Home Economics- Household Services

“Prepare Hot and Cold Meals/Food”

Meal/ Food Preparation
Week 2 (1st Quarter)

Name: _________________________ Year & Section: _____________ Date: _________ Score: _____
CONCEPT NOTES:
Meal Preparation is a series of activities that start from washing, peeling, cutting of foods for cooking.
But we need to ensure the good quality of food.
Food quality is a composite of several criteria determined by stimuli coming from food and attitude of
values attached by the consumer to food. A food is considered good to eat if it is nutritious, palatable,
sanitary, digestible, and economical.
Food Safety Handling
The safety of everybody should be ensured at all times. It should be first and foremost concern of every
person at home and elsewhere, and utmost in food handling. Food safety handling is one of the most
important concerns of any food service operation. It includes storage, preparation, and disposal. The
kitchen, being the production area of food preparation, should be kept clean and safe. Hazards and risks in
the kitchen should be identified as early as possible so outbreak of food borne illness could be controlled.
Food must be safely handled when it is served to the guest, too. Proper tools like service gear, tongs, and
scoops, should be used while serving food. Plates should be handled by their outer surfaces and edges,
flatware by its handles, and glassware by its foot. Disposable gloves are
recommended. Unused and uneaten food should not be re-used unless it is in
individually packed containers.
In ensuring proper sanitation standards in the food production facility, three
basic areas should be considered. First is the hygiene of the individual food
handlers themselves. Any sanitation program, no matter how well conceived,
would certainly fail if food handlers themselves lack personal hygiene. Second
is to ensure proper sanitation practices in the food preparation facilities and
equipment which is essential to ensure proper sanitation. Finally, the
procedures and production practices have to be reviewed and possible sources
of contamination and unsanitary conditions eliminated and improved.
Food Handler
Identifying common hazards and risks in the kitchen is not enough.
These should be immediately and properly addressed to ensure the
safety of food being prepared. The food handler in the home
kitchen is capable of spreading infections. It is important then for
each person handling foods to practice personal hygiene.

Food handler is anyone who works in a food business and who

handles food and surfaces that are likely to be in contact with foods
such as cutlery, plates and bowls. He/ She may do many different
things for a food business, which include cooking, preparing, serving, packing, displaying, and storing
food. Food handlers can also be involved in manufacturing, producing, collecting, extracting, processing,
transporting, delivering, thawing, and preserving food.
Employees must practice good personal hygiene when serving food. This starts with a clean uniform and
an effective hair restraint.
 Food handlers should avoid touching food with their bare hands
 They can use tongs, serving spoons, disposable gloves, or deli tissue when handling meats, cheeses,
prepared salads, or when making sandwiches
 Food service crew must hold serving utensils by the handle only, and they must never touch the part of
the utensil that comes into contact with food,
 A single utensil should be used for each food item, and the utensil should be stored in the food between
uses.
 Always store serving utensils in a way that permits the food service crew to grab the handle without
touching the food.
Food that has been served or sold to and is in the possession of a customer may not be returned and
offered for service or sale to another customer. Two acceptable exceptions to this rule are:
 A container of a non-potentially hazardous food (i.e., a narrow – neck bottle of catsup or steak sauce)
that is dispensed in a way that protects the food from contamination and the container is closed between
uses; or
 Non-potentially hazardous foods such as crackers, salt, or pepper in an unopened, original package and
maintained in a sound condition.

ACTIVITY 1.
Directions: Answer the questions below.
1. Why good personal hygiene is very important especially in handling foods?
2. How food handler affects the spreading of viruses or infection?