[Sca-cooks] Safety in the Kitchen

[Christine Seelye-King]

1.  What do you do to protect yourself in the kitchen from injuries?

2.  Do you bring your own first-aid kit?  If so what do you consider
essential?

3.  Do you have any personal "problems" and what steps to you take to look
after yourself - proir, during and after the event?

Marina

Here are a few pages on the topic from my "Feast Planner's Handbook".
Christianna


Plan for a Safe and Clean Kitchen

	In order to have a safe kitchen, you will want to take a few things into
consideration ahead of time so that you can plan and pack accordingly.
Consider adding a few of these to your packing list -

Ø	Hair bands (or nets) for securing loose locks
Ø	Strings or zip-ties to secure loose or flowing garb
Ø	Extra aprons for helpers in nice garb
Ø	Anti-bacterial hand soap for the handwashing station
Ø	Thermometers for coolers, freezers, ovens, warming areas
Ø	Clock or watch
Ø	Paper and Pens

Cleaning products to pack:

Ø	Aluminum Foil
Ø	Bleach - to sanitize in a 1 to 10 mixture with water
Ø	Broom
Ø	Dish washing liquid - for sink washing
Ø	Garbage bags
Ø	Mop and bucket - use approved floor cleaner for site
Ø	Plastic wrap - To cover leftovers and foods in process
Ø	Scrubbing pads - for goop that’s stuck to pans, pots, and counters
Ø	Sponges - for wiping tables and soaking up spills
Ø	Spray bottles - are handy with bleach mixtures to clean glass surfaces and
metal counters
Ø	Towels - for handwashing station as well as general kitchen use
Ø	Hot Pads
Ø	Zip-lock bags - to put leftovers in


Kitchen Safety and Sanitation

Keep your workplace safe.  Kindly turn away ill or inebriated volunteers.
Someone with the sniffles might be infecting the entire dining room, and you
never need help that badly!
Make sure the person you give an assignment to understands the job and the
tools necessary to accomplish it.  Check them out on any technique or tool
they might be unsure of.
Don’t let anyone use their personal belt knife to cut food.  If possible,
take a few decent knives and basic tools with you to ensure you have enough
tools in good condition to work with.
Hair should be restrained in some fashion.  You don’t need to distribute
hairnets to your volunteers, but encourage them to wear hats, wimples,
headbands, or something to keep loose hair from falling into the food
(Yuck!).  Men with heavy beards might be asked to step outside and have a
quick, vigorous brushing.
SCA garb provides an additional challenge to kitchen safety.  Many long
tunics and sleeves can get in the way.  Encourage your volunteers to wear
comfortable, washable, non-binding clothing.  Some angel-wing sleeves can be
knotted up or tied back completely (which is what they did in period),
others may need to be tied back with the aid of a string or ribbon.
Close-toed shoes are a must; no bare feet in the kitchen.  If you have a
supply of aprons, this can help keep garb clean, as well as helping to
secure costume parts that may get caught in a mixer, dunked into boiling
water, or melted by leaning into an oven. (Some medallions and jewelry can
catch fire!)  Discourage rings and bracelets, as well as long, dangling
neck-wear.

Make sure you have a designated hand sink and that you use it, and that
everyone in your kitchen uses it regularly.

Handwashing, dishwashing, and food preparation areas should be separated.
If you don’t have enough sinks for this, consider adding a handwashing
station with soap and a pitcher-and-basin water setup, or a separate tub for
dish and pot washing.    These measures are a must for outdoor cooking
set-ups.

The danger zone for bacteria growth is 40 - 145 degrees F.

 Food should be kept colder or hotter than this, whether being cooked,
thawed, stored, or held for service.   Take a couple of oven/refrigerator
thermometers with you to check out the accuracy of the coolers, freezers,
ovens, and warming equipment you will be using.
Foods thawing out from a frozen state should be kept in  the cooler or under
cold water, not in hot water or left on a counter-top to come to room
temperature.  Check foods for signs of spoilage, and don’t serve something
you are unsure of.  Better to have one less dish than take a chance on
making your guests ill.


Disease

Major Food Borne Illnesses
	Knowing your major food-borne illnesses and what causes them gives you a
fighting chance of avoiding them.

Bacterial Food Infection - food ingested has large quantities of bacteria,
symptoms appear within 12-24 hours.

Includes:
Ø	Salmonellosis - raw eggs, meat, poultry, dairy products commonly carry
Salmonella, improperly cooked or reheated foods and unsanitary handling can
spread it.
Ø	Shigeliosis (Dysentery) - carried in human feces, and is spread by
improper handling of foods, and not washing hands after using the toilet.
Ø	Clostridium Perfringens - the organism which causes gangrene, normally
found in the intestinal tract.   Slow-cooked foods, especially meat, are at
risk.
Outbreaks are usually traced to banquets and large gatherings.
Ø	Brucellosis - found in the milk of cows and goats, destroyed by
pasteurization.  Also found in some meats. Comes from improper handling of
raw foods, reheated foods, improper handwashing after using the toilet, and
insufficient pasteurization.


Bacterial Food Poisoning - results from ingesting food containing toxins
produced by bacteria. Symptoms appear within 1-6 hours.

Includes:
Ø	Staphylococcal Food Poisoning - found in the nose, throat, or hands of
food handlers, also in the air and in wounds and abrasions of the skin.
Foods commonly associated are custards, cream filings in pastries, cream
puffs, cream sauces, mayonnaise, chicken and turkey salads, potato salad,
croquettes, ham, ground beef stews, poultry dressing, fish, ice cream, and
casserole combinations.  Food appears as usual, no odor or taste.
Ø	Botulism - found in inadequately processed home-canned foods, especially
medium to low-acid foods such as string beans, corn, beets, and mushrooms.
Avoid spoiled canned foods, any canned product that appears to be bulging or
exhibits pressure in the container, home-canned vegetables should be boiled
10 minutes before use or tasting.


Dealing with Crisis

You never know what crisis, personal or otherwise, may be lurking around the
corner.  Hot tempers, accidents, bad weather, and many other things can and
may happen at your event.  The best thing you can do when such problems come
to the kitchen is to be rested, prepared and civil.  There is more than one
way to deal with a problem when it comes up. When you make choices as to
what is the right way to deal with a problem, remember that you have the
power and authority to make the decisions in your kitchen.  Don’t let anyone
else deal with a problem without keeping you in the know.
If you find yourself in a dilemma, prioritize your decision this way:

1.	Safety First. -
2.	Keep it legal.
3.	Represent the Society and your local group well.
4.	Be fair.

Jimmy Stewart has a great line in the Movie “Harvey”, along the lines of,
“In life, you can be oh so smart, or oh so pleasant
 I’ve tried the former,
and I prefer the latter.”
As long as what you are saying is said with sureness and confidence, people
will believe you, and do as they are told.  If you speak your directives in
an unsure voice, your people will begin to waver and doubt.  Don’t shout or
get angry at your helpers, they are volunteers just like you.  If you are
organized and calm, your staff will follow your lead.
Know what your plan is and steer your crew through any changes.  (Caution:
don’t leave out being flexible.  Saying, “I don’t know, but give me 5
minutes and I will find out for you,” is a very reasonable answer, too.)
So, once again,: Don’t panic.  Be prepared to pilot the ship, rather than
just hang on for dear life.  There will be ten people asking you ten
different things all at once.  Recognize that many will be asking the same
thing, which is “So, now what am I supposed to do?”

Be ready.

In the planning stages of the event, talk with your Autocrat about emergency
needs.	Even with the best feast plan in the world, spills happen.  At the
last minute, a helper can spill all of those beaten eggs on the floor that
you were just about to cook for breakfast.  The feast must go on – so you
need more eggs.  What to do?

A wise Autocrat will have access to Petty Cash on the day of the event in
case of urgent need.  A feast planner should not leave site if at all
possible – send someone with a list of exactly what you want. (Note:
ambiguity is the Devil’s volleyball, and, if this is truly urgent, you don’t
want your minion to have to make two trips.)  When you need to send someone
off site for a supply, it is best to give them cash (as group checks usually
contain Double Signature, and sending a person with a signed blank check is
usually a bad move, and the person you send may not have a credit card) and
tell the runner to be sure to come back with a receipt.  Once he has
returned with the items needed, collect the change and the receipt from him
and be gracious with your appreciation.