Creating a safe kitchen within your home is one of the best steps you can take toward preventing illness and preventing injuries. When your kitchen is not a safe, healthy area, food poisoning and stomach illnesses are likely to occur. By taking the steps needed to create a healthy, safe kitchen, you'll have peace of mind in knowing that the food you prepare is free from bacteria and that dangerous situations will be avoided.
The first step towards creating a healthy environment within your kitchen is to prevent contamination from occurring. When your kitchen area becomes contaminated with various forms of bacteria, this can lead to serious illnesses for you and those within your family.
Meaty Issues
Something as simple as leaving meat out for too long can create contamination and cause those living within the home to become very ill. When meat is left out for too long, something called microbial contamination will occur, and this can cause the person who consumes this food to get sick. In order to prevent this type of contamination from occurring, you should always defrost meat in the refrigerator, and never leave it at room temperature to defrost. You'll also need to keep the thawed out raw meat away from other foods. The juice from the raw meat contains high levels of bacteria, which will enter into other food.
Healthy, Safe Kitchen
Clean Getaway
While many people leave their cooking equipment to sit in the sink after preparing a meal, this can allow bacteria to travel to other areas of the kitchen. Once you have finished cooking a meal, it's important that you wash the cooking utensils, pots, pans, and dishes used in hot, soapy water, which will kill any bacteria that is present on the items. Additionally, use a separate sponge for cleaning dishes and wiping down surfaces like counter tops. Color code sponges to prevent mix up. Also, was the sponge in the dishwasher on the hottest wash cycle.
Towel Truth
When you are cleaning the kitchen area up after cooking, it's best to use disposable materials in order to prevent the spread of bacteria. Paper towels are great for cleaning, because you can simply throw them away after use. If you do use towels made from fabric, it's important that they are put into the wash right away, and not hung up to dry. When you leave the wet towels out after use, they are going to grow a ton of bacteria, which will then be spread throughout your kitchen when you use the towel next time.
Hand Washing 101
Washing your hands after cooking in the kitchen is another important step towards preventing the spread of bacteria. While you are cooking different food items, the bacteria from the food will get on your hands. When bacteria remain on utensils, countertops, and tables, they will spread to other areas of your kitchen, possibly contaminating food items.
Take the Temperature
When you are cooking different types of meat, they need to reach a certain temperature before they are considered safe for eating. By using a meat thermometer while cooking, you'll be able to ensure that the meat has reached the right temperature and is cooked thoroughly before serving. Also, not many people realize that the temperature within their freezer and fridge can actually prohibit the growth of bacteria. These areas are breeding grounds for bacteria, and when not kept at the right temperature, the stored foods can become contaminated. To achieve correct temperature, set your freezer between -5 and 5 degrees and regulate your fridge between 30 and 33 degrees.