Rules of food safety

1.     Keep it clean:

Cleanliness is the best way to safeguard against harmful bacteria. Keep a clean kitchen. Always wash and dry your hands before handling food. Frequently watch kitchen towels, dish clothes and sponges . Rinse fruits and vegetables thouroughly before eating. Sterilize cutting board once in a week in a solution of 1 tablespoon bleach per one gallon water.

2.     Avoid cross contamination:

Don’t put cooked meat (or any ready to eat food) on a plate that ha sbeen in contact with raw meat poultry or fish. It is a good idea to have two or three cutting boards; one for raw meat, poultry and fish; one for vegetables and cheese; and a third one for fruits, nuts and chocolates.

3.     Cook the food right:

To kill harmful bacteria that may be present in raw eggs, fish, poultry, and meat, it is essential to cook these foods thoroughly.

4.     Keep the Hot foods hot and Cold foods cold:

The safe zones for storing food are below 40 F and above 140F. Keep food above or below these temperatures and you will discourage bacterial growth. Don’t leave food out at room temperature for more than two hours. In hot weather protein foods such as chicken, beef, mutton, fish, egg or a food containing mayonnaise should not be left out of refrigerator for more than one hour. It is not advisable to cook the food in stages for example don’t partially cook fish, chicken, beef, mutton and finish the cooking later. Even when food stored in refrigerator between the cooking stages, safe temperatures may not be maintained and bacteria would develop.

5.     Treat leftovers carefully:

Refrigerate leftovers as soon as possible. Make small portions in containers for quicker cooling. Mark the dates on the containers so you know how long you’ve had them. If you have any doubt about the freshness of food discard them.