Cleaning and Sanitizing
To prevent contamination and illness, you must clean and sanitize the components of this meat grinder. Bacteria from meat can cause food poi- soning, other illness, or even death.
Proper sanitization with chemical sanitizers requires a cleaning process before the actual sanitizer is applied.
To clean and sanitize the disassembled com- ponents of the meat grinder:
1.Gather all the disassembled components of the meat grinder. Remove the largest particles of foodstuffs into a proper garbage container. Rinse all items to remove as many of the leftover particles as possible. Set the items aside.
2.Prepare the sink. Wash and scrub all sink compartments with dish soap and hot water. Rinse these compartments thoroughly.
3.Fill the sink with dish soap, submerge the item in soapy water and scrub the entire sur- face thoroughly. Avoid using steel wool, as it may damage the plating.
4.Rinse the cleaned components in the empty sink compartment until all visible suds have been removed. If the soapy water starts to get hazy, drain and rinse the sink, then fill with more soapy water.
Always be as thorough as possible when cleaning and sanitizing. Any parts that have been exposed to raw meat may harbor or develop bacte- ria that may cause illness or death if left uncleaned.
The items are now ready to be sanitized. Some sanitizers require direct applications, while others are designed to be diluted in water and used to soak the item for a specified period of time. The best method for choosing a chemical sanitizer is to do the research and determine which product is best for your particular situation.
When using sanitizers, always follow the recommendations on the manufacturer's label, and make sure that the product will do the job for which you intend. Never use a product that will make your meat unsafe for human consumption. Failure to follow this warning may lead to sickness or death!
One simple sanitizer that can be used for many applications is regular bleach.
To use bleach as a sanitizer:
1.Wash, scrub, and rinse your sink.
2.Fill the sink with three tablespoons of bleach per gallon of cool water. Do not use bleach that contains odor masking agents or surfac- tants. These have not been proven effective for this type of sanitization.
3.Submerge each item for two minutes. For large items, submerge each side for the specified amount of time until you have cov- ered the entire area.
4.Rinse these items thoroughly and dry.
Bacteria from raw meat has been frequently linked to illness and even death! Describing proper meat handling techniques outside of cleaning the meat grinder is beyond the scope of these instructions. If you are unclear about sanitary meat handling practices, con- tact your local Board of Health or the USDA to research the proper methods.
