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Food Safety in the Kitchen

Food safety simply means producing food which is clean, safe and of good quality. Good food safety is important to prevent food poisoning.
Food poisoning can occur at any stage from storage of uncooked food, food preparation, cooking and storage of cooked food.
Here are some handy tips on what to do and what NOT to do to minimise the risk of food poisoning.

During food preparation and cooking…….

1. Wear waterproof gloves before preparing food.
2. Have 2 chopping boards in your kitchen – 1 for raw meat and 1 for vegetables because bacteria from raw meat can be transferred to bread or fruits like tomato if you use the same chopping board.
3. Do not let raw food come into contact with cooked food or ready-to-eat food and vegetables.
4. Thaw food in the cooler part of the refrigerator, not on the kitchen counter.
5. Do not reheat leftover food more than once as this may lead to bacteria contamination of the food. The food should also be reheated till the internal temperature reaches at least 85 degrees celcius.

During food storage….

1. Raw food should be placed below cooked food in the refrigerator.
2. Food should be stored below 3 degrees celcius in the refrigerator as bacteria grow best at room temperatures.
3. Do not place food on a table for more than 2 hours at room temperature as this is the ideal temperature for food-poisoning bacteria to grow.
Last but not least, good hygiene should always be at everyone’s fingertips. This includes NOT allowing pets into the kitchen. Kitchen surfaces should always be kept free from oil, spills and blood stains from raw meat or fish.

Make it a point to practice food safety in your kitchen today!

Quiz

1. It is alright to use the same chopping board for cutting raw meat and vegetables. True or False?

Ans: False. Bacteria thrives on raw meat thus, it is advisable to have 2 different chopping boards for raw meat and vegetables. This is to prevent any bacteria from contaminating the vegetables and cooked food.

2. Leftover food should not be reheated more than once. True or False?

Ans: True. Leftover food should not be reheated more than once as it can lead to bacteria contamination and the internal temperature of the food should reach at least 85 degrees celcius.