Everyone who walks into a restaurant is fascinated or impressed by how a kitchen is designed and how it looks. 

Food safety is the primary reason for anyone who designs kitchens or produces kitchen equipment. Food technologists and manufacturers work hard to get the best kitchen in terms of health, safety, and design. Chefs and kitchen teams will look after their maintenance and other aspects. There is also a specific reason why kitchen equipment has a specific place, shape and position or is made with a specific material. The science that applies different fields to the production and manufacturing of food and types of equipment is called Food engineering. The file providing all the guidelines in terms of law and specifications for food the consumer safeguard is HACCP (Hazard Analysis of Critical Control Point). While HACCP has been adopted by many countries globally, it was initially invented by NASA. NASA studied how to provide safe food to their astronaut without gravity. That is to avoid food poisoning and other issues that could be difficult to handle in the absence of gravity.

Kitchen health and safety

A professional kitchen works in specific ways. They receive food and grocery every day from approved suppliers. Foods can be stored or processed or cooked and served. This food has to be checked and stored by a team member, and it can be rejected under certain conditions. After that, pans, pots and pieces of equipment come back to the kitchen, together with leftover foods and other wastage such as tissues, empty bottles, plastic sachets and others.

Therefore, a kitchen should have different areas.

• Food reception.
• Food storage. That includes fridges, freezers, and dry stores. (Refrigeration area)
• Food preparation area. Raw meats area, a pastry area, fruits and vegetables area. All the areas must be provided with sinks for food, handwash sinks, and hand soap and blue roll facilities. That is why we have a different sink in a different kitchen area. Also, everyone can notice the first item you see when you walk into a professional kitchen is the handwash sink. That should remind all the team members to wash their hands before starting any duty.
• Pot wash area, and a provided to store chemical.
• Pot and pan storage.
• Bin and waste area.
• To conclude, a Chef’s office to do paperwork.

Food Safety.

Protecting consumers and avoiding the spread of food diseases is the primary purpose of food safety.

Equipment should always be in excellent condition and cleaned. The fridge seals should always be in good condition and have a cleaned handle. The walls should have good insulation properties and be easy to handle and clean. Fridges should always stay below 8 degrees, and different foods should be stored in different areas to avoid any bacteria transfer.  

The floor should be made with a material that avoids slip and trips. Contact surfaces have to be easy to clean and easy to be inspected. Flat surfaces are more indicated than porous and rough surfaces, as they are likely to stay more cleaned. No contact surfaces should always be continued without gaps and creep. That will prevent them from hosting insects and rats. Tiles should always be light and shining. That will reflect the light. And light helps our foods.

Fumes, steam, and many odours are present every day in a kitchen. Everything in the kitchen has to be easy to clean and easy to be inspected. Ventilation plays an important role. Ventilation promotes a better temperature inside the kitchen and will allow the team to work in a better condition. The waste area should always be checked and cleaned to prevent attracting foxes, rats, and animals. 

No less significant is the role of the gas and fire in the kitchen. By the law, every kitchen should have a fire and gas system to prevent accidents and facilitate evacuation in case of an accident. Remember, hazards can be minimised but never extinguished.

If you like to know more and in detail, you can double-check the following laws.

The Food Safety Act 1990

 The Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992)

  The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 (Regulation 3)

 (Building Regulations 2000 pt H – Drainage & Waste Disposal (2002 edition

  Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998)

  (Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005)

  The Food Safety and Hygiene (England) Regulations 2013)

  F Gas Regulations 2007/2015)

  Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998

The material used in the kitchen is stainless steel. That is an alloy of aluminium and iron. We haver other materials used in the kitchen or for kitchen equipment  Titanium is considered safe and is used in many pots, pans and knives. Inconel It is made of an alloy of Nickel and Chromium. It is not used for pots or other equipment destinated for food processing. Mild Steel/ Iron. They are mainly used for non-contact surfaces due to their corrosion ability. Brass/ Copper/Bronze This type of material is very reactive to chemical solutions. They cannot be used for surfaces that will contact the chemical. They can be used for some types of equipment such as pasta extruders and similar types of equipment.

Conclusion.

When designing a kitchen, we need to consider different factors. That includes food safety, ventilation, refrigeration, wastage, and health and safety. Food engineers and others engineers work to get the best product. That has to comply with the law and with the consumer’s request.

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