PHILIPPINE GASTRONOMIC TOURISM MODULES
MODULE 2
LABORATORY CONDUCT, RESPONSIBILITIES AND KITCHEN SAFETY
(Photo from [Link])
INTRODUCTION
Aside from cooking delicious meals, ensuring food is safe to eat is one of the important things that a
Chef must master, from wearing the proper uniform, having good personal hygiene to preventing
contamination of food. He or she is also knowledgeable of how to ensure his or her safety inside the
kitchen.
TEST IT!
Can you share how do you ensure that the food you eat at home is safe?
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
LEARN IT!
Learning Objectives:
Explain how safety is maintained in the kitchen
Demonstrate understanding of ways on how to cook and serve palatable and safe food
________________________________________________________________________________________
LABORATORY CONDUCT, RESPONSIBILITIES AND KITCHEN SAFETY
LABORATORY UNIFORMS
Chef’s Jacket
Pants
Apron
o Should be of light color to easily reveal dirt
o Never use the apron as hand towel
o Change the apron when soiled
o A food worker must wash his/her hands after touch his/her apron
o Remove the apron before leaving the food preparation area
Hand Towels
Neckerchief
Hairnet
o Eliminates contact of hands with head
o Must be worn before hand washing and working
o Should be properly worn without a single strand of hair showing
Toque
Black (kitchen) shoes
o Use foot ware exclusively for kitchen use to avoid contamination
o Closed shoes should be worn at all times in the kitchen to avoid slipping or falling
*Street clothes should never be worn inside the kitchen since they might become sources of
contamination.
QUICK QUESTION!
Why is it important to wear proper and complete uniform in the kitchen?
(Photo grabbed from [Link])
PROPER ATTIRE:
No make-up, no jewelry, no long nails, no nail polish
Sandshoes, sneakers, sandals or thongs are not safe in the kitchen and should not be worn at
all
Good shoes, like the rest of the uniform should be easy to clean
Always wear socks or stockings
*A quality cook’s uniform is designed to:
Protect the body against injuries from accidents
Absorb perspiration while working in the hot kitchen
Be light and comfortable while working in a hot and steamy environment
Look smart, be easily washed and ironed and hygienically clean
Fir the body by not being too big or too small and tight
PERSONAL HABITS OF FOOD WORKERS:
Take daily baths
Trim nails
Shaving and haircuts for males
Covering of wounds
No wearing of jewelry
Wearing of nail polish or false artificial fingernails
No smoking and eating in the kitchen
Practice hand wash
PROPER HYGIENE:
Before entering the laboratory, wash your hands with soap and use a hand sanitizer
Do not attend the laboratory if you are sick. Present a letter from your doctor so you may be
excused
Make sure you have individual tasting spoons
Do not touch your hair or face or any body part while working
Cover your mouth when you sneeze
Wash your hands regularly before and after working
Do not smoke in the lab
HAND WASHING TECHNIQUES:
Remove jewelry and wet hands and wrists with warm water
Use one or two squirts of liquid or foam soap
Lather soap and scrub hands well, palm to palm
Scrub in between and around fingers
Scrub back of each hand with palm of the other hand
Scrub fingertips of each hand in opposite of palm
Scrub each thumb clasped in opposite hand
Rinse thoroughly under running water
Pat hands dry with paper towel
Turn off water using the same paper towel
PREVENTING CROSS CONTAMINATION:
Contamination is the transfer of harmful bacteria from one food product to another by way of
contaminated tools, equipment or through hands. This must be prevented because it is one of
the most common causes of food-related illness like food poisoning.
Cutting boards are the most common culprit. For this reason, using separate, color coded
cutting boards for different ingredients is the best way of preventing cross contamination.
SANITATION:
Place a hand towel under your chopping board
Prepare a trash bin and discard trash and non biodegradable rubbish
Use different chopping boards for seafood
Sharpen and hone your knives regularly
Never sit on any piece of equipment or tool in the laboratory
Do not expose food to the danger temperature range of 40’F to 140’F for more than three (3)
hours
Make sure bent cans have not been punctured
Exercise extreme caution when using leftovers. Do not prepare too much food.
Do not refreeze thawed meat, fish and vegetables
Wash all raw ingredients before using. Make sure all are fresh
Cook pork thoroughly
If in doubt about any food, throw it away
Always sanitize work area before food production
Store excess ingredient properly
Cover food with plastic wrap before placing in the chiller
COMMON WORK-RELATED INJURIES IN THE FOOD SERVICE INDUSTRY:
1. Burns – An injury acquired from contact with hot surfaces of equipment (eg: ranges, ovens,
coffee makers etc.)
2. Cuts – A skin opening from an accidental incision of sharp objects (eg: knife) can cause
exposure to blood-borne pathogens such as Hepatitis B and HIV.
3. Slips, Trips and Falls – Open ranges, stove doors, kitchen doors, trolleys, stairs, defective
ladders, foot stools, and wet, cluttered or slippery floors are common cause of these injuries
4. Fires – Accidental ignition of hot oils and greases, paper materials coming into contact with hot
stoves and ovens, faulty electrical equipment (eg: cords, switches, and power outlets), wet
electrical equipment, and appliances are the usual causes of fires.
5. Ergonomic Risks – Injuries from repetitive motions, unchanging and/or poor posture when
seating, kneeling and standing. Incorrect lifting techniques and forceful motions of grips on
objects cause ergonomic risks.
6. Cleaning Chemicals – Cleaning products such as bleaches, oven cleaners, floor cleaners,
stainless steel cleaners, and ammonia solutions may require the use of rubber gloves. If there
is a risk of splashing chemicals near the eyes, a face mask or goggles may be necessary. Skin
irritation, dermatitis or throat irritation may arise from the frequent use of soap and detergents.
7. CO Poisoning – Carbon monoxide is produced by the incomplete burning of solid, liquid, and
gaseous fuels, such as charcoal, and cause of death if there is improper ventilation.
8. Heat Stress – Heat exhaustion and heat stroke can result from prolonged exposure to hot
equipment (e.g: ovens, stoves)
9. Cold Stress – Hyperthermia and similar risks can result from working in walk in refrigerators
and freezers from prolonged periods of time, handling frozen food without preventive
measures.
——————————————————————————————————————————————————————
References:
Concepcion-Mendoza, Josephine and Sajona-Pascual, Loreta. (2012). Commercial Cooking
Ang, Jean C. and Balanon, Hannah A. (2010). Food Safety and Sanitation
Narvaez-Soriano, Nora. (2010). A Guide to Food Selection, Preparation and Preservation
REVIEW IT!
How do we ensure safety (personnel and food) in the kitchen?
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
LABORATORY ACTIVITY:
Knife Skills
Basic and Special Cuts of Vegetables
Watch the videos of how to handle the knife properly and the basic and special cuts of vegetables through the following
link:
[Link]
[Link]
[Link]
Using the videos above as inspiration and guide, create a video clip wherein you are demonstrating the techniques you
have learned on how to handle and use the knife properly in the kitchen and make your own version of the basic and
special cuts of vegetables. As you are doing so, ensure that you are in the prescribed and complete uniform and
portraying safety and sanitation practices.
The video clip should be sent to this email: camillegarillo@[Link] or through the Google Class