10 Easy Ways To Food Safety IE: Put A Straw In It!
September 21, 2009 by Loma Gregg
Filed under Food
When you’re cooking and you’re in a hurry, you probably don’t think about the things you touch in your kitchen. From the fridge door to the knobs – everything you touch will matter. Here are a few simple steps you can take to improve your food safety score at work or home:
- Wear A Clean Apron! You undoubtedly wipe a finger here or there on your shirt or pants, or maybe ‘just’ the cloth you use to dry your clean hands. You can’t help it! Putting a simple apron on will help keep the germies off your clothes & towels and out of other rooms in the house. If you must use a towel, attach one to your apron like the chefs!
- Line Up Your Stuff! Get all the utensils you need onto the counter so you don’t have to touch the drawers getting them out
- Get It Out Of The Fridge! Get everything you’ll need out of the fridge. Separate the meats from the veggies and prep the veggies first. Be sure to either use a new knife or clean it thoroughly.
- Open The Lids! Open the lids of your spice jars so you can grab them with a clean towel to add them as needed
- Put The Garbage Out! Either have a designated bowl on the counter or take the garbage out from hiding so you can easily dispose of things without touching the knobs.
- Bag Hands! Use plastic bags over hands to form meatballs, patties etc. But remember to get the garbage can out to throw them away!!
- Love The Pop Up Wipes! For especially germie foods like raw meats, I keep a pop up container of germicidal wipes OPEN on the counter so if needed I simply lift one out. No need to go under the sink or even touch the container. great for clean up after cooking as well. PAY ATTENTION TO THE DIRECTIONS! Some disinfectants will tell you not to dry the surface area for 1 minute – or as much as TEN!
- Count The Cloths! Normally I’m very conservative when it comes to using, re-using, recycling. But when working with raw meat I pre-tear several paper towels and lay them out. This way I don’t have to grab the roll and hold it to tear one off when my hands are messy and I want to grab the jar of spices. And if I don’t use them – they’re still good for later!
- Details! Clean up the counter AND the faucet with disinfectant. The best faucet is a single control that you can control with the back of your wrist.
- Put A Straw In It! My personal favorite. Whatever you’re drinking, put a straw it it. Lean over and take a sip as needed!
Bad germs can hardly be seen, smelled, or tasted, but they are all around us, waiting to multiply in numbers large enough to trigger a cold, a diarrhea infection, or even an outbreak. By ensuring that these harmful microbes are kept in check, we minimize the potential health hazards they pose to ourselves and our family members.
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