ServSafe 6th Edition Coursework _Ch 5 Key Terms & Summary

Flow of Food

Path food takes through an operation, from purchasing and receiving through storing, preparing, cooking, holding, cooling, reheating, and serving.

Calibration

Process of ensuring that a thermometer gives accurate readings by adjusting it to a known standard, such as the freezing point or boiling point of water.

Thermometers should be calibrated

REGULARLY! Most important, they must be cleaned and sanitized before and after each use.

What are some ways food can be time-temperature abused?

TCS food is being time-temperature abused whenever it is handled in the following ways: * Cooked to the wrong minimum internal temperature * Held at the wrong temperature * Cooled or reheated incorrectly

Case in Point: Cross-Contamination Stops Truck in Tracks

The food truck operator should have used separate equipment for prepping different kinds of food. For example, he could have used one set of knives and cutting boards for the raw poultry, another for the raw meat, and a third for the produce. Also, he could have prevented cross-contamination by prepping raw and ready-to-eat food at different times. For example, he could have prepped the ready-to-eat foods before prepping the raw food. Finally, he should have washed, rinsed, and sanitized his utensils and equipment after each task.

Bimetallic stemmed thermometer

The most common and versatile type of thermometer, measuring temperature through a metal probe with a sensor in the end. Most can measure temperatures from 0F to 220F (-18C to 104C) and are accurate to within 2F or 1C. They are easily calibrated.

Time-temperature abuse happens

any time food remains between 41 and 135. This range is called the temperature danger zone (TDZ). You must try to keep food out of this range.

The flow of food

is the path food takes in your operation from purchasing to service. Many things can happen to food in its flow through the operation. Two major concerns are: * cross-contamination * time-temperature abuse

A thermometer used to measure the temperature of food must be accurate to what temperature?

+/- 2F or +/-7C

Other kinds of temperature recording devices

* Maximum registering thermometer: this type of thermometer indicates the highest temperature reached during use. It is used where temp readings can't be continuously be observed. It works well for checking final rinse temperatures of dish washing machines. * TTI, Time-temperature indicator: These are tags attached to packaging by a supplier. A color change appears in the TTI window if the food has been time-temperature abused during shipment or storage. This color change is not reversible, so you now if the item has been abused..

How can cross-contamination be prevented in the operation?

* Using separate equipment when preparing each type of food. * Cleaning and sanitizing all work surfaces, equipment and utensils after each task. * Preparing raw meat, fish, and poultry and ready-to-eat food at different times (when using the same prep tables) * Purchasing ingredients that require minimal preparation.

To prevent cross-contamination

* use separate equipment for each type of food * clean and sanitize all work surfaces, equipment and utensils after each task * prep ready-to-eat foods before raw meat, poultry, and fish. * buy food items that do not require much preparation or handling.

How is a thermometer calibrated using the ice-point method?

1. Fill a large container with crushed ice. Add clean tap water until the container is full. Stir the mixture well. 2. Put the thermometer stem or probe into the ice water so the sensing area is completely submerged. Wait 30 seconds, or until the indicator stops moving. Do not let the stem or probe touch the sides or bottom of the container. Keep the stem or probe in the ice water. 3. Hold the calibration nut securely with a wrench or other tool and rotate the head of the thermometer until it reads 32F. On some Thermocouples or thermistors, you can press a reset button.

Case in Point: Tour Cancelled by Outbreak

1. The food in the box lunches was time-temperature abused. Because the box lunches were stored in the warm luggage compartment of the bus, pathogens on the food grew and make the food unsafe. 2. The box lunches should have been stored in a way that would have kept the food out of the temperature danger zone. The food needed to be held at 41F or lower. This would have kept any pathogens that may have been on the food from growing and making the seniors sick.

What is the most important tool you can use to prevent time-temperature abuse?

A thermometer.

Where should the thermometer be used?

Always put the thermometer stem or probe into the thickest part of the food. A bimetallic stem thermometer should be put into food from the tip to the end of the sensing area. Before you record the temperature, wait for the thermometer reading to steady. Never use glass thermometers with food items unless they are enclosed in a shatterproof casing.

At what temperatures do most foodborne pathogens GROW MOST QUICKLY?

Between 70F and 125F

Case in Point: University Outbreak (salmonella)

Here is what could have been done to prevent this situation from occurring: 1. The operation should have supplied food handlers with color-coded cutting boards to keep things separate when prepping different kinds of food. For example, it could have supplied yellow cutting boards for prepping raw chicken, and green cutting boards for prepping produce- like the lettuce. Of course it would be critical to train food handlers on the correct use of each. 2. The food handler should have cleaned and sanitized all work surfaces, equipment, and utensils after each task, including the knife and cutting board. 3. The operation could have chosen to purchase prepared lettuce to eliminate the necessity of chopping it for their chicken Caesar salads.

What probe should be used to check the temperature of a large stockpot of chilli?

Immersion probe

Which type of thermometer can read temperature without touching the item's surface?

Infrared. * Infrared's cannot measure air temps or internal temps of food

A food handler has finished trimming raw chicken on a cutting board and needs to prep vegetables. What must be done to the cutting board?

It must be: Washed, Rinsed and Sanitized

Boiling-point method

Method of calibrating thermometers based on the boiling point of water.

Ice-point method

Method of calibrating thermometers based on the freezing point of water.

Thermocouples & Thermistors

Thermometers that check food temperature through a sensor on the tip of a metal probe. They are available in multiple sizes and styles. Many come with different types of probes such as: * Immersion probes - used to check liquids (soups, sauces and frying oil) * Surface probes - used to measure the temp of flat cooking equipment such as a griddle. * Penetration probes - used to check the internal temp of food. They are especially useful for checking the temp of thin foods such as fish fillets or hamburger patties. * Air probes - Used to check the temperature inside coolers and ovens.

Time-temperature indicator (TTI)

Time and temperature monitoring device attached to a food shipment to determine if the product's temperature has exceeded safe limits during shipment or subsequent storage.

What device can be used to record time-temperature abuse during the delivery of food?

Time-temperature indicator

How far must a bimetallic stemmed thermometer be inserted into food to give an accurate reading?

Up to the dimple in the thermometer stem