| Whether you have a career in food preparation, | | | | the meat. |
| entertain privately, or just cook for your family, food | | | | Elderly or sick people, babies, young children and |
| handling has some science to it that you should know. | | | | pregnant women should only eat eggs cooked until |
| What with hearing a story in the news every other | | | | both yolk and white are solid and should never eat |
| day about yet another Salmonella or E. Coli outbreak, | | | | raw or partially cooked seafood. Don't cook foods too |
| we could all stand to hear a refresher course in the | | | | far in advance. Once cooked, foods should be kept |
| sanitary preparing of food. | | | | covered and piping hot (above 145F) until it's time to |
| Handling food | | | | serve them. Keep prepared cold foods in the fridge |
| Wash and dry hands thoroughly before handling food. | | | | until you are ready to serve them. |
| Always use clean kitchen utensils for handling foods. | | | | When using a microwave, stir foods and drinks and |
| Keep raw and cooked food apart at all times. Apply | | | | allow them to stand for a couple of minutes to avoid |
| this especially to raw meat, fish, and poultry. Keep | | | | hot or cold spots. Check that food is hot throughout |
| these away from cooked foods and ready-to-eat | | | | before serving. Foods that are not thoroughly cooked |
| foods. Wash and dry hands, utensils, cutting boards, | | | | should be re-heated for another few minutes, but |
| knives, and flat surfaces thoroughly after preparing | | | | when it comes to microwaves food should not be |
| raw meat, fish, poultry and other raw foods and | | | | reheated more than twice. |
| before contact with other food. Ideally you should use | | | | Cooling |
| separate cutting boards for raw and cooked foods. | | | | Never put hot food directly into the fridge or freezer, |
| Never put cooked food onto a plate which has | | | | let it cool sufficiently first. Cooling should be completed |
| previously held these raw foods until it has been | | | | within one or two hours after cooking. To speed |
| washed. Do not use the same utensil to stir or serve a | | | | cooling you can divide foods into smaller portions, place |
| cooked meal that was used to prepare the raw | | | | in a wide dish and stand this in a shallow tray of cold |
| ingredients. | | | | water. |
| Vegetables of the root family such as potatoes, leeks | | | | Extra care for babies |
| and carrots often have traces of soil on them which | | | | Because babies' immune systems are less developed |
| can contain harmful bacteria, so wash them thoroughly | | | | than those of an adult, they are at a greater risk of |
| before use. As a rule you should wash other fruit and | | | | illness. To take extra care for young babies, wash |
| vegetables too, especially if they are going to be eaten | | | | bottles and utensils in hot soapy water and sterilize |
| raw. Avoid preparing food for yourself or others if you | | | | them using a sterilizing solution or a steam sterilizer. |
| are sick. | | | | When adding water to baby foods, milks and other |
| Defrosting | | | | drinks always use bottled water and never water |
| When cooking packaged frozen foods always follow | | | | straight from the sink tap. Cook foods thoroughly until |
| instructions provided for defrosting or cooking directly | | | | piping hot and cool them rapidly until they are |
| from frozen. If cooking from frozen allow sufficient | | | | comfortable to eat. |
| time for food to be thoroughly cooked and check it | | | | Extra care with barbecues and grills |
| before serving; an extra minute in the fryer won't hurt | | | | Cooking food outdoors, particularly for large groups, |
| it. When defrosting foods make sure they are fully | | | | can increase the risk of food poisoning. It's harder to |
| defrosted before cooking; being sure to allow food | | | | keep foods very hot or very cold and to keep |
| enough time to thaw. Never re-freeze food once it | | | | everything clean. But with a little extra care barbecues |
| has started to thaw. | | | | and outdoor grills can be used safely. |
| Thaw food by placing it on the bottom shelf of the | | | | Light the barbecue well in advance, making sure that |
| fridge in a container to catch any juices, or in a bin or | | | | you use enough charcoal and wait until it is glowing red |
| rack over a sink. These juices will often be | | | | with a powdery gray surface before starting to cook. |
| contaminated so wash dishes and hands thoroughly | | | | Keep meats, salads and other perishable food in the |
| after use. Only thaw food in a microwave oven if it is | | | | fridge, or in an ice-packed portable cooler box, until just |
| to be cooked immediately. To thaw very large meat | | | | before you are ready to cook them. Serve salads at |
| items like turkeys, leg of lamb, etc. more quickly, let | | | | the last minute. Ideally use separate cooler boxes for |
| them defrost outside of the fridge. Put them in a cool | | | | raw meats and ready-to-eat foods. Cooler boxes can |
| place and make sure they are completely thawed | | | | only keep food cool for a limited period so cook |
| before cooking. | | | | sooner rather than later. Better still,if possible, fully |
| Cooking and heating | | | | pre-cook all poultry and sausages in an indoor kitchen |
| Follow recipes and label instructions on cooking times | | | | and then take them straight to the barbecue to add |
| and temperatures. | | | | the final barbecue flavor. |
| Remember to preheat the oven properly – the | | | | During cooking, turn food often. If it starts to burn on |
| instructions for preheating take into account that the | | | | the outside raise the grill height or reduce the heat of |
| cooking time should be at the full temperature. Cook all | | | | the charcoal. You reduce charcoal's heat by |
| foods until they are piping hot. Remember that | | | | dampening the coals slightly or partially closing the air |
| sausages, burgers, pork and poultry are cooked all the | | | | vents. As always, cook poultry, burgers, pork and |
| way through and they should not be rare or pink in the | | | | sausages throughout with no pink bits in the middle. |
| middle. As a test, pierce it with a knife; any juices that | | | | Keep raw and cooked foods apart at all times. |
| run out of the meat should be clear, not bloody. Lamb | | | | Don't handle cooked foods with utensils that have |
| and beef (except when minced or rolled) can be eaten | | | | touched raw meats and don't put cooked or |
| rare, but you should make sure the outer surface is | | | | ready-to-eat foods such as salad and bread on plates |
| thoroughly cooked to kill any germs on the surface of | | | | that have held raw meats. |