How To Safely Store Your Food: A Comprehensive Guide For Chefs
As a chef, you know the importance of food safety and proper inventory management. Poor food inventory management can lead to contamination, serving of expired items, cross-contamination hazards, and increased food waste. In this blog post, we will explore the best practices for food inventory safety, tools to streamline restaurant inventory management, and tips for handling perishable items to ensure their freshness.
How does poor inventory management affect your business?
It only takes one contaminated item to cause food poisoning, and poor inventory management can increase the risk of that happening. Lack of proper storage leads to cross-contamination hazards, serving expired items, and a higher degree of food waste. And as I’m sure you know, these hazards lead to customers getting sick, a bad reputation for your restaurant, and ultimately loss of business.
What are the best practices for food inventory safety?
The best practices for food inventory safety include regular checks and up-to-date records, proper storage, first in, first out (FIFO), labelling and dating. Regular inventory checks allow you to quickly identify items that are about to expire. While FIFO ensures that your oldest items are used first, reducing the risk of items going out of date. Proper labelling and dating allows you to track expiry dates and keep proper inventory records.
What tools can help streamline restaurant inventory management?
You’ve already got enough on your plate without having to rely on your memory of what’s at the back of the fridge to know whether you’re staying compliant. Using a smart inventory tool like Leafe means you can input temperatures, batch numbers, expiry dates and allergen information without doing any of the paperwork! Streamlining your business with smart tools helps not only your inventory management but can prevent stockouts, reduce food waste, identify slow-moving items, forecast popularity and reduce the risk of overspending on items that aren’t in high demand.
What foods should be kept in dry storage?
Non-perishables, canned goods, grains, and flours can be kept in dry storage areas. However, it is recommended that you still regularly check expiry dates and discard anything that has passed its date. Tools like Leafe allow you to manage not only your high-risk items, but your entire stock, too.
How should I handle perishable items and ensure their freshness in inventory?
Perishable items such as meat, fish, eggs, and dairy products should be stored below 5℃ and refrigerated within two hours. Keeping fridges clean and free from spills also helps prevent cross-contamination. It is essential to follow the proper storage procedures to ensure maximum food safety and prevent any contamination during the storage period.
In Conclusion:
Food safety should always be a top priority for all hospitality operations. Proper inventory management practices can help prevent food waste, food poisoning and enhance your reputation as a reliable and safe restaurant. And, by letting smart tools like Leafe do the boring bits for you, you can leave yourself time to crack on with what you really want to be doing - making good food!
