Safe and Hygienic Work Habits

Appears in
Cuisine Foundations
Cuisine Foundations

By Le Cordon Bleu

Published 2010

  • About
To keep your place of work safe and clean, you should practice the following work habits:
  • Keep your workspace perfectly clean and do not leave tools around when not in use.
  • Keep perishables refrigerated.
  • Keep your trimmings separate.
  • Carefully clean or wash fruits and vegetables before using.
  • Never peel vegetables onto your cutting board.
  • Carefully wash your cutting board after each use or change your cutting board, especially after working with poultry or fish.
  • Immediately discard trimmings, peelings, and trash into a designated recipient with a cover.
  • Ensure that products are fresh by consulting expiration and packaging dates.
  • Discard or refuse any item that appears questionable such as dented cans or defrosted foods.
  • Wash and dry your knives after each use.
  • Check each day that the refrigerators and freezers are working properly.
  • Do not store goods on the floor; instead transfer them to proper storage containers.
  • Systematically remove wrappings and discard or replace.
  • Store prepared items in proper containers, never in cooking vessels or service platters.
  • Do not store sandy vegetables on the upper shelves.
  • Try to minimize the number of days items are stored in the refrigerator.
  • Respect the rule of stocking: first in, first out.
  • Ensure that the air can circulate properly in the refrigerators.
  • Do not store foods in their cooking liquid or sauce.
  • Ensure that foods are properly and securely covered before stacking.
  • Discard any foods after 24 hours if they have not been cooled rapidly.
  • Organize the walk-in by storing similar items together (e.g., dairy, meat, vegetables) and ensure that the temperatures are correct.
  • Prepare hot emulsion sauces (hollandaise, bearnaise) as close as possible to service.
  • Keep perishables refrigerated until needed for the service.
  • Respect all safety rules for grinding meat.
  • Never defrost frozen items at room temper ature.
  • Verify that the thermostat of the fryer is working properly and change the oil regularly.