It’s Shrove Tuesday! A great excuse to indulge in a pancake or two but remember to give a toss about food safety!
Believe it or not the tradition of eating pancakes on Shrove Tuesday began as a way to use up ingredients that were not supposed to be eaten and would go off/ spoil during the period of Lent. So, actually, "pancake day" as we now call it, owes its origins all to food safety.
Food Safety starts with your ingredients
Eggs, flour & butter all have best before dates- so they are best eaten before the date marked. Depending on your choice of toppings, they may have use by dates. This means the product must be eaten by the date or disposed of.
Are your ingredients stored correctly? Milk needs to be kept refrigerated at all times to prevent the milk from spoiling, preferably below 5 degrees centigrade. (the pasteurisation process does not kill all the bugs).
It is also better to store your milk on the shelf in your fridge rather than in the door as the shelves are cooler. This way your milk will stay fresher for longer.
Cleanliness
Eggs are a raw food & the shells cannot be completely disinfected – so store them away from ready to eat foods. Make sure you wash your hands after handling them!
Make sure that your flour is stored in a dry cupboard but always make sure you check packaging for damage pests love dried goods!
Finally when you’re making your pancakes make sure that you cook them thoroughly and do not leave any mixture uncooked on part of the pancake. Undercooking foods such as eggs can be dangerous, particularly for the elderly, children and pregnant women.
What toppings would you choose? Whatever you like, as long as the product is within its use by date. Happy Pancake Day!
For further information on our training courses please see our Food Safety courses.
