Preparing a delicious dinner with a variety of different foods is sometimes a challenge. Learn everything you should know about food cross-contamination.
If you have experience cooking, you should know that some food products need to stay separate from other foods. This is because bacteria from other foods can spread and potentially damage your health. There are some things you should know about food cross-contamination to keep your family healthy. You must follow these best practices to enjoy a safe and delicious meal.
Always Wash Your Hands
This is an important practice for cooking and life in general. Washing your hands is essential when handling food to prevent bacteria or dirt from transferring. It would be best to do this before starting to cook, in between handling different ingredients or utensils, and after you finish cooking. Washing your hands often prevents you from spreading bacteria outside the kitchen.
Clean Surfaces
Transferring bacteria is easy, especially when you move things around while cooking. It is hard to focus on other things when you need to pay special attention to cooking times, adding the right spices, and getting different dishes ready. Cleaning all surfaces before cooking will ensure that nothing contaminates your food and gives you the freedom to use every inch of space.
Treat Raw Meat Carefully
One of the easiest and quickest ways to cross-contaminate food is with raw meat. You need to be extra careful to keep it away from all the other products and prevent any juices from spreading on counters or spilling. Be sure to always cook your meat thoroughly, especially poultry. Undercooked or raw poultry can make you ill. You need to be aware of the risks of eating raw chicken.
Use Special Equipment
There are many different products in the market that allow you to cook and prepare food easily and safely. Having a special cutting board for vegetables and another for raw meat is not a style choice—it will keep your food safe. Never use the same board or utensils to cut different ingredients. Using separate utensils and cutting boards for different ingredients is the best practice to avoid food cross-contamination.
Store Carefully
Things can happen when you are not watching, which is one reason you need to store items carefully and away from other foods. Whether raw or fully cooked, cross-contamination can happen at any time because bacteria travel quickly, and some are airborne. You should always store vegetables and fresh fruit on top in the refrigerator, while meat and fish go on the bottom to avoid leaking onto other foods.
