All About Warewashing
All About Warewashing
Sep 10The Basics of Clean Dishes
A critical component of every foodservice operation is its warewashing system. Cleaning and properly sanitizing ware are critical to the success of any foodservice operation. Understanding the specifications and types of installations available to meet sanitary standards is an essential element for any type of foodservice establishment.
The type of warewashing facilities required is determined by several factors: the size of the operation, i.e., the number of people being fed; the type of items on the menu; the type of ware to be cleaned, and the available working space.
The Basics
Critical Elements - Clean dishes are a critical element in a foodservice operation. There are five critical factors that contribute to clean, sanitized dishware.
Time – There must be sufficient time allotted to the process of providing clean ware. Insufficient process time creates unsatisfactory results in the cleaning process.
Temperature - Both the wash temperature and final rinse temperature are determined by the type of mechanical warewashing system (see Types of Warewashing).
Mechanical Action – Mechanical action is the application of sufficient agitation to remove soil from ware. If handwashing is used, sufficient scrubbing action is required to assure clean ware. In automated warewashing, detergent and water is mixed through the detergent pump and sprayed over the ware through the wash arms. Insufficient agitation, or force, regardless of which mechanical method is used, will lead to inconsistent cleaning results.
Chemical Action - The agent required to loosen soil from the ware is the chemical action. A commercial detergent is required in commercial applications to assure consistently clean ware.
Process – The process refers to how the ware is prepared to wash. Properly prepared ware is another key to a satisfactory outcome in the warewashing process for two reasons. First, proper preparation improves the washability of the ware. If ware is properly rinsed prior to washing, it will reduce the effort required to remove soil from the dishware. Second, detergent life is greatly increased when the wash water is cleaner. If heavily soiled, unrinsed ware is consistently placed into the sink or dishmachine, it will be necessary to dump and refill the wash water from the sink or dishmachine more frequently. The process also includes drying time and proper storage procedure.
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