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| Meat, poultry and seafood are always stored on the bottom shelf of fridges and freezers, so they cannot drip into other foods. |
Chef Dean’s voice drifts from the classroom as he and the
students discuss various ways to prepare poultry. Food safety is woven into
every detail, from storing and handling the raw product to cooking technique
and temperature, along with storage and use of leftovers.
Rarely does a day pass on campus that we don’t hear the
well-entrenched terms “cross-contamination” and “food danger zone.” Avoiding
these should become as automatic as breathing. In the classroom and the
kitchen, students learn the conditions in which pathogens thrive, the temperature
at which most of them are destroyed and the speed at which they can reproduce.
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| Every student is issued an instant-read thermometer (blue-in sleeve pocket) to check the internal temperature of meats when they are cooking. |
Our kitchen equipment helps with food safety – fridges &
freezers keep foods below 40F, dishwashers have external thermometers to ensure
water is over 140 F, and instant-read food thermometers are part of every tool
kit.
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| A clean kitchen is essential to prevent the spread of food-borne pathogens. |
Though these lessons are not everyone’s favorite, they are vital to the reputation and longevity of every
food establishment, and the health and safety of their customers.They are also essential to our students’ future, as each of
them must pass the Region of Waterloo Public Health Safety Food Handlers Certificate before they graduate.To learn more about how we promote safe food handling, visit our Facebook page.
