The 3-Compartment Sink
The three-compartment sink is how Cassano’s hand-washes anything that isn’t going through a dish machine — pans, utensils, prep equipment, soda nozzles. There’s a specific five-step sequence, and skipping or shortcutting any step is a health code issue, not just a Cassano’s preference.
Clean and sanitize each sink and drain board itself before you start washing anything in it. A dirty sink can’t clean dishes.
The five steps
Step 1 — Scrape
Rinse, scrape, or soak food residue off items before they go in the wash sink. The wash water shouldn’t have to do the heavy lifting — that’s what scraping is for.
Step 2 — Wash (Sink 1)
Detergent solution at at least 110°F (43°C). Replace the water when the suds disappear or the water gets dirty. Sudless water doesn’t clean.
Step 3 — Rinse (Sink 2)
Spray with clean water, or dip items in. The goal: remove all food residue and all traces of detergent. If you’re dipping rather than spraying, change the rinse water when it gets dirty or sudsy.
Step 4 — Sanitize (Sink 3)
Soak in hot water or a sanitizer solution. Use a test kit to check sanitizer concentration — eyeballing it doesn’t count. Check the time and temperature requirements for whichever sanitizer you’re using; different products have different requirements.
Step 5 — Air Dry
Place items upside down so they drain. Do not towel-dry — towels can recontaminate freshly sanitized surfaces.
Wash → Rinse → Sanitize → Air Dry. In that order, every time. Sanitizing dirty dishes doesn’t work — the sanitizer needs a clean surface to do its job.
Operationally at Cassano’s
The 3-compartment sink is filled at opening and must stay filled all day. At closing, all utensils, pans, and dishes are washed using this method, the sink is emptied and cleaned, and towels are returned to their proper storage area.