Kitchen & food prep essentials
17 May 2023
Proper kitchen and food preparation is essential to reduce the spread of nasty bacteria, minimising the risk of your workers becoming sick or causing illness in people who eat the foods prepared. Each year in Australia there is an average of 5.4 million cases of foodborne illnesses, so you can see why we stock only the best commercial grade cleaning products to meet your required workplace sanitation needs.
Let’s dive into the essential aspects of commercial kitchen preparation: worker hygiene, preparing your space, and preparing for food handling.
Worker hygiene
A large commercial kitchen cleaning is a team effort. A part of this team effort is ensuring your worker’s hygiene is appropriate for the working environment. Clean clothes, covering open wounds, removing loose jewellery, and tying back long hair are fundamental in maintaining a professional and sanitary kitchen.
Always ensure that soap is stocked in great quantities so your employees can wash their hands as the enter the kitchen, in between preparing the preparation stations & food, and once their shift is over. Further, to minimise what your employees touch during the food preparation and food handling process, invest in hands free soap dispensers. Check out our Intuition Sensor Tork Foam Soap Dispenser, a touch free hand washing solution.
Preparing your space
Don’t ever assume that your surfaces are sanitary, even if they are visibly clean. Individuals who previously used the space may have cleaned up with soap or detergents, but you will never be sure if any spots have been missed, allowing bacteria to grow. Soap will remove the organic material (like food scraps), at a visible surface level, but it the sanitising that ACTUALLY reduces the number of bacteria and other micro-germs to food-safe levels.
WS Whereabout Supply provide an extensive range of commercial grade sanitisers, with an international quality assurance. We recommend looking at degreaser sanitiser products to remove the more tough and sticky food and oil spills that a regular sanitiser would struggle to pick-up. One of our most popular degreasing sanitisers is Agar Wipe Away, which is a powerful grease-cutting cleaner which rapidly attaches hard-to-clean food spills from hard surfaces. Perfect for tackling food preparation stations. Pair your degreasing sanitiser with heavy duty antibacterial cloths for a superior cleaning finish. These cloths are extra thick, highly absorbent and are quick drying with perforated sheets for easy tear off.
Don’t forget about your floors during this process. Commercial kitchens are a busy workplace and it is important that they remain clean and free of hazards. It’s worth investing in commercial grade floor cleaners like RapidClean’s Trojan Heavy Duty Floor Cleaner & Degreaser to ensure the job is done properly. Alkaline detergents are formulated to cut through a build-up of grease on not only floors, but also ovens and stove hoods – a three in one!
Preparing for food handling
Now your kitchen is bacteria free and ready for food preparation, make sure your team are wearing appropriate food safety gear.
Facemasks are important in reducing the chance of travelling bacteria from sneezes or coughs entering the food being handled. They are also handy for close-contact work kitchens where it is difficult to maintain safe distances between co-workers, especially that guy who SWEARS he’s not sick, but probably (definitely) is, and won’t go home!
In commercial food kitchens when you’re handling multiple stations during one shift, it is important to not share the food bacteria between preparation areas. Disposable gloves are essential in this instance and are easily removed and replaced. WS Whereabout Supply continuously stock disposable gloves of all sizes and colours. Using different colours may also assist in differentiating what kitchen area you are working in. You can view our full range here.
Do not forget to cover hair with hair nets, short or long. How would you feel finding someone else’s hair in a professional prepared and delivered meal? (Likely disgusted, we think…) Check out our range of hair nets here to ensure you don’t deliver a hair surprise to your hungry customers!
Now your kitchen is sanitary and disinfected with our commercially graded products and supplies. Get cooking!
Are you looking for a wholesale supplier with a comprehensive product range?
Our team at WS Whereabout Supply are trained in all industry areas and can provide industry-specific information regarding all our products. If you require any assistance or have any questions about which of our products can best assist you and your business, give us a call today on 1300 943 732.