Monitoring time and temperature

Time and temperature play critical roles in the process of maintaining a safe food supply. They affect food quality and safety from a moment food arrives at the back door to the time a prepared meal is presented to the customer.

If a potentially hazardous food is kept in the temperature danger zone longer than four hours, it must be discarded. This four-hour time period begins when the food is taken off the delivery truck and continues through storage, preparation, and cooking. It begins again after cooking. The longer food sits on a receiving dock before being refrigerated or put in the freezer, the less time is left for preparation and cooking.

To manage both time and temperature, you need to monitor and control them. The thermometer may be the single most important tool you have to protect your food.

Choosing the Right Thermometer

There are many types of thermometers used in an establishment. Each is designed for a specific purpose. Some are used to measure the temperature of refrigerated or frozen storage areas. Others measure the temperature of equipment, such as ovens, hot-holding cabinets, and warewashing machines. Perhaps the most important types are thermometers that measure the temperature of food. The most common types used in establishments are the bimetallic stemmed thermometer, the thermocouple, and the thermistor. Infrared thermometers are also becoming increasingly popular.

Bimetallic Stemmed Thermometers

The most common and versatile type of thermometer used in the restaurant and foodservice industry is the bimetallic stemmed thermometer. This type of thermometer measures temperature through a metal probe with the sensor in the end. Bimetallic stemmed thermometers often has scales measuring temperatures from 0F to 220 F (-18C to 104C). This makes them useful for measuring the temperatures of everything from incoming shipments of frozen food to hot-holding cabinets to sanitizing solution in warewashing equipment. When you select this type of thermometer, it should have:

An adjustable calibration nut to keep it accurate

Easy-to-read, numbered temperature markings

A dimple to mark the end of the sensing area (which begins at the tip)

Accuracy to within 2F (1C)

Thermocouples and Thermistors

Thermocouples and thermistors measure temperatures through a metal probe or sensing area and display results on a digital readout. They come in a wide variety of styles and sizes, from small pocket models to panel mounted displays. Many come with interchangeable temperature probes designed to measure the temperature of equipment and food.

Basic types of probe include immersion, surface, penetration, and air probes. Immersion probes are designed to measure temperatures of liquids, such as soups, sauces, or frying oil. Surface probes measure temperatures of flat cooking equipment like griddles. Penetration probes are used to measure the internal temperature of food, such as meat and fish patties, small-diameter probes should be used. Air probes measure temperatures inside refrigerators or ovens.

Дата добавления: 2015-10-31