Hygiene Rules!

As a chef, to say we are all a little obsessed with food and kitchen hygiene is probably an understatement.  Of course, any of you that have watched Gordon Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares might well disagree.  However, aside from the odd exceptions most of us like to believe we do our utmost best to keep our kitchen clean, tidy and free of pests and germs. Not forgetting our fridge and store cupboards, especially if we want our customers to leave the restaurant as live as when they first came in. 

A friend of mine recently mentioned her frightful discovery of a very old bag of flour  with worms wriggling about inside.  She's certainly not the first and if anyone watched Kim and Aggie clean up the nation in Channel 4's How Clean Is Your House then a few worms in flour is probably a blessing.  

However, hoarding in the kitchen, as I've named it, is a lot more common than you think.  Most of us hoard to some degree, whether it be a few spice jars from that never to be repeated curry experience or a fridge full of rotting vegetables.  Apart from a few where hoarding is a psychological thing, most of the time we just forget what's in the cupboards.  So, I have devised some tips to help all you get in order:

Label, label, label. 

If you are transferring food items from their original packets to other containers then always make a note of the expiry date and even storage advise, on to a sticky label to stick to your containers.  Make sure you're aware of the "once opened, use within xxx weeks or months rule" and never ever eat anything beyond the use by date.

Use by/Sell by..?

A use by date on any food item means exactly that, use by the date given or get rid of it.  A sell by date on the other hand, means that the goods have to have been sold by the retailer by a particular date but can still be eaten after this time.  Of course, do make sure the product has been stored correctly and that it still has a good colour and looks fresh, try smelling or looking for tell tale white spots or even mould!

Eggs

A quick word about eggs.  Most are date stamped from the supermarkets (if not on the egg then definitely on the box).  If you want to know if an egg has gone off then shake it.  If you hear a sound inside (I don't mean cheep, cheep) like a rattling or movement, then you can be sure there'll be no omelette dinner tonight.  Another egg tip, place it in a cup of cold water, if it floats its bad and if it doesn't, then you're OK.

Out with the old and in with the new

Don't ever top up existing food with new food you've just bought.  Keep it in its packaging until you've finished the old ones and always wash the containers before reusing so as not to create any cross contamination.

Fresh fish and Meat - keep it that way

Fish will keep for up to 3 months if frozen (oily and shellfish for 2 months).  Fresh meat, not pre packed, i.e. bought from a butcher are best eaten within 1-2 days if not frozen.  Frozen meat will actually keep for millennia but don't expect it to taste good if you do.  I would suggest no more than 3 months.  Don't overfill the freezer either as this will increase the chances of bacteria developing. 

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