Catering from home for large functions
Introduction
If you are handling or preparing food at home as a commercial
business then you must follow the provisions of the Food Safety
(General Food Hygiene) Regulations 1995. Information and advice on
these regulations is available from the Environmental Health
Department of your local council or by clicking on the link
below.
Which foods do I need to take special care over?
A very wide range of foods can cause food poisoning if not
handled properly. Raw poultry, and occasionally raw eggs, may
contain food poisoning bacteria, and are often associated with food
poisoning outbreaks. Meat and meat products, and fish and
shellfish, have similarly been identified as culprits when illness
has struck. Sauces and desserts like mousses and home-made ice
creams, which may contain eggs which have not been cooked, may
cause problems too. Likewise you also need to be careful with raw
salads and vegetables, which do not undergo any further process
before they are eaten. Many foods can be a source of food poisoning
bacteria - proper precautions must be taken in preparing them.
What Are The Most Common Faults?
Some of the most common faults which may lead to food poisoning
are:-
- poor storage;
- cold foods not kept cold enough or hot foods hot
enough;
- inadequate cooking;
- cross-contamination
Storage
Large functions means large quantities of cooked and uncooked
food competing for limited amounts of fridge and freezer space.
Inappropriate storage is one of the commonest faults reported as
contributing to food poisoning outbreaks. Food is often left
unrefrigerated for prolonged periods. Domestic fridges are not
designed to cope with the large amounts of food prepared in the
home for functions.
Don't take chances. Before you take on the task of catering for
large numbers from home, make sure you've got the fridge and
freezer capacity needed to keep food cool and safe.
In case there are any drips from raw meat or defrosting food,
keep these items at the bottom of the fridge, below where any
cooked food is stored. Protect the salad tray from any drips
too.
Keep cooked and uncooked food separate.
Don't clutter the fridge up with wines, beers and soft drinks.
While these drinks may taste better cold, they don't need to be
refrigerated from the point of view of food safety. Keep them in
separate ice buckets, cool bags or cold water so that you can
maximise available fridge space for perishable items.
Temperature control
It is important to keep perishable food in the fridge,
particularly in the summer as bacteria grow quickly at temperatures
above 10°C.
Remember:
- The coldest part of your fridge should be kept
between 0°C and 5°C (32-41°F). Use a fridge thermometer to check
the temperature.
- Don't overload your fridge. The efficiency of
the fridge will suffer if the cooling air circulating within it
cannot flow freely.
- Keep the fridge door closed as much as possible.
Leaving the door open raises the temperature.
- Prepare food that needs to be kept in the fridge
last. Don't leave to stand around at room temperature. Leaving
food, which won't be heated again before being eaten, for hours at
room temperature can be a recipe for disaster.
- Cooked foods which need to be chilled should be
cooled as quickly as possible. But don't put them in the fridge
until they are cool as this will just push the temperature of the
fridge up. To cool hot food quickly, place it in the coolest place
you can find - often not the kitchen. Another way is to put the
food in a clean, sealable container, and put it under a running
cold water tap or in a basin of cold water. Also make full use of
ice packs in cool bags. Where practical, reduce cooling times by
limiting sizes of meat joints or dividing products into smaller
amounts.
Once prepared, getting the food to where the function is being
held can be a problem. This can be particularly difficult when
there are large quantities of perishable food involved. Use cool
boxes. Once there, are facilities adequate for keeping hot foods
hot and cold foods cold? Adequate fridge and cooker capacity at the
place where the function is being held is just as important as in
the home.
Cooking
Cooking food thoroughly - which means making sure that the
temperature at the centre reaches at least 70°C for at least 2
minutes - is the key to killing most of the harmful bacteria that
cause food poisoning. Large meat joints or whole poultry need
special care.
- Make sure meat and poultry and fully thawed
before cooking. The best way to thaw food is either in the fridge
or by microwaving.
- Make sure that the centre is well cooked. Cook
until the juices run clear.
- Use a meat thermometer if possible.
- Domestic ovens may not have the capacity to
handle the amounts of food needed to be cooked for functions,
particularly if large joints of meat and whole poultry are
involved.
- Make sure cooked food is not reheated more than
once. Always heat until piping hot all the way through.
- Don't be tempted to cut cooking time just
because people are waiting to eat. This is particularly important
when microwaving or barbecuing.
- Take proper care with left
overs. Throw away any perishable food that has been standing at
room temperature for more than a couple of hours, and all food
scraps. Store other left-overs in clean, covered containers in the
fridge and eat within 48 hours.
Cross-contamination
Cross-contamination (that is, bacteria spreading from foods yet
to be cooked, or from pets, hands, dirty cloths etc on to prepared
food) can play an important part in food poisoning outbreaks.
Cooking for large numbers can mean more people in the kitchen at
the same time. There are likely to be greater quantities of food,
raw and cooked. Larger numbers of pots, pans, plates and utensils
being used. More washing up. Greater problems keeping worktops
clean. There are certain basic rules which will help reduce the
scope for cross-contamination:
- Prepare raw and cooked food separately. Don't
use the same knife or chopping board for raw meat, cooked food and
raw fruit or vegetables unless they are cleaned thoroughly in hot
soapy water between uses.
- Wash dishes, worktops and cutlery with hot water
and detergent.
- Keep your hands clean at all times. Always wash
them in hot soapy water before touching food, after using the
toilet, or touching pets, dirty washing or the dustbin. Hands
should also be washed frequently whilst preparing food, especially
between handling raw and cooked foods.
- Keep dish cloths clean and change tea towels and
hand towels frequently.
- Make sure, if you have any cuts or grazes on
exposed areas, that these are kept covered with a waterproof
dressing. Don't wipe your hands on the tea towel. Use a separate
kitchen towel.
- Keep anyone who is, or has
recently been, ill with diarrhoea or vomiting out of the kitchen,
even if they're not handling food.
Vulnerable groups
Take extra special care if young children, pregnant women, the
elderly, or anyone who is ill are attending the function as food
poisoning bacteria can make them very ill.
These groups should avoid using raw (unpasteurised) milk. This
milk has not been heat-treated and may therefore contain organisms
harmful to health. Make sure there are alternatives to pate and
soft ripened cheeses like Brie, Camembert and blue vein types for
pregnant women and anyone with low resistance to infection.
Big functions mean big responsibilities
Don't take chances with people's health. If you haven't got the
facilities to cater safely for functions from home, don't do
it.
Catering from home for large functions brings with it problems
which the domestic cook doesn't generally face.
- Large functions mean large quantities of food.
You must make sure there is enough fridge and freezer space to
cope. Is your domestic oven large enough for the job you're asking
it to do?
- How will you cope with the extra people in the
kitchen, the extra clutter, more dirty dishes, plates, utensils and
messier worktops? You will need to ensure that your helpers
understand the need for good hygiene practice as well as you.
- Can you get the food to the function room
safely? And when you've got it there, will you have the necessary
facilities for safe refrigerated storage and proper reheating?
It is worth restating - food poisoning is a miserable and
potentially dangerous experience. Always remember that you are
responsible for ensuring the safety of the guests for whom you are
preparing food.
Checklist:
Catering from home for large functions is not something to be
taken on lightly. Large amounts of food need to be prepared in
advance and stored appropriately prior to consumption. If not done
properly the risk of food poisoning is increased. You need to plan
ahead and think carefully about food safety. If you're thinking of
catering for larger than usual numbers, here are some key DOs and
DON'Ts:-
Plan carefully
- DON'T make foods too far in advance.
- DO make sure you've got enough fridge and
freezer space. Enlist the help of friends and neighbours to ensure
you have the capacity you need.
- DON'T leave food standing around for several
hours in a warm room before it is eaten.
- DO take special care with vulnerable
groups.
Proper temperature control is essential
- DO make sure that perishable food is kept
chilled. This means cold meats, quiches, desserts etc. Keep the
most perishable foods in the coldest part of the fridge; but always
store cooked food above raw, in case there are any drips.
- DO make sure that food is cooked thoroughly.
Large meat joints and whole poultry need special care to make sure
the centre is well cooked. If you're reheating food, DON'T do it
more than once. Always heat until piping hot all the way
through.
- DO keep hot food hot and cold food cold.
Avoid contaminating prepared food
- DON'T let raw foods, like meat and poultry, or
unwashed fruit, vegetables and salads, come into contact with food
that is ready to eat.
- DO wash your hands thoroughly before touching
foods and after handling raw foods like meat and poultry.
Take care with eggs
- DON'T use raw eggs in
uncooked foods, e.g. chocolate mousse, cake icing, and home-made
mayonnaise. Use pasteurised egg or commercial
mayonnaise.
Remember!
If you're thinking of catering for a large function from your
own home, the best advice is -
IF YOU CAN'T DO IT SAFELY, DON'T DO IT AT ALL