[Sca-cooks] Food Safety in the SCA

[Gwen Barclay]

Evelyn,

>From experiences with food festivals (not SCA) as a professional, I found that there are 2 items that you can bet will always be scrutinized at events such as these:  food temperatures which must be below 40 degrees or above 140 always tested with the instant thermo-meter.  I would never chance a bad reading from my own, so kept cold food a few degrees under 40 and hot food a few degrees above 140.

If food is being pre-prepared and brought to another site  - be aware that certain cooked foods are a possible catastrophe waiting to happen.  Mashed potatoes - even partially mashed, rice and beans of any kind are very difficult to transport.  I will never forget when a helpful volunteer decided to start  heating 10 lbs. of cooked beans in a steam table!  I found them bubbling over the side and smelling to high heaven. I realize that some foods that are "suspect" may not be applicable to events connected to SCA but it is always wise to be aware of possible problems ahead of time.

The other violation that health department inspectors always check is the cleanliness of cooking and serving utensils.  They should be kept in a container of water with a small amount of bleach.  This is particularly important when there is no hot water, or when serving a buffet for a group that doesn't come all at the same time.

I hope these tips might be helpful to some members.