Lesson 2.

Cleaning and Maintenance

Intended Learning Outcomes

At the end of the lesson the student should be able to:

● Exhibit understanding of the importance of a well cleaned and maintained food

service equipment.

● Differentiate cleaning from sanitizing

● Assess the cleaning and maintenance procedures of different food service

establishments

Introduction

When the food is ready to arrive in the pantry, used utensils for food preparation are

cleaned

immediately and wiped off dry for later use. If any other ancillary serving item such as

electric

hand blender is damaged, it is reported to the concerned manager and replaced with a

working one at the earliest. Good quality and well-functioning restaurant equipment is the

backbone of a restaurant’s success. One might be able to operate a restaurant without

regular equipment maintenance in the short run. However, in the long term, this practice is

going to add to costs, decrease equipment utility, lead to wastage, decrease profit margins

and ultimately end up in higher costs and losses, especially if the equipment breaks down at

an unfortunate time like right before opening time

Maintaining restaurant equipment comes with a fair share of reasons and advantages. The

most significant reasons as to why you must maintain your restaurant equipment are

mentioned below.

1. Cost-Effective - Regular maintenance increases equipment life, so the cost of having

to buy new equipment is also deferred. Even the cost of food wastage is

decreased as the scenario of wastage due to poor machine performance is

eliminated. To add to that, equipment warranties cover only the first few years

wherein the chances of an enormous breakage is less. So, using those warranties on

regularly maintaining your equipment makes the entire process of equipment

maintenance itself very cheap.     

2. Helps in Maintaining the Food Quality- The state of your equipment directly

impacts the state of your food. Remember, even if the chefs cooking in your

kitchen are the best of the best, if the tools that they use are faulty, there is only so

much that they can do. The quality of food will deteriorate even if just slightly. On the

other hand, if your equipment is well maintained, its performance will complement

the chef and enable him/her to experiment, take risks, and create food that is

leagues above other restaurants.

3. Help in Maintaining the Speed of Operations -What apart from food quality can

equipment impact? The speed of operations in your kitchen. Depreciated

equipment means slower preparation time, time-consuming work, and thus

slow cooking and serving of food in the restaurant, which will make you lose both

sales and customers. To ensure that this does not happen, you must make sure that

all pieces of equipment that you have are in their best condition, which can be

achieved only through regular maintenance.

normal wear and tear is a given. Regular maintenance ensures that there is no

extra damage apart from this anticipated depreciation of the machine. Thus,

regular equipment maintenance in restaurants ensures that the equipment damage

does not lead to its premature breakdown.

5. Healthy and Hygienic- restaurant equipment needs regular maintenance because it

is a healthy habit. Proper equipment maintenance includes regular sanitization. This

ensures that the hygiene of food and restaurant is not compromised.

6. Reduces Fire Hazard- Most fires in restaurant kitchens are caused due to

equipment breakdown. Regular maintenance of kitchen equipment ensures that there

is no risk of a fire hazard.

Cleaning and sanitizing food premises and food equipment

Cleaning- defines as meaning clean to touch and free of extraneous visible matter and

objectionable odor.

cleanliness as meaning there is no accumulation of:

● garbage (except in garbage containers)

● recycled matter (except in containers)

● food waste

● dirt

● grease

● other visible matter.

Effective cleaning must occur before sanitizing, as sanitizers may not work as well if the

food contact surface or utensil has not had all visible contamination removed. Cleaning is

often achieved with detergent, water and agitation, with the visible dirt and detergent then

rinsed and removed with clean water.

Detergents are chemicals that remove dirt and grease; however, detergents do not kill

bacteria and other microorganisms. Microorganisms may be removed during the cleaning

process; however, cleaning is not intended to destroy microorganisms, sanitizing is required

for this purpose.

Sanitizing- The term sanitary in the Code refers to the state of a food contact surface or

utensil where it does not contain microorganisms at a level that would permit the

transmission of infectious disease or compromise food safety.

Sanitizers are substances capable of destroying microorganisms including those bacteria

that cause food poisoning and other diseases and when used properly, they can reduce

surface contamination by bacteria to a safe level. It is important to read and follow the

directions on sanitizers carefully.

Sanitizing is usually achieved using heat and water, or chemicals, or a combination of both

methods. An effective alternative to chemical sanitizers is hot water used at (75°C or

hotter) to soak items for 2 minutes or more.  

For effective and safe use of a sanitizer, follow the manufacturer's instructions provided on

the label. 

● Some sanitizers are toxic to people and the residue must be rinsed off, whilst other

sanitizers are food-safe and do not require rinsing. Always follow the manufacturer's

instructions for the sanitizer to ensure safe use. 

● Sanitizers all work best at the correct dilution. If they are too weak, they do not work

effectively, if they are too strong you are wasting your money.

● Sanitizers need time to work. The contact time varies and may be seconds or minutes

depending on the job.

● Sanitizing solution can be made up as needed and put into labelled spray bottles for use

on bench tops, fridges, door handles and other surfaces.

● Check the dilution, contact time, safety precautions, shelf life and storage of all

chemicals before use.

All items that come into contact with food must be effectively cleaned and sanitized. This is

a 4-step process that removes food waste, dirt, grease and destroys food-borne disease

pathogens.

The Code does not specify which procedures must be used to ensure the premises and

equipment are kept in a clean and sanitary condition. Food businesses may use a

combination of procedures and methods to meet Code’s requirements.  

Step 1 – Preparation

● Remove loose dirt and food particles.

● Rinse with warm, potable water.

Step 2 – Cleaning

● Wash with hot water (60 °C) and detergent.

● Rinse with clean potable water.

Step 3 – Sanitizing (bacteria killing stage)

● Treat with very hot, clean, potable water (75 °C) for at least 2 minutes.

● Apply sanitizer as directed on the label.

Step 4 – Air drying

● Leave benches, counters and equipment to air dry. The most hygienic way to dry

equipment is in a draining rack.

Maintaining restaurant equipment comes with a fair share of reasons and advantages. The

most significant reasons as to why you must maintain your restaurant equipment. Cleaning

defines as meaning clean to touch and free of extraneous visible matter and objectionable

odor. Effective cleaning must occur before sanitizing, as sanitizers may not work as well if

the food contact surface or utensil has not had all visible contamination removed. Cleaning

is often achieved with detergent, water and agitation, with the visible dirt and detergent

then rinsed and removed with clean water. Detergents are chemicals that remove dirt and

grease; however, detergents do not kill bacteria and other microorganisms. Microorganisms

may be removed during the cleaning process; however, cleaning is not intended to destroy

microorganisms, sanitizing is required for this purpose.