So, you’ve purchased a walk in cooler for your restaurant. If you bought from Polar King, your representative helped ensure you’ve successfully gotten it up and operational, and you’ve begun to transfer your food supply into it.
Seems simple enough, right?
In theory, yes; however, there are still a few standard procedures to understand before you can be confident your food storage unit meets safety requirements. After all, maintaining a stringent food safety protocol is not only your responsibility, but also your number one goal.
Not to worry. From ideal temperature ranges to organizing different types of food inside your walk in freezer, we’ll navigate you through these best practices in the following Q&A guide.
Temperature
Q: To ensure food safety, what is the ideal temperature range for walk in coolers?
A: 35–39°F
Q: What are the potential risks of temperature fluctuations, and how can operators address them quickly?
A: Temperature fluctuations can occur when you continuously open and shut your walk in freezer door. This issue can be addressed by installing cooler flaps to hang in front of the door, allowing less air to escape. Employee training may also be beneficial.
Storage
Q: Are there specific guidelines for organizing different types of food in a walk in freezer to prevent cross-contamination?
A: Yes, in fact, there are extremely specific guidelines. Items should be arranged from top to bottom as follows: ready-to-eat foods, produce, fish and seafood, whole cuts of beef/pork, ground meats, and poultry. Storage temperatures for fruits and vegetables vary. For example, broccoli and cauliflower thrive in very cold temperatures, so they should be stored at the back of the walk in unit. In contrast, green beans prefer slightly warmer temperatures (41–45°F), making them suitable for storage near the door. It is beneficial to provide employees with a detailed chart to guide these temperature preferences. For more, see this complete guide to organizing walk-in coolers and freezers.
Q: What storage practices are important for maintaining food safety, such as spacing requirements and using different shelving areas?
A: Maximizing space between shelves is a best practice, as it promotes better airflow and helps maintain stable, cold temperatures. Using perforated shelving and keeping shelves slightly away from the walls further enhances air circulation. However, a common challenge is limited space, as many walk in freezers are tightly packed due to restricted available real estate.
Q: How long can different types of food safely be stored, and what signs should operators look for to determine freshness or spoilage?
A: The storage life of different foods varies greatly. For instance, refrigerated seafood loses its peak freshness after 1-3 days while eggs are good for 3-5 weeks. Using sight, smell, touch, and taste (in that order) is the best way to determine freshness or spoilage. If you can visually see mold, or you smell a bad odor, then you know you have spoilage. Some foods get a slimy texture as they begin to turn. Lastly, some food can look, smell, and feel fine, but develop an off flavor as they spoil.
Q: What are the risks associated with overloading or underloading walk in cooler storage spaces, and how can these be mitigated?
A: Overloading can restrict airflow in the cooler, creating hot spots where the temperature rises above safe holding temperatures. This is where the practice of properly spacing shelves and pulling them about an inch from the wall can help.
Handling food and safety regulations
Q: What are the best practices for handling food when placing it into or removing it from a walk in cooler?
A: It is always important to label everything in a walk in freezer. The label should include the item’s name, the date it was placed in the cooler/freezer and the date it should be used by. It is helpful to include the name of the person who placed the item in the cooler or prepped it. This makes it easier to address any issues with storage or preparation procedures. Additionally, if an item is transferred from the freezer to the cooler, it’s good practice to add a secondary label with the transfer date for better tracking.
Q: What regulations or guidelines should operators be aware of to ensure compliance with food safety standards?
A: Health departments have specific guidelines on food storage, but they vary from state to state and county to county. Reaching out to your local health department before your next inspection ensures you are following all local guidelines.
Q: Are there common mistakes employees make with walk in freezer storage that could compromise food safety?
A: The most common mistakes employees make when storing food include improper shelf placement—such as storing ground meats above whole cuts—and inadequate labeling of food items, such as omitting essential information or failing to label them entirely.
Cleaning and maintenance
Q: What cleaning procedures should be followed for walk in coolers, and how often should these be completed?
A: Walk in coolers should be swept and mopped twice a day, depending on hours of operation. A lunch/dinner restaurant should sweep and mop after lunch service and again at the end of the night. Further deep cleanings should be completed once a month by removing food products from the shelves, cleaning the shelves and the wall behind them, and replacing them.
Q: What regular maintenance checks are necessary to prevent contamination or spoilage risks?
A: Hiring a professional maintenance company to perform quarterly preventative maintenance practices can reduce overall maintenance costs. As aforementioned, regular cleaning practices can address any contamination issues.
Power outages
Q: How should operators respond if a walk in freezer experiences a power outage or equipment failure?
A: Having a backup generator is your best course of action, but unfortunately, the high cost makes these a luxury for most restaurant owners. For a short power outage, it’s important to keep the walk in cooler door closed as much as possible to retain cold air. If needed, placing dry ice inside the cooler can help maintain low temperatures. Minimizing door openings remains the most effective way to preserve the cold air until power is restored. According to the CDC, if the doors stay closed, food will stay safe for up to 4 hours in a refrigerator, 48 hours in a full freezer and 24 hours in a half-full freezer.
Now that you have a basic understanding of how to maintain your Polar King walk in freezer for safety, you can rest assured you’re doing everything you can to maintain food freshness. If more questions arise, don’t hesitate to contact us. Our representatives are here to help!
