Improving Your Food Quality

Owning a restaurant is a dream for many, but most people are not familiar with the overwhelming number of tasks necessary to clean, maintain, and profit from their new business. From the long hours and expensive licensing fees to purchasing food and other supplies, the challenges of running a restaurant are easy to see. If you currently own a restaurant or manage a kitchen, understanding the importance of cleaning and maintenance is imperative for your success. Considering restaurants all over the country receive critical violations during health inspections, ensuring your establishment is clean and sanitized is key. Using these tips, you can clean your restaurant kitchen in a safe, successful manner.

Fryer

Frying potatoes, chicken, and even some vegetables is common in most restaurants, but you may not be placing enough emphasis on cleaning your commercial fryer. To ensure this appliance remains free from heavy buildup that attracts insects and rodents, use the following tips:

• Remove the Oil – Many kitchen managers will leave the oil in the fryer to reuse during the next shift. If you allow the oil to sit in the fryer longer than recommended, it will begin to thicken and discolor. This will be a definite negative mark on your health inspection report. In addition, using old oil alters the taste of the food while creating an unappealing odor in your entire restaurant. Utilize an oil tester to check the polar content of your oil. If it measures 24 percent or greater, it is unsafe for use. Each night, remove the oil from your fryer and ready it for disposal.
• Clean and Dry – After removing the oil, clean the interior area of the fryer and baskets using a hot water and liquid soap. Be sure to scrub away food particles that may stick to the fryer compartment and basket. Rinse with hot water before allowing to dry.

Grill/Cooktop

Cleaning your grill and cooktop throughout the day is smart for preventing unhealthy buildup. Unfortunately, you may not have much time during each shift to perform a detailed cleaning. However, using a scraping tool to remove food and greasy buildup on your grill and cooktop is helpful.

After each shift, take time to clean your grill and cooktop using steam and a liquid detergent. Allow the grill or cooktop to remain hot. Soak rags in a soapy solution and wring out the excess water. Use the soaked rag to wash the hot grill and cooktop. The steam will combine with the soap to quickly remove grime.

Use a broom to sweep dirt, food, and other debris from under your grill and cooktop, as well. Mop at the end of the night.

Workstation

Your stainless steel workstation will require a detailed cleaning throughout the day, as well. Clean the surface periodically to remove greasy residue, leftover food particles, and potential bacteria.

Commercial degreasing products are effective for cleaning a stainless steel workstation, but consider a natural solution to prevent toxic chemicals from affecting food and your kitchen environment.

In a spray bottle, combine the following ingredients:

• 3 cups of warm water
• 3 cups of white vinegar

The acidic properties in vinegar are antibacterial and antiviral, so it is a great solution for cutting through grease, food residue, germs, and bacteria that may be lurking on your stainless workstation.

Douse your workstation with the vinegar solution and allow to soak for 10 minutes. Use a clean microfiber cloth to wipe away the excess.

Running a kitchen is overwhelming at times, but it can also be rewarding. By cleaning your kitchen properly, your restaurant can avoid critical violations during inspections and become a profitable establishment. If it turns out that you don't have adequate cleaning supplies or that you need to replace parts of your kitchen, look for Bakers Pride parts or other popular kitchen parts.