What comes to mind when you think of a clean kitchen? Shiny waxed floors? Gleaming stainless steel sinks? Spotless counters and neatly-arranged cupboards? They can help, but a truly "clean" kitchen that is, one that ensures safe food,relies on more than just looks: It also depends on safe food practices. In the home, food safety concerns revolve around three main functions: food storage, food handling, and cooking. How well you are doing is a function of the care you have for what you feed your family with. Read on to learn how you can make the meals and snacks from your kitchen the safest possible.
1. Refrigerators should stay at 41°F (5°C) or less. According to microbiologists, many people overlook the importance of maintaining an appropriate refrigerator temperature. Their advice: Measure the temperature with a thermometer and if needed, adjust the refrigerators temperature control dial. A temperature of 41°F (5°C) or less is important because it slows the growth of most bacteria. The temperature wont kill the bacteria, but it will keep them from multiplying, and the fewer there are, the less likely you are to get sick from them.
2. Hot foods should be refrigerated as soon as possible within two hours after cooking, but dont keep the food if its been standing out for more than two hours,dont taste test it, either. Even a small amount of contaminated food can cause illness. Date leftovers so they can be used within a safe time. Generally, they remain safe when refrigerated for three to five days. If in doubt, throw it out.
3. The kitchen sink drain, disposal and connecting pipe are often overlooked, but they should be sanitized periodically by pouring down the sink a solution of 1 teaspoon (5 millilitres) of chlorine bleach in 1 quart (about I litre) of water or a solution of commercial kitchen cleaning agent made according to product directions. Food particles get trapped in the drain and disposal and, along with the moistness, create an ideal environment for bacterial growth.
4. Many people use the same cutting board to cut raw meat, poultry or fish to chop another food without cleaning the board. This is a violation of an important food safety rule: Never allow raw meat, poultry and fish to come in contact with other foods. washing the board with soap and hot water and then sanitizing with a mild bleach solution is the safest practice. Improper washing, such as with a damp cloth, will not remove bacteria.
5. Cooking food to an internal temperature of at least 160ﾰF (71ﾰC) usually protects against foodborne illness. To be on the safe side, check that meat, fish and poultry are well cooked. For microwaved food, follow directions, including the standing time, either in or out of the microwave, after cooking. Microwave cooking creates pockets of heat in the food, but allowing the food to stand before eating allows the heat to spread to the rest of the food.
6. If you like half-boiled eggs, then you may be putting yourself at risk for infection with Salmonella enteritidis, a bacterium that can be in shell eggs. Cooking the egg or egg-containing food product to at least 140ﾰF (60ﾰ C) kills the bacteria.
Foods containing raw eggs, such as homemade ice cream, cake batter, mayonnaise carry a Salmonella risk, but their commercial counterparts dont. Commercial products are made with pasteurized eggs and are not a food hazard.
7. You must develop the habits of cleaning your kitchen counters and other surfaces that come in contact with food properly. Bleach and commercial kitchen cleaning agents are the best sanitizers, provided theyre diluted according to product directions. They are the most effective at getting rid of bacteria. Hot water and soap does a good job, too, but may not kill all strains of bacteria. Water may get rid of visible dirt, but not bacteria. Also, be sure to keep dishcloths and sponges clean because, when wet, these materials harbor bacteria and may promote their growth.
8. After food, when do you wash the dishes? Do you simply leave them to soak in the sink for several hours and then wash with soap in the same water? Or do you wash right away with hot water and soap in the sink and then air-dry or immediately towel-dry them? Whichever you do, you should know that when you let dishes sit in water for a long time the food left on the dish contributes nutrients for bacteria, so the bacteria will multiply. Also, when washing dishes by hand, its best to wash them all within two hours. Also, its best to air-dry them so you dont handle them while theyre wet.
9. The way you handle raw meat, poultry or fish say much about the cleanliness or otherwise of your kitchen habit. Wash hands with warm water and soap for at least 20 seconds before and after handling food, especially raw meat, poultry and fish. If you have an infection or cut on your hands, wear rubber or plastic gloves. Wash gloved hands just as often as bare hands because the gloves can pick up bacteria. (However, when washing gloved hands, you dont need to take off your gloves and wash your bare hands, too.)
10. How do you defrost your meat, poultry and fish products? Do you set them on the counter? Place them in the refrigerator? Or microwave it? Food safety experts recommend thawing foods in the refrigerator or the microwave oven or putting the package in a water-tight plastic bag submerged in cold water and changing the water every 30 minutes. When microwaving, follow package directions. Smaller items will defrost more evenly than larger pieces of food. Foods defrosted in the microwave oven should be cooked immediately after thawing. Do not thaw meat, poultry and fish products on the counter or in the sink without cold water; bacteria can multiply rapidly at room temperature.
This article was culled from the publications of Deen Communication Limited