Why Food Temperature Matters
If you’ve ever cooked something before, then you probably have a small idea of why food temperature matters. It can be the difference between creating a delicious meal or burning your food to a crisp. However, when you work in a commercial kitchen, food temperature holds much greater importance. If you’re curious about why the temperature of food matters at home or in your commercial kitchen, then keep reading.
Proper Food Temperature Prevents Foodborne Illnesses
The little number on your food thermometer can be the difference between a great mean or illness for your customers. Maintaining proper food temperatures throughout every process is critical to preventing foodborne illnesses. Serving food that is not fully cooked or was stored at incorrect temperatures can cause illnesses like salmonella, clostridium perfringens, campylobacter, and E. coli. While food is being stored, you should follow the appropriate guidelines for food safety temperatures to prevent it from being contaminated even before cooking begins. When the cooking process does commence, ensuring that you have fully cooked the food will help you eliminate any dangerous bacteria that may have been present. However, these guidelines do not apply to all food in your kitchen.
Which Food Needs Time and Temperature Control for Safety?
Knowing which food needs time and temperature control for safety can help you and your staff maintain best practices for food safety temperatures. Raw meat, poultry, leftover cooked meat, egg products, and seafood all must be cooked at certain temperatures to reduce the likelihood of bacteria growth. However, bacteria can still grow on this food even after they have been properly cooked. If the food is not served immediately, be sure to keep them at appropriate temperatures to maintain safety.
Proper Food Temperature Helps Your Food Taste Better
Not only will keeping your food at the correct temperature make it safe to eat, but it will also make it taste better! Let’s take cooking a steak in a restaurant as an example. If a customer orders their steak at a certain temperature, using a thermometer can help you cook the perfect steak at the requested temperature. This can apply to many different areas of cooking and can help you take your skills to new levels.
How to Follow Best Temperature Practices in Your Kitchen
Ensuring the food you serve is safe can protect your customers from dangerous illnesses and provide them with only the best tasting food. One of the most useful tools you can use to maintain proper temperatures is a commercial digital food thermometer and RiskLimiter Food Safety technology. RiskLimiter Food Safety combines the highly durable T3™ Smart Thermometer and our RiskLimiter app to help you accurately check and record food temperatures to enhance safety and ensure regulatory compliance. Our innovative technology can help you and your kitchen decrease labor costs, increase food safety, reduce product loss, eliminate errors and cheating, provide evidence of reasonable care, and more. Contact us today to schedule a demonstration of how RiskLimiter Food Safety can benefit you today!