FOOD SAFETY AND HYGIENE - SECTION 3FOOD PREPARATIONBefore food preparation commences, work surfaces, utensils and chopping boards should

be cleaned thoroughly.

Guidance for preparation (including cooking times and temperatures) on labelled foods

should be followed.

All raw food should be prepared at the same time followed by thorough cleaning and

disinfection of surfaces. 

Surfaces should never be used for both raw and cooked foods at the same time.

Fruit, (root) vegetables and salad components should be washed thoroughly before

consumption to remove potential contaminants e.g. soil bacteria, pesticide etc.

 

Fish should be washed before cooking

FOOD STORAGEAll foodstuffs should be kept segregated from cleaning products.

Use food containers for food only.

Food should not be stored on the floor as this can encourage vermin and pests.

The contents of many jar and tinned foods require refrigeration once opened – label

instructions should be followed.

 

Dry products (e.g. rice, flour etc.) should be rotated and used within their shelf life to act as a

form of insect control.

Raw eggs should be stored in the fridge.

Sealed bags or containers can help to keep foods fresh and prevent contamination.

Cling film

Should not be used in the oven or on pots and pans on the hob as can melt onto the food. It

can be used in the microwave but must not touch the food. Some are suitable for contact with

high-fat foods (e.g. cheese, pies and pastries) but check instructions first.

 

Aluminium kitchen equipment (eg. Kitchen foil, pans, containers)

Should not be used to wrap,cook in or store very acidic foods e.g. tomatoes, rhubarb,

cabbage, as their taste can be affected.

HANDLING RAW MEATWhen buying poultry, opt for pre gutted birds i.e. birds with innards (intestines etc.) already

removed, to reduce bacterial spread from the gutting process.

 

Do not wash raw meat. Washing of meat before cooking does not render it germ free and

can in fact spread germs. Thorough cooking will kill any germs on it.

Keep raw meat separate from ready to eat foods (e.g. bread, salad, fruit) as the latter will

not be cooked before eating.

Separate chopping boards should be used for red meat, poultry, fish and vegetables.

Colour coding/ labelling will help avoid confusion. Otherwise the board should be washed

and disinfected thoroughly between food types.

        

 

Raw meat should be stored in a clean sealed container on the bottom shelf of the

refrigerator to prevent drip and direct contact contamination.

COOKING MEATPoultry, Mincemeat products*, Pork and Rolled Joints of Meat.

These meats MUST be cooked thoroughly before consumption to ensure that

harmful bacteria that may run through the meat are killed.

This can be checked by cutting into the middle/ thickest part of the meat to check it is

piping hot (i.e. steam is coming out) and no pink meat is visible.

Juices should run clear (not pink or red) after piercing the thickest part of the leg

(between drumstick and thigh) of a whole chicken/ bird and after skewering the

centre of the meat for pork joints and rolled joints.

When cooking, food should reach a temperature of 70°C for more than 2 minutes

in the middle or thickest part.

*Mincemeat products include sausages, burgers, meatballs, kebabs, chicken

nuggets.

Offal e.g. kidneys, liver

This should also be cooked thoroughly until steaming hot all the way through.

Whole Cuts of Meat e.g. Beef/Lamb steak

These are safe to serve rare/ pink (not cooked through) as long as fully seared

(cooked quickly at a high temperature on the outside only).

TEMPERATURE CONTROL 

According to the FSA, poor temperature control is the main cause of food poisoning as it

causes rapid bacterial growth.

Foods that rely on temperature control for their safety (e.g. refrigerated foods) have a limited

period of time for preparation, transport, storage, display and service outside of their ‘safe’

temperature range.

 

The Danger Zone

This is the temperature range (5ºC – 63ºC) at which high risk foods provide greater

opportunity for bacterial growth.             

Some food may pass through this zone more than once e.g. defrosting, cooking and

subsequent cooling of meat.

The FSA (Temperature Control) Regulations 1995 identify the following requirements:

 

COOLING FOODSCooked foods should be cooled as quickly as possible to minimise the period of time

spent in the danger zone to slow the rate of bacterial growth.

Hot food should NOT be put in the fridge to cool because:

1) It will not cool evenly which may lead to food poisoning

2) It will affect the overall temperature of fridge and possibly compromise other food items

sharing the environment.

Methods of Safe Cooling:

1) Transfer food from the hot tray/pan in which it has been cooked to another dish/cooling

rack.

2) Using a wider, shallow dish to cool food, more surface area is exposed thus cooling it

quicker. 

3) Place in the coldest part of the kitchen.

4) Slicing (if appropriate). This increases the rate of cooling by lowering the density (bulk) of

the food. 

5) Placing the food container into a larger container containing  some cold water.

6) Stirring (for liquid based foods) to disperse the heat.

FRIDGE STORAGERefrigeration is an effective way of slowing bacterial growth and delaying

food spoilage.

'Use by date’ foods, cooked foods and ready to eat foods (e.g. cooked meats, desserts)

should all be stored in the fridge.

Such foods should be kept out of the fridge for the shortest time possible during preparation

and prior to serving especially during warm weather.

Part-used tinned foods e.g. baked beans, should be transferred to storage container/ bowl

with lid as components of the metal can leach into the food.

The fridge must be cleaned and maintained regularly.

The coldest part of the fridge should be kept between 0ºC and 5ºC (32F and 41F).

If the fridge is full, the temperature should be lowered to ensure adequate chilling of food and

minimise bacterial growth.

Internal 'iced up' freezer compartments may result in the fridge struggling to maintain its

temperature.           

The fridge door should be kept closed as much as possible.

Interesting fact: Keeping bread in the fridge will help reduce the rate of mould formation

but can make it go stale quickly. Bread should be kept in a bread bin or cool cupboard. 

 

Fridge Layout

Top shelf - Dairy, e.g. milk, cooked meats, Vegetables, Processed foods.

Bottom shelf - Raw Meats 

FREEZING 

1) permits the storage of food to be consumed at a much later date thereby indirectly

prolonging the life of foods.

2) allows you to keep stocks of food.

3) Reduces waste

Foods should be frozen before their use by date.

Check the labels on other products if compatible with home freezing and how long for (star

rating system). Usually this is for a maximum of 3 months. 

Unlabelled foods should be wrapped and clearly labelled with name and date of purchase and

freezing.

Meat & fish can be frozen but should be wrapped well.

Inadequate wrapping may result in ‘freezer burn’ which may make the food tough and

inedible.

If frozen for too long, the taste and texture of food may alter and be less pleasant to eat.

The freezer should not be overloaded so that air can circulate freely.

Ice must be made from drinkable water and not contaminated when handling and storing.

For both fridge and freezer storage, check stock regularly and try to not exceed recommended

maximum storage dates by using in order of acquisition.

DEFROSTINGSafe defrosting aims to minimise risk of harmful bacteria growing or toxins forming by

minimising the time spent in the ‘danger zone’.

How?     

MICROWAVE Oven

 If the frozen food is to be cooked immediately, the microwave oven should be used

on the ‘defrost’ setting.

This often starts the cooking process on outer layers so food must be cooked

immediately thereafter.            

Food may need to be broken up and or turned over during the process to aid

thorough thawing.

REFRIGERATOR 

This is the best way to defrost foods.

Foods should be kept chilled until cooked.

Liquid from the defrosted food (e.g. raw meat) must be drained off adequately into a

container to prevent contamination.

REHEATING FOODSBy cooking the right amount of food, leftovers and the risks of consuming reheated food can

be avoided.

Leftovers

Should be refrigerated at 0-5ºC within 1-2 hours of complete cooling and consumed

within 2 days. 

Should only be reheated once and be piping hot throughout before serving.

Serving leftovers to vulnerable patients should be avoided.

Cooked rice should be consumed within 1 day.

Microwaves Ovens

Are often used for cooking and reheating.  They do not heat food consistently throughout so

parts of food may not be properly cooked and illness can result.  Ensure food is piping hot

before serving.

Conventional Ovens

Always pre heat ovens for both cooking and reheating.

Meat and fish should be cooked and eaten within 2 days of defrosting.

MICROWAVE OVENSMicrowave Ovens have proven to be a kitchen 'must have' in most modern homes.

This is due to the speed at which they can perform defrosting, cooking and reheating of

foods.

Correct usage is essential to ensure food safety.  Food label instructions must be followed.

How do they work?

Short lengthed electromagnetic energy waves pass into food which are absorbed by water

molecules, causing them to vibrate. This releases heat which cooks the food.

Microwaves will only effectively penetrate food to a depth of approximately 1 inch/ 2.5 cm

all the way round. 

They are most useful for foods that would be boiled, poached or steamed and not suitable for

deep frying in oil or toasting.

Metals (including aluminium foil and metal-edged crockery), melamine and waxed paper

plates are unsuitable for microwave use.

Standing time

This is part of the cooking time which allows completion of the cooking process as the

middle of the food continues to increase in temperature due to continued water molecule

vibration.

Cleaning

Microwave ovens should be cleaned after every use, usually with damp cloth to remove

condensation and food particles.