KFC Cambridge held an exclusive Colonel’s Kitchen Tour last Wednesday to get a finger lickin’ good taste of how their food is prepared.
“We wanted to share our unique back-of-house process that ensures we deliver fresh, good quality food every time and to also debunk some misconceptions around our food,” KFC Africa Public Affairs director Zinhle Modiselle said.
The tour started with a quick rundown of procedures, the first being for staff to wear hairnets and remove all jewellery. This is done to ensure high standards are met and for hygiene purposes.
After entering the kitchen, the first order of business is a vigorous hand wash, followed by hand sanitiser to remove any excess dirt and then air drying. Hand washing is done every 30 minutes to ensure hygiene.
Starting at the back where deliveries are made, the tour went through the arrival process of the chicken from the truck to the freezer.
KFC sources its chicken from reputable SA suppliers, which is delivered three times a week in temperature-controlled cold trucks. The chickens are defrosted individually. To avoid cross-contamination, all other food items are kept in a separate cooler from the chicken.
The chicken is then hand breaded and rolled in KFC’s secret combination of 11 herbs and spices, with the drumsticks breaded twice to avoid cracked skin caused by bubbles during the cooking process.
Cooked chicken is drained of excess oil and is kept warm at no less than 60°C.
Everything in the kitchen is about timing, with several clocks on the wall to guide how long it takes to make each food item.
The tour party were then given a demonstration on how to make a Colonel Burger and a wrap, and then afforded the opportunity to make their own.
According to KFC, each restaurant is audited four times a year by an independent auditor for adherence to strict health and safety standards.
“These are only a few of the important unique processes shared in the Colonel’s Kitchen and the reason why KFC continues to serve its customers good quality, freshly prepared chicken,” Modiselle said.
