Stainless steel kitchen tables have long been specified in commercial kitchens due to their durability, ease of cleaning and, perhaps most importantly, resistance to bacteria and other contaminants.
Just like you would not use a stainless steel knife to cut raw chicken and then use the same knife to cut a cucumber, you would not prepare a batch of raw meat on a table and then move straight into some pastry work without cleaning it down. One of the most common causes of foodborne illness is using contaminated equipment. Cross-contamination happens when microorganisms are transferred from one surface to another. A busy kitchen, where different personnel are assigned various tasks, and a variety of raw and cooked food items are being processed, creates numerous opportunities for cross-contamination. This includes food contact surfaces that are not cleaned and sanitised before contacting cooked foods or ready-to-eat foods. The Health and Safety Executive Guidance HS10.2 Section 3.3 says: “surfaces in contact with food should be easy to clean and be in a good state of repair”.
Cross-Contamination
In order to survive, most bacteria need food, moisture, heat and oxygen. By controlling these variables a food service operator can gain control over the growth and spread of harmful bacteria. Bacteria can get all the food they need from the aliments to which they have been introduced. They do not need much: a trace residue on a cutting board or a work table!
The reason why stainless steel has long been considered the best material for kitchens is that due to it being non-porous (unlike wood) it cannot absorb moisture which in turn would promote the growth of bacteria and viruses. A busy kitchen is bound to be full of moisture at various times in the working day. Stainless steel is also resistant to corrosion. Corrosion would obviously not be a good idea and would leach harmful chemicals into the food.
Stainless Steel Grades
304 Grade
This brings us to the reason why 304-grade stainless steel is specified and recognised as the best material to use for worktops in kitchens, ahead of 430-grade or the cheaper 201 austenitic material some budget manufacturers and suppliers may use. 304 grade stainless contains a high amount of nickel which enhances corrosion resistance. It also has excellent resistance to heat, stains and chemical attacks. Like other stainless metals, it reacts with oxygen to create an invisible surface film of chromium-rich oxide that protects the metal and is self-healing. 430-grade stainless, the next grade down has less nickel and is therefore slightly less resistant to chemical attack. This material is used in the industry for understructures (i.e. leg sets & tie-bars) and undershelves however it is not the best choice for surfaces that frequently come into contact with water and acidic foods.
The cheapest stainless metal that manufacturers and suppliers use is 201 Austenitic which has a really low nickel content (less than 430 grade) hence why corrosion resistance is not nearly as good as 304 grade.
316 Grade
In the end, it all comes down to cost. Nickel is expensive but it is the component in the metal that stops corrosion and for specialist use, there is stainless with even higher nickel content. At the other end of the scale even above 304 grade stainless is 316 grade. With the highest nickel content, you would use this if you were a restaurant on the coast or on a ship where the salty sea air is likely to cause corrosion. You would also use it in a fish restaurant or fish market as it is the most resistant to chemical attack by fish enzymes.
We have established that stainless steel kitchen and catering tables are the only work tables that should be used in a commercial kitchen. 304 is the industry recommendation and ideally, they should be fully welded as self-assembly and bolt-together tables are going to have crevices where dirt can accumulate which will in turn promote the growth of bacteria and viruses. A fully welded table will be completely wiped down and non-porous so moisture cannot penetrate.
Cleaning Stainless Steel Tables
Finally, we come on to cleaning. As the title suggests stainless steel stains less but is not stain-proof. It can be easily cleaned with suitable cleaners recommended by your cleaning materials supplier but since it is not completely averse to chemical attacks do not use any cleaners that have chlorides, hydrochloric acid or sulphuric acid in them as these will attack and potentially pit the metal over time. If you get rust marks (most likely on the 304 grade understructure) it can be rubbed out (by going with the grain on the stainless) using a standard kitchen green scourer.
Other factors in the kitchen like poor personal hygiene and failing to cook food adequately will cause food borne illnesses but historical data collected from the UK, Canada and the USA shows that the 4th most common reason stated in actual outbreaks of food born illnesses is inadequate cleaning of equipment and food surfaces. If you have suitable Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) processes that include regular wiping down of stainless work surfaces between operations and shifts your kitchen will definitely be a safer environment.
For more information on our stainless steel kitchen tables and their maintenance, please contact us.
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