Holding and Serving Cooked Food

Lesson Objectives After completion of this lesson, occasional quantity cooks will be able to: Hold cooked foods safely Serve cooked foods safely Read and briefly discuss lesson objectives with participants.

There are many factors to keeping food safe during this time. The space of time between when food is prepared and when it is consumed may allow for potential contamination. There are many factors to keeping food safe during this time. Give examples of how cross-contamination occurs.

Critical Thinking Question Now that it’s prepared, what would you do to keep 50 pounds of ground meat safe until it is eaten? Allow a few minutes for the group to discuss the question. Try to guide the discussion so that incorrect information is not reinforced. Ask them to identify possible critical control points. Proceed to Slide 5 for discussion points.

Transporting Cooked Food Plan carefully Determine total vehicle space needed for transport Identify/obtain appropriate storage containers for transport Remember 2-hour rule Review Handout 5-1a, Discussion Questions: Transportation of Cooked Food. Allow a few minutes for the group to discuss the handout questions. Answers to the discussion questions can be found in Handout 5-1b.

Equipment for Transporting Cold Foods Insulated ice chests/jugs Reusable ice packs Leak-proof containers of ice Dry ice

Equipment for Transporting Hot Foods Insulated chests/jugs Insulated wrapping/material Reusable hot packs

If transport time is long: Quickly cool food to below 40˚F Transport cold Reheat to 165˚F

Hold food below 40˚F or above 140˚F Holding Cooked Foods Hold food below 40˚F or above 140˚F Select equipment that can maintain these temperatures Holding equipment should only be used to maintain the temperature of a food, NOT to heat or cool a food Review Handout 5-2a, Discussion Questions: Holding Cooked Food. Allow a few minutes for the group to discuss the handout questions. Answers to the discussion questions can be found in Handout 5-2b.

Equipment for Holding Hot Foods Steam tables Chafing dishes Check the temperature of the food often

Do NOT leave food at room temperature for more than 2 hours; one hour if the temperature is above 90˚F

Choosing a Serving Style Type of food event Budget Number of people to be served Equipment available Availability of volunteers Preferences of decision makers Review Handout 5-3, Services Styles: Pitfalls and Safe Practices. Allow a few minutes for the group to discuss the handout.

Handling Food While Serving Proper hand-washing standards Hair restraints No smoking, eating or drinking No jewelry Do not touch dishes, glasses or utensils where the food or a person’s mouth will touch Avoid serving food if you have open cuts or burns Review Handout 5-4a, Discussion Questions: Food Handling/Server Hygiene. Allow a few minutes for the group to discuss the handout questions. Answers to the discussion questions can be found in Handout 5-4b.

When to Wash Hands Before handling food After handling food After handling dirty dishes or surfaces After eating, drinking or smoking After touching animals After coughing, sneezing, or touching face or hair After using the restroom or changing a diaper After taking out garbage

Some foodborne illness outbreaks are caused by failure of foodservice workers to follow good food-handling practices

Table Setting Procedure Wash hands Hold silverware by handles Use scoop to serve ice Avoid touching rim of glasses Avoid touching dishes and utensils on food or mouth contact surfaces Hold plates by bottom or at edges Hold cups by handles or bottoms Point participants to Mini-Poster 5-1, Safe Food Serving Practices and Mini-Poster 5-2, Table Setting Procedure. These are great resources to post in their quantity food preparation areas.

Revisit Critical Thinking Question Now that it’s prepared, what would you do to keep 50 pounds of ground meat safe until it is eaten? Allow a few minutes for the group to discuss the question. Try to guide the discussion so that incorrect information is not reinforced. Ask them to identify possible critical control points. Proceed to Slide 5 for discussion points.

Discussion Points Hold food at 140˚F or higher until it is served. If intended for later use, cool to below 40˚F within 4 hours. Reheat to at least 165˚F for 15 seconds within 2 hours. Use appropriate food safe containers for storing and transporting food. Example —garbage bags are not approved for food storage. When transporting, keep cold foods in a cooler with adequate ice or cold packs. Keep hot foods hot by wrapping well and placing in an insulated container.