SUMMARY: Here is a list of best practices for cooking safety. This includes cooking in settings with non-potable water, settings with fixed kitchen equipment, and settings with neither. As a Coalition, we encourage consulting with your local Health Department for further guidance on best practices to ensure health and safety standards.

ASAP recently published a great list of kitchen tips for folks at home without water. Here are a few more tips for those working in field kitchens and feeding large numbers of community members and volunteers. Thanks to World Central Kitchen for their contributions to this post.

FACILITY/EQUIPMENT

• Where possible, get the support of a ServSafe certified professional to advise on the setup of a field kitchen and equipment.

• Hand sanitizer should not be used as a substitute to handwashing. This is a great DIY handwashing station that uses things that can be found at Lowes. 

• If no usable drains are available for gray water, a trench can be dug to receive the water and debris. Dig as far away from the dishpit as possible to keep pests and insects away. Catchment systems can be fashioned from a mesh wastepaper basket inside a large bin that's regularly emptied or has a drainage pipe installed. The mesh basket can then be scraped out into a compost system. 

• If a three compartment sink is not available, fashion a Wash, Rinse and Sanitize station with 5 gallon buckets or rubbermaid containers. Scrape dishes clean first to keep water usable longer.

• Off-grid dish pits can be set up with IBC totes, an rv/camping pump run off a car battery and the materials to convert the larger threads of the tote to the smaller fittings of the pipes. Food grade hoses can also be configured as plumping options where pex may not be ideal. Check the max temp rating for food grade hoses if using a hot water setup. 

SANITATION

• Wearing disposable gloves for ready to eat foods as well as handling raw meat can drastically reduce risk of illness. Still wash hands after handling raw meat and removing gloves.

• In areas where water is limited, use bottled or sanitized water and disinfect cooking surfaces and tools using sanitizing wipes or a diluted bleach solution (typically, one tablespoon of bleach per gallon of water*). 

• *Many commercially available bleaches are highly concentrated, so it's easy to overdo it. Water shouldn't feel "slippery". Using BLEACH STRIPS is recommended. Bleach can be a turn off for folks, but it's one of the easiest, safest and accessible sanitizers. Use COOL water, as warm can evaporate the bleach. 

• Paper towels can feel wasteful, but also eliminate a lot of cross contamination risk.

FOOD TEMPERATURES AND STORAGE

• Invest in thermometers both for coolers and for checking cook temps. 

• After food is prepared, store and transport it in insulated containers to maintain safe temperatures: hot foods should be kept above 140°F, cold foods below 40°F, and meats are cooked to the appropriate temperatures (165°F for poultry, 145°F for beef).

• Be very mindful of insects and keeping food covered at all times. In these conditions, it may not be advisable to save leftover prepped food if there is any concern about exposure to pest, hands or the inability to bring it quickly down or back up to a safe temperature. Here's an easy temperature guide for cooking. Temperature guide for cooling foods. 

RE-SERVING PREVIOUSLY COOKED FOOD

Food Connection, an incredible Asheville area non-profit and food rescue expert has additional expertise in repackaging and serving food after it has been cooked. 

Finally, see this USDA resource for re-heating, storing and distributing cooked food safely.