Cambro products are created to help you make the right food safety choice every time. Oftentimes, chefs don’t realize that there is a better, safer way to do something that they’ve been doing for years. Making bad choices isn’t always intentional, and that’s why it’s important to continually educate yourself on food safety best practices. Keeping your kitchen as safe as possible positively impacts your staff, customers and ultimately, your food!
- Use Food Boxes, Not Cardboard boxes
This one really cuts us deep. We see way too many kitchens with storage rooms and walk-ins stocked with cardboard boxes full of food. Cardboard boxes never asked for this responsibility, but it’s been unfairly thrust upon them. Produce is plucked from the fields and put into cardboard boxes. They’re transported in dirty trucks before being delivered to your kitchen. Those same boxes are now sitting in your walk-in. Not only are you bringing dirt into your BOH, critters or their eggs could be hitchhiking inside unbeknownst to you.
It gets even worse if you’re storing cardboard boxes inside your walk-in or cooler. Instead of reducing the risks of cross-contamination, cardboard boxes increase the chances. Because of the moisture in the air, cardboard boxes inevitably become soggy, and it’s been determined that bacteria are able to survive on wet cardboard surfaces.
Ditch dirty boxes in favor of Cambro food boxes. Available in Camwear® or Poly, these boxes protect food and make stacking easy and safe. If you need to access the contents of your box frequently, a Camwear SlidingLid™ keeps food covered while still making it easy to reach inside. Utilize a Colander or Drain Shelf to maintain the quality of ingredients like lettuce. Liquids are drained into the box below, reducing spoilage from ingredients sitting in drippings.
- Use High Heat H-Pans, Not Dented Metal Pans
It doesn’t take long for shiny new metal pans to become dented and dingy. Not only are they unsightly, but dented metal pans also compromise the temperature of whatever they’re holding. If you’re serving entrees from a hot table, dented corners are letting out steam and causing your food to cool down. Plus, dented metal pans are difficult to store. Stacking them is uneven and pulling them apart could be an Olympic sport. These pans also pose a safety risk for employees as dented corners can cause scrapes and abrasions.
High Heat H-Pans™ are designed to do it all. They go from prep to cooking to serving to storing—all in the same pan! High Heat H-Pans are safe for use in temperatures from -40°F to 375°F. In addition to steam tables and ovens, High Heat H-Pans are safe to use in microwaves. Their unblemished, nonstick material makes them easy to clean and stack when not in use.
- Use a Lid, Not Plastic Wrap
Oftentimes, we walk into a kitchen and see Cambro storage products like CamSquares® and Camwear® Pans. However, the smile quickly leaves our faces when we see what’s covering them: plastic wrap. 😱 Yes, it’s truly terrifying. Rarely is plastic wrap clung tightly around these products. Instead, it’s laying limp and billowing in the walk-in freezer’s wind. This leaves your food susceptible to cross-contamination and decreases its quality. The result is compromised food and possible contaminants. This is not the way.
Cambro has a plethora of lids to suit virtually every need:
- Camwear Food Pan Lids: Maintain freshness, flavor, and quality while minimizing cross-contamination. Available in Flat Cover, Cover with Handle and a Notched Cover with Handle.
- Camwear FlipLid®: Provides easy access while reducing the possibility of contamination.
- Camwear GripLids®: Ideal for sealing in soups and sauces, a molded-in polyurethane gasket that grips the food pan tightly to maintain freshness, flavor and quality.
- Seal Cover: Available for both food pans and CamSquares, Seal Covers have an inner seal that extends shelf life up to 3 days.
- CamSquare® Lids: These essential lids snap-tight for lasting freshness.
- Use Food-Specific Labels, Not Tape
What makes us feel blue? Seeing tape on a Cambro storage container. Tape is great for many things, but your containers isn’t one of them. Many types of tape can leave behind a sticky residue that creates a breeding ground for bacteria and cross-contamination. In order to maintain food safety protocols, it’s imperative to use professional food grade labels.
StoreSafe® Food Rotation Labels are created specifically for your containers. Biodegradable and 100% dissolvable, StoreSafe Labels dissolve completely in less than 30 seconds through the dishwasher or under running water. Not only are these labels sustainable, but they also don’t create any build-up in septic systems or drains. StoreSafe labels are available completely blank or with lines for clear and quick identification. Sometimes you don’t know what you don’t know. Cambro products are created to keep your food as safe and fresh as possible. While you might have done something the same way forever, it’s not always the best way. Contact your local Cambro sales rep for more ways to improve your food safety and storage.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: ADRIANA DESIDERIO IS THE DIGITAL CONTENT MANAGER AT CAMBRO.
