No matter your size, every restaurant kitchen needs reliable shelving and good storage that will cover everything from dry food to equipment. Saving in the short term can cost operations greatly in the long run. Rusted shelves, spoiled ingredients, and immobility can be expensive to change or replace. Making sure you have the right material the first time can have a major impact on the bottom line.
Food safety is among the most crucial factors in a restaurant kitchen. Most people consider proper food handling when they consider food safety. To preserve the quality of your food, efficient food storage is also crucial. Take into account these suggestions when setting up your walk-in and storing food.
In and out first.
You’ve probably heard this rule if you’ve ever worked in a restaurant. This rule is frequently broken, resulting in food waste. Use the first in, first out principle to guarantee that you are serving the freshest food available.
If you’ve prepared hamburger patties two days in a row, for instance, you don’t want to just put the freshest patties anywhere in the walk-in; you want to make sure the patties from the previous day are placed in front of the ones you prepared today. By doing this, food won’t spoil, preventing loss of revenue and food-borne infections.
Avoid packing your food in.
There must be space for air to flow in order for walk-in refrigerators and freezers to function effectively. Overcrowding your walk-in puts you at risk for poor air flow, which can waste energy and result in under-chilled food.
Don’t ever keep food on the ground.
Although it seems obvious, this is frequently ignored. The lowest shelf must be at least 6 inches above the ground, according to the Food and Drug Administration. Most states demand a minimum of 12 inches.
Maintain meat on lower racks.
One of the most significant problems with food safety is cross-contamination from raw meat. Never serve raw meat before other dishes or veggies. Salmonella and botulism can spread to the food below when the blood and juices from the meat flow down onto it.
Label each item.
Label each item in your walk-in closet. This is an essential step to make sure the food you’re serving is safe and compliant. Each of the following should be presented on a label:
Date made or opened: By doing this, you may adhere to the “first in, first out” principle and make sure that food isn’t served after its “use by” date has passed.
Use by date: This aids in maintaining the food’s quality.
The food helps workers distinguish between various meal items.
The employee’s initials who labeled the item, making it simple to ask any inquiries.
Improving food safety in large part involves storing food in the proper circumstances. The aforementioned advice is useless if you don’t have the right tools.
