When in the kitchen, you want to make sure that you are practicing safe food and cleaning habits. There are many unfortunate stories out there about how someone got food poisoning, or didn’t feel too well after a meal, etc. I am here to help you prevent these things from happening.
There are four basic food safety principles that are always good to keep in mind:
CLEAN
Always make sure to wash your hands often. This includes washing your hands before, during, and after meal preparation, and making sure to wash your hands properly.
Keeping things clean also includes cleaning your kitchen. This includes cleaning your counter tops, tables, fridges, cooking area, etc.
SEPARATE
When you are storing, preparing, and cooking food, you want to be aware of cross contamination. Raw meats, ready-to-eat foods, produce, etc. should be separated.
This picture shows you what NOT to do.
CHILL
Make sure that foods are properly stored. Your refrigerator should be set to a temperature below 40°F and your freezer should be set at or below 0°F.
Leftover foods from a meal should be refrigerated within two hours.
COOK
Use a food thermometer to check when your food is done. Most food thermometers include a built-in list of the recommended temperature minimums.
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