Why is the shrimp in the sanitizer sink? A ProfitMax Chemical FAQ
Why is the shrimp in the sanitizer sink?
The shrimp might say, “Thawing out!” Not only the shrimp might be thawing, but beef, chicken or whatever else is thawing might be in there. What about pouring gravy or leftover whatever juice in the pan down the sanitizer drain because the other two sinks are full of water. Perhaps the perception is that there is no harm in it! Or is there!
The sanitizer sink of a three compartment sink is the sink that location members, food safety personnel and various health departments check to be certain that the quaternary sanitizer level is between 200 or 400 parts per million (ppm) in the water after a pan, dish or utensil item has been washed with detergent and rinsed in the RINSE sink.
At times, the sanitizer sink may get rinsed out after a thawing of meat or vegetables; however, when the sanitizer level is tested with the quaternary sanitizer test strips, the reading may not occur because the leftover protein film from the thawing may be left on the surface of the sink, neutralizing the sanitizer level in the water that was discharged into the sink.
Keep the food out.
So, what are environmentally sensitive cleaning solutions that could help here? Well, to resolve the issue, the sink would need to be emptied, both sink and drain stopper, scrubbed with soap and water, rinsed and then the sink refilled with quaternary sanitizer water mixture ( like Sentinel from Sunburst) before checking the sanitizer ppm again.
The other two sinks (WASH and RINSE) of the three compartment sinks are preferable (most preferred is a separate food thawing sink), in which to thaw food. Consider the SANITIZER sink as a sacred, untouchable sink, always ready to receive washed and rinsed items into the sanitizer mixture after proper checks with quaternary test strips.
That way, the sink will be always ready perform its duty when called on.
Learn more on on the ProfitMax Chemical Podcast as well as some of the other FAQ pages including a recent post about Listeria Monocytogenes, what they are and how to deal with them and an answer to the question that many in food service have asked regarding, Do you really need to train a dishwasher?
