Dinner Made Simple

Safe Food Preparation

Entire books have been written on the subject of food safety; however, what I will attempt to do is to explain the most important aspects of food safety for you as you prepare food for your family in your kitchen at home.

Handwashing

It may seem obvious, but proper handwashing is an essential part of preventing foodborne illnesses. Follow these five easy steps for proper handwashing. 1) wet your hands with running water as hot as you can comfortably stand, 2) apply soap, 3) vigorously scrub hands and arms for ten to fifteen seconds, being sure to clean under your fingernails and between fingers., 4) rinse thoroughly under running water, 5) dry hands with a paper towel and use that paper towel to turn off the faucet. This entire process should take about 20 seconds.

Prevent cross-contamination

Cross-contamination means the transfer of microorganisms from one food or surface to another. Microorganisms can e transferred from food or unwashed hands to tables, utensils, cutting board and other food. An easy way to avoid cross-contamination is to assign specific equipment to a particular type of food. For instance, use one set of cutting boards, knives and utensils for poultry, another set for meat, and a third one for produce. In my kitchen I use different colored cutting boards and coordinating tongs and spatulas.

To keep harmful microorganisms on raw meat and poultry from spreading to cooked foods and other raw foods, be sure to keep raw foods and cooked foods separate during food preparation. Wash your hands thoroughly after you have handled raw meat or poultry and before you touch any other foods or utensils that will be used to prepare those foods.

Use a different work area for prepping different types of food

For example, prep poultry or meat on the counter on the left hand side of your sink and fruits or veggies on the counter on the right-hand side of your sink. Be sure to clean and sanitize all work surfaces, equipment and utensils after each task, using hot, soapy water, rinsing well, and drying with a paper towel.

Time and temperature control

Another contributing factor to foodborne illness is time/temperature abuse. Foodborne microorganisms grow quickest at temperatures between 70F and 125F (this is commonly called “the danger zone.”) Therefore, it’s important to cook food to a safe temperature and after it is cooked, to cool and store the food at a safe temperature.

Related articles:

Cooking Food to Safe Temperatures

How to Thaw Food Properly

Cooling and Storing Cooked Food