Cooking Competition Food Safety

The time of year has come where about every weekend we have a cooking competition of some type in our area. These range from Brunswick stew to chili and everything in between. Cooking competition food safety is so very important especially when multiple people are supposed to be handling the food and there are blind taste tests. We wanted to touch on some of the most important tips and tricks to not only making the competition fun but also making sure it is safe and no one gets sick. One illness can ruin a great time and can lead to potentially fatal results.

So you have whipped up your most prized recipe. Now what? You have to obviously pack is up and travel with it. Many competitions have rules about the way that food should be presented when competing. Most in our area allow Crock Pots or slow cookers to preserve the temperature of the food while the competition is happening.

Leading Causes of Illness:

• Failure to cool food properly
• Food not hot enough
• Infected food handler
• Preparation a day or more ahead of time
• Raw food mixed with cooked food
• Food left in the DANGER ZONE (41 to 140 F)
• Cross-contamination

How can you be prepared for a food competition? Much like you would for any pot luck style meal. Here are some tips:

• Select a person who is familiar with food service sanitation to be in charge. Hold a short training session for volunteers.
• Prepare food in a kitchen specifically designed for quantity food production.
• Plan ahead! Make sure the location meets your needs. Does it have adequate storage space in the refrigerator and freezer? Does it have the cooking and hot-holding equipment you need?
• Obtain food from inspected sources.
• Store and prepare food safely. Refrigerate or freeze potentially hazardous foods in shallow containers within two hours of shopping or preparing.
• Prepare and cook food safely.
• Always work with clean hands.
• Cook food to the recommended safe internal temperature.
• Never partially cook food for finishing later because you increase the risk of bacterial growth.
• For best quality and safety, prepare foods close to serving time.
• Refrigerate ingredients for salads before mixing them together.

Recommended Food Temperatures:

The Danger Zone for food is between 40 degrees F, refrigerator temperature, and 140 degrees F, hold hot food above this temperature.

• 0 degrees F – Freezer temperature
• 40 degrees F – Refrigerator temperature
• 140 degrees F – Hold HOT foods
• 145 degrees F – Pork or beef steaks, roasts, veal, lamb (medium rare after three-minute rest time)
• 160 degrees F – Meats (medium), egg dishes and ground meats
• 165 degrees F – Stuffing, whole poultry, poultry breasts, ground poultry, reheat leftovers

Safely Transporting Foods:

When bringing food to a potluck, keep these tips in mind:

• Keep cold foods cold. Keep food at or below 40 F. Place in a cooler with a cold source, such as ice.
• Keep hot foods hot. Use insulated containers for hot items such as stews and chili. Pack right before you leave and don’t open them until serving time.
• Tightly seal and wrap foods.
• Do not transport food with animals.

Controlling hazards from source to service is the key to safe food.

Your local health department or state agency can tell you what types of food can be served under both local and state ordinances.

Contact them with any questions you have regarding food offered to the public. It’s their job to make sure food is served safely, not to shut down a community event!

Extra Tips: