r/firefighter • u/flashpointfd • 10d ago
The #1 food safety mistake I've seen in every station kitchen
Have you seen this? Raw chicken goes on the grill with a pair of tongs… then the same tongs get used to pull it off and serve it.
That’s textbook cross-contamination. In a restaurant, it’d be a health code violation. In the firehouse? Totally normal, I've done it myself.
Same thing with leftovers. Big pot of chili straight into the fridge, no cooling, still warm. That’s a bacteria factory, but I’ve never seen anyone question it.
We’d never accept this kind of shortcut on the fireground. Why do we shrug it off in the kitchen?
Do you think there should be some basic food safety training, or is that overkill? Have you ever seen (or been part of) a meal that made people sick?
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u/testingground171 9d ago
I got wet coughed on by a homeless guy, and had a drunk college student puke off the stretcher and watched it splatter over a 4 foot radius. The tongs and chili are not at the top of my list of health concerns.
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u/PermitSafe4984 8d ago
When i worked as a line cook, the chef kept a pot of lightly boiling water, maybe 200 degrees. He was constantly dipping his tongs in there in between grabbing stuff. Seemed to work great.
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u/DBDIY4U 7d ago
I am 42 and I have known about the tong thing since I was a kid. I grew up eating food cooked this way and have continued to do so all my adult life. I BBQ at least a couple times per week. My family and I have never gotten sick. My grandpa's theroy was that the chicken continued cooking on the outside after the flip so that didn't matter and the tongs got cooked some while flipping and the chicken was over 200 degrees on the outside when it comes off so it is fine.
I do agree about the pot of chili. My wife does this and I believe it has made us sick before. It also heats up the fridge. At the station there is usually not enough left over to worry about it.
At the station the food issue that bothers me the most is the half ass dish washing.
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u/PerrinAyybara 10d ago
Meh, I wash tongs after the first flip. Hot food is cooling while it's being eaten and then popped in the fridge. Most people do that at home as well
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u/bougdaddy 10d ago
I agree with the tongs and cross contamination but the chilli? How is letting it cool down on a counter better than putting it in the fridge (other than heating up the fridge a bit, unless that's what you mean)
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u/flashpointfd 10d ago
Yeah, good question... I had the same thought until I looked into it. The issue is a giant pot of chili can stay in the “danger zone” (135°F) for hours in the middle of the pot, even if the outside feels cold. That’s when bacteria can blow up.
I guess restaurants use shallow pans or ice baths to cool it faster so the whole batch gets below 70°F in 2 hours, and below 41°F in 6 hours. Putting the whole pot straight in the fridge looks safe, but the middle of the pot stays warm and that's where the issue is..
The FDA actually has a rule on this called the 2 stage colling requirement. Restaurants, schools and hospitals all train on this, so I think were a little late to the party..
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u/FrontAd9873 10d ago
In that case the issue is with the size of the container, not putting it into the fridge directly.
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u/flashpointfd 10d ago
Here is the link to the FDA sheet on storing food - I believe you're correct, smaller containers would not be an issue. Cooling Cooked Time/Temperature Control for Safety Foods and the FDA Food Code: for Food Employees
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u/joemedic 10d ago
In addition putting hot food directly into the fridge warms the entire fridge and everything in it until it catches up.
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u/chrishydro420 7d ago
Most restaurants I’ve run used cooling paddles. It’s a container shaped like a cross that you fill with water and freeze. We can drop 5 gallon containers of soup to safe temp in a very very small amount of time by ice bathing the exterior of the container and dropping a cooling paddle into the container. I’d suggest yall look into them for your stations.
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u/_josephmykal_ 10d ago
Do you wash tongs in between cooking process at home? I’d guess around 95% don’t.
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u/flashpointfd 10d ago
I do when I cook chicken, but now I'm trying to do it all the time.. Something I never really thought about..
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u/Electrical_Hour3488 10d ago
I either wash them, or after the second flip I hold them in the fire for a bit
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u/Dear-Palpitation-924 10d ago
Are you cooking your chicken sous vide on the grill? Otherwise your grill is plenty hot to kill any bacteria on the surface of your tongs.
Also unless you’re attempting to cool 15 qt cambros of chili, you’re misinformed on this issue. The safety issue is that large batches of hot items could potentially raise the temperature of the rest of your fridge to an unsafe zone. Modern refrigerators make this a non issue for most people. It’s actually safer to put it straight in the fridge.
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u/Bishop-AU 9d ago
When people start getting violently ill on the regular is about the time we should do food handling training.
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u/Odd_Insurance_9499 9d ago
No. Not everything needs a training. I've seen dudes trip before, we still don't have a training on tying our shoes. If you're worried about it that much, try mentoring them our offer to help. Express your concern, back it up with facts.
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u/Squad508 9d ago
I'm gonna need you to get on Target Solutions and complete your annual "Food prep safety for the firehouse" please.
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u/WeakerThanYou 9d ago
I'd be up for some training. why not? keeping the boys healthy should be a high priority.
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u/TheUnpopularOpine 9d ago
Grill tongs get closed under the grill lid with the handle sticking out for high heat sterilization. It’s science.
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u/Electrical_Hour3488 10d ago
We had a seafood boil and the dude set the frozen fish packages in the sun on the bench outside for 8 hours then served them to everyone
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u/VegetablePlatform126 9d ago
I'm a former nurse, and I don't do that with any meat. A guy I know let's his meat sit on the counter for hours defrosting. Then sometimes decides to cook it tomorrow and puts it back in the fridge. Scary.
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u/MotorMobile7673 9d ago
I always wash my tongs after using them to put chicken on the grill (often just use my hands) and also after the first turn. Quick soap and hot water rub with a scrubbie. Once read a study that while soap helps remove germs it’s the friction that does most of the actual cleaning.
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u/Schroedesy13 8d ago
Just place the tongs through the grill nearer the flames for several seconds and you’re good.
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u/SEND_CATHOLIC_ALTARS 10d ago
Does it matter? Probably not. Does it gross me out every time a health code is violated? Yes. My captain (as fantastic a cook he is,) is extremely unsanitary in the kitchen. I mean, at least he washes his hands.