Understanding Food Safety

Easy Keys to Food Safety

If there is one thing that we have all been taught since we were young, it's to remember to wash your hands.  No, not just run them under cold water and dry them on your jeans, but to actually lather up with soap and scrub.  Washing your hands before preparing foods or cooking can make all the difference in preventing the transmission of common food borne illnesses.  Now, this may sound rather simplistic, but effective hand washing is the easiest and most effective food safety task that you can perform.  The steps are simple.  Start by wetting your hands under warm water.  Next, lather with soap (any kind will work as it all kills bacteria) and work the soap in between the folds of your hands.  Pay particular attention to in between your fingers and the bases of your fingernails.  If your nails are especially dirty, you may want to use a nail pick or brush to clean them before you start the hand washing process.  Continue to scrub your hands with soap for at least 20 seconds.  The combination of soap, friction and running water helps to dislodge and wash away any harmful microorganisms that your skin may harbor.  Once you feel that your hands are clean, use a paper towel to dry them thoroughly.  Then, use another clean paper towel to turn the faucet off.  This last step will prevent recontamination of your clean hands by a dirty object such as a faucet handle.  It may be necessary to wash your hands several times while you cook or prepare a meal.  Times to rewash your hands include when you switch from preparing uncooked meat or poultry to making a fresh salad or fruit dish that will not be cooked.  This will help to prevent the transfer of microorganisms from the raw meat product to the vegetable or fruit.

Another important step in maintaining food safety and quality is segregating the utensils that you se for each type of food.  For example, if you use a cutting board to tenderize and chop a steak, you would not want to use the same cutting board for fresh vegetables or fruits.  It's a good idea to keep two different cutting boards handy, one for meat and one for fruits and vegetables.  Also, if you use knives, spoons, or any other utensil with raw meat, be sure to sanitize it before it comes into contact with any fresh produce.  A good, inexpensive sanitizing solution is one teaspoon of ordinary household bleach in one quart of water.

If you have implemented the above steps in your food preparation, then you have gone a long way in reducing problems related to food safety.  However, another crucial area that is often overlooked is food storage.  You should be aware that foods, even when cooked, can begin to spoil when they are stored outside of the appropriate temperature ranges for food safety.  Keep in mind that you should store cooked food in the refrigerator within one to two hours of cooking.  Any excess time and your food could become a breeding ground for harmful bacteria.  When storing food in the refrigerator, remember that you should leave enough space around containers so that the cool air can circulate and bring the food down to a safe temperature quickly.  Also, be sure to occasional check the temperature settings of your fridge and freezer.  Your refrigerator should maintain a constant temperature of 38 to 40 degrees to ensure safety and freshness of your food.  Your freezer should stay at about zero degrees all the time.

A final area for concern, in regards to food safety is the storage of meat and poultry products.  Everyone knows that you should always defrost your frozen meat and poultry in the refrigerator and not on the counter top.  However, this can create a cross contamination hazard with your other foods.  Always store defrosting meats in tight sealed bags, so as to keep any juices from the raw meat from contacting your other food in the refrigerator.  It wouldn't hurt to keep the meat on a sturdy plate or bowl so as to contain any possible spills or leaks. 

Keeping these food safety rules in mind while preparing meals can help to protect you, your family and your friends from the unpleasantness of a food borne illness.