Organising and cleaning your commercial fridge, freezer or Oven
Some of the most important pieces of equipment in any catering business is the fridge/freezer and oven.
Oven
This is a huge part of a restaurant kitchen equipment due to the severity of how hot it gets, the speed of which it can cook meals safely and for making money. You must by law run a safe and hygienic kitchen and hopefully not give any one food poisoning. This is why you must clean it regularly. You could contact an Oven Cleaning Yeovil company through links including https://www.baytreeovencleaning.com/ to come in and do it professionally or you and you know this will be to a high standard.
Fridge/Freezer
Being the place where perishable goods are kept, it plays a vital role in the function of the business as a whole. Cafes, restaurants, bars and supermarkets simply could not operate without commercial refrigeration. So it pays any type of business to know how best to organise their fridges and freezers in order to maximise efficiency and prevent cross-contamination.
Here are some important tips.
Put meat on the bottom shelf
The most important rule in fridge organisation is this: Raw meats should be stored on the lowest shelf in the fridge. This will stop any spillages (eg, blood) from dripping onto produce below, with potentially disastrous consequences. According to the Food Standards Agency, raw meat should also be wrapped properly to stop any leakage of juices.
Cooked meat and other cooked produce should be stored on higher shelves, where they will not come into contact with raw foodstuffs.
Don’t overpack it
It’s tempting to cram in as much food as possible into your appliance, especially if space is at a premium, but this can lead to problems both in fridges and freezers. Leaving space between food items will help prevent cross-contamination, as well as allowing the air to circulate in your appliance, which increases its efficiency. Over-filling your fridge or freezer will create uneven temperatures, which can spoil food. Fridges can develop hot spots, while freezers can create freezer burn.
Keep food away from fans
Putting certain types of food, such as delicate berries and fresh salad, close to your fridge’s fans can lead to them being irreparably damaged. Keep such food away from the fans, including those in your freezer.
Get labelling
One of the best ways to ensure your produce is always kept at its best is to clearly label everything you keep in your fridge and freezer. Labels should include the day the food was placed into storage, and also its use-by date.
Labelling foodstuffs will help ensure food is used in the right order – you should always use the ‘first in, first out’ principle.
