Even with the most beautiful kitchen with the most wonderful and up-to-date cooking utensils, decorations, and window treatments (see top down shades over here), without consistent sanitation and cleanliness, food wouldn’t be appealing. A lot of individuals think that when one suffers from illness and tummy ache, it is due to the germs taken from outside the home. In reality, majority of the germs are in fact picked up in the home and is a result of poor hygiene in the kitchen. With germs from foods that are raw foods ,which includes meat, poultry, seafood, raw fruit and vegetables, being transmitted to kitchen tops or other foods while preparing a meal, or food not cooked properly.
One of the major reasons of having a tummy ache is cross contamination. This happens when germs on one food are unintentionally transferred to other food, most often from the kitchen handler’s hands or kitchen utensils. Here are a few guidelines to follow to avoid and eliminate germs in the home.
Make it a point to wash your hands with soap and clean water before and after handling food especially those that are raw like meat and eggs, when touching trash bins, pets, or going to the toilet.- Thoroughly clean and disinfect or sanitize all counter tops and surfaces right after preparing food.
- If possible, color-code chopping boards for ready-to-eat and raw foods.
- Cover or keep food it in sealed containers to prevent germs from getting in.
- When preparing food, keep any pets or animals away, even from eating areas.
- Disinfect items in the right manner at the right time to get rid of any germs and impede them from spreading to food.
- Always use clean kitchen utensils.
- Regularly clean and disinfect things that people frequently touch, like water taps, handles of cupboard and switches.
- When utilizing reusable dishcloths and kitchen towels, disinfect them between each task.
- Make sure to completely cook meat to kill germs that cause stomach aches. To test if your meat is thoroughly cooked, drive a knife into the portion of the meat that’s the thickest, there should not be any indication of pink meat. Meat juices should also be clear.
- When you reheat food, ensure that it is steaming hot all the way through. It is also advisable not to reheat food more than once.
- Chilling or freezing food slows down the growth of bacteria. Constantly check the storage directives and best before dates on your food’s packaging.
Make it a point to wash your hands with soap and clean water before and after handling food especially those that are raw like meat and eggs, when touching trash bins, pets, or going to the toilet.