Keep Your Kitchen Safe
Skipping simple food safety rules could have bigger consequences than you may think. Foodborne illness may result in a belly ache or extra trips to the restroom, and can have more serious outcomes in those with weaker immune systems, like younger children, pregnant and nursing people and older adults. Here are eight food safety guidelines that most people forgo because they are busy, forget or just don’t know any better.
Improper Hand Washing
When it comes to hand washing, most people don’t do it often enough or properly. When working in the kitchen you should wash your hands before starting to handle food, between handling raw and ready-to-eat food, after using the restroom, after using your phone or answering the door, and after sneezing, scratching or touching your skin or clothes.
Many of us just quickly rinse our hands under the water for a few seconds, disregarding soap or using a dirty towel to dry clean hands, which results in re-contamination. Remember to sing “Happy Birthday” twice and have clean towels at the ready to dry hands.
Defrosting on the Countertop
Many people have the terrible habit of defrosting meat and poultry on their countertop while they’re at work or asleep for the night. This is asking for trouble, as one bacterium can multiply to over one billion in just 10 hours — which is plenty to make anybody sick. To properly defrost meat and poultry, place it in the refrigerator the night before, defrost in the microwave or run under cool water (for smaller-sized frozen foods like shrimp). If you choose to defrost in the microwave, be sure to cook it right away since the meat is partially cooked at that point. If you have a lot of meat or a large piece of meat (like for a barbecue), place it in the refrigerator one to two days in advance.
Cross-Contamination
There are several forms of cross-contamination that take place in the kitchen. Many people prepare raw meat and use the same cutting board and utensils to then slice fresh fruit or vegetables. If the vegetables are then left out for a prolonged period of time, this gives harmful bacteria the opportunity to grow to amounts that can make you sick. Another form of cross-contamination is storing raw meat in the fridge above foods that won’t be cooked like cheese, fruits and vegetables. Juices from the raw meats can easily drip on those ready-to-eat foods.
To prevent cross-contamination, clean and sanitize cutting boards, knives and work surfaces between raw and ready-to-eat foods (like vegetables). Also, be sure to wash your hands after handling raw foods. When storing food in the fridge, wrap raw meats before storing them on the bottom area of the fridge.
Undercooking Food
It is all too common for people to use their eyes to determine if food is fully cooked. Unfortunately, this isn’t the proper way to determine if a food is done. The most accurate way is to measure the internal temperature. We recommend making an investment in a meat thermometer to do so.
Keeping Perishable Food for Too Long
When was the last time you cleaned out your refrigerator? Whether holding on to deli meats, a container of milk or store condiments well past their use by dates, many people keep leftovers or ingredients for way too long. All foods have to be tossed at some point — check the use by date on packages to see how long your food is good for. Always remember, when in doubt, toss it out.
Not Rinsing Produce
Besides people touching produce at the grocery store, fruits and vegetables come from dirt and need to be washed before eating. Microorganisms can lurk in the outer layer of the produce, like lettuce, melons or avocado. Luckily, there’s an easy way to minimize risk. Rinse your produce under cool running water. For produce with thicker skin like potatoes and melons, use a vegetable scrub brush to gently scrub the outside. The Food and Drug Administration does not recommend washing produce with soap, detergent or a commercial produce wash as produce are porous and these non-edible items can easily be absorbed.
Not Properly Storing Leftovers
Leaving leftovers out too long at room temperature — or even worse, at very hot temperatures — allows harmful bacteria on the food to grow to amounts that can make you sick. The amount of bacteria can be so high that cooking still won’t make it safe. As such, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) recommends discarding any food left out at room temperature for more than two hours (one hour if the temperature is above 90-degrees Fahrenheit).
When storing leftovers, place food into shallow containers and allow to cool (if they are not already) to 70-degrees Fahrenheit or below for no more than two hours (one hour if the temperature is 90 degrees). Once the temperature of the leftovers is 70-degrees Fahrenheit or below, they should be covered and placed in the refrigerator.
Cooked leftovers should be used within three to four days. It’s recommended to heat leftovers to a minimum cooking temperature of 165-degrees Fahrenheit.
Improperly Marinating Food
Food like chicken or fish should be marinated in a covered container in the refrigerator on the bottom shelf. The food should never be marinated at room temperature as pathogenic bacteria can grow. Instead, place the food and marinade in a covered container in the refrigerator so it stays below 40-degrees Fahrenheit. Placing the marinating food on the lower shelf of your fridge can also help prevent any cross-contamination in case there is a leak from the container.