Whether you are running a hotel, restaurant, or catering kitchen, cleanliness should be a crucial part of your catering business. Public Health England estimate that restaurants account for 50 percent of foodborne outbreaks.
The outbreaks result from bacteria like Norovirus and Salmonella, which often breed in all the corners and cracks of prep areas, as well as on heavily used equipment. There may also be times when areas or appliances need to be cleaned more regularly than the recommended regularity.
Keep your kitchen hygienic by sharing cleaning responsibilities during every shift, that is, breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Ensure there are no gaps in cleanliness by:
Mostly, these duties are performed by night porters, hired cleaners who clean at night, to ensure maintained hygiene standards in the kitchen. The do the following tasks:
Unlike the daily, weekly, and monthly tasks where employees can be engaged, most of the annual functions require professional assistance. Planning them during off-peak seasons prevents any disruption in the business. They include:
Apart from daily, weekly and monthly cleanings to ensure these units stay in top condition. The following should be included in a commercial kitchen cleaning checklist:
Also, remember to empty any drip trays or areas below your grates or burners.
Empty and clean the drain tubs and pans regularly to prevent sludge build-up.
These refer to the items that get into direct contact with food. For instance, trays, serving spoons, chopping boards, spatulas, and containers. Any utensils used during cooking fall under this category.
These include washbasins, work surfaces, taps, walls, and door handles.
Cleaning equipment and appliances are crucial in their maintenance. All your major devices and small ones such as microwaves, toasters, and coffee makers should be wiped down.
These two are a centre for bacteria growth. Since they are frequently used for food preparation, you should clean them regularly during the day.
Because of their versatile and heavy use, commercial kitchen ovens are centres for crumbs, grime, and other food by-products. The best way to tell when your oven needs a good, thorough cleaning is when it starts to smoke.
Ovens are sensitive so, make sure you an accepted cleaning solution and follow the company procedures. Cleaning chemicals can be harsh on your hands. Thus, always ensure you wear gloves as well as any safety protections from both the manufacturer and your company.
When it comes to cleaning duct systems, and canopy hoods are frequently the most ignored commercial kitchen areas. The exhaust hoods are responsible for ejecting heat, odours, and smoke from the kitchen area. It helps in preserving fresh air for staff and regulating temperature.
If you want to skip the traditional way of cleaning the hoods, you can use a spray-and-vac cleaning system, you must remember to wear protective gear (for hands and eyes) while using these solutions.
Sinks are regularly used when washing dishes, ingredients, and dishes. You might ignore this, but the kitchen sink can eventually become a centre for germs. This is due to its constant exposure to kitchen waste and dirt. It’s an important area that should always stay spotless.
Dishwashers must reach an 82.2 degrees Celsius temperature to offer exhaustive sanitation. Unless you can provide sufficient heat, always remember to separate equipment in the dishwasher.
Due to their significant uses in commercial kitchens, grime is accumulated on the surface, side, and backs of the grill and griddles. If they are handling high volumes, these appliances should be cleaned one a day, at best.
Look for any company procedures before cleaning begins.
These should be cleaned to ensure a smooth proofing process by grime or residual yeast.
If you want to create an enduring bright impression on your visitors, then make sure you have a sparkly floor. While maintaining sparkly floors makes them conspicuous, it also improves air quality. Even without using air fresheners, a well-cleaned area smells neutral.
During cleaning, these areas are often forgotten:
Every day after service, sinks, countertops, and other substantial touchpoints should be cleaned. Always disinfect the countertops with a non-toxic cleaner, and use clean rags to wipe down carefully.
The counters and preparation areas’ backs, sides, and reachable bases should be scoured using non-toxic disinfectants to remove bacteria, viruses, and grime. Use warm water, non-toxic solution, sponges, or brushes to clean sink basins.
Thoroughly clean knobs, faucets, and surrounding counter space or floors in closeness to the sink. Rubber and floor mats need to be cleaned with a mop and non-toxic solution, using warm water. Allow carpets to dry before placing them back into the kitchen to prevent injury and water transfer.
To stress on exhaust hoods, the National Protection Association drafted a code relating to their installation and upkeep. If a commercial kitchen ignores their hood’s regular cleaning, other than putting their employees at risk, they face the likelihood of high penalties. Also, it can cause a compulsory shut down when they are found to be substandard.
One of the top methods to save on your washing chemicals and to improve safety is using an autodose unit. It doses pre-measured quantities of chemicals which removes the problem of waste via overdosing. Its dispensed in sinks, buckets, and spray bottles.
Saving effort and time on cleaning liberates your personnel to focus on the finer details.