Kitchen Training Resources

Useful Documents

Kitchen Cleaning Checklist: Documents:kitchen:kitchen clean checklist.pdf\\ Basement Cleaning, bathrooms and hallways: Documents:kitchen:basement cleaning bathrooms and hallways.doc\\ Basement Cleaning, general abbreviated version: Documents:kitchen:basement cleaning general abbreviated version.doc\\ Dining Room Prep cook shifts.doc: Documents:kitchen:dining room prep cook shifts.doc\\ Salad Prep, cook shifts: Documents:kitchen:salad prep cook shifts.doc\\ List of un/experienced people: Documents:kitchen:book1.xlsx -- ignore 'shift' information (shift are not most up-to-date)

Email #1

Welcome video (O'Keeffe Kitchen)

 - [Welcome Video]
 - ++++Quiz for trainees: what they should know be able to do post-training|
 * standing with back to stove facing kitchen prep table and pot and pan shelves beyond...
   * locate the linen closet
   * locate dress in aprons
   * locate the checklists opposite the salad wash sinks
   * verbalize that there are probably 3 major areas they’ll be concerned with for the evening.

++++

EscherDining Dining Room Segments:

 - [dinner food storage]
 - [guide]
 - [machine cleaning and restocking]

EscherDining Dish Room Segments:

 - [on hobart aka "dishwashing machine"]
 - [cleaning]
 - [hobart]
 - [disposal video]
 - [garbage cans]

EscherDining Main Kitchen Segments:

 - [can recycling]
 - [sink drains]

Email #2

The in-person supplement to the YouTube Kitchen series! :)

 - **Proper Handwashing Technique.**  ++Training tip| When demonstrating, smear something appropriately disgusting-looking yet harmless over the handles, like a paste of coffee grounds and flour and water.++
   - Wash hands.
   - Dry hands with paper towel BEFORE touching handles again.
   - USE PAPER TOWEL TO TURN HANDLES AND CUT SINK OFF.
   * Reason:  Germs can't be seen.  ++Training tip| This brown mix CAN be and people can appreciate how it prevents your hands from being re-contaminated by re-touching whatever it is you probably got on the handles when you grabbed them to wash your hands in the first place.++
 - **How to use the salad wash sinks and quat-sanitizer units.**
   * Reason:  Vital to making certain every visible surface in the kitchen is clean.  People HAVE to know how to make this, change this out, and use it to make sanitizer bins.
 - **How to use Litmus paper to test for Quat, Bleach, etcetera.**
   * The orange to green paper tests for quat-sanitizer.
     * Green = good.  No green means no sanitizer.
     * Plain water = orange.  No good.
     * Pink soap and water = orange.  STILL no good, even though it may look like sanitizer.
   * The City Health Inspector tests this himself, so make sure you ask me to demonstrate how this works if you're unsure.
   * ++Note for posterity| The Blue litmus paper, rarely used nowadays, measures BLEACH concentrations, the ingredient sanitizer used to be made with.++
 - **How to clean mold or mildew from the milk machines.**
   * See the [machine video] to start with.
   * If you watch, you'll notice Ellen wipe the milk machines and get some black stuff on her cloth. Did you wonder what that was?
   * This is what that was -- MOLD.  Potentially dangerous stuff, and a MAJOR health violation if present.
   * To clean this, use pink soap and then sanitizer. Do not reuse the same white towel when wiping things down.
 - **Garbage Disposal Safety.**
   * ++++Training:|
   * Pass around 2 or 3 perfectly good forks to a small group of people and let them examine the forks in detail for a few seconds.
   * Place one down in the garbage disposal unit.
   * Flip the disposal switch to the right.  --It's just a rinse; nothing happens.
   * Cut the disposal back off.  People are disappointed.
   * Flip the disposal switch to the left and IMMEDIATELY switch it back off.  --Even though current only goes to it for a half second or less it keeps going.  The fork bounces all around.
   * Wait until everything stops moving completely. Then CAREFULLY get the fork out.
   * Show the group what the fork itself actually looks like.  Very few people go away unimpressed at how powerful and dangerous those blades actually are after that...
   * Show the group the proper way to deal with the garbage disposal before sticking your hand very far in -- turning the fuse off.

++++

   * DON'T ever stick your hands down into the garbage disposal UNLESS
     - the garbage disposal is off,
     - the fuse is off,
     - AND everybody in the dishwashing area knows what you're doing.
   * DON'T flip the garbage disposal fuse back on UNLESS:
     - you have explicitly let everybody in the immediate area (dishwashing room) know what you are doing and gotten direct, active confirmation of understanding,
     - you have yelled to make sure that people know you are about to flip the fuse back on,
     - AND you have visually checked to make sure nobody has their hands anywhere near the garbage disposal sink.
 - **Stove safety**: never try to cut off all the pilot lights. ++Training tip: There's no practical demo for this.|  And with good reason. (Just show people what the pilot lights look like and tell them what is noted below.)++
   * Our gas is ALWAYS on.  The pilot lights burn up the excess and indicates everything is functioning properly.  You don't want to see any of them off.  You NEVER want to see ALL of them off.
   * If, in addition to seeing them all off you also smell an unpleasant odor, open the doors wide and immediately get out of the kitchen.

Other:  (note that **the last item here** is vitally important, and would have been #1 or 2 if I were typing this at a better hour)

 - **Stove safety** (be aware of how hot the stove can actually be without signalling it).
   * NEVER touch the stove with your bare hands. NEVER.
   * ++++Training:|
   * Turn on the long flat stovetop to 4 notches and let it heat for about ten(?) minutes.
   * Turn it off and let it cool for twenty minutes.
   * Grab a plastic bucket of cool water. Explain about the heat. Dump/splash/toss the water onto the surface (from a distance).
   * Let everybody watch the water you just threw on there immediately boil away to steam.
   * Reiterate why nobody should touch any part of the stove with their bare hands!

++++

 - **Cleaning up spills.**
 - **Using the can opener properly.**
 - **What NOT to do when crushing cans.**
 - **How to clean can opener properly.**
 - **How to clean the floor drains beneath the sink.**
 - **How to clean the stove top eyes.**
   * These just remove, use oven mitts, treat like you handle the foodplates -- washed, rinsed, run through the dishwasher if want, then sanitize them (dump them in the sanitizing-sink bin like the pots and pans) and if need cleaning just scrub them with steel wool.
   * When replacing them, orient them the right way (arch goes front and back, not on the sides), otherwise you risk putting out the pilot light (effectively a gas leak) or superheating it (you will burn yourself on it).
 - **How to mop properly.**
   * Do not use the yellow buckets; those are for the bathroom clean.
   * Use the blue buckets or the brown buckets.
   * Use the hottest water as possible and as little soap as possible (too much soap = like glass when wet, like flypaper when dry).
   * Use a damp mopping technique (ring it out as much as possible before using it on the floor, rotate in the mop wringer and //then// squeeze the ringer shut on it).
 - **How to label food properly.**

Email #3

List of the 30 or so things a person should be able to do, how to test, explain -- long version.

 - Intro video
   * Trainees, placed with back to stove facing kitchen prep table and pot and pan shelves beyond, should be able to:
     * locate the linen closet
     * dress in aprons
     * locate the checklists opposite the salad wash sinks
     * verbalize that there are probably 3 major areas they’ll be concerned with for the evening
 - After dinner food storage
   * Trainees should be able to:
     * verbalize that food is transferred from metal containers to plastic bins
     * verbalize that the food packed into the bins should not be packed higher than the width of 2 fingers
     * verbalize that the food is then stored in the walk-in fridge for about 2 hours, being stirred occasionally
   * Trainees may recognize that food allergen information should be included. 
   * TRAINEES NEED TO BE TAUGHT HOW TO PROPERLY LABEL ITEMS.  This is NOT covered quite completely and correctly in the video.
     * Labels MUST include:
       * date prepared
       * date to be disposed of
     * Labels should include:
       * some indication of WHAT the item is
       * the day it is to be disposed (circled at the bottom)
 - Sweeping
   * Trainees should be able to:
     * locate the brooms and dustpans from the linen closet
     * identify the major areas of concern in the outside dining room, including, but not limited to:
       * the cereal section
       * the dishwashing carts (which need to be moved so that area can be swept)
       * underneath tables
       * underneath the fridges
     * Ideally, the fridges get moved every so often.  So does the great wooden stand which holds the silverware.
   * TRAINEES NEED TO BE TAUGHT THAT ALL MAJOR FOOD AREAS NEED TO BE SWEPT, not just outside in the dining room.
     * This includes:
       * underneath the stove (which can be sectionally moved (carefully!) for better access)
       * under the pot and pan shelves
       * in the walk-in fridge
       * in the pantry
       * in the dishroom
       * in the rec room area (where boxes are thrown for later recycling that evening)
 - Milk cleaning and restocking
   * Trainees should be able to:
     * defrost milk machine
     * clean the interior if given a sanitizer bin
     * clean all applicable areas
     * remove both metal clamps (sending both through the dish machine if necessary)
     * locate the milk stored in the back of the walk-in
     * change whatever needs changing
   * AT MINIMUM they should be able to describe this process.
   * TRAINEES NEED TO ACTUALLY PERFORM THESE ACTIONS IF POSSIBLE.
     * This is one of the items that really requires hands-on experience for people to feel competent in tackling.
   * Also, not really covered in the video:
     * the heavy metal clamps each have a small triangular “key” that fits inside them.  These need to be thoroughly washed and put back into place once clean as well.
     * Milk-changing can be done by either 1 person or 2.
       * The individual should be strong enough to handle the weight comfortably from knee to waist to chest height.
       * They can be tested with helpers nearby.
       * Obviously, if they are visibly shaking from the exertion at any point, they should not attempt the procedure alone.
     * The single person insertion requires using part of the forearm to raise the heavy metal clamps while the milk spout is being inserted.
       * This will be extremely hot if coming out of the dishwashing machine and should be cooled first.
       * **//Risk of burn and injury from simultaneously handling the milk crates heavy weight if this is not done first.//**

Email #4

Anyone having gone through training should be able to do the following and have SOME idea of why they are doing this.

Note that this is meant to be a description of what the person should physically be able to DO after training, so may read awkwardly.

 - wash hands but carefully use paper towel to not only dry hands but cut off faucets
 - use litmus paper to identify quat sanitizer 
 - use the sanitizer system to get hot detergent, warm sanitizer, or plain water of any temperature on request
 - clean a complex spill inside the sink
   - remove the bulk of large debris by hand with paper towel and/or other utensils
   - use the drain control lever to open drain to widest point
   - use a butter knife to GENTLY widen the drain opening to remove particles as large as peas, rice or carrots
   - remove bulk of remaining grease, cream or oil with paper towel
   - use pink soap NOT sanitizer, along with the green side of a scrubber sponge, to actually clean grease, cream, or oil residue from sink
   - rinse fully, either with plain water followed by sanitizer, or sanitizer alone, using full force water directed through the sanitizer system to get hard to reach areas.
 - create a sanitizer solution using bleach and water
   - just enough bleach to cover the bottom of the cap of the bleach bottle
   - water to the fill line of a green-topped lunch prep container
   - mix thoroughly with gloved hand
   - test with the BLUE litmus paper (color should score in middle of chart)
 - wash then glove hands for any process involving handling of clean items or food
 - know to remove food from metal to plastic containers when actually storing, always
 - properly cool leftovers
   - load hot food to max height of 2 finger-widths in plastic bin
   - leave uncovered in walk-in fridge for 2 hours
   - stir occasionally
     * //know that the practical test for this IS to stir the food in the walk-in (as long as stirring results in visible steam coming from the food, it is too hot and needs to remain in the walk-in)//
 - properly label items
   - label MUST include date prepared and date to dispose of
   - label must be attached to side of container
     * //labels pasted to lids of containers are insufficient because lids can and do get switched//
 - check to make sure the hobart has been properly drained (if not, drain it)
 - set up the hobart
   - check to see if there is enough "solid power" detergent to run the hobart
   - check to see if "rinse dry" bottle" has enough liquid to cover the bulb inside
   - turn on all 5 switches of the hobart
   - fill hobart
 - use the hobart
   * be able to wash standard dishes
   * be able to wash silverware
   * know that silverware must be washed twice
     * 1'st time in tray that is no more than 1 layer thick with silverware
     * 2'nd time in silverware holders with HANDLES up, business end down
     * know that this prevents contamination from residents reaching all over silverware en masse in actual dining room use

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