Proper food handling is essential

[Guest guest]

Proper food handling is essential

JoAnn Guest

Nov 13, 2006 08:40 PST

 

Proper food handling is essential. The main concerns are

cleanliness, preventing cross-contamination, and keeping foods at

safe temperatures. With just a little knowledge, you can save

yourself a lot of misery.

 

1. Washing hands

Wash hands thoroughly with hot soapy water, for a minimum of 20

seconds. Remember to lather up to the elbow. Pay special attention

to nails and fingertips, one of the easiest and most crucial steps

in food safety.

Rings and bracelets can harbor germs, so either remove them or wash

them carefully. It is important to wash hands in the following

situations:

 

Before the start of food preparation

Between handling different food items, such as raw meat, poultry, or

fish and vegetables. (Don't forget to wipe off the faucet!)

After using the bathroom or changing a diaper.

After touching a pet.

After tending to a sick person, blowing your nose, sneezing, or

coughing.

After handling garbage.

After touching your face or hair.

2. Tasting food

 

When tasting food while cooking, always use a separate tasting

spoon, and get a new one each time. Do not double dip and do not eat

off the utensil you are using to stir.

Do not use your fingers to taste. It is not sanitary and can cause a

burn if the food is very hot.

Always handle a tasting spoon by the stem, never by the scoop.

3. Handling injuries

If you get cut, quickly put pressure on the cut and clean and

bandage accordingly. Clean knife and cutting board accordingly.

Always wear latex or rubber gloves when you have bandages on your

hands. Change bandage often.

 

4. Preventing cross-contamination

Bacteria from raw meats that is spread to other foods, utensils, or

surfaces is called " cross-contamination " . Mixing raw meats with

ready to

eat foods is the primary source of cross-contamination. This

important and multi-faceted category includes the following

components:

 

Raw meats, poultry, and fish

 

Always separate raw meats away from produce and ready to eat foods.

At the store, have the cashier bag raw meats separately.

At home, always store raw meats on the bottom shelf of the

refrigerator, so meat juices won't drip on other foods.

 

Kitchen counters

Wash well with hot soapy water and then use a disinfectant.

Do not let pets walk on work surfaces and don't sit on work

surfaces.

Whenever you have finished working with one food, clean the counters

well before introducing a new food.

Cutting boards

It is a good idea to have separate cutting boards, one for meat,

fish, poultry, and one for foods that will be served raw.

 

Plastic cutting boards should be sanitized with a bleach solution or

by washing in the dishwasher. To make a bleach solution, mix 1

tablespoon of bleach with one quart of cool water. Discard solution

daily.

Sanitize wooden cutting boards by rubbing with distilled grain

vinegar, then air-dry or microwave for ten minutes.

 

Cutting boards, especially wooden ones, should be regularly

inspected to ensure that food is not getting imbedded in cracks or

crevices.

Throw out cutting boards when they get excessively worn or hard-to-

clean cracks appear.

Wash cutting boards with hot soapy water after each use.

Kitchen dishcloths, sponges and aprons

Repeatedly using the same cloth or sponge to wipe counters spreads

germs. Remember to wash towels in the washing machine daily and put

sponges in the dishwasher.

Avoid wiping your hands on your apron, as you will pick up bacteria

from the last time you wiped your hands.

When handwashing dishes, allow them to air-dry. Don't use towels to

dry them, as this will spread germs.

Utensils and serving pieces for cooked and raw food

If you take raw meat, poultry, or fish to the outdoor grill, also

bring a new container to put food in after it is cooked.

Wash or replace cutlery and utensils that were used while product

was raw.

If your meat, poultry or seafood was in a marinade, bring marinade

to a boil for at least 3 minutes before using as a sauce. However,

it's usually better to discard marinade altogether.

 

Uncooked foods

Wash lettuce well, even pre-washed produce, by soaking in a bowl of

cool, fresh, drinkable water.

Clean berries and other fruits with running water; the friction of

the water will brush off bacteria.

Wash melons and other large fruits and vegetables that are not going

to be cooked. Remember they came from a farm, grew on dirt, and have

been handled by numerous people. If you cut an unwashed melon,

bacteria from the surface will be pushed inside by the knife.

To prevent cross-contamination, always wash foods in a bowl, not in

a water-filled sink.

 

If you wash raw chicken, meat, or fish, be sure to wash out the sink

well to prevent cross-contamination.

 

When using a food thermometer, always wash it between probes.

Frequent hand washing is crucial in preventing cross contamination.

5. Temperature

Bacteria grows rapidly between the temperatures of 40 and 140

degrees Fahrenheit. This temperature range is known as the " Danger

Zone " . To properly store, hold, and cook foods, it is imperative to

minimize the amount of time foods are at these temperatures.

 

Pathogenic bacteria

thrive in the Danger Zone; certain strains can double in number

every 20 minutes. These are the bacteria that cause foodborne

illnesses, but do not affect taste, smell, or appearance of the

food.

Any foods that have been in this temperature range for two hours or

more should be discarded; they might taste all right, but can make

you very sick.

Don't marinate food at room temperature for longer than 1 hour.

 

6. Refrigeration

Your refrigerator is one of the most important items in your kitchen

for keeping foods safe.

Always refrigerate perishable items immediately to minimize

reproduction of pathogenic bacteria. Refrigeration will not,

however, completely protect foods from spoilage bacteria. This

family of bacteria can multiply at low temperatures, and diminish

the quality of foods, contributing to off-flavors and aromas.

 

It is important to maintain the temperature of your refrigerator

below 40 degrees F. Ideal refrigerator temperature is between 36 and

38 degrees F.

Frequently check the temperature with an appliance thermometer. If

your refrigerator exceeds 40 degrees F for over two hours, dispose

of all perishable foods.

 

When refrigerating cooked foods, divide food into smaller portions

so they will chill faster.

It is also important not to overfill your refrigerator, as cold air

circulation is necessary to keep foods chilled.

 

The door areas of the refrigerator have frequent temperature

fluctuations from opening and closing, so don't store perishable

foods

on the door. Keep eggs in the carton inside the refrigerator instead

of the egg rack.

If food spills in your refrigerator, wipe up the spill immediately

and sanitize if necessary.

 

Do weekly checks to assure that food is not spoiling, and

occasionally

wash all surfaces with warm, soapy water. To keep odors from

forming, leave opened box of baking soda on a shelf and change every

few months.

 

7. Thawing frozen foods

There are three safe ways to thaw frozen food: in the refrigerator,

in cold water. Leaving food on a counter or thawing

in hot water will cause food to be in the Danger Zone.

Refrigerator thawing can take a long time, but it is the safest

method.

Plan ahead, as large food items, such as a turkey, may take 24 hours

for

every 5 pounds. For smaller items, such as chicken breasts, put in

the

refrigerator in the morning for dinner that evening. Foods that are

thawed in the refrigerator can be refrozen safely, with some loss in

aesthetic quality.

Cold-water thawing is faster, but can be more complicated. Meat

should

be wrapped in a leak-proof bag or else it will absorb the water.

Keep

water cold by changing it every 30 minutes. A bag of chicken breasts

that weighs under a pound will defrost in less than an hour, and a

large

turkey takes 2 to 3 hours for every 5 pounds. Foods thawed in cold

water

must be cooked before refreezing.

If food is thawed with a microwave, it must be cooked immediately

following the thawing. During this process, some of the surface

areas

might start cooking and are in the danger zone. For this reason, we

don't recommend microwave defrosting. Foods thawed in the microwave

must

be cooked before refreezing.

8. Cooling soups, stocks, and hot liquids quickly

When making a large batch of soup or stew, it can often take a long

time

to cool. Since foods should not be in the Danger Zone for more than

2

hours, here are some pointers to cool foods down quickly:

Liquids are best cooled in metal containers. Plastic insulates heat

and

cools more slowly.

Set container in an ice-water bath that reaches the same level as

the

liquid in the container.

Stir ice-water bath occasionally to accelerate cooling.

9. Storage instructions and " use by " dates

Pay attention to storage instructions, such as " Refrigerate after

opening " and dates on containers. If items have been stored

improperly,

it is safest to discard them instead of risking illness.

 

http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/ck_cooking_guides/text/0,1971,FOOD_16

096_22231,00.html

[Guest guest]

JoAnn, thank you for that input. I am on the Washington Restaurant Association

Food Safety Committee. Do you or anyone else have any suggestions that you

would like me to give at our meeting? Also, JoAnn, may I use some of the

information that you gave for an article that I am writing?

 

Sandra Zawada

 

JoAnn Guest <angelprincessjo wrote:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Check out the all-new Mail beta - Fire up a more powerful email and get

things done faster.

 

 

[Guest guest]

, Sandra Zawada

<skzawada wrote:

>

> JoAnn, thank you for that input. I am on the Washington

Restaurant Association Food Safety Committee. Do you or anyone else

have any suggestions that you would like me to give at our meeting?

Also, JoAnn, may I use some of the information that you gave for an

article that I am writing?

>

> Sandra Zawada

I am concerned about the e-coli contamination popping up just recently in our

food supply, also salmonella and how to avoid this. Also, on another note I am

unsure if this would be specifically a Food Safety issue, however it appears to

me that we should see more discussion on the prevalence of genetically

engineered foods and whether they should be replaced with organically grown

restaurant fare. The abundance of inferior oils found in many restaurant foods

is especially worrisome to me. Just recently I have been following the CSPI

lawsuit with interest and was encouraged to hear that KFC has responded to their

bid for healthier oils resulting in a state of transition. However after a quick

search on CSPI's site I sense that the food industry is lacking in their

conception of more 'healthy' oils. The usage and safety of inferior oils in our

restaurant cuisine is my primary concern at the moment.

 

Although CSPI and other activists are campaigning against trans

fatty acids in hydrogenated oils, they seem to be oblivious to the

fact that the types of genetically engineered oils to which they are

switching pose similar health problems to the transfats. Including a quote from

CSPI website below as an illustration. These individuals seem to be unaware of

the fact that soybean oils

( a genetically engineered synthetic as

well as a more harmful omega-6 oil) are also implicated in

these heart and artery inflammations,

thrombosis and a host of other diseases. Oh I imagine that Monsanto

would be happy to supply KFC with soybean oils, however according to my research

they pose a number of health risks and should be

avoided. If you care to search the archives on this site you

will see numerous reasons why omega 6 fats should be avoided. They

are just as problematic as transfats. Americans ingest an abundance

of fried foods, and fried foods are always implicated in heart

disease for they introduce carcinogens and free radicals into the system. In the

light of these facts, if restaurant owners believe that Monsanto is a purveyor

of the more healthy oils, they are being grossly deceived. Of course,I would

like to see more emphasis placed on baked cuisine and as you can see I am even

more concerned with food quality as well as

food handling. I think both are equally importnat!~

I would like to correspond with you further. If you wish you can email me

regarding your other questions.

Thanks!~

 

Blessings,

JoAnn

 

" KFC tested the oil in restaurants in several cities. Monsanto,

maker of the special " low linolenic " soybean oil, assured KFC of an

adequate supply. "

 

http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/food/2006-10-29-kfc-

transfat-usat_x.htm

[Guest guest]

JoAnn, thanks for your input. You can email me directly also. I went to the

USA Today link at the bottom and could not connet with it. Any direction you

could give me would be most appreciated. The Committee has not yet met and I

would like to go in with my facts straight.

Thanks,

Sandra

 

JoAnn Guest <angelprincessjo wrote:

, Sandra Zawada

<skzawada wrote:

>

> JoAnn, thank you for that input. I am on the Washington

Restaurant Association Food Safety Committee. Do you or anyone else

have any suggestions that you would like me to give at our meeting?

Also, JoAnn, may I use some of the information that you gave for an

article that I am writing?