Charcuterie For Dummies. Mark LaFay

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      Aprons

Photo depicts a standard kitchen apron.

      Photo by David Pluimer

      FIGURE 2-1: A standard kitchen apron.

      Before putting on your apron, make sure it is clean and hasn’t been used prior to you putting it on. Not only will the apron keep you clean when working with food, but it will also protect your food against unintended contamination.

      Hair restraints

      You know this has happened to you before. You went out to lunch, and took a bite of your mac and cheese only to be startled by a sudden flossing sensation. Hair in food isn’t sanitary and it isn’t appetizing. A proper hair restraint will save you and your family from the unintended gross-out of finding a hair in your sausage. A simple hair net, baseball cap, or sock hat will work. If you have long hair, pulling it back and putting it up will be critical as well.

      Food-safe gloves

Photo depicts a pair of food-safe gloves.

      Photo by David Pluimer

      FIGURE 2-2: Stay safe with food-safe gloves.

      Gloves meant for food handling can be plastic or latex, and they can be powder lined or powder free. The powder makes it easier to slip the gloves on if your hands are still slightly damp from you washing them before putting them on.

      Before you start handling food, you need to make sure that your work area and tools are all cleaned and sanitized. In a commercial setting, this is called a pre-op, which is short for pre-operational. At this point you will need to fill a small bowl or bucket with soapy water and another bucket with sanitizer, which can be a blend of bleach and water. You also need a separate clean towel to use with each bucket.

You can disinfect with a solution of one tablespoon of bleach to one gallon of cold water. If it’s hot, the chlorine will evaporate off, so be sure to use cold water.

      Once your cleaner and sanitizer buckets are ready to go, clean down each work surface with the soapy water and then wipe it down with the sanitizer.

      Once you have cleaned and sanitized each surface, clean and sanitize all of the tools and equipment you intend to use. These include knives, cutting boards, bowls, and any other object or device that will come in contact with food. Last but not least, you will want to visually inspect any device you will be using, like your grinder or stuffer, to make sure there aren’t any food particles that you missed the last time it was cleaned and put away.

      Once you’ve checked everything off your list, you’re ready to get started.

Tabular representation of clean and Sanitize prep list.

      Mark LaFay

      FIGURE 2-3: ‘Clean and Sanitize’ prep list.

You should also create a checklist that you can use when you’re finished in the kitchen. This is a good way to make sure everything is properly cleaned and sanitized before you put it away.

      Proper procedures for hygiene and workspace sanitation, if done correctly, will prevent you from contaminating the meats that you are working with. However, you also need to be aware of pathogens that are commonly found in the different animal species that you may be working with. Over the last several decades, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) have done a lot of work with farmers, food processors, food scientists, and research organizations like universities, to improve and enhance food safety guidelines to help reduce foodborne illnesses. That said, food safety ultimately requires proper handling of food once you bring it home.

      Common interventions to control or kill bacteria

      Numerous types of bacteria are found in all living creatures, and can cause food spoilage or even severe illness. The chances of you coming into contact with these naughty bacteria will be much lower if you have a basic understanding of how to control the growth of bacteria and how to properly kill them through interventions while you’re processing meat. Common interventions include

       Salting

       Adding nitrites and nitrates

       Acidifying to lower pH

       Drying to lower water activity (aw)

      Raw sausages that require a cooking step before consumption require very little intervention because heat treating by cooking, when done correctly, will kill all bacteria.

Tabular representation of time and temperature from FSIS Appendix A.

      Source: FSIS

      FIGURE 2-4: Time

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