Since you may be spending more time in the kitchen during the busy holiday season, now is the perfect time to discuss some important food-handling habits that can help keep everything clean and safe for you and your family.
First off, make certain you’re starting with clean surfaces. Always wash your hands with soap under warm running water for at least 20 seconds before handling and preparing food, after handling raw meat and before eating.
Here are a few steps you can take to sanitize the kitchen:
- The sink, drain, faucet handle and refrigerator handle are all high-traffic areas, so it’s important to regularly spray these areas with household cleanser.
- If you hand-wash dishes, air-drying in a dish rack is the best choice as a dirty or wet dishtowel can re-contaminate clean dishes.
- Sponges can be placed on the top rack of the dishwasher at the end of every day to sanitize.
- Every few months, aim to empty the shelves and clean the interior of your refrigerator.
- Try to remember to wipe food jars to remove drips before placing them back in the fridge.
And what about making sure your fridge stays fresh?
- Every week, throw out anything in your refrigerator that’s past its expiration date or looks rotten.
- Refrigerate or freeze perishables, prepared foods and leftovers within two hours.
- Never defrost or marinate food at room temperature. You should use the refrigerator for those tasks or you can also thaw foods in airtight packaging submerged in cold water.
- You may also thaw food in the microwave if you are in a time crunch and will be cooking food immediately.
While it may be tempting to save all your tasty leftovers, don’t over-stuff the refrigerator. If cold air cannot circulate, it cannot keep food at a safe temperature. To ensure your refrigerator is cold enough, you can use an appliance thermometer to make sure it is running at 40 degrees Fahrenheit or below and that the freezer is at 0 degrees or below. For more information on how to safely store your leftovers, head to ReadySetEat for their list of great tips!
For more tips on food preparation and grocery shopping be sure to check out Food News Today every Wednesday on my official Supermarket Guru site.
