Ask a Rubbermaid Commercial Foodservice Expert

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Ask Rubbermaid's in-house expert the hot questions you have on food safety, or read the answers to questions from other industry professionals.

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Common Questions

Q: What can I do to control my ingredient costs better?

Ensure that your kitchen staff are weighing and measuring ingredients properly from the time you receive them. In the rush of daily business, your staff may not feel they have time to check every shipment. But this is one area where using scales - like those from Rubbermaid - to measure what's coming in the back door can help you manage ingredient costs better.

Q: A lot of our meat seems to be spoiling. Are there any methods of cutting down on spoilage?

It all starts with buying fresh ingredients in the right quantities from trusted vendors. When you receive your food shipments, check the quality as you are weighing them in. As part of the inspection process, verify that refrigerated items are arriving at the proper temperatures, usually 41 degrees Fahrenheit or below. Make sure to refrigerate promptly.

Q: We've been having a problem with consistency in the taste of some of our spicy dishes. Any thoughts on what could be causing it?

It could be the age and the freshness of your ingredients. To make sure you are using the freshest ingredients - spices included - make sure you are using the first in, first out storage method. This ensures that newer items are stocked behind the older items and you are using your ingredients in the order they came in. Also, make sure you are unpacking and storing your ingredients in see-through containers that seal tightly.

Q: We cook a lot of steaks and chicken in my restaurant. Can you tell me some ways to eliminate cross contamination?

The key word in eliminating cross-contamination is "separation." Keep uncooked meat, fish and poultry away from other food items from the time you receive them to the time they are plated. Rubbermaid has storage products to keep items separated, ingredient bins with dedicated scoops to reduce cross-contamination, and color-coded cutting boards that allow you to ensure that vegetables are sliced one place, meats another.

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