News

Legionella Managing The Risk in Buildings

Managing Legionella Post COVID-19 Lockdown

Legionella Risks Global outbreaks of COVID-19 (Coronavirus) have resulted in the compulsory closure of a number of large buildings such as schools, universities, leisure facilities and office blocks at a scale previously not seen. Now, as these buildings start to re-open after the imposed lockdown, there is a genuine risk that they could have become a breeding ground for another infection – Legionnaires’ disease (Legionella). The long periods of inactivity in buildings, a result of the COVID-19 lockdown, has greatly increased the risk of the Legionella pneumophilia bacteria developing in large water tanks and pipework. The bacteria survives in the biofilm that gathers on pipe and tank surfaces and likes to feed on the sludge and sediment that builds up there. Legionnaires’ disease, or Legionella as it is more commonly known, is caused by inhaling water droplets, via hot tubs, showers and … Read more

Your guide to refrigerators and humidity drawers

Your guide to refrigerators and humidity drawers

When it comes to properly a fridge to stock fresh produce, most people know that low temperatures help to keep food fresh for longer, but this guide to refrigerators and humidity drawers explains how humidity also plays a vital role in extending the life of some of your fresh fruits and vegetables. In your you may find that you have a humidity drawer that regulates the amount of humidity your produce receives. Humidity drawers keep your fruit and vegetables in particular, fresher for longer, preventing wastage, saving you money and the effort required to replace any affected produce, but it is important to know how best to use them, in order to product quality for as long as possible.   What are humidity drawers? Designated fruit and vegetable drawers are designed to maintain a higher humidity than the rest of … Read more

Health Risks From Eating Raw Cookie Dough

Health Risks From Eating Raw Cookie Dough

A tempting ‘cook’s perk’ for some, but raw cookie dough hasn’t had the kind of  treatment that’s designed to kill germs, so may cause illnesses in people who eat it. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently issued a warning about the dangers of eating raw cookie dough, urging us to “Say no to raw dough!“. “When you prepare homemade cookie dough, cake mixes, or even bread, you may be tempted to taste a bite before it is fully cooked,” the CDC said. “But steer clear of this temptation — eating or tasting unbaked products that are intended to be cooked, such as dough or batter, can make you sick.”   It would be easy to just associate the health risks with the inclusion of the raw egg that’s in the raw cookie dough, as this is a well … Read more

How to check commercial dishwasher temperatures

Commercial Dishwasher Temperatures

High temperature commercial dishwashers use hot water that has reached a high enough temperature to remove food remnants and bacteria.  The correct commercial dishwasher temperatures mean that table and cookware is by hot water. Kitchen staff spend much of their time documenting food storage and cooking temperatures as part of their HACCP plan.  Measuring water temperatures of your dishwasher cycles is just as important to prove to that the correct safe-guards are in place. In a 2011 germ study conducted by the US based National Sanitation Federation (NSF), it was found that the place in most homes with the highest number of germs wasn’t the bathroom, but the kitchen! Washing hands, proper cleaning, of kitchen work surfaces and following food handling guidelines, are important ways to protect against food-borne illness.  A vital measure is to ensure that dishes and cookware, … Read more

UK Sausage Week

UK Sausage Week

We’re helping to celebrate UK Sausage Week by giving you the low-down on how to get the best out of your wurst – once you’ve decided on which one’s your favourite of course! COMMON MISTAKES I’m sure we’ve all had a dodgy BBQ sausage in our time… charred on the outside but soft and pink and going to make you ill on the inside. Even frying can result in the centre not being cooked through properly. So here’s our quick guide to getting the BEST out of your WURST. 1. Avoid a high heat The higher you have the heat, the less the fat will render, the faster the sausage skin will burn and the less likely you will have a perfectly cooked centre. This is why the BBQ sausages all too often fail; if the coals are too hot, then … Read more

Celebrate Safely this 4th July!

Celebrate Safely

At Comark we want you to celebrate safely this 4th of July! If your plans to celebrate Independence Day with family and friends, either today, or over the weekend, involve barbecues and eating outdoors, then here’s a few tips to help you keep safe! When it comes to Independence Day food, there’s nothing better than a picnic or barbecue with family and friends. You’ll want to make sure there is plenty of food to go round – but you should also make sure you celebrate safely.. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has just posted it’s July 4th food safety advice and we’re doing our bit for food safety by urging you go about your celebrations with food safety in mind. Preparing Safely First and foremost, keep your food preparation areas, utensils and equipment clean and wash your hands between different … Read more

Comark at NRA 2019

Comark at NRA 2019 – Centennial Show

From May 19-21 you will find Comark at NRA 2019, celebrating not only a new range of Bluetooth thermometers and feature-rich food thermometers but also celebrating the National Restaurant Association’s centennial year! If you visit Comark at NRA 2019, at booth 3746, you will be able to see the latest range of hand-held Bluetooth food thermometers, which transmit their temperature data to our Comark Kitchen Checks App, installed on your mobile device or tablet. If you are looking for new ways in which to automate data collection and to avoid human error in the process, then you definitely need to swing by!     For most professionals attending NRA 2019, a food thermometer needs to be used in a specific and controlled manner and the temperature data collected at source. This makes a secure data transmission protocol such as Bluetooth … Read more

Yizhou Chen - General Manager - Comark Instruments

Yizhou Chen Appointed General Manager

Comark Instruments, a leading international manufacturer of high quality, precision thermometers, data loggers and wireless temperature monitoring solutions, announced today the appointment of Yizhou Chen to the position of General Manager. “Food safety is one of the top concerns of mine and many others,” says Yizhou. “Comark is a remarkable company in the food industry, with a track record of providing trusted and innovative temperature solutions to keep customers and consumers around the world Safe. I am very proud to join the team to continue serving our customers in the best way possible.” Yizhou most recently came from Fluke IG as the BU Manager DMM/ EPROD based in Everett, WA, where she achieved double digit revenue growth for consecutive two years and built a strong innovation funnel for future roadmap. Before this Yizhou had, at Fluke, been the BU Manager … Read more

Salmonella

Latest Salmonella Outbreaks

Latest Salmonella Outbreaks What is a Salmonella Outbreak? The latest Salmonella outbreaks are declared when two or more people get the same Salmonella based illness, from the same contaminated food or drink source. These events are also known as food-borne disease outbreaks. Salmonella itself is a type of rod-shaped bacteria (or bacillus) and is one of the most well known causes of food-borne illness, more often referred to as ‘food poisoning’. Usually, an infection will just result in illness, but the latest salmonella outbreaks have required hospitalization for a large number of people and have even lead to death. The latest Salmonella outbreaks have all involved live bacteria being found in the intestines of humans (Salmonellosis). The bacteria usually invades the gastrointestinal tract, where they attach themselves to the cells lining the intestines and start to produce toxins. The Centers … Read more

NAFEM 2019 SHOW

NAFEM 2019

New Bluetooth Thermometer launch at NAFEM 2019. Comark Instruments is launching its latest Bluetooth™ product innovation at The NAFEM 2019 Show, February 7-9, 2019 in Orlando, Florida, the BT4x Bluetooth Thermocouple Food Thermometer. Visit Booth 854 to see how the Comark range can automate the temperature data collection required for today’s Wireless HACCP and Food Safety plans. The new Comark BT4x Bluetooth Food Thermometer is designed for all food service operations to quickly, safely and effectively monitor critical temperatures for deliveries, storage, cooking, cooling and hot holding, through to final serving. The Comark BT4x Bluetooth Food Thermometer has all the features of the best-selling C2x Thermometer but now incorporates recording via Bluetooth to eliminate the need for paper record keeping. Following the earlier launch of the BT25x Bluetooth Pocketherm™ Fold-Out Thermometer last year, it became clear that customers welcomed the … Read more

Christmas Cooking in the Festive Season

The 4Cs of Christmas Cooking

When it comes to Christmas cooking, each person has their own family traditions.  Cooking a bird is a tradition in many countries with turkey and goose being favorites on the menu. Often preparations for Christmas Day catering start well in advance.  In Britain, the traditional day to make a Christmas Pudding is Stir-Up Sunday, the last Sunday before the Advent Season.  It’s a good opportunity to teach children how to weigh out ingredients and in many households, each person gets to stir the mix and make a wish. It would be easy to think of the 4Cs of Christmas cooking as: Christmas Cake Christmas Pudding Crackers Chilled Champagne Christmas is one of the peak times of the year for catering establishments and in homes as the Party Season gets into fully swing.  It’s a time of parties and celebrations with … Read more

Hot and Cold Water Systems

Legionella Control in Hot and Cold Water Systems

Hot and cold water systems in buildings supply fresh water for cooking and cleaning and other functions such as heating. Systems that supply hot and cold water range in size scale and complexity. Water is usually distributed throughout buildings through a pipework system. Hot and cold water systems need careful management, particularly in public buildings such as healthcare premises to reduce the risk exposure to legionella. Legionella bacteria is responsible for Legionnaires’ disease, an uncommon but serious lung condition.  It can be caught by inhaling droplets of water from hot tubs, shower heads or heating systems. Temperature control of hot and cold water systems plays an important part in reducing the risk of legionella bacteria within the system. Where possible, cold water systems should be maintained at a temperature below 20°C.  Stored hot water temperatures should be at least 60°C.  … Read more

Data Loggers

What is a data logger?

Comark have a range of data loggers; compact, electronic instruments that record measurements at set intervals over a fixed or unlimited period. Depending on your requirement, data loggers range from models that can be downloaded after a single trip or more sophisticated wireless devices that can be left in place continuously. Your application will dictate which model you choose as the requirements for measuring a consignment in transport is very different to the continuous monitoring of storage areas in food and healthcare applications. A data logger may be a single unit, stand-alone device with internal sensors that can be downloaded manually, through to high-tech, wireless instruments with internal plus one or more external sensors. The basic explanation is that a data logger is a device with a sensor to measure something and a computer chip to store it prior to … Read more