BOH Stock control | tcbsopsite

Cleaning

Effective cleaning gets rid of bacteria on hands, equipment and surfaces. So it helps to stop harmful bacteria from spreading onto food. You should do the following things:

Make sure that all you wash and dry your hands thoroughly before handling food.
Clean and disinfect food areas between different tasks, especially after handling raw food.
Clear and clean as you go. Clear away used equipment, spilt food etc. as you work and clean work surfaces thoroughly.
All utensils used in the preparation of food should be thoroughly washed and sanitised.
When cleaning surfaces is important to follow the 3 stage cleaning system first removing any large bits of debris then wiping and cleaning with de-greaser using the correct colour coded jay cloth for that section (Blue = main kitchen), once cleaned it will then need to be sanitised using the sanitiser which should be left on 1 minute to kill bacteria then wiped off using blue roll.
All current supplied by Shorrocks cleaning supplies chemicals should only be used for the specific task they are intended and not anything else (see COSHH training for further information)
Ensure all equipment is thoroughly cleaned and sanitised as per instruction (See specific instructions for cleaning equipment in the equipment section online training)
Do not let food waste build up.

Defrosting frozen food

When food is frozen it stops bacteria from growing but it does not kill the bacteria. This is why you always need to defrost food correctly so that the bacteria do not continue to grow and cause food poisoning.

Frozen products should always be defrosted in the fridge so as to ensure the product does not go beyond the safe temperature of +5C.

Products should always be labelled with date brought out to defrost, use by date and recorded on the CCP defrost monitor record sheet when brought out of freezer to defrost. To work out the use by date think how long the product will need in the fridge to defrost thoroughly then add 3 days to this time eg. If a case of beef slice will take 2 days (48 hrs) to defrost it would then need to be used up within 3 days of that defrosted date hence the use by date would be 5 days later than the date the product was first brought out to defrost. This would depend on size and thickness and density of product in another example a bag of meat spring rolls brought out and re-stacked into the fry station fridge would defrost quickly within 1 day so this would only have a 4 days use by date. Always check with key chef if unsure of correct date to put on a product

Food should be thoroughly defrosted before cooking.
Plan ahead to leave enough time to defrost food in the fridge.
Always ensure to keep raw products and cooked products separate
Always record on CCP defrost monitor sheet
Always date with date defrosted and use by date

Sometimes in an emergency or in the case of prawns and seafood (seafood can quickly and safely be defrosted under cold running water) it is possible to use the sink to defrost, make sure the sink is clean and empty. The sink should be cleaned and then disinfected after being used for defrosting. In the instance of emergency defrost of larger products not quick seafood then it is even more important to record on the CCP monitor sheet to safety control the temperature of this defrosting product and prove it was done in a safe manor and through temperature controlled limits and time frames, Foods will defrost quite quickly at room temperature, but harmful bacteria could grow in food if it gets too warm while defrosting. Under no instances is it allowed to leave any products to defrost unattended or monitored overnight.

Stock control and rotation and restocking

Weekly Stock check

Stock count and rotation

minimum once a week, full stock check and date rotation should be carried outevery Sunday using stock forms;

Main kitchen stock check

Salad stock check

Dessert stock

Consumables stock check

vegetable stock check

Walk in main fridge:

The main kitchen walk in fridge should be organised so that different foods are stored separately from each other an example is given in the figure below of a good example of how to arrange the walk in fridge. Once set up it is important to follow strict stock rotation this involves making sure that as the new stock arrives it is put behind or underneath the existing stock ensuring that the old stock is used up first, as well as this strict use of use by labels need to be used on all products except unprepared veg to ensure that again food can be checked visually to ensure that the oldest stock is being used up first. In the case of defrosting products again they should be kept in ordered fashion and labels on the wall showing what is supposed to go where with date labels always put on the defrosting stock to keep account of how long it has been out defrosting and that it is used up within the given time frame.

Walk in freezer:

Just as with the walk in fridge the walk in freezer should again be set up with different foods stored away from each other for example the raw beef and chicken slices should be stored in a separate area to the sauces for example and the cooked meat products, again labels should be put on the walls when first arranging the freezer to ensure items are stored in the correct place also like the fridge it is important to follow correct stock rotation putting new deliveries behind or underneath older stock to ensure the older stock gets used first. It is also important to control the amount of stock ordered to the amount used each week this can be immediately felt with the walk in freezer as too much stock will result in difficulty keeping it properly organised and following stock rotation and being able to do correct stock takes.

Walk in dessert fridge:

The walk in dessert fridge should solely be used for dessert products however of course fresh and tinned fruit can be stored in here (tinned fruit should be opened and kept in plastic containers). Again it is important to keep items separate for example the unprepared fruit should be kept in a separate area to the finished prepared desserts to prevent cross contamination occurring. Again all products stored in here need to be covered and dated with a use by date and arranged in such a way to ensure correct stock rotation.

Dry food stock room:

The dry stock room is where all the ambient products are stored such as tins, rice as well as dessert products such as the bought in cakes etc. It is important that dates are checked on delivery of these products and again that strict stock rotation is followed for example the newly delivered cakes with the longer use by date should be put away behind the older ones to ensure they are used first. All rice salt etc. should be in containers with fitted lids to prevent things falling in. Nothing should be stored directly on the floor and should ideally all be stored on shelves, in the case of boxes of noodles and sacks of rice and sugar etc. It is possible to stack these on pallets but strict cleaning routine should be in place to ensure these are pulled out once per week as part of the deep clean and all floor surfaces are brushed and mopped. In the case of tinned goods these don’t always need to be taken fully out of the box, with the whole box being stored on the shelf then the front cut out to enable access to the tins, this will help speed up the putting away process and also help on neatness and space. When first setting up the dry store labels should be put up to ensure products are always stored in the same place for neatness and organisation of the dry stores.

General fridges throughout whole BOH:

Within all the bench and upright fridges throughout the various departments of the back of house again strict adherence to health & hygiene guidelines should be adhered to with correct stack and separation of products, for example raw meats in the open kitchen should ideally be stored in a separate fridge to the salad or vegetables as with the seafood however when this is not possible it is important to ensure raw products are at least stored on the bottom shelf with veg and salad etc on shelves above (see company hygiene booklet for more details on this subject). All products in all stations stored within the fridges should be covered and clearly labelled with use by date. Fridges should be cleaned inside including all seals and doors at least once per week as part of the deep clean. Temperature checks of all fridges and freezers throughout the back of house should be made and recorded twice per day morning and night and any problems immediately reported to management.

Storage and correct system to deal with stock and deliveries

All fridges should be kept clean daily with weekly deep clean and check of all products. All fridges should have their temperatures closely monitored for problems and these should be recoded on the fridge temp sheets twice a day 1st thing in the morning and last thing at night. The freezer will also need to be kept clean daily with deep clean and possible defrost if needed once per month however if you find that it needs regular defrost due to build up ice on the compressor you should alert maintenance as there is most defiantly some problem with either the freezer or with the procedures regarding amount of stock stored in the freezer.

Chilling

Chilling food properly helps to stop harmful bacteria from growing. Some food needs to be kept chilled to keep it safe, for example food with a ‘use by’ date, cooked dishes and other ready-to-eat food such as prepared salads and desserts. It is very important not to leave these types of food standing around at room temperature. So, make sure you do the following things:

Check chilled food on delivery to make sure it is cold enough.
Put food that needs to be kept chilled in the fridge straight away.
Cool cooked food as quickly as possible and then put it in the fridge.
Keep chilled food out of the fridge for the shortest time possible during preparation.
Check regularly that your fridge and display units are cold enough.

Throughout most of our branches we use blast chillers to quickly cool batches of food that have been cooked to safe to store temperatures in quick times. These machines should always be used to cool any products that require to be cooled and stored and not used straight away such as rice, noodles, chicken wings and chicken skewers. It is important when chilling products to always prove the safe method by recording it on the CCP blast chiller monitor record sheet. Always ensure the food has been chilled down below +5C before removing to then put away in fridge for storage.

If your branch does not have a blast chiller you will need to cool quickly using other safe means outline below, again in this situation or if the blast chiller breaks down it is important to prove the safe method by filling in the cooling CCP record sheet.

In order to cool food products quickly depending on the product in could be run under cold water (chicken/ beef slice) or spread out on to larger trays to thin out and speed up the cooling process (rice, noodles), cooling fans to circulate the air over the products can also be employed if necessary, however the time to bring the product down to safe levels (+1 /+21C) ready to be refrigerated needs to be carefully monitored and ideally should be within 90 mins, there is an extra 30 mins corrective time allowed but after that point the product if not cool enough is not deemed as safe to use.

Within 4 hrs of the products first beginning the cooling process they must be finally checked within the fridge to ensure they have reached the safe temperature within the safe time limit

Food must reach 21C within 90mins to 2 hrs max it is then safe to put into the fridge to reach the safe temperature of +5 within 4 hrs maximum.

Date labelling

Most, if not all, packaged perishable food products, will have either a use by date on them or a display until date; in practice, these are exactly the same thing. After this date, it is either illegal for the Branch to use them or the quality will have deteriorated to the point at which the product will not be suitable to be used. In either case, they cannot be used.

If a product is still on shelves after its sell by date, it will have to be thrown away (recorded as wastage), which is both costly and wasteful to the company (suppliers must be paid even if stock is not sold). Therefore, it is imperative that sell by dates are strictly adhered to, and that products which will perish earlier be used as quickly as possible.

Chefs, on the most part, will simply walk up to a shelf and take the front most box of the product they are looking for; this is especially true if they are in a hurry. They will generally also, unless they are specifically looking for a product that will last longer, not pay much attention to sell by/use by dates. If products with an early sell by date are at the front, and later ones at the back, they will naturally be used first. If things are organised the other way round, or stock is improperly rotated, newer stock will be used first, leaving out of date stock sitting on the shelves which will have to be thrown away.

Rotation also applies to loose products; in this case, there is usually no set sell by date, and produce must merely look fit to eat. Older stock is merely placed on top of newer stock to rotate it.

The need for stock rotation, dating and labelling of all products is absolutely essential in the kitchen and it can’t be stressed enough the legal and moral responsibilities of all members of the staff and management to uphold and follow these very strict guidelines at all times, it is after all people’s lives that we are putting at risk if we don’t follow the rules and regulations set down for us. Regular spot checks will be made by members of the The Chinese Buffet management team to ensure that you are abiding by these rules.

Labelling:

Reasons to do it?

To be able to instantly recognise what the product is.
To instantly see when it was prepared or defrosted.
To instantly see when its shelf life should expire.
To ensure that the older stock with the least remaining shelf life is used up first.
To ensure the least amount of wastage leading to higher profits.
To ensure all members of staff can keep up with shelf lives and correct use of products.
To abide by food and safety regulations.
To morally fulfil our obligations and provide good quality, healthy, safe, and tasty food to the general public.
We at The Chinese Buffet take great pride in our products and want them to reach the public in the best and quality, and controlled conditions as are possible, and take a great deal of care to ensure that the correct system is put into place, you will be letting us down as well as yourself and your customers if you don’t follow these procedure

How to do it!

All products to be frozen need to be dated on the day of freeze with the use by date ( 2 mths)
When brought out to defrost, products should be clearly labelled with the sticky labels stating the new use by date and the date defrosted and recorded on the defrost monitor form, the products must be visible checked and recorded on the form to ensure they remain within the safe zone below 5C throughout the defrost time after which they will be chilled then again recorded when cooked so as to prove used within the use by date.
As soon as vegetables have been prepared they should be put into plastic containers or bags and clearly labelled with the use by date and the prepared on date usually 3 days but see below table if not sure.
As soon as all meat batch products have been cooked they again should be recorded on the monitor forms with correct temps then controlled throughout the cooling down monitor forms and be chilled to 21C within 1.5 - 2 hrs max and away in the fridge chilled to 5C by 4 hrs max.
As soon as all king prawns and shrimps are defrosted they should be put into plastic containers and clearly labelled with use by date within 24 hrs.
All frozen sauces should be dated with use by date (usually 3- 5 days, except bbq sauce which is 48 hrs)

All food stuffs once prepared or defrosted should follow the strict guidelines for use by date, and after the designated time is up should be discarded to the bin. This makes the need for diligence and planning to be applied to all items brought out, to ensure that the products are getting sold, and not thrown away because of poor estimation of the amount of business each day. See table below for various product shelf lives.

As well as following all the routines, it is also up to the staff to be able to make informed decisions about the quality of the various products, as there are lots of variables that can affect the guidelines, this is why it important that all relevant temp checks and records are followed and checked, even then it is still extremely important that you follow basic guidelines and check for tell-tale signs such as bad smell, texture colour etc if unsure always speak to management chefs before using the product

Recommended Food Storage Chart (guidelines)

The following charts provide general recommended storage times for various food products stored under optimum conditions. Storage generally is not recommended under conditions where no time is listed in the chart. Consumers should always purchase food of excellent quality and never temperature abuse food for maximum shelf-life.