Should there be an amateur category?
- Thread starter Omri
- Start date
POTAWIE said:
Very well said Potawie! Everyone has their own idea of what clean is and for the commercial kitchens that get inspected regularly, they have proved that their facility is clean. But, they also have proved that their bottling techniques are safe. My kitchen is probably overly clean, as I have stock in Clorox
since I have some germ issues. Then when it comes to foods, I drive my wife crazy because I tend to go over board. My motto is "when in doubt throw it out". I refuse to eat anything past the Sell Buy Date, which really drives her insane. But if you ask her, I'm the one with issues. 
salsalady
Business Member
Pepperfreak,
as a victim of food poisoning from hamburger (it was pulled out of the freezer at a store on Wednesday morning, held in refer at store until Sunday afternoon(assuming normal store refer temps, it would have been basically frozen until Thursday afternoon) ), and then made into meatloaf Sunday afternoon..... we will NEVER eat meatloaf again! Unfortunate result of 12 hours of ........[this part should probably be in the "tales of the Loo" thread]
I like the idea of a separate amateurs competition. But it has to be safe.
Cooking up a batch of xyz??? in your kitchen sink is fun, but if a person doesn't understand basic food safety issues ..... NOT GOOD!
Maybe they make it and keep it in the refer and it's all good. But when they throw some in a jar and ship it cross country for 5 days with no refrigeration...NOT good!
I had the learning curve for fresh salsa. I forgot the vinegar in one batch. Within 5 days, the salsa was spoiling. Funny thing I observed was that the hotter salsas with more hot peppers spoiled later than the salsas with no hot peppers..........HMMMMMMMMMMMM-
I think it's a good thing to keep it to licensed makers at this point. There are lots of places (fairs, farmers markets, local competitions, etc) for folks to get their feet wet at the local level. And there are many ways to get licensed without having to build a full on processing plant! [view threads on co-packers, other kitchens, etc]
Start small, get licensed, even if it is only with your local county health district. If using municipal water and sewer ( read- a place that uses city water and sewer, the city does all the testing and keeps all the records) it would be about 350bucks to get licensed in my area for the first year. After that, it would be around $90 a year.
Basic Food Safety is not something to be taken lightly, and to ask someone to ingest a product they cannot be 100% confident in how it has been processed is NOT GOOD!
jmhumbleo~
salsalady
as a victim of food poisoning from hamburger (it was pulled out of the freezer at a store on Wednesday morning, held in refer at store until Sunday afternoon(assuming normal store refer temps, it would have been basically frozen until Thursday afternoon) ), and then made into meatloaf Sunday afternoon..... we will NEVER eat meatloaf again! Unfortunate result of 12 hours of ........[this part should probably be in the "tales of the Loo" thread]
I like the idea of a separate amateurs competition. But it has to be safe.
Cooking up a batch of xyz??? in your kitchen sink is fun, but if a person doesn't understand basic food safety issues ..... NOT GOOD!
Maybe they make it and keep it in the refer and it's all good. But when they throw some in a jar and ship it cross country for 5 days with no refrigeration...NOT good!
I had the learning curve for fresh salsa. I forgot the vinegar in one batch. Within 5 days, the salsa was spoiling. Funny thing I observed was that the hotter salsas with more hot peppers spoiled later than the salsas with no hot peppers..........HMMMMMMMMMMMM-
I think it's a good thing to keep it to licensed makers at this point. There are lots of places (fairs, farmers markets, local competitions, etc) for folks to get their feet wet at the local level. And there are many ways to get licensed without having to build a full on processing plant! [view threads on co-packers, other kitchens, etc]
Start small, get licensed, even if it is only with your local county health district. If using municipal water and sewer ( read- a place that uses city water and sewer, the city does all the testing and keeps all the records) it would be about 350bucks to get licensed in my area for the first year. After that, it would be around $90 a year.
Basic Food Safety is not something to be taken lightly, and to ask someone to ingest a product they cannot be 100% confident in how it has been processed is NOT GOOD!
jmhumbleo~
salsalady
In theory its a good idea. But realistically its unsafe. not that ever person is plotting to poison the world.. but not everyone *knows* how to properly prepare food. Not that I do, but I also wouldn't eat a product from a person that hasnt gone through proper legal procedures (which has nothing to do with having insurance, but the point is that if you have insurance, they make sure the proper procedures are followed).
Think of the pets people have in their houses.. it could be anything!
Maybe I'm not the best to comment on this... bc im a bit of a germ.a.phob! hah :o)
Think of the pets people have in their houses.. it could be anything!
Maybe I'm not the best to comment on this... bc im a bit of a germ.a.phob! hah :o)
Welcome Mike.
People can be taught but I imagine most people think their product is clean and safe even if they are dirty chain smokers and/or hairy pet lovers, cockroach breeders, etc. I like to imagine that the sauces I consume are made in a clean environment with stainless steel surfaces, clean clothing and hair nets etc. which isn't likely to happen in a home setting.
People can be taught but I imagine most people think their product is clean and safe even if they are dirty chain smokers and/or hairy pet lovers, cockroach breeders, etc. I like to imagine that the sauces I consume are made in a clean environment with stainless steel surfaces, clean clothing and hair nets etc. which isn't likely to happen in a home setting.
I have been a judge at a show for amateur hot sauce, and have entered in an amateur one for salsa. Even if there are risks involved, I would be more than happy to be a judge in any competition again with certain rules of course. Every bottle will need an ingredient list, a relative heat level and no extracts. Flavor over fire would win out.
If THP would ever allow an amateur competition, I would be more than happy to help out with this and give an extra hoot and hollar from my website as well, including a video of the winning product(s). I am just not sure what the award for winning would be because an amateur would have little need for a flashy THP banner. What about an entry fee, so there is a cash prize? Then there is the consideration for costly shipping, especially from the over seas folks. To make that equal, I would suggest a judge from Aussieland and another country perhaps. That way everyone suffers from the expense. Then there is the prospect of broken product as well. Do you guys really want to be in amateur contest with something that will end up being quite costly for you?
If THP would ever allow an amateur competition, I would be more than happy to help out with this and give an extra hoot and hollar from my website as well, including a video of the winning product(s). I am just not sure what the award for winning would be because an amateur would have little need for a flashy THP banner. What about an entry fee, so there is a cash prize? Then there is the consideration for costly shipping, especially from the over seas folks. To make that equal, I would suggest a judge from Aussieland and another country perhaps. That way everyone suffers from the expense. Then there is the prospect of broken product as well. Do you guys really want to be in amateur contest with something that will end up being quite costly for you?
mikeberta said:
There is actually an online class you can take its about 100$ I think? Dont quote me on that.. ther certificate you earn lasts two years I believe and you have to take several sections of the class (at your leisure) and then you get a certificate and it is all about food safety. Johnny did this a few months ago.,., if you would like the website he did it through email him on here-- his name on here is heartbreaking dawns
Omri said:
This is a cool Idea for a person like me.
I know that I create some good sauces and I am not going commercial .
But at the same time, people can get to know what and how I created some good thing.
I second you on this.
NJA
. Us home chefs are going to be hygienic and if your tough enough to eat these super hot chilli's then your tough enough to brave an amateur sauce.I like to think of it as safety and health concious, not paranoia. I've seen my share of dirty kitchens and people canning improperly and un-hygenically. Just because people seem smart or nice on a forum doesn't mean they are processing in a safe/sterile way, or even use a pH meter. For all I know you could be smoking a cigarette and clipping your fingernails in the sauce and betting on cockroach races.
I think the only way an amateur category could work is if everyone has a safety/sanitary certificate for canning low acid foods but even then it's not going to force people to wear hairnets and stop scratching their privates
I think the only way an amateur category could work is if everyone has a safety/sanitary certificate for canning low acid foods but even then it's not going to force people to wear hairnets and stop scratching their privates
THPA is designed to award outstanding commercial manufacturers, and to make the public aware of their products. If they are not commercially available there is no point. It's like reviewing your home cooking instead of a restaurant. Sorry but THPA is not for that purpose. There are plenty of local events where you can win awards for your recipes.