Food preparation in your kitchen can be disastrous if you choose to act in unsafe ways. There are open flames, raw meats, and expired foods, all of which pose a risk to your health. You need to keep your home kitchen safe for you and all those you hope to cook amazing food for.
Store Food Properly
Believe it or not, but the way that you store food can have a profound impact on the number of bacteria it is exposed to. Safe food storage goes beyond knowing which foods should go in the fridge or not. Most items will have a written message saying that they need to be refrigerated. Raw meat needs to be sealed in and away from fresh food. If you have leftovers, you should not wait for them to cool completely before covering them with a lid and placing them in the fridge. There used to be a saying that putting hot foods in the fridge causes bacteria to grow, but that has been proven false. Instead, you should put your foods in your fridge sooner rather than later because bacteria grow faster in a hot environment.
Reduce Cross-Contamination
Going back to the idea of keeping your raw meat away from fresh fruits or vegetables in the fridge, you need to do the same thing when preparing food. Restaurants use strict processes for keeping contaminants out of the food they serve. Even when cutting foods, you need to use a different knife and cutting board to avoid cross-contamination. You should also wash your hands frequently and disinfect any surfaces that might have touched raw meat or eggs. Additionally, you should make sure that kitchen utensils are washed with hot water to kill any leftover bacteria.
Read the Date Labels
You might have noticed that your food labels say different things before the date. It is important for your safety that you know what each means. Sell-by dates are instructions for the store to know when the item is no longer fresh but is still consumable for the customer. Best if used by is similar to Sell by, the item might not taste as good or the texture may change, but it is still safe. An expiration date is stricter, and the food should not be eaten anymore.
To take the risk out of food preparation, you now know what to look for to keep all your food fresh. Once you practice food safety, you can eat stress-free knowing that food poisoning is not in your future and enjoy your meals.
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Executive Chef Cardie Mortimer, Produce Guru Robert Schueller and Collin and Jimmy from “Behind the Studs” Podcast join Maria to talk the homelessness problem in America, Strawberries and renovations you can make to your kitchen!
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