Tips to keep chilled food safe

Today, I want to talk about how to keep chilled food safe.

Maintaining the proper temperature for chilled food is crucial in preventing the growth of harmful bacteria.  Here’s a guide to help you safely store and serve chilled foods:

Chilled Food Storage

Certain foods need to be kept chilled to keep them safe, these include:

• Food with a ‘Use-by’ date
• Foods labelled ‘keep refrigerated’
• Cooked food that will not be served immediately
• Ready-to-eat foods such as cooked meats, salads, and desserts
• Most dairy products and smoked or cured items unless the curing method means the product is not perishable at room temperature (always refer to the manufacturer’s instructions for storage instructions).
• Uncooked or partly cooked dough products

Chilled Food Temperatures

The legal requirement for the temperature of chilled food is 8°C or below. It’s good practice to store high-risk food between 1 °C and 5°C. If we aim for 8°C what happens in a hot busy kitchen when the fridge door is constantly being opened? The temperature is likely to exceed the legal limit! (That’s why it’s good practice to aim for lower.)

It’s a good idea to make sure every fridge, freezer, and display unit has a thermometer. It’s also advisable to check the temperature at least twice a day and record the findings. You may find it helpful make sure each piece of equipment is clearly identified e.g., by a number.

If you find the temperature is above 8°C, what should you do? If it’s been above 8°C for an unknown time (e.g., overnight), throw the food away. If it’s been less than 4 hours, it may be possible to move the food to another unit.

Be sure to report any issues to the manager or supervisor and record what actions were taken.

Now, there are a few methods for checking food storage temperatures:

• Checking the digital display on the outside of the refrigerator / freezer unit. This will give an indication of the air temperature inside of the unit. My experience is that this isn’t always a reliable indicator, especially as appliances get older.

• Placing a thermometer inside of the unit. This will tell us the air temperature inside the unit and thus give us an indication of the temperature of the food in the unit.

• Using a disinfected digital temperature probe to check probe between packs or into a food stimulant. This will tell us the core temperature of the food item and thus give us an indication of the temperature of all of the food in the unit.

Displaying Chilled Food

• Pre-cool display units before placing food inside.
• Only display as much food as you think you will need.
• Display food for the shortest time possible.
• Follow the manufacturer’s instruction when using display units.

Chilling Hot Food

• Cooked food that is not to be served immediately should be chilled down as quickly as possible (ideally within 90 minutes), and then put in the fridge.
• Ensure all chilled food is properly labelled with details of the product, preparation date, or a ‘Use-by’ date.
• Avoid cooking large quantities of food in advance unless necessary.
• Protect food from contamination by dirt and bacteria at all times. For example; loosely cover food during cooling.
• Ensure food is properly cooled prior to storage in the fridge.

Defrosting

Thorough defrosting is necessary unless the manufacturer’s instructions state otherwise. For safe defrosting:

• Plan ahead. Keep the food covered and placed in a container to contain any drips.
• If food cannot be defrosted in the fridge, put it in a container with a lid and place it under cold running water.
• Use the defrost setting in the microwave.
• It is possible to defrost low risk foods (i.e., bread) at room temperature providing they are protected from contamination.
• Ensure all food is labelled with the defrost date.

Freezing

• Freeze food as soon as it is delivered or prepared.
• Freeze hot food as soon as it has been properly chilled down.
• Divide food into smaller portions, and put it in containers or freezer bags before freezing.
• Ensure food is properly labelled before freezing.

Frozen Food Temperatures

It is recommended that freezers operate at -18°C. It is good practice to check freezer temperatures at least twice a day and report any faults immediately to your manager or supervisor. Ensure records are kept of all temperature checks and any remedial actions.

Freezer Failures

If you find that your freezer is not working properly, here are some steps you could take:

• Move frozen food to an alternative freezer straight away. If there is no alternative freezer, defrost food safely, place into the fridge, and use within 24 hours once defrosted.
• Fully defrosted food, provided it is still chilled (below 8°C), should be thoroughly cooked immediately. If not possible, throw it away.
• In most cases, foods that should be kept frozen and cannot be refrozen once defrosted (e.g., ice cream) should be thrown away.