A commercial kitchen is the place in a restaurant where food is prepared constantly and on a daily basis. There are usually a number of people who work in this kitchen plus there is a lot of catering equipment that is used all the time. With all this activity happening in the commercial kitchen, how do you keep it clean?
First of all, teach your staff to maintain high standards of hygiene. Instruct them to wash their hands each time before they are going to work with food. If there are constantly working with food, then instruct them to wash their hands every hour. When working with raw meats, they should scrub their hands after handling the meat. They should be aware that dirty dishes should be placed in the sink and not be left anywhere on a countertop. It is essential that your staff is aware of the rules of hygiene in order for cleanliness to reign.
Make use of disposable wear such as latex or plastic gloves, sleeves and shoe covers. Disposable hair nets, chef hats and aprons are also a good option. The idea of disposable wear is that it is used for one day only and can be disposed of at the end of the day. This ensures that many germs are thrown out and not left behind in the kitchen. The next day a clean set of disposable wear is available for the staff.
At the end of each day, do a comprehensive clean up. Start with sweeping the floors. There will probably be food crumbs or shavings on the floor because of food preparation. Then, mop the floors. Use clean water with detergent to ensure that the floor is cleaned thoroughly. Wipe all the countertop and table surfaces. Then clean the surfaces with a damp cloth that was soaked in detergent or bleach to disinfect the surfaces. Alternatively, spray the surfaces with a disinfectant and wipe the surface with a clean cloth. Wash and wipe all the catering equipment that had been used throughout the day. Put all the dishes and cutlery in the dishwasher. This will save time in terms of washing dishes by hand and the dishwasher will do a very good job of washing all the dishes you may have at the end of day. It is a good idea to use the dishwasher earlier in the day too, when you notice that the dishes are piling up. Washing the dishes twice a day is a good plan.
At the end of the day no surfaces, catering equipment, or dishes must be left dirty.
