POTENTIALLY HAZARDOUS FOODS OR TCS FOODS
Foods that provide a good environment for the growth of disease-causing microorganisms are called potentially hazardous foods. In the conditions for the growth of bacteria, the protein foods with sufficient moisture and neutral pH are the most likely to host bacteria that cause diseases. Of the conditions in the list, the one over which we have the most controls temperature.
These foods are also called TCS foods. The abbreviation stands for time/temperature control for safety. In other words, our guidelines for keeping foods out of food danger zone temperature, except for limited times, must be followed to keep these foods safe.
Potentially hazardous food fall into two general categories, plus four specific items that do not fit into these categories. All these foods, plus any foods prepared with any of them, are potentially hazardous:
1. Any food derived from animals or any food contain animal products, including meat, poultry, fish, shellfish, eggs, and dairy products.
2. Any food derived from plants that have been cooked, partially cooked, or otherwise heat-treated. This category includes not only cooked vegetables but also such items as cooked pasta, cooked rice, and tofu.
3. Raw seed sprouts.
4. Sliced melons (because the edible flesh can be contaminated by organisms on the rind’s exterior, which was in contact with soil).
5. Cut tomatoes (for the same reason as sliced melons).
6. Garlic and mixtures (because the oil seals the garlic from the air, fostering the growth of anaerobic bacteria, as explained above). Foods that are not potentially hazardous include dried or dehydrated foods, foods that are strongly acidic, and commonly processed food that are still in their original unopened, sealed containers.
LOCOMOTION
Bacteria can move from place to place in only one way: they must be carried. They cannot move on their own.
Foods can become contaminated by any of the following means:
Hands Air
Cough and sneezes Water
Other foods Insects
Equipment and Utensils Rats and mice
PROTECTION AGAINST BACTERIA Because we know how and why bacteria grow, be able to keep them from growing.
Keep bacteria from spreading Don’t let food touch anything that may contain disease-producing bacteria, and protect food from bacteria in the air.
Stop bacteria from growing to Take away the conditions that encourage bacteria to grow. In the kitchen, our best weapon is temperature. The most effective way to prevent bacterial growth is to keep food below 410 F
(50C) or above 1350 F (570 C). These temperatures won’t necessarily kill bacteria; they will just slow their growth greatly.
Kill bacteria. Most disease-causing bacteria re killed if they are subjected to a temperature of 1700 F (770 C) for 30 seconds or higher temperatures go short times. This enables us to make food safe by cooking and sanitized dishes and equipment with heat. The term sanitize means to kill disease-causing bacteria.
Certain chemicals also kill bacteria. These may be used for sanitizing equipment.
The chef was her own miracle. She saw a brilliance in food, a potential to help and heal others, a way to show them how the sublime was simply a mixture of the ordinary. It was her genius at play, seeing what the rest of us didn't. I guess that's why we called it her culinary magic and joked that her spoon was a wand carved from the spirit tree. Either way, she made us all so happy, food does that, right? It feeds the soul, brings smiles and bonds, makes everything so much better
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