“KITCHEN UTILIZATION AND

PROPER HANDLING OF TOOLS

AND EQUIPMENT”
Resource Speaker: Judy Anne M. Bautista
Kitchen equipment is an essential part of any
kitchen, and therefore any home. Used to store,
prepare, cook and serve food, every piece of
kitchen equipment from your fridge, to stove, to
fork should be cared for appropriately. Not only
maintaining your equipment will make your kitchen
a safer place, but it will save you time, money and
effort.
Kitchen Sanitation: How to
Properly Handle Utensils
Knife Skills
◦ Handling knives in the kitchen requires special care, both for health and safety reasons. Knives
should always be kept sharp. Believe it or not, the sharper the blade, the lower the odds of cutting
accidents. Think about it: If your blade is dull, you have to exert a lot more pressure on the item being
cut. Not only will this crush your tomato or loaf of bread, it also increases the chances the blade will
slip off of the intended cutting object and slice through your finger, instead.
◦ Knives, like other kitchen equipment, need to be washed and sanitized between uses. Never move
from cutting raw meat, fish, or poultry to cutting cooked foods or vegetables meant to be served raw
without sanitizing the knife.
◦ Once knives are clean and sanitized, store them in a knife rack or on a magnetic rack. Do not put
them in a drawer or leave them sitting on a counter where they could cause injury or pick up cross-
contamination from another source.
Cutting board care
◦ The debate has raged for years: Which type of cutting board is the least likely to harbor germs? Even after all the
talk, there is still no firm answer. Whether your facility uses plastic or wood cutting boards, it is critical to maintain
them properly. One advantage to plastic cutting boards is the ability to purchase a range of colors so that you can
designate a particular type of food that ought to be always used with a particular color board. For example, red
meat would always be cut on a red board. Poultry would always be cut on a yellow board, dairy products on a
white board, veggies on green and fish on blue. Cooked foods could also have a designated color. Using a color-
coding system helps prevent cross-contamination, but it is still critical to wash each board properly. As discussed
in the previous dishwashing section, this means washing, rinsing, and sanitizing (either by heat or chemical
sanitizers) between each use.
◦ When cutting cooked meats, select cutting boards with a rim around the edge to help hold the juices before they
leak all over counter tops and floor, not only creating a mess that you will have to clean up, but also increasing the
potential for cross-contamination.
◦ As cutting boards age, they will get some cuts and nicks from knives. If the gouges become deep, the boards will
be difficult to sanitize properly. At this point, the board needs to be replaced.
Cutting board care
Wooden Cutting Boards, Butcher Blocks, and Spoons
You wouldn’t soak your cherrywood coffee table in a bubble bath, so why would you think a
maple stirring spoon or a bamboo cutting board deserves any less TLC? No matter what its size,
any wooden kitchen implement that you purchase needs to be oiled regularly to prevent
cracking. Mineral oil works well for this purpose; avoid olive and other vegetable-based oils, as
they can contaminate your tools’ surface over time. Using a soft cloth, rub a thin coating of warm
oil into the wood, wait thirty minutes, and then wipe off any excess oil. Repeat once or twice over
a twenty-four-hour period if you’d like. If you use wooden items frequently, you’ll need to re-oil
them approximately every eight weeks; when the wood has become noticeably lighter after
regular use, it’s ready for another coat.
Use gentle dishwashing soap and warm water to clean all wooden kitchen equipment by hand,
but never leave it to soak. Wash each item as soon as you’ve used it—with each passing minute,
more bacteria accumulates on each wooden surface. Then rub a lemon half over it to remove
any lingering bacteria, towel-dry completely, and store it in a dry, temperate environment.
Cutting board care
Plastic Chopping Boards
Unlike their wooden counterparts, plastic cutting boards are nonporous and therefore
resistant to bacteria, a quality that makes them preferable for cutting meat on. But they
require equally thorough cleaning with hot, soapy water. While you can generally run them
through the dishwasher, make sure your plastic cutting boards can withstand the heat of the
water in there before you make a habit of doing so. After washing, pat down the plastic with
a dishtowel, and store the board upright (to avoid surface-bacteria retention).
Dish handling
◦ To understand how not to handle dishes on which people will eventually eat, one only
has to watch an 8-year-old child help unload a dishwasher at home. The child probably
has not washed his hands before he comes in, willing to assist for the sake of earning
allowance money. Soon, his microbial hands are all over the insides of cups, the eating
surface of plates, and the tines of forks. He may as well have put his fingers in the
mouths of everyone else who was eating--but this is a family scenario we're describing,
so it's all okay, right? We're just happy to have children who unload the dishwasher.
◦ However, in a commercial kitchen, things are different. As mentioned previously, the
stakes are so much higher, and so many more people (possibly people whose health is
already shaky) are exposed to each worker's germs. Here is a basic list of guidelines for
dish handling. Check your state and local requirements, and also be sure to understand
your facility's specific procedures.
Basic list of guidelines for dish
handling
Always wash hands before handling clean dishes.
If wearing gloves, either wash them, or put on a clean pair.
Do not stack wet dishes; they need to be exposed to air in order
to dry properly.
Do not let water pool up in the bottom of glasses, bowls or cups.
Store glasses and cups upside-down so that they dry properly
and dust does not accumulate inside.
When handling dishes, be on the lookout for dried-on bits of food
or lipstick stains.
Do not let your fingers touch parts of the dishes that people will
drink or eat out of.
Hold cups by the outer surface, not by the rim.
Do not put hands inside glasses.
Do not dry off dishes with a towel -- let them air dry.
Pick up silverware by the stems, not the parts that touch the food.
Be particularly careful about coughing and sneezing while handling
dishes.
If you happen to accidentally cough or sneeze on the clean dishes,
make sure they are re-washed.
Keep your eye out for any signs of pest infestation around the clean dish
storage area.
Plastic and Rubber Items
While silicone-rubber cooking implements (spatulas, measuring cups,
baking-sheet liners, and so forth) are capable of withstanding high
temperatures, ordinary plastic and rubber utensils and containers can
melt or crack quickly if they’re exposed to intense heat or even sunlight,
so keep them at room temperature and away from strong natural light.
Some plastic and rubber cooking tools are dishwasher-safe; consult the
manufacturer’s instructions to determine whether your specific items are.
If not, stick with gentle cleansers and pads, and combat stains with a
paste made from baking soda and water and applied with a sponge. To
deodorize Tupperware and the like, crumple a piece of newspaper inside
the container and seal the container overnight.
Coffeemakers
If you brew your own cup o’ joe every morning, you may not realize just
how much gunk is accumulating in your coffeemaker. To sanitize it, clean
it once a month with a 1:1 mixture of white vinegar and water. Pour the
solution into the machine, then run it through one cycle. Afterward, rinse
out both your filter holder and your glass coffeepot thoroughly to wash
away the lingering scent of vinegar. Repeat the process two more times
to make sure you remove every last bit of residue from the machine, then
complete one final cycle using 100 percent water, and voilà—ultra-fresh
coffee without any traces of icky buildup.
Appliances
Kitchen appliances used incorrectly can injure people. Always use
microwaves, pans and pots, toasters and other cooking appliances only
with food inside, and stay in the kitchen while operating all appliances.
Keep gas and electric stoves and appliances in top working condition to
avoid gas leaks and electrical shocks.
Burns and Fires
◦ Burn and fire hazards hide all around the kitchen, especially near the stove or oven.
Only touch hot pans, dishes or pots with an oven mitt or pot holder, and arrange pots
with their handles pointing away from the burners and the edge of the stove. Beware
of steam rising from pots and take care when handling hot liquids. To avoid fire, keep
fabrics, towels, curtains and paper products away from the stove and always turn off
the oven or burners when you finish cooking. Keep a fire extinguisher rated for
kitchen fires nearby and accessible and know how to use it properly.
Other Hazards
Other potential dangers in your kitchen include glass dishes and glasses,
which can shatter if dropped or knocked against a counter or table. Also,
wipe up spills quickly to avoid slips and falls and contamination in the
kitchen. Even what you wear can cause accidents, because loose
clothing and flowing sleeves can catch on fire, become tangled in a mixer
or other appliance or knock something over. Also take care when carrying
hot pans or those holding hot foods or liquids and make sure you have a
clear path between the stove and table or sink.
THANK YOU!