10 Ways to Avoid Food Poisoning in the Kitchen

by Susan Davis on 14/08/09 at 8:23 am

With these easy tips

Each year, thousands of individuals get food poisoning from their own kitchens. Many episodes could be prevented by practicing safe storage and preparation techniques.  To avoid a food poisoning episode in your home, keep some of these guidelines in mind when shopping, preparing and storing your meals.

1. Start in the supermarket. Avoid food poisoning in your kitchen by making smart choices at the supermarket.  Be cautious when buying meat, poultry and seafood by purchasing these products at stores that have a good reputation for quality products. Select meats that are uniformly bright and show no discoloration.  Smell the package and make sure it doesn’t emit any peculiar odors.  Check the “Sell by” date on the package to ensure it is not outdated and  make sure the packages are wrapped tightly.
2. Keep everything separated. Keep the meat products separate from the other food in your shopping cart to avoid cross contamination, which is one of the major causes of food poisoning.  When you get home, put the meat, seafood and poultry in the coldest part of the refrigerator, separate from the dairy, fruits and vegetables.  Plan to cook or freeze meats within a few days of purchase.
3. Wash your hands frequently. Keep an ample supply of antibacterial soap near your sink and use it liberally and often.  Wash your hands for at least 20 seconds before handling meat and wash again if you are going to handle any other ingredients.  Plan to wash your cutting boards and all other kitchen utensils and dishes before working with raw meat, poultry or seafood.  For the ultimate in protection, buy and use separate cutting boards for animal products and produce.
4. Use safe defrosting methods. Defrost meats in the refrigerator or by using the defrost cycle on the microwave. Do not leave meat out on the counter to defrost.  Do not wash your meats before cooking, since the juices could contaminate utensils or other items in the kitchen.
5. Cook with a thermometer. Invest in a digital food thermometer and use it!  Cook meat and seafood products to the recommended temperature to kill any toxic bacteria.  Use the thermometer to determine doneness, not the eye, since some meats may remain pink even after cooked thoroughly.
6. Use clean dinnerware. Always use clean dinnerware to plate your cooked food, making sure no raw foods have touched the plates.
7. Serve food immediately and store leftovers promptly. After cooking food, plan to serve it immediately, or keep it warm in the oven.  If you won’t be eating it for awhile, put it in the refrigerator.  Food should not be kept out on the counter to avoid the growth of any bacteria.
8. Be cautious of rainbow colors! Be on the lookout for unnatural colors on some of the food in your refrigerator.  Blue and green streaks usually indicates the formation of mold or a deadly fungus.  Although mold on hard cheeses can be safely cut off, throw out soft cheeses or other foodstuffs that turn colors.  Even small patches of green mold on bread products could signify the existence of dangerous microscopic organisms.
9. Watch for bulging cans. Examine canned foods carefully and pitch anything that appears to be bulging or leaking.  This indicates the existence of potentially dangerous microbes that release gases that swell the container.  If you consume food from a bloated can, you could open yourself up to botulism.  Don’t even try to open the can.  Drop it directly in the trash can.
10. Wash produce before eating raw produce.  Fruits and vegetables should always be washing thoroughly before they are eaten raw.  This sounds like a no-brainer, but even innocuous fruits and vegetables can be tainted by deadly bacteria.

Keeping these tips in mind should help keep you and your kitchen safe, and allow you to serve your meals safely and with confidence.  For more information about food safety, visit the Government’s Gateway to Food Safety Information.