There is an old English saying: “Food cooked with passion and served with love tastes divine.” Trust me, it’s true even today! Every foodie (just like you and me) is well aware that the soul of any good recipe lies in the right combination of spices and fresh natural ingredients. But sometimes we can overlook an even more important ingredient when cooking food, and that most of the time alters the soul of our recipe. Yes, I am talking about food safety and hygiene. We must be very careful when handling food and maintain the highest level of hygiene and food safety in our kitchen and home.
Food contamination can occur at any stage, be it during harvesting, processing, preparation, storage or transportation. Foodborne illnesses are often common when hygiene standards are low. According to data published by the World Health Organization, every year foodborne illnesses cause almost one in ten people to get sick. These diseases can be deadly, especially in children.
There are some basic rules to follow when handling food:
Clean: Wash your hands and surfaces often.
Separate: do not cross-contaminate.
Cook: Cook to the proper temperature.
Chill: Refrigerate quickly.
Clean: Wash your hands and surfaces often.
One should wash hands thoroughly with soap before coming into contact with food. This eliminates the transfer of germs from your hands to the food. All vegetables and fruits should be washed in cold water before use. Kitchen counters and surfaces are the key places that, if they get dirty, can contaminate food. These places must be thoroughly disinfected along with the equipment used to prepare food.
In case of illness or cold and flu, you should avoid cooking and handling food. When someone has the symptoms of diarrhea, vomiting, or jaundice, they should stay away from the workplace. And if they have a sore throat and a fever, they should be restricted from preparing and serving food. Martin Bucknavage, extension food safety specialist, says, “Foodborne pathogens, such as norovirus, hepatitis A and Shigella, are often transmitted from sick workers to restaurant patrons through food.” These recommendations are not just for food service or retail food establishments, but also for people who cook for their families and those who work in child care or nursing homes. The use of hand sanitizers and tissue paper should be encouraged in all age groups.
Separate: do not cross-contaminate.
To prevent cross-contamination, keep raw and cooked foods separate when storing and preparing them. Food should be stored in covered containers in the refrigerator and raw meat and poultry should be placed in the back of the refrigerator so that juices do not contaminate foods on lower shelves. Do not put cooked meat back on the plate where raw meat was.
Cook: Cook to the proper temperature.
If you eat poultry, seafood, and meats, you need to be careful when cooking them. They must be fully cooked to the proper temperatures before eating. To confirm, insert a skewer into the center of the meat and check for pink meat. The juices should run clear. Those are the signs of well-done meat. If raw meat is consumed, it can cause food poisoning.
In recent years microwaves are being used in our kitchens to cook and reheat food. You can cover your food with good quality wrapping paper, which prevents food from drying out when reheated. Make sure reheated food is very hot and steam is coming out. This means that you have eliminated the risk of bacteria and other pathogens.
Chill: Refrigerate quickly.
If you are going to store your raw food in the refrigerator, wrap it with a food wrap that can absorb moisture and prevent dripping juices and keep it below 5 degrees Celsius. You can help keep your family safe from food poisoning at home. Low temperatures slow the growth of disease-causing bacteria. Therefore, it is important to cool food quickly and properly. Refrigerate perishable foods within two hours.
Healthy and hygienic eating habits can prevent many foodborne illnesses. These habits need to be instilled into your daily lifestyle and should also be taught to children. It’s the small steps that go a long way and make a big difference in your holistic well-being.
