Cook Safely

When you think about foodborne illness – sickness caused by food – your first thought might be contaminated salad greens or raw chicken. Though both may carry organisms that could make you sick, your kitchen might actually be the biggest incubator for foodborne illness.

For more than 20 years, the Partnership for Food Safety Education (PFSE) has been educating consumers about safe food handling practices. Currently, PFSE is trying to get food writers to incorporate the Safe Recipe Style Guide into recipes. An observational study published in the Journal of Food Protection showed that cooks who followed recipes that included food safety instruction used more food safety behaviors. These practices would cut down on possible food contamination issues and prevention foodborne illness from home-cooked foods.

The proposed recipe style guide offered 4 points where food safety can be incorporated into recipes. These safety points are easy to follow even if they are not currently in most written recipes.

Wash your hands with soap and water. This may sound overly simple but it is one of the best practices to avoid the spread of harmful organisms during home cooking. More than 25% of people never wash their hands before preparing food. Wash your hands when you start cooking and again after you have touched raw meat, poultry, seafood and eggs. All of these raw foods may contain organisms that could cause illness. When the foods are cooked the microbes are destroyed. But if they are left on your hands when you touch other foods, prepare a sandwich for your children, or touch surfaces in the kitchen. You risk continued contamination which could be stopped by simple hand washing.

Rinse or scrub fresh produce under running water. Gently rub produce, like broccoli, cauliflower, or lettuce under cold running water. If the produce is firm like raw potatoes, carrots or celery, scrub it with a clean vegetable brush. Plants grow in or on top of dirt which may harbor organisms. Washing is the first step to removing them from the fruit or vegetable.

Avoid cross contamination. Do not use the same knife, cutting board, utensil or plate for raw fruits and vegetables after preparing raw meat, fish or poultry. Wash utensils and wipe off counters between preparing the two. Don’t reuse marinades used for raw foods to baste cook foods. Don’t save the marinade for a second use in another recipe. Don’t rinse raw meat or poultry. After rinsing raw poultry 60% of sinks still had bacteria on their surface.

Use a thermometer. Because few recipes include the instruction “Cook until XX temperature is reached” only 20% of cooks regularly use a food thermometer. Heat kills harmful organisms and the eyeball method for doneness is not the best approach. Roasts, steaks and chops should be cooked to 145 degrees F. Ground meat 160 F. Poultry 165 F. Leftovers 165 F. Finfish 145 F.

Bacteria multiply best at temperatures between 40 and 140 degrees F, making your kitchen a perfect incubator for growth since the median temperature plus moisture are available. Keeping cold foods cold and hot foods hot seems simple and it is a practical way to prevent foodborne illness. And, clean out your refrigerator weekly. Don’t let it be the place that leftovers go to die.

© NRH Nutrition Consultants, Inc.
Jo-Ann Heslin, MA, RD, CDN is a registered dietitian and the author of 30 books.

Available as eBooks from iTunes and Kindle/Amazon:

Diabetes Counter – the most up-to-date information on managing diabetes

Calorie Counter – a weight loss guide that won’t let you down

Protein Counter – put the latest protein recommendations to work for you

Healthy Wholefoods Counter – planet-friendly eating made easy

Complete Food Counter – food counts and nutrition information at your fingertips

Fat and Cholesterol Counter – newest approach to heart-healthy eating

Available in print from Gallery Books:

Most Complete Food Counter, 3rd Ed.

For more information on Jo-Ann and her books, go to: www.TheNutritionExperts.com or on twitter: #JoAnnHeslinRD.