Food Safety: Preventing Contamination
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demiFood Safety: Preventing Contamination
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demiChapter 4
Chapter 4: The Flow of Food: An Introduction
Main Ideas
1. Hazards in the Flow of Food
2. Monitoring Time and Temperature
Essential Questions
1. How can you prevent cross-contamination?
2. How can you prevent time-temperature abuse?
3. What is the correct way to use and maintain thermometers?
Chapter 4: Vocabulary
These terms are crucial to understanding this chapter. As you navigate these slides,
make note of the meaning of each word and how it relates to managing a safe kitchen .
The Patachou Foundation recommends making flashcards. But feel free to use the
note-taking method or graphic organizer that works best for your learning style.
flow of food
boiling-point method
ice-point method
Hazards in the Flow of Food
The flow of food is the path Preventing Cross-Contamination:
food takes through your Separate equipment:
operation: Use specific cutting boards, prep tables, and
Receiving utensils for raw meat, seafood, poultry, and ready-
Storing to-eat foods.
Preparing Clean and sanitize all work surfaces, equipment, and
Cooking utensils after each task.
Holding Prep food at different times
Cooling If using the same prep table, prep raw and ready-
Reheating to-eat foods at different times.
Serving Buy prepared food
Reduce handling of raw food by purchasing items
like pre-washed produce or pre-cut meats.
*Food is at risk of contamination at every step.
Monitoring Time and Temperature
Preventing Time-Temperature Time-Temperature Control Guidelines
Abuse Monitor food temperatures with calibrated
Food is abused when: thermometers
Cooked to the wrong Record temperatures regularly
temperature Limit time in the danger zone
Held at the wrong Use correct thermometers and settings
temperature
Cooled or reheated incorrectly
Pathogens grow fastest
between:
41°F and 135°F (5°C to 57°C) →
Temperature Danger Zone
70°F to 125°F (21°C to 52°C) is
where growth is fastest.
Monitoring Time and Temperature
Using Thermometers Correctly
Wash, rinse, sanitize, and air-dry before and after use.
Calibrate regularly, especially after being dropped or exposed to extreme temps.
Insert into the thickest part of the food.
Wait for reading to stabilize (for analog thermometers).
Do not use glass thermometers unless enclosed in shatterproof casing.
Calibrating Thermometers
Two methods:
Ice-point method (preferred):
Fill container with crushed ice and water (32°F / 0°C)
Insert stem/probe without touching sides or bottom
Adjust thermometer to 32°F (0°C)
Boiling-point method:
Bring water to a rolling boil (212°F / 100°C at sea level)
Insert thermometer stem/probe
Adjust to 212°F (may vary by elevation)
Thermometers
Bimetallic Stemmed Thermometer
A dial-read thermometer with a metal
stem, suitable for measuring
temperatures in thick foods like roasts.
Thermometers
Thermocouple
A digital thermometer with a metal probe,
ideal for measuring temperatures in both
thin and thick foods.
Thermometers
Thermistor
A digital thermometer that provides quick
readings, commonly used for thin foods.
Thermometers
Infrared Thermometer
A non-contact thermometer that
measures surface temperatures
using infrared technology.
Thermometers
Time-Temperature Indicator (TTI)
A small device attached to packaging
that indicates if a product has been
exposed to time-temperature abuse.
Thermometers
Maximum Registering Thermometer
A thermometer that records the highest
temperature reached during a process,
useful for monitoring dishwashers.
Reviewing the Essentials
As you study, go back an make sure you understand the answers to each of these
questions.
How can you prevent cross-contamination?
How can you prevent time-temperature abuse?
What is the correct way to use and maintain thermometers?
Scenario 1
At 6:00 a.m. Anne started her workday at The Little Bistro. After a quick meeting with the chef, her first
task was to make the broccoli quiches for the lunch special. By 6:15 am she had collected all the
ingredients. She set salt, eggs, cream, butter, and cheese on the prep table. On her last trip to the cooler,
she got the broccoli. It took over an hour to wash and chop it. Finally, Annie was able to make the quiche
filling. Leaving the leftover eggs and cream on the table, she got the premade quiche crusts from the
freezer and poured the filling. By the time she got the quiches in the oven, it was 10:45 a.m.
Twenty-five minutes later, Annie checked the quiches. They were supposed to bake for around 30
minutes. However, she did not want to overcook them. The chef said their internal temperature needed
to be 155 degrees Fahrenheit. Annie used an infrared thermometer to check the temperature of one
quiche in two places. The readings were in the correct range. She took the quiches out of the oven and
set them on a table to cool.
While the quiches cooled, Annie went to work making fruit salad. She washed her hands and put on
gloves. As she headed back to the prep table with the melon, strawberries, and grapes, she noticed the
eggs and cream she left out. She quickly put them back in the cooler. Then she wiped down the table
and started prepping the melon. What did Anne do wrong?
Answers
She did not wash her hands before making the quiches.
She left the eggs and dairy at room temperature for too long. The quiche filling was at room
temperature for four hours and 30 minutes. The leftover eggs and dairy were at room
temperature for 5 hours. She should have thrown away the leftover eggs and dairy.
She used the wrong kind of thermometer to check the internal temperature of the quiches.
She let the quiches cool at room temperature and did not store them correctly.
She did not clean and sanitize the prep table after she finished preparing the quiches and
before prepping the fruit.
Scenario 2
Leah had to prepare 6 chicken salad sandwiches. She went to the cooler and pulled out a large
hotel pan of chicken salad and put it on the prep table. She was interrupted several times to
help with other tasks. After assembling the sandwich she covered the pan of chicken salad,
dated it, and put it back in the cooler.
What did Leah do wrong?
Answers
She did not handle the food safely because she took out more chicken salad than she
needed to make a small number of sandwiches. This exposed the chicken salad to time-
temperature abuse, which was made worse by many interruptions.
Scenario 3
Greg filleted raw salmon on a cutting board on the prep table. Then he washed and rinsed the
table and equipment he used. After that, he sliced onions and peppers on the same cutting
board on the prep table. Before he left for the day, he washed, rinsed, and sanitized the prep
table and equipment.
What did Greg do wrong?
Answers
He did not handle the food safely because he did not sanitize the table and equipment after
he filleted the salmon. The onions and peppers could have been contaminated by the
salmon.