Sanitation?

[sam111]

I am concerned about what does and doesn't have to be cleaned and why?

Items
1) Pizza stone
2) pasta machine
3) dishes
4) cast iron pans

Why must I clean standard dishes / cups ,...etc
But not cast iron , pasta machines , pizza stones.

What makes cast iron pans not get bacterial such as standard pans?
Pasta made from egg could eventually carry salmonia to the machine ?
( I get for a pasta machine that water would eventually rust the gears which is another problem though you should have to sanitize any eating thing you uses to make sure 99.999% of bacteria/virus/fungus...etc are killed )

 

[Andy M.]

Pizza stones typically only come in contact with corn meal and maybe the bottom of the crust. It is subjected to such high heat (near 500º F) that any organisms would be dispatched rapidly.

CI is typically just wiped or rinsed clean then heated on the stove top or oven to ensure they are dry. Once again, the heat serves to sanitize.

Dishes certainly should be washed. In a dishwasher if you have it. Soap and hot water remove food residue so it can be washed away, leaving a clean surface.

Never had a past a machine but I'd expect to clean it after use.

 

[sam111]

If that is true about the cast iron pan then what about a stainless steel pan or any pan in general?

If heating on the stove is enough then it should be enough to clean anything by heating it on the stove (or heating it in the dishwasher without soap/water i.e turning it to the dry setting or in the oven) (as long as the temperature does not destroy the item and is over the 160F say 350F or so then no real germ,virus , bacterial can live ... this is what sanitation is really)

Another thing is a boiling pot of water (for along enough time) just spilled out and dried is sanitized anyway.

My question is then why do we clean the dishes if we could do it with just heating to a specific temperature and scraping off debris.

All these sanitation liquids seem not necessary in many cases with the proper heat. Obviously one can't heat everything to that temperature without destroying though. So I understand why we have soaps,disinfectants ,...etc
But those are more for bathroom and house cleaning I would imagine most food dishes can be sanitized with enough heat (even hot enough water if the hot water/boiler is turned up enough ).

Correct me if I am wrong.

I wipe my pasta machine down with olive oil which is suppose to be an extremely good natural cleaning agent (and won't rust the gears )

 

[PrincessFiona60]

I suggest that if you are opening an eating establishment you follow the rules of the health department when it comes to sanitation. They will shut you down faster than anything if you do not follow the rules.

 

[buckytom]

Pizza stones typically only come in contact with corn meal and maybe the bottom of the crust. It is subjected to such high heat (near 500º F) that any organisms would be dispatched rapidly.

ol, unless you are like me and bought a nice pizza stone but not a peel, then had trouble stretching cold dough, then tried to slide an poorly cooked pizza of of the stone onto a tray.

half of the cheese, sauce, and toppings decided to hang on and sear themselves onto the nice stone.

anyone know if a good emulsifier for a pizza stone?

btw, andy, you're right about home ovens barely reaching 550 degrees at their max, but most pizza ovens, per se, run 700 to 800 degrees.

i'm sure you know that; just posting for edification.

 

[Addie]

I suggest that if you are opening an eating establishment you follow the rules of the health department when it comes to sanitation. They will shut you down faster than anything if you do not follow the rules.

A lot faster than I will even consider eating there. These rules have been made by folks who have found out the hard way why they are necessary.

 

[CraigC]

anyone know if a good emulsifier for a pizza stone?

60 grit.

 

[GotGarlic]

anyone know if a good emulsifier for a pizza stone?

I've heard some people put the stone in the oven during the cleaning cycle. It should turn the crud to carbon, which should be easy to scrape off.

 

[Hoot]

I am concerned about what does and doesn't have to be cleaned and why?

Items
1) Pizza stone
2) pasta machine
3) dishes
4) cast iron pans

Why must I clean standard dishes / cups ,...etc
But not cast iron , pasta machines , pizza stones.

What makes cast iron pans not get bacterial such as standard pans?
Pasta made from egg could eventually carry salmonia to the machine ?
( I get for a pasta machine that water would eventually rust the gears which is another problem though you should have to sanitize any eating thing you uses to make sure 99.999% of bacteria/virus/fungus...etc are killed )

You ask some interesting questions.
As I have no experience with a pasta machine, I suggest you follow the manufacturer's recommendations for cleaning and maintenance.
You need to be careful cleaning a pizza stone. It is porous and will soak
up any detergent or soap and may negatively impact your next item cooked on it. I have read that leaving the stone in the oven during the cleaning cycle is a good way to clean it. I don't have an oven that has a cleaning cycle, so I can't speak to the efficacy of this method.
Dishes will likely not fare well exposed to the heat of the oven or the stove top. They should be washed with good old soap and hot water.
Properly seasoned cast iron can be wiped out with a paper towel, rinsed with hot water and heated to dry. I put a thin coat of oil on my pans after they are dried and still hot. This will help keep your cast iron in good working order. Despite instructions to the contrary, in my experience, a little soap will not permanently damaged your cast iron. Soap and heavy scouring, on the other hand, will likely result in a re-seasoning session. Letting your cast iron sit around after cooking anything acidic, such as a tomato based dish will affect the seasoning. Prompt cleaning is the way to go.
Of course, they are your tools and you can do as you see fit.

 

[jennyema]

I doubt that olive oil is an extremely good natural cleaning agent. Particularly if raw eggs are involved.

 

[MrsLMB]

I suggest that if you are opening an eating establishment you follow the rules of the health department when it comes to sanitation. They will shut you down faster than anything if you do not follow the rules.

I would have to agree with PF on this one. I am watching the questions you are asking and in the back of my mind I remember the thing about opening a restauarant .. just out of curiosity, are you trying to circumvent established guidelines and rules set by department you must deal with when opening a business? I can appreciate a healthy curiousity but some of the things you are asking and debating seem like someone trying to argue a case in court.

 

[FrankZ]

If that is true about the cast iron pan then what about a stainless steel pan or any pan in general?

CI is, usually, nonstick whereas SS is not. The food that sticks to it could be sanitized by heat, but you will have crappy looking SS.

If heating on the stove is enough then it should be enough to clean anything by heating it on the stove (or heating it in the dishwasher without soap/water i.e turning it to the dry setting or in the oven) (as long as the temperature does not destroy the item and is over the 160F say 350F or so then no real germ,virus , bacterial can live ... this is what sanitation is really)

Another thing is a boiling pot of water (for along enough time) just spilled out and dried is sanitized anyway.

There are things that live in anaerobic environments that can out live boiling (100C/212F) temperatures. These may actually thrive. If you have food residue that doesn't come off (even what you don't see) it could harbor this and pass it to what you are eating next.

My question is then why do we clean the dishes if we could do it with just heating to a specific temperature and scraping off debris.

All these sanitation liquids seem not necessary in many cases with the proper heat. Obviously one can't heat everything to that temperature without destroying though. So I understand why we have soaps,disinfectants ,...etc
But those are more for bathroom and house cleaning I would imagine most food dishes can be sanitized with enough heat (even hot enough water if the hot water/boiler is turned up enough ).

Correct me if I am wrong.

Your dishes and other things might survive higher temperatures, but they may not survive as long as you might like.

I wipe my pasta machine down with olive oil which is suppose to be an extremely good natural cleaning agent (and won't rust the gears )

OO should help create an nice anaerobic environment to allow growth of things you do not want to ingest depending on where you use it. It can also go rancid over time.

Gears and such can be lubricated with food safe grease (lubriplate makes some). If you must oil food contact items you should wash them or sanitize them before use. If they don't need oil protection then don't oil them.

I am not a food safety engineer and my advice needs to be taken for what it cost you. I will say if there is an easy way to avoid spores and you don't take it you are not exercising the best judgment.

 

[Andy M.]

I leave my pizza stone in the oven when I run the self-cleaning cycle. Any food residue is incinerated to ash which easily wipes off after the stone has cooled. I've done this many times.

Soap and other cleaning agents should never be used on a stone. You can sometimes scrape residue off with a spatula and go with that.

 

[Andy M.]

Dishes are washed with soap and water to remove food residue. Many dishwashers heat the water/drying air to higher temperatures to sanitize the cleaned dishes.

 

[sam111]

So one last question how are you supposed to sanitizes a pasta machine if you believe olive oil isn't a good cleaner and water can't be used ?

 

[sam111]

should I just throw it in the oven.... or some other means you have in mind...

Keep in mind I don't have ultraviolet light and I don't think a microwave would be a good idea

 

[Andy M.]

Did your pasta machine come with instructions? They should suggest a cleaning method.

 

[Janet H]

My pasta machine (manual Atlas) never - ever sees water or oil. I brush it clean with a dry pastry brush and figure the pasta gets boiled.

Here's a link to some cleaning instructions - note the directions to brush but also there's a mention of lubing up the rollers if needed with vaseline or mineral oil

Marcato Atlas Pasta Maker Guide

 

[Addie]

My pasta machine (manual Atlas) never - ever sees water or oil. I brush it clean with a dry pastry brush and figure the pasta gets boiled.

Here's a link to some cleaning instructions - note the directions to brush but also there's a mention of lubing up the rollers if needed with vaseline or mineral oil

Marcato Atlas Pasta Maker Guide

I have the attachment for the KA. It says the same thing. If there is any bits of pasta dough in the rollers it dries and the next time you use the machine, they fall out. I usually run a small piece of the new dough to be tossed away through several times in order to make sure all pieces are out of there.

 

[mozart]

Originally Posted by sam111


"Another thing is a boiling pot of water (for along enough time) just spilled out and dried is sanitized anyway."

Yes. A boiling pot of clean water can be dumped out and dried without further care. There is no danger of pathogenic anaerobic organisms and no pathognic organisms that thrive in 212 degree water.

On the other hand, boiling clean water and then dumping it out doesn't seem like much of a money maker in the restaurant business