Looking for ways to make your kitchen safer? Make sure meal prep goes off without a hitch by following proper food prep safety tips for your kitchen.
This time of year brings many families together in the kitchen for more delicious meals than ever. But with so many cooks in the kitchen, it can sometimes be easy to lose ourselves in the whirlwind and skip basic safety steps. No matter what you’re cooking or how many hands are helping out, always follow these three food prep safety tips for your kitchen at home.
Separate Foods
When preparing food, take stock of the different ingredients you’re working with. When preparing anything with raw ingredients, make sure to keep these away from other categories of ingredients. Raw ingredients, such as raw meat, eggs, and seafood, can spread germs and bacteria, contaminating your other materials. Make sure you also use different utensils for cutting and preparing raw ingredients and wash these items before preparing any ready-to-eat ingredients.
Cleaning Your Materials
Before you start the food prep process, make sure to wash your hands and ingredients thoroughly. However, remember that not all ingredients require washing. In fact, you actually shouldn’t wash raw meat before cooking it because you risk spreading bacteria around your sink and kitchen. The natural germs on raw meat will die off during the cooking process. However, you should clean everything else regularly throughout the cooking process, including rinsing fruits and vegetables, scrubbing utensils (especially those that make contact with raw meat), and washing your hands regularly.
Kitchen Utensil Safety
Another hazard of food prep is using sharp knives, heavy pans, and other common kitchen utensils. If you don’t use these items carefully while cooking, they can potentially cause injury. Always keep your eyes on your knife while chopping and slicing, and don’t multitask while cutting ingredients. Watching TV or trying to have a conversation while chopping could result in your knife slipping and you accidentally injuring yourself. Keep heavy pots and pans away from the edges of countertops so that they don’t go toppling over the edge and landing on your toes.
By following these three food prep safety tips for your kitchen, you can make sure meal prep is safe for every meal. By minimizing safety hazards in your kitchen, your meal prep will go smoothly, and you can focus on the meal itself rather than any accidents that may arise.
