforms, hairnets, and gloves for our employees?
- Do our employees wear uniforms, hairnets, and gloves?
Preventing lifting accidents
- Have my workers been trained to lift with their legs not with their backs, whether it is a light or heavy load?
- Are workers trained to bring bulky items close to their chest so they can stay balanced and eliminate straining?
- Are employees trained to use tilt containers or get help when lifting or pulling fluids or bulky items?
- Are my employees empowered to point out safe and proper lifting techniques to fellow employees?
- Do supervisors take the lead by setting the right example?
Preventing slips, trips, and falls
- Is the kitchen staff trained to mop up spills and wet areas immediately?
- Is kitchen, supply areas, freezer floors, and walkways kept free of clutter?
- Is the proper ladder training provided?
- Do employees know how to use ladders correctly to avoid overreaching and overextending themselves?
- Are employees required to wear proper slip-resistant footwear?
- Is the kitchen floor swept and mopped each night?
Proper Handling
All produce needs to be washed and scrubbed thoroughly before being served. Washing can be done right before serving, as some veggies wilt if removed too far ahead of time. Never use soap or bleach on produce. Coldwater is best. A produce brush for harder items like turnips, carrots, or potatoes is recommended.
Conduct Self Inspections
A good commercial kitchen manager conducts regular self-inspections so that he can make sure to spot problems before they get out of hand. Preparation is especially the case since many kitchen inspections conducted by the authorities are conducted unannounced, making it extra essential to stay prepared.
Cooking Equipment Spotlight: Choosing the Right Fryer
Choosing the right fryer may seem straightforward. After all, you just need something to hold oil and keep it hot so you can cook some things, right? Not quite. You have a lot of choices, which helps you choose the cooking equipment that’s perfect for your...
Keep Your Foodservice Equipment Coolers Clean & Functional
Whether you run a convenience store or a restaurant, you need safe storage for food that must be refrigerated. Commercial coolers are the foodservice equipment you need – but it’s important to keep them in good shape. Otherwise, your investment won’t give you the...
Keep Pests Out of Your Commercial Kitchen
Having pests in your kitchen is already a nightmare, but if health inspectors find them it gets even worse. Keep your guests safe and your restaurant operating safely. Your commercial kitchen is automatically a target of a variety of bugs and other pests. It has...
Restaurant Supplies: Make a Great Impression With the Right Dinnerware
When customers sit down in your restaurant, what’s one of the first things they see? Yes, the décor, hostess, and more. But there’s something else that matters a great deal – but is often overlooked. It’s the silverware and tableware! People will judge your...
The Best Kitchen Equipment for a New Graduate
If you’re like many people, you know a young adult who will be setting up their own place for the first time this summer. It’s an exciting time, but very nerve-wracking. It’s amazing how quickly the costs add up as you outfit an apartment – especially in the kitchen!...
Outside the Commercial Kitchen: Food Safety While Catering
Many restaurants and other eating establishments like to provide catering for special events. Catering a huge business, worth over $53 billion per year. Catering allows your restaurant to reach customers who might never set foot in your establishment otherwise. It’s...
Help Your Commercial Kitchen Run Smoothly With Proper Leadership
We focus a lot on how having the right equipment can keep your commercial kitchen moving quickly and efficiently. However, it’s not just the equipment that makes the difference in your restaurant’s success. Having proper leadership in your commercial kitchen – and...
3 Times Used Kitchen Equipment is As Good As New
Are you nervous about buying used kitchen equipment? It’s understandable. After all, restaurants are subject to a lot of regulations, and if something goes wrong you could lose your business. However, there are many times that used kitchen equipment makes perfect...
Kitchen Equipment You Need: Wellness Mats
When it comes to serving customers, you leave no stone unturned. You choose the best kitchen equipment, test your recipes, buy the best ingredients, and hire excellent staff. Unfortunately, there’s something that even the savviest restaurant owner often forgets –...
Is Your Kitchen Equipment Ready for National Hamburger Month?
Restaurants can always use a fun and playful way to bring in new customers. Did you know that May is National Hamburger Month? Why not use that fact as an entertaining way to bring in new customers? You can offer a special promotion on a hamburger, or feature other...
Understanding Restaurant Equipment: A Variety of Fryers
You may think of a fryer as a simple machine with a basket and hot oil. If you do, you don’t quite understand this restaurant equipment. You’re missing out on the enormous range of different fryers available! The truth is there are four very different types of...
Why a Frozen Drink Machine is Vital Foodservice Equipment for Your Store
It’s starting to get hot out there, and as summer approaches you should be thinking about how to promote your cold food and drink offerings. Each store will have different foodservice equipment, but if you don’t have a frozen drink machine, you should seriously...
How to Increase Sales From Your Cold Case
As we move into May, it’s time to start thinking about ramping up your summer sales. One of the key focuses can be the cold case in your store. This piece of foodservice equipment can really boost your bottom line. A cold case gives you an opportunity to display...
Keep Restaurant Equipment Safe: Proper Use of a Breading Station
Keeping food safe and sanitary is vital for any restaurant. A lot foodborne illness isn’t the result of the food itself, but rather a misuse of restaurant equipment that causes contamination. A breading station is a piece of equipment that has a lot of opportunity for...
5 Keys to Creating the Perfect Restaurant Seating Areas
Restaurants are about so much more than just food. From the setting and layout of your restaurant to your choice of colors, it takes a lot more than an appealing menu to keep diners coming back for more. When setting up your restaurant, booths and chairs are important...