June 7 is World Food Safety Day. This day is a good time to review food safety rules that everyone should know to try to avoid food poisoning. While Corporations are not allowed to sell food contaminated with enough bacteria to make people sick, it happens a lot. The consumer is the last line of defense against pathogenic bacteria.
The main things to remember are four key words: Clean, Separate, Cook, and Chill. That means you need to clean your hands before you start cooking, and wash fruits and vegetables before you prepare them. (Never wash poultry or raw meat!) Make sure your kitchen is clean, along with utensils and dishes. Then keep uncooked foods and raw foods separate. Do not let meat or poultry juices touch fruits and vegetables, store them apart from each other in the fridge, and always wash surfaces that raw meats have touched after you are done working with them. Cook foods to safe final internal temperatures, and test that temperature every time with a reliable food thermometer. Finally, chill foods quickly after you are done eating. All foods need to be refrigerated within two hours (one hour if the temperature is 90°F or above) to prevent bacterial growth and to keep food out of the danger zone between 40°F and 140°F.
Beginning cooks also need to learn about potentially hazardous foods. While all foods can be contaminated with pathogenic bacteria, viruses, and parasites, some are more likely to carry these dangerous pathogens than others. Raw meat and poultry, raw sprouts, enoki mushrooms, and products made with raw milk have caused hundreds of deadly food poisoning outbreaks over the years.
Then learn the fifteen tips to avoid food poisoning. These tips will help you stay safe, including how to avoid cross-contamination, how to safely grill and cook outdoors, foods to avoid, and how to keep hot foods hot and cold foods cold.
With a little bit of effort and some conscientiousness, your kitchen will be as safe as possible, and you will have minimized the risk to family and friends. Enjoy your dinner!
