COURSE OVERVIEW:

Many food poisoning outbreaks arise from a small incident - a food handler forgetting to wash their hands, food not being returned to the fridge after preparation, or a dirty cloth being used to wipe the edge of a plate. Sometimes it’s the simple things that we need to consider most when preparing food.

Food preparation businesses in the hospitality sector include hotels, restaurants, cafes, bars, sandwich shops and similar businesses that prepare food for customers to eat on premises or for takeaway. A key requirement for these businesses is to show that food handling and preparation processes are safe and to keep documentation to show this. 

Food preparation represents an integral stage in the processing of raw materials to produce a quality finished food product for consumption. All food produced must be safe, wholesome, nutritious and palatable.

Good food hygiene ensures that food prepared for customers is safe to eat. It prevents harmful microorganisms that can cause serious illness from contaminating food, enables businesses to comply with the law, and protects the reputation of the business.

Foods are put on display for sale in a wide range of catering premises, for example in buffet operations, carveries, sweet trolleys and salad displays. The foods involved are invariably high risk and can be either partially or completely self-service. This would suggest that display can be regarded as a critical step in many businesses and so must be effectively controlled.

This course focuses on the best practices for preparation and display of foods particularly in the catering and hospitality industry.

The first part of this course explains the critical areas of the preparation process of foods then discusses the requirements of food processing. Then the hazards from specific cooking methods and the hazards associated with specific foods are identified. 

The second part explores the cook–chill and cook–freeze systems. Then discusses the factors affecting cooling and defrosting times. Finally, we examine the proper display of foods and the hazards associated with display.

LEARNING OUTCOMES:

By the end of this course, you will be able to understand:

• The importance of safely preparing food in the hospitality sector
• The importance of the cleanliness of food contact surfaces and equipment
• The structure of surfaces and equipment
• Cross-contamination from surfaces and equipment
• Ingredient preparation and processing
• The time for bacterial growth
• The temperatures for bacterial growth
• The moisture for bacterial growth
• The waste disposal and cleaning from food preparation
• The reasons for under-cooked food
• The hazards from specific cooking methods
• The dangers with microwaves that relate to under-cooking
• The hazards associated with specific foods
• The hazards of inadequate cooking and precautionary measures
• The precautionary measures when cooking pies
• The five systems caterers use in the production of food for their consumer consumption
• The principles of the cook-chill system
• The factors independent of the food being chilled
• The factors dependent on the food being chilled
• The sous-vide system
• The factors affecting cooling times
• The cryogenic chilling
• The ambient (room temperature) cooling
• How to reduce food contamination risks and cooling times?
• The correct defrosting of foods
• The factors affecting defrosting times
• The methods of defrosting
• Defrosting food in refrigeration
• Defrosting food at ambient temperature
• The disadvantages of defrosting in cold water
• The usage of microwave ovens to defrost frozen food
• The usage of rapid thaw cabinets for rapid defrosting of frozen foods
• How to defrost large bulk products?
• The proper display of foods
• The hazards associated with display
• Time/temperature controls to limit bacterial growth
• What to consider in managing food displays?
• The prevention of bacterial contamination in food displays
• The proper screening from sources of contamination

COURSE DURATION:

The typical duration of this course is approximately 2-3 hours to complete. Your enrolment is Valid for 12 Months. Start anytime and study at your own pace.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS:

You must have access to a computer or any mobile device with Adobe Acrobat Reader (free PDF Viewer) installed, to complete this course.

COURSE DELIVERY:

Purchase and download course content.

ASSESSMENT:

A simple 10-question true or false quiz with Unlimited Submission Attempts.

CERTIFICATION:

Upon course completion, you will receive a customised digital “Certificate of Completion”.