A commercial dishwasher.
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The"Dish Room" Our next stop is the "dish room" where we can observe and monitor the dishwashing practices. The Chef has a commercial dishwasher to wash, rinse and sanitize.
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Key food safety point: According to the food code, all surfaces that come into contact with food must be washed with soap and water, rinsed and sanitized. | |
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Chris tests the chemical strength of the sanitizer. |
There are two ways to sanitize dishes and utensils in commercial dishwashers.
- Chemical sanitizer: The machine dispenses a pre-measured amount of sanitizer in the final rinse. We use a specially-treated strip of paper called litmus paper to test the amount of sanitizer in the rinse water. The sanitizer used most often is chlorine.
- Heat: The machine has a temperature booster attached which heats the water used in the final rinse to a temperature of 180 to 190° F. Water this hot will heat the surface of the dishes and utensils to 160° F and above. This method is verified by putting a temperature sensitive tape on a clean utensil and running the utensil through the machine.
To wash, rinse and sanitize without a commercial dish washer, a three compartment sink is required -- one compartment for each part of the process. Everything washed this way must air dry. |
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Chris checks the water temperature in the restroom. |
Restrooms and garbage area
In the restrooms, we make sure that there is cold and hot running water, the hot water is a minimum of 100º F. and the sinks are stocked with paper towels and soap. |
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Chris inspects the garbage dumpsters in the alley. |
The last place we visit during this inspection is the garbage or "dumpster" area in the alley to assure that the dumpsters aren't leaking and the lids are closed. The lids must be kept closed in order to keep rats and other animals out and garbage in. |
