Friday, December 26, 2014

Four Ways to Safe Food Preparations

Studies shows that the way we cook our food is common cause of food contamination.   Germs such as campylobacter, salmonella and E. coli are found in our kitchen.  These can easily be spread if we are not careful.  Our hands serves the primary transport of these germs to our food and even pets at home. It is important that we wash our hands with soap after touching the bin, using the toilet, touching any raw food and when cooking. Inadequate food handling is the common cause of food contamination / food poisoning.  One key factor also is to keep all kitchen utensils (Popsicle maker, bread knife, cake and pie server, chef’s knife, colander, fish slicer and etc.
In cases where foods aren’t cooked, proper storage should be observed. This is to preserve the food freshness and to avoid rotting.  If food isn’t stored properly, it can cause serious food poisoning, flu, colds and other conditions.
In general there are effective ways to prepare and cook your food safely.  In doing these you can ensure that your food is safe to eat and free from germs that causes illness.

1.      Hand washing- Germs are spread through our hands, it is important to keep our hands sanitize every time.  The only way to sanitation is through washing hands with warm water and soap.  It also good to use hand sanitizers and alcohol. 

2.     Washing Fruits and Vegetable- The best way to enjoy fresh fruits and vegetables is to wash them through running water before cooking/eating them.  Washing can effectively remove visible dirt and bacteria that are found in the surface.  Peeling can also be as effective in removing these germs. Never use any other cleaning products (especially chemicals) to your fruits and vegetables as this might not be good for consumption. It might that some chemicals stay on the foods that can cause poisoning.

3.      Cooking - Temperature is a crucial part in cooking, it is important that harmful bacteria are killed. In general, bacteria are killed at temperature hotter than 75C.  Below are list of foods that should be cooked thoroughly before eating.
·         Pork
·         Poultry
·         Sausages
·         Burgers
·         Kebabs
·         Meal
If you cooked that you are not going to eat immediately, keep it cool within 90 minutes and store in fridge. Foods that are put hot inside the fridge can cause food poisoning.

4.     Cleaning up - Wash chopping boards and other cooking utensils before and after cooking, as these can cause contamination in food.  According to studies, chopping board has more fecal bacteria than an average toilet seat.  Wet sponges and cloths are also perfect place for these bacteria to breed.  In fact, kitchen sponges have the highest number of germs in any other place of your home.  It is important that you replace these sponges, cloths, rugs, and towel frequently.





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