When training staff how to wash dishes by hand or proper procedures using a warewashing machine, food safety managers should always teach air drying dishes completely before they are put away. It may be tempting to stack drying dishes to save space or use a clean towel to speed up the process, but air drying offers the safest way to dry dishes from a food safety standpoint. In order to make this common practice it helps to explore the science behind air drying dishes in your kitchen versus other methods.
The Science Behind Air Drying Dishes for Food Safety Managers
Some food service employees may think that “dry is dry,” so why does it matter how we get there? Why can’t we simply use a towel or just put dishes away as soon as they’re done being washed?
Towel drying clean dishes produces a major cross-contamination risk and actually soils the dishes as you dry them. Imagine using the same bath towel every time you step out of the shower, but you’re showering hundreds of times a day. We’re not sure what you’re doing to require that many showers, but what you do on your own time is up to you.
Over the course of continued use, a damp towel can harbor bacteria, sanitizer solutions and be a breeding ground for foodborne illness culprits. All it would take is for one contaminated plate for your entire warewashing inventory to become a food poisoning nightmare.
Stacking your dishes before they dry is also a recipe for disaster. Most sanitizer solutions need to air dry to fully evaporate off of the surface of dishes. Stacking your dishes could trap the moisture and sanitizing solutions together increasing the risk these chemicals might come into contact with a customer’s meal. If moisture is trapped between stacked dishes for great lengths of time, it can also attract bacteria, mildew and even insects, so make sure dishes dry completely before storage.
Experienced food safety managers know the best solution to air drying dishes is to provide a stainless steel drying rack where dishes can be stored to dry. Make sure all dishes have space for air to travel through to promote drying and never line the shelves with towels or other materials that may absorb moisture and promote bacteria growth.
Do you have a well thought out solution for air drying your clean dishes?
