Defrosting foods in readiness for mass cooking.
A commercial kitchen will store, prepare, cook and present a huge amount of different foods each week. We are dependant on frozen food storage and the ability to defrost large batches of food has to be planned, but more importantly, carried out safely. Many food poisoning cases relate to food been improperly and unsafely defrosted.
When working to prevent food based cross contamination, it’s important to recognise that some food items are more likely than others to become unsafe. Those items are known as TTC food.
TTC food is food that requires time-temperature control to prevent the growth of microorganisms and the production of toxins. This food contains moisture and protein and has a neutral or slightly acidic pH. Most bacteria need nutrients such as carbohydrates or proteins to survive. Also, bacteria grow best in food that contains little or no acid (acidic pH). The pH scale ranges from 0 to 14.0. A value of 0 is highly acidic, while a value of 14.0 is highly alkaline. A value of 7.0 is neutral. TCS food items generally have a pH of 7.5 to 4.6.
How Caterquip can help?
Using a purpose built thawing unit allows you to safely and reliably defrost large batches of frozen foods in a temperature controlled environment.
Electrolux Thawing Cabinet
Caterquip UK sells Reconditioned Second Hand catering equipment and one such example of a commercial Thawing Cabinet is the Electrolux TC 671DRH. When new this is priced at nearly £5500,00 + VAT but ours been a B Grade unit it is only £3350.00 + VAT. Saving you a lot of money as well as giving your kitchen the ability to maintain defrost quality, speed and safety.
Food Standards Agency Thawing Brief here.
Refrigeration
Thaw TTC food at 41° Fahrenheit (5° Celsius) or lower to limit pathogen growth. Plan ahead when thawing large items, such as Turkeys and oither large dense foods such as Pork & Beef joints.
In the Microwave
You can safely thaw food in a microwave, but only if the food is going to be cooked immediately. However, large items with great thickness, such as roasts or turkeys, might not thaw well with this method.
Thawing While Cooking
Some foods can be thawed as part of the cooking process. Small, thin frozen items are best suited for this type of thawing.
Thaw under Running Water
Submerge food under running, drinkable water at 70° Fahrenheit (21° Celsius) or lower. Never let the temperature of the food go above 41° Fahrenheit (5° Celsius) for longer than four hours.
Holding Food
Hold at the right temperatures
TCS foods should be held at the correct internal temperatures. Cold food should be held at 41° Fahrenheit (5° Celsius) or lower.
Check temperatures regularly
Make sure you check and record food temperatures at least every two hours.
Use food covers and sneeze guards
Keep food covered to help maintain temperatures. Covers and sneeze guards also help protect the food from contaminants.
Use hot-holding equipment properly
Don’t reheat food in them unless they are built to do (Regeneration Cabinets) so for that type of food.
Lastly. NEVER REFREEZE ANY FOODS THAT WERE ONCE FROZEN THEN DEFROSTED.
