Food safety at home poses special challenges. It takes skill and organization to provide healthy meals on a daily basis. Ensuring bacteria does not find its way into the food is a full-time job. You need to learn to protect your family from food-borne illnesses, especially if you have elderly, children or pregnant women around. Make sure that food is not only delicious but safe as well. Here are some suggestions for home food safety:
* Always wash your hands with hot soapy water for at least 20 seconds before and after handling food. It's the easiest way to minimize bacterial contamination. * Organize and manage your refrigerator and oven space in a way to keep hot foods at 140 degrees or more and cold foods at 40 degrees or below. * Refrigerate leftovers within two hours of preparation. Leaving food out too long is a safety hazard. Ensure the fridge is not too packed but has plenty of air circulating around the food. * Defrost food stuffs properly, especially poultry and meats. Allow five hours per five pounds to defrost in the refrigerator after removing from a deep freeze. Never defrost on the kitchen counter. * Wash all fresh produce, even prepackaged greens to minimize potential bacterial contamination. Make sure kitchen counters, sponges, cutting boards and knives are all well scrubbed. * Do not allow guests with inquisitive fingers in your kitchen, especially if they happen to visit you in the cold and flu season. * Do not eat food containing uncooked eggs, or you risk contract salmonella. Eggs should always be stored in a fridge and cooked well. * Store raw meat, poultry and seafood tightly wrapped on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator. This prevents the raw juices from dripping on other food.
