Cooking safely for a crowd

Safe food handling practices

Before you begin planning the menu, take time to learn about these food safety recommendations.

Health and hygiene

You can be a source of contamination. By practicing good personal health and hygiene, you greatly reduce the risk of transferring harmful pathogens to food or food preparation surfaces. 

• Do not handle, prepare, or serve food if you or someone in your household is sick with vomiting, diarrhea, or has a diagnosis of a foodborne illness. Wait at least 24 hours after all symptoms have stopped before handling food. 
• Tie back long hair, including facial hair, and cover shorter hair with a hair net, cap, or head scarf (e.g. hijab or turban).
• Trim fingernails short and remove any nail polish or artificial nails. 
• Remove jewelry, especially from hands and wrists. 
• Wear a clean apron.
• Cover any cuts on your hands, wrists or lower arms with a bandage.

Handwashing

Wash your hands with soap and running water before beginning food preparation and frequently throughout. Inadequate handwashing can spread pathogens to other surfaces and food. Learn handwashing best practices.

Sanitation

Using a thorough sanitation routine is essential to minimizing the risk of cross-contamination of pathogens and the cross-contact of food allergens. A thorough sanitation routine should be applied to all equipment, utensils, counters, and surfaces in the kitchen and service area. 

A thorough sanitation has five steps and should be performed before, during, and after food preparation. These steps are:

1. Dry cleaning: The removal of debris like crumbs, dirt, dust, or other potential physical hazards from a surface.
2. Wet cleaning: The use of a detergent or soap, warm water solution to loosen and remove hazards from surfaces.
3. Rinsing: The removal of the cleaning solution and hazards with clean water.
4. Sanitizing: The use of a sanitizer solution to inactivate or reduce the number of pathogens to a safe level. 
5. Drying: Depending on the sanitizer solution used, the surface may need to be rinsed or allowed to air dry. 

Temperature control

Certain types of food are called time/temperature control for safety (TCS) food. TCS foods must be cooked, cooled, and held at specific temperatures to minimize the amount of time the food is in the temperature danger zone. The temperature danger zone is the range between 41 and 135 degrees Fahrenheit. 

When TCS foods are mishandled and held in the temperature danger zone, any present pathogens will rapidly grow and multiply. This increases the risk of causing a foodborne illness outbreak. 

Examples of TCS food include, but are not limited to:

• Raw, cut produce
• Cooked produce, including potatoes
• Raw and cooked meat, poultry, and fish
• Eggs and egg dishes
• Dairy and dairy products
• Cooked grains and pastas. 

Keep TCS food out of the temperature danger zone at each step of preparation and service. Follow these tips:

Storage

Store cold foods below 41 degrees Fahrenheit in a refrigerator or in a freezer. 

Cooking

•  Cook foods to the safe minimum internal temperature
• Thaw foods safely.
• Food foods prepared and served cold, pre-chill ingredients so the internal temperature does not exceed 41 degrees Fahrenheit.

Cooling

• Cool cooked (hot) food from 135 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit within 2 hours, from 70 degrees to 41 degrees or below within the next 4 hours. 
• Cool food that is intended to be prepared and served cold to 41 degrees or below within 4 hours.

Holding

• Use proper equipment to hold hot foods at 135 degrees Fahrenheit or above and cold foods at 41 degrees Fahrenheit or below. 
• Plan your menu using foods that you can keep hot or cold. 
• If you don’t have a way to hold foods, prepare and serve foods that can be safely held at room temperature.        
• Follow the time as a public health control guidelines. 

Transporting

• Pack cold foods in coolers with ice packs.
• Use insulated or thermal carrying containers for hot foods.

Avoiding bare-hand contact with ready-to-eat food 

Ready-to-eat (RTE) food is food that requires no additional preparation or cooking before eating. Bare hand contact with RTE food should be avoided to minimize the risk of cross-contamination. 

• Use tongs, flippers and other utensils to prepare, portion and serve foods. 
• Ensure each food item has its own serving utensil. 
• Wear single-use disposable gloves after proper handwashing. 

Handling leftovers

Leftovers require special care to ensure food safety due to potential exposure to varying temperatures and bare hand contact. 

• Dispose of any TCS food that was held without temperature control for two hours or more. 
• Dispose of any RTE food that could have been touched by guests.
• Properly cool food before storing in the refrigerator or freezer. 
• Label leftover food with name, date prepared, and use by date.

Communication

Clear communication will allow guests to make safe and informed decisions when selecting their food.

• Inform guests about food allergens 
• For non-family events, post a sign or placard stating: “These food products are homemade and not subject to state inspection.”