Responsibilities Of A Food Handler!

A Food borne illness is any illness caused by consuming foods or beverages contaminated with disease-causing microorganisms, hazardous chemicals or physical hazards. A food borne disease outbreak is when two or more people have the same illness after eating the same food. The food service industry regularly experiences tremendous financial losses due to food borne illness. Such losses can be significantly reduced, however, through knowledge and education.

Food borne illness and outbreaks are associated with such behaviors as poor personal hygiene, time and temperature abuse and cross contamination. These topics will be discussed in a later section. A food handler must report to their employer if they are diagnosed with,exposed to or exhibiting symptoms from Norovirus, hepatitis A virus, Salmonella typhi, Shigella spp. or shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli.

When a food handler becomes ill, proper precautions must be taken. To ensurethe safety of the consumers, the manager of the establishment will either restrict or exclude the ill food handler. Restriction is when a food handler(who does not serve highly susceptible populations) is allowed to work in the food establishment but is not allowed to perform tasks that would cause contamination of food or utensils. Exclusion is when a food handler is not permitted to work in a food establishment until they provide a written release from the proper authority.

The employer shall restrict food handlers that have been diagnosed with the following diseases: sore throat with fever, lesions containing pus, an infected wound, or discharges from the eyes, nose and mouth. Employees exhibiting these symptoms must report them to their employer.The employer shall exclude food handlers that have been diagnosed with the following diseases: Norovirus, hepatitis A virus, Salmonella typhi, Shigella spp. or shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli. Employees exhibiting these symptoms must report them to their employer.

There are additional requirements for contacting ready-to-eat foods with bare hands. Food handlers may contact ready-to-eat food with their bare hands if documentation is kept, that the food handler has signed, stating that they have received training on hand washing and additional control measures and that the establishment requires that employees must utilize two or more safeguards. These safeguards include double hand washing, nail brushes, hand sanitizer (antiseptics) after hand washing, incentive program or other approved control measures. These safeguards, however, are in addition to proper hand washing.

Documentation must be maintained at the food establishment that corrective actions are taken when any of the food borne illness, good hygienic practices or bare hand contact of ready-to-eat rules are not followed. In Texas it is best to be aware of these protocols by obtaining your Texas Food Handlers Certification and Food Handler Permit Texas.

French Door Refrigerators More Than Classy Kitchen Appliances

French door refrigerators are the modern answer to the ubiquitous food storage appliance. There was a time when the side-by-side refrigerator was the kitchen must have. Newly unveiled in the late sixties, they pleased the aesthetically inclined who were tired of the ?ice box” look that had changed minimally in the last century. By the twentieth century however, the side by side was becoming a tired trend, and many owners were bored with the design that proved to be cumbersome in daily use. They needed something lovely but completely food storage friendly; enter French door refrigerators.

French door refrigerators trickled onto the appliance market in the nineties, and are now offered by nearly every major appliance manufacturer. In recent years, the popularity of these refrigerators has soared, and for good reason. French door refrigerators combine great design with excellent usability. The refrigerator’s double doors operate like a pair of French doors in a home, equally sized and used to access the large refrigeration ?room”?unlike a side-by-side refrigerator which houses refrigeration behind one long door and the freezer behind the other. The French door refrigerator’s freezer compartment is accessed by a single door the width of the refrigerator beneath the double doors.

Common complaints about side by side or even standard refrigerators relate to accessibility and storage. It’s not difficult to lose a carton of blueberry yogurt in the back of a fridge, or have trouble stuffing a twenty pound turkey in amongst the week’s shopping. French door refrigerators on the other hand, have an extensive amount of space within their double doors. Even though its cubic feet may match that of your bisque beauty, it’s the smart layout of that interior refrigeration space and its shelves, cubbies, and drawers that make the difference. Additionally, with the refrigeration compartment at eye level, there’s no stooping or squatting to find foods or clean shelves. The freezer of the French door model wasn’t overlooked in the design phase; most have multiple drawers of varying depths to make organization of frozen foods simple.

It isn’t just enough that a refrigerator be practical; it has to be pretty too. Ideally, you want your refrigerator to be a workhorse when it comes to function and a beauty when it comes to form. French door refrigerators offer the best of both worlds; ease of use and classic styling updated for this century. French door refrigerators are easily at home in a suburban Colonial kitchen or a Manhattan penthouse. Makers provide an extensive selection of colors and finishes for their French door refrigerators, from the classic white, almond, and black, to stainless steel and titanium. You can also opt to select a wood finish for your French door refrigerator that matches that of your kitchen cabinetry.

French door refrigerators aren’t a fad; their quality of design and handsome good looks are capable of taking anything a family of six can dish out, while still looking impeccable for a late night dinner party with friends. The side-by-side may have been the new kid once, but French door refrigerators are a smart appliance choice that is here to stay.

french door refrigerators

Remove The Taste Of Plastic In Food

Do you like the taste of plastic? Probably not. Many times, we use plastic bags to store our food, and the chemical taste of plastic leeches in to whatever we’re storing. If you want to prevent that taste from cropping up and ruining your lunch, follow this quick guide.

To begin, there are many things you can do to prevent the taste of plastic tainting your food. You should start by not leaving plastic bags in the sun. The hot sun slightly melts and weakens the plastic,while releasing chemicals in the process. These chemicals contaminate the food that was in the bag, are harmful in large quantities, and also do not taste nice.

If you absolutely have to keep your food stored in a plastic bag, then you should try to prevent the food from touching the plastic. Wrap whatever you’re storing in a paper towel or something similar. This works great for sandwiches, but isn’t ideal if you’re trying to wrap some tortilla chips.

One of the best alternatives to plastic is the paper bag. Both pollute the world, but the paper bag will eventually deteriorate. The paper bag also doesn’t leave a chemical taste on your food. If you want to store some tortilla chips, try storing them in a paper bag and not a plastic one.

If you don’t want to store your food in a paper bag, you can use a glass container. Glass is inert and won’t leave any chemical traces on the food that is stored inside it. Glass, however, is not very strong. It could be dangerous to bring a glass container on a long trip or to school, as it can break and hurt yourself or others.

Another wonderful alternative to plastic is a wooden container. Wood has been utilized by humans for a very long time, and thus has proved itself as a worthy container for food. Certain woods like cedar or maple may leave a woody taste in your food, but that’s much better than the chemical taste of plastic.

The great thing about wood is that it’s very sturdy. A wooden lunch box could last for a very long time if kept properly. Since it’s not easily breakable, many people have been bringing back the wooden lunch box. It’s slowly turning into an icon.

If wood isn’t your thing, you could check out a metal lunchbox. Metal lunchboxes are great for storing food, and are also stylish. There have been a few re-issues of this old style, and many people are embracing the metal lunch box because of it’s usability. Since it’s so lightweight, it makes a great food carrier.

You should take caution not to get your metal lunchbox wet. If its made of steel, it will probably rust. Chances are good that if you don’t like the taste of plastic, you won’t like the taste of rust, either.

Instead of getting a container, you can try wrapping your food in different papers. Wax paper and butcher paper have been used for centuries to wrap food, and they work just as good today as they did 100 years ago. Paper is also safer for you than plastic, and won’t leave any tastes on the food.

Now that you know how to avoid that plastic smell, you should try out these ideas. I fought the plastic monster for nearly 25 years, and finally beat it after thinking outside of the box and making the decision to move away from this impure substance. You can beat it, too, if you just stop using it.

Baby Shower Food Ideas For Guests

Baby showers just like any other kind of party will always consists of gifts, games, great conversations and of course food. Although, unlike most celebrations or parties this festivity does not require you to serve heavy or full meals, you can choose to serve pica-pica or finger foods. This is to make your guests easier to interact with one another and to give a cosy and warm ambience. No need for waiters to serve each guest as baby shower is one of those informal gatherings. This is also typically attended by the expectant mother’s closest friends, family and relatives. However, this does not mean that there is no need to prepare and think of special dishes to serve. To make the occasion more fun, you should always be search for baby shower ideas on the delicious foods to prepare.
The typical style in a baby shower is that guests bring their own share of food. However, if the event is not well organized, there is a big possibility that some guests would bring the same food as the other. As a host, you do not want this thing to happen, so better assign or ask your guests what they plan to bring. There is nothing wrong with instant baby showers, however if you want to avoid things like this, then try to plan ahead. Ask your invited guests for any baby shower ideas for the food.
The easiest way to collect some ideas on the food to serve during baby shower is by making a list. You can broaden your list by letting your guests help and join you. Before the event tell your expected visitors to make their own list of food as well. Then try to come up with the most common dish and make sure that it is served in the event. The typical baby shower ideas when it comes to food consist of pastrami, pizza, cupcakes and chips. After creating the possible foods to serve ask your guests if they are fine with the list this is to ensure everyone will enjoy something as not all of us have the same taste.
Now that the list of baby shower ideas has been created it is now time to see which food will all go together. Once the decision has been reached, ask your guests which food particular food they would like to bring. Assign someone also to handle the drinks, dishes, utensils, ice and all the other things needed for the party.
If in any case you are not yet satisfied with the foods presented, there is always the internet to help you find several baby shower ideas. There are tons of helpful websites that have diverse ideas to help you out.

Beat The Heat And Ensure Good Health With A Cup Of Iced Tea!

You can say the concept of drinking iced tea was serendipity by a plantation owner Richard Blechynden in the year 1904. Since then the practice of drinking tea topped with ice continues. The beverage has been brewed in many different ways and has been served differently to enhance taste. So, if you are looking for a refreshing anti-oxidant boost, you know what to order for. You can also make such rejuvenating beverage at home without any difficulty. Nevertheless, you should know that drinking a cup of tea topped with ice is not just a thirst quencher; it has loads of health benefits too like –

1. It comprises anti-oxidants, vitamins C and E, and amino acids. These substances strengthen the immune system of the body and prevent against cell damages. The beverage is also good for maintaining a sound cardio-vascular health. Anti-oxidants like flavonoids present in the tea reduce the possibilities of heart attack and cardio-vascular stroke. Anti-oxidants are also effective in combating blood circulation problems as they can reduce inflammatory processes.

2. According to a recent study, catechins present in iced tea can prevent cancer. Such substances work by inhibiting enzyme activities that lead to cancer. The effect of catechins is most pronounced in cases of liver, skin, and stomach cancers.

3. Flouride content in iced tea maintains tooth enamel perfectly. Moreover, researchers have found that there are substances in iced tea, which are known to prevent bacterial growth inside the mouth thereby preventing bad breath and plaque.

4. Experts say that bone health is enhanced by drinking such a beverage. People who drank iced tea throughout their life are found to have more bone density during their old ages than non-drinkers. Therefore, to ensure healthy teeth and bones, you should switch to drinking iced tea.

5. According to the Nutrition Research Journal, presence of compounds like L-theanine, improves the immune response of the body to infections like cough and cold and flu. Intestinal health is also enhanced by drinking iced tea regularly.

While there are loads of benefits of iced tea, you should make it a point to consume tea freshly brewed from the leaves. Avoid using powdered instant and ready-made bottled teas. Nevertheless, it is also important to ensure that you are buying the best quality leaves from a reputed dealer. As, by doing this you will be able to experience the aroma and flavor of unadulterated tea leaves and above-mentioned health benefits.