Subject: Controlling Time and Temperature During Preparation (Time and Temperature Controls for Safe Food)

What will be done and who will do it?

New employees must:

• Review this procedure.
• Be trained by a team leader.
• Sign the training checklist.

All employees must:

• Wash hands prior to preparing foods (refer to SOP - Handwashing).
• Use clean and sanitized equipment and utensils while preparing food (refer to SOP - Warewashing).
• Separate raw foods from ready-to-eat foods by keeping them in separate containers until ready to use and by using separate dispensing utensils (refer to SOP - Cross Contamination Prevention).
• Pre-chill ingredients for cold foods, such as sandwiches, salads, and cut melons, to 41 ºF or below before combining with other ingredients.
• Prepare foods as close to serving times as possible.
• Prepare foods in small batches.
• Limit the time for preparation of any batches of food so that ingredients are not at room temperature for more than 30 minutes before cooking, serving, or being returned to the refrigerator.
• Rapidly cool ready-to-eat foods or foods that will be cooked at a later time.
• If potentially hazardous foods are not cooked or served immediately after preparation, quickly chill (refer to SOP - Cooling Potentially Hazardous Foods).

When using a thermometer for monitoring and recording temperatures employees must:

• Use a clean, sanitized, and calibrated probe thermometer.
• Take at least two internal temperatures from each container of food at various stages of preparation.
• Document in temperature logs.
• Monitor the amount of time that food is in the temperature danger zone. It should not exceed 4 hours.

Who will make sure it's done and how?

• Team leaders are expected to continually model appropriate time and temperature practices for employees.

How should problems be fixed?

• Team leaders must immediately train and counsel employees who are not properly date marking raw and ready-to-eat potentially hazardous foods.
• Immediately return ingredients to the refrigerator if the anticipated preparation completion time is expected to exceed 30 minutes.
• Discard food held in the temperature danger zone for more than 4 hours.

What records will be kept?

• Completed training checklist.
• Temperature record logs.

Created(Date): 1/4/16

By: Randall Davis, Food Hub & Food Safety Coordinator

Last Revised: 6/6/16

By: Randall Davis, Food Hub & Food Safety Coordinator

Document available here - 3.2 Controlling Time and Temperature During Preparation