Module 4 · Temperature control and storage
Preparing and serving food
Lesson 18 of 26 · about 2 minutes
Preparation is when food is most exposed. It is out of the fridge, on a surface and close to hands and equipment. Good habits at this stage protect everything you did earlier.
Take food from the fridge in small batches, and return it as soon as you can. Do not leave a full tray of sandwich filling on the bench for the whole of a busy lunch. Wash your hands before you start, and use clean boards, knives and bowls.
Wash salad, fruit and vegetables in a sink kept for food, unless they are sold as ready to eat. Keep them away from raw meat. Wash your hands after handling raw eggs, and do not use eggs that are cracked or dirty. Keep food covered when you are not working on it.
At service, give each dish its own clean serving utensil. Protect open food from customers, for example with a sneeze guard or by serving it yourself. Do not top up a display dish with fresh food. Replace the dish instead. Keep hot food hot and cold food cold right up to the moment it is served.
Hold plates by the edge, glasses by the base and cutlery by the handle. Do not touch the part that touches food or the mouth. If food falls on the floor, throw it away.
Key points
- Keep food out of the fridge for as short a time as possible
- Work in small batches with clean equipment
- Replace display dishes, do not top them up
- Throw away food that falls on the floor