Temperature plays a critical role when it comes to food safety. The major reasons behind the food borne illnesses are improper food handling and cooking food at the wrong temperature. Also, it is imperative for any chef to understand how cooking affects the quality of their food and makes it essential for the food handlers to check the temperature of food before serving it to the customer. Therefore, having an internal temperature of food template is important for any food establishment.
In other words, this checklist will help in properly monitoring the internal temperature of food while each and every step of food processing i.e food handling, cooking and storage. Because unfavorable temperature can cause the growth of unessential bacteria in the food. Any staff member can not even see, smell, or taste harmful bacterias that may lead to serious illness.
Hence, it is significant for any food handler to follow four mandatory steps during the preparation of every food to keep the food safe:
- Clean- Wash hands and surfaces often.
- Separate- Separate raw meat from other foods.
- Cook- Cook to the right temperature.
- Chill- Refrigerate food promptly.
On the other hand, a safe minimum internal temperature must be reached to avoid food poisoning in all cooked foods. The “danger zone” for perishable foods is between 40° and 140° Fahrenheit. Perishable foods are no longer safe to eat if they have been in this danger zone for more than two hours. A food thermometer also is needed after food is cooked to ensure the temperature doesn’t fall into the danger zone.
A temperature check for food template will include the following checks-
- Record the temperature of the food as per their storage place such as in display case, reach-in cooler, walk-in cooler and so-on.
- Fill the time at which the temperature check is done
- Note the initials of the responsible person
Most importantly, controlling the temperature of food is extremely necessary for ensuring that food is safe to eat.
