Kitchen Managers (KiM)
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Kitchen Manager Google Drive Folder
Task List
- Be in charge of kitchen sanitation and organization.
- Pass annual Environment, Health, & Safety (EHS) kitchen inspections.
- Institute and oversee appropriate procedures or policies to keep the kitchen clean, sanitary, and organized.
- Be responsible for keeping all dry food storage, refrigerators, and freezers clean and organized.
- Partner with the Work Manager to ensure that proper kitchen cleans are completed.
- Partner with the Maintenance Manager to ensure all kitchen appliances are maintained and working properly.
- Train cooks and cleaners on kitchen usage and systems.
Kitchen Manager Job Description
It is the Kitchen Manager’s job to focus on the five main problem areas of the kitchen. These five areas are where most houses have issues, and where the most inspectors/parents check for problems. The Kitchen Manager should make a schedule of these cleans, and either complete them themselves or work with the Work Manager to delegate these cleans to members, and be prepared to train those members on how to complete them.
For houses with commercial grade kitchens, the Kitchen Manager should receive 4 hours if they regularly complete the tasks and responsibilities below.
The Five Focus Areas:
The Sanitizer
- Learn what kind of sanitizer fluid your house uses and make sure it is stocked
- Tell your work manager, shopper, or ordering when it is low so that they can order more while ordering other bulk items
- Monitor the Sanitizer chlorine solution for your house
- Use a test strip to make sure chlorine concentration is between 50-100 ppm.
- Place a cup facing up in the sanitizer, run 1 cycle and then dip the test strip in the cup or
- Dip the test strip in the water below the rack after running one cycle
- Learn how to safely clean the sanitizer (some chemicals cannot be mixed)
- De-Lime the sanitizer periodically (at least once every two months)
- Read instruction guide to properly de-lime your sanitizer
- Read the owner’s’ manual for your house’s sanitizer to learn what chemicals you need to purchase and which areas of the sanitizer need to be cleaned or maintained.
The Fridge
- Learn how to clean the fridge coils and fan, and do so periodically
- Maintain correct organization of the food in your fridge (keeping meat on the bottom shelf, etc)
- Avoid cross contamination
- Maintain correct temperatures of your fridge.
- Make sure food is properly sealed and labeled with a date and name of food item
- If you see food is opened; use a lid, plastic wrap, or foil to cover the food and use blue masking tape and a marker to label the food properly
- Clean the bottom of the fridge and throw out all old food at least once per week
- Refrigerated guff food items that were opened should be thrown out 5-7 days after they were opened
- When cleaning out guff and non-guff fridges (weekly) throw out unlabeled items. Explicitly communicate this policy to your house members
- Clean the outside of the fridge including the handles weekly
- Monitor the internal and external thermometer in the fridge. Every fridge should have both.
- Replace the battery for the external thermometer above the fridge, when the battery dies
The Stove and Ovens
- Each Item should be done biweekly (otherwise it should be the focus for work holiday)
- Degrease the stove’s fume hood
- Soak and degrease the fume hood’s fan cover
- Soak and degrease the stove top and range
- Deep clean the grease trap
- Deep clean and degrease the ovens.
- Easy way to clean ovens with vinegar and baking soda or
- Soak overnight with degreaser solution
- Clean the tray underneath the stove
- Hint: use aluminum/tin foil to cover the tray so food can collect on the tray. Throw away the foil and replace when too much food accumulates (this can be done for work holiday
Educating Members
- Train all house members on how to properly use kitchen appliances, stove, oven, cooking utensils.
- Do not use metal utensils on nonstick coating pans
- Place reminders to turn off the oven
- Place reminders to turn the exhaust fan when someone is cooking
- Ensure food is being properly cooked
- Train all members assigned to dinner cleaning tasks and show them how to do dinner clean (preferably within the first two weeks of a term)
- Train all members assigned to dinner cook on how to properly utilize the kitchen.
- Train all house members on EHS (OSEH) Sanitation guidelines outlined in the Small Group
- Kitchen Sanitation Worksheet and the EHS Kitchen Inspection sheet
- Educate house members on how to properly clean their dishes and silverware and how to properly use the sanitizer
- Educate house members on how to relight the stove, grill top, and oven
- Educate house members on how to avoid cross contamination when preparing food
- Use separate cutting boards and utensils (knives) for meat and vegetables
- While cooking, use separate utensils for vegetarian dishes
- Use separate pots and pans and cooking/serving utensils for vegetarian and meat options for dinners
- Educate members on how to properly label food items and store them in the fridge or freezer.
- Nothing should be placed on the floor for dry food storage items
- Make sure members are held accountable for their kitchen mess. If this becomes a frequent problem, educate the member and/or fine the member for not cleaning up messes in a reasonable time (24 hours).
Cleaning Supplies and Other Responsibilities
- Check Cleaning supply inventory
- Most items can be purchased from GFS. Request Food/Ordering Steward to purchase items or
- Request cleaning supplies from Director of Maintenance at Ed Center
- Things that you should have stocked
- Bleach
- Windex
- Degreaser
- Scouring pads
- Steel wool
- Paper Towels
- Cloths or Rags
- Hand Soap
- Delimer
- Test Strips
- Metal stem thermometer (for cooking meat) should read at least from the range of (0-220 degrees Fahrenheit)
- Post signs in the kitchen to address kitchen issues
- Organize shelves, items in cabinets, and dry food storage room
- Clean the dry food storage room regularly
- Check for pest or rodents. If necessary, lay down traps in the area.
- Sweep debris off floor and shelves
Sanitation Codes
EHS Kitchen Sanitation Worksheet – A checklist of proper kitchen use practices.
EHS Kitchen Inspection Form – Sample inspection form.
Kitchen Inspections – are required by the city of A2 and conducted by UofM’s Department of Environment, Health, & Safety (EHS). They happen once a year and are unannounced in order for the inspector to see houses in their regular sanitation practices. The inspector will give the house a list of any citations to correct and return within a few weeks to inspect again. If the citations are egregious the inspector can shut down the kitchen from use.
Supplies
All dish-machine chemicals must be purchased from Gordon Food Service (GFS). Other kitchen supplies can also be purchased from GFS. Work with your house food steward to get a discounted rate and online ordering using our SBA account. You can set up regular GFS truck deliveries to your house or you can order to a GFS retail store and pick up there.
Ann Arbor GFS Retail Locations
Supplies Lists – with GFS product codes
- EHS Required Supplies List
- Essential Cleaning Supplies List
- Dish-machine Supplies Lists
- Chlorine dish-machines – Most Houses
- Heat dish-machines – liquid – Lester
- Heat dish-machines – powder – Escher & Truth
Test Strips
- Chlorine Test Strips – Maintain concentrations between 50 – 100 ppm.
- for bleach cleaning solutions
- for bleach sponge-soaking trays
- for chlorine (Sanitizer E.S.) dish-machines
- Heat Test Strips – Maintain final rinse temperatures of 180° F.
- for heat dish-machines
Kitchen Signs
- Printable Kitchen Signs
- EHS requires signs designating “Food-Prep Sink” and “Hand-Washing Sink.”
- Various additional signs and labels for food prep, sanitation, and systems.
Systems
Food Storage (Dry & Cold)
- Keep food label stickers stocked.
- All food must be kept in proper storage containers.
- All guff food must be labeled with date prepared.
- All non-guff food must be labeled with name and date.
- Regularly clean out expired food.
- Regularly clean refrigerator/freezer interiors and storage shelving.
Counters & Trays
- Keep counters organized.
- Do not pile dishes in sinks & especially keep things clear from food disposal.
- Keep a tray for soaking all dirty silverware.
- Keep a tray for soaking sponges in chlorine solution.
- Prep chlorine solutions for cleaning counters & other food prep surfaces.
Composting
- Ann Arbor Composting – April to November
- No A2 Composting – December to March
Appliances
Dish Machines
- Spreadsheet of Dishmachine Guides for All Houses
- operation procedures
- scrap tray & drain screen cleaning procedure (for dinner cleans)
- spray arms cleaning procedure (for work holidays)
- de-liming procedure (for work holidays)
- CMA Dishwasher User Training Video
- also applicaple to other brands
- Appropriate chemicals & test strips with GFS product codes
- Chlorine dish-machines – Most Houses
- Heat dish-machines – liquid – Lester
- Heat dish-machines – powder – Escher & Truth
- Chemical concentration troubleshooting
- Always keep chemicals stocked.
- Contact maintenance staff if chemical tubes are not drawing liquids properly.
- Only use 1-gallon containers for the sanitizing (yellow) chemical as the chlorine will break down too quickly for co-ops to be able to use the 5-gallon restaurant containers.
Stoves & Exhaust Hoods
- Working with gas valve & pilot lights (video)
- Look to see where all of your pilot lights are before turning off the gas.
- Deep cleaning stove/oven & exhaust hood (tutorial)
Refrigerators & Freezers
- Routine Refrigerator Maintenance (diagram/photos)
- Cleaning Condenser Coils (video) – Essential for all commercial (stainless steel) units
- Always keep evaporator fan at back of freezer interiors clear for air flow.
- Keep temperature controls at proper level. Cranking up will exacerbate problems.
- Periodically defrost any non frost-free freezers.
Food Disposals
- Never allow objects to fall into food disposal
- Keep counters organized
- Keep a tray for soaking all dirty silverware
- What Not to Put Down a Garbage Disposal (tutorial)
- How to Fix a Garbage Disposal (tutorial)
