Last Updated On: February 1, 2021.
If you’ve ever walked into a kitchen where there is food preparation for public consumption, you will most likely notice a three-compartment sink.
Sometimes you will see two or four-compartment versions, but it depends on the volume of dishes being washed and how big the establishment is.
These are generally made from stainless steel, and each sink is side-by-side. Your first thought is most likely that it just gives the workers more room for washing the dirty dishes, but this is not so.
Food safety standards require that each compartment is used for different purposes.
The first thing a food handler should do when preparing a three compartment sink is to clean it. When using the sink for dishwashing, it should always be clean and sanitized before use.
It may have been used to thaw veggies or raw meats during preparation, so to minimize the risk of cross-contamination, the sink must be thoroughly cleaned, which is simple to do.
You can use hot water to rinse out each sink and use a sanitizing agent for commercial use that is designed for use in the food preparation area to wash all surfaces. This includes the drain boards and all three of the sinks.
You should also clean the handles on the faucets as well. Rinse the whole sink with clean water and let it drain without drying.
The sink is now ready for use.