If a restaurant inspector came to your home for a surprise kitchen inspection (like they do at restaurants) would your kitchen pass? What grade would your kitchen receive? Food borne illness account for millions of visits to the emergency room and family doctor each year and range from minor symptoms to more severe and life threatening, and most of the illnesses start in the home kitchen. Use these restaurant inspection standards to grade your own kitchen.
No Food Spatters Allowed
Open the microwave and have a look-see. See any food spatters? Dried up food, no matter how miniscule, on any surface can grow bacteria. Professional kitchens are not permitted to have food spatters anywhere or they lose points.
Hot and Cold
The restaurant mantra is: Keep hot foods hot and cold foods cold. When food is kept at the proper temperature it inhibits the growth of disease causing bacteria. Leftover foods should be refrigerated within two hours of serving.
Safe Cutting Surfaces
Plastic or wood cutting boards are acceptable, as long as they are cleaned and sanitized between uses. Separate cutting boards must be used when cutting foods that can carrying illness causing bacteria, such as poultry. A safe home practice is to have two cutting boards that look very different from each other and use one cutting board for low risk food like bread, washed vegetables and cooked foods and use the other cutting board for high risk foods like raw meat.
To thoroughly clean and sanitize a cutting board, wash in warm, soapy water, rinse, then wash in bleach water (one tablespoon of bleach per gallon of water) and allow to air dry.
Hand Washing
Restaurants are required to have a separate hand washing sink to help prevent cross-contamination. A separate sink in the home kitchen is not always a feasible option, so wash hands frequently when in the kitchen and rinse sink thoroughly after each hand wash.
Toss the Sponge
Sponges provide prime breeding ground for millions of illness causing bacteria. Toss the sponge altogether or run it through the dishwashing cycle regularly and replace it frequently. Use paper towels for sopping up raw meat and egg messes and change dish towels every day.
Move Cleaning Supplies
Kitchen cleaning supplies should never be stored in the same cabinet as pots, pans or cutting boards. Restaurants are required to keep cleaning supplies in a separate storage area to prevent dangerous chemicals from contaminating cooking utensils.
Mops should be stored hanging up to promote quick drying. When mops are stored on the floor, they take longer to dry and give mold and bacteria a chance to grow.