Food Preparation

Preparing and Cooking Food Safely

It’s always best to practice good hand-washing before handling any food, as well washing hands after handling raw meat, after handling the bin, and after going to the toilet. failure to adhere to these basic hygiene practices will result in the spread of germs and harmful bacteria’s such as E. coli, Salmonella and Campylobacter, which can make a person ill with food poisoning, colds, flu and other conditions; bacteria can be spread by pets also, such as petting an animal and not washing hands, or having a pet in the kitchen where it can contaminate various exposed foods, and/or food preparation areas.

You should also make sure that all food preparation areas are cleaned down properly before and after cooking in the kitchen, and that all cloths and tea towels are washed on high heat regularly or replaced with new cloths and tea towels. As well as the above Chopping boards need to be thoroughly cleaned and left to soak in very hot water to kill any germs and faecal matter that may be lurking on them after preparing raw meats.

It’s advisable to clean fruit and veg with hot water before use to remove any visible dirt or germs, but make sure never to use any detergents.

When cooking raw meats and fish make sure they are cooked at the right temperature and thoroughly throughout to avoid serving undercooked dishes, which could potentially result in food poisoning. Pay attention to the different standards for different meats, as meats like Chicken and pork should have no parts that are pink or rare when cooked.

Make sure that there is no cross contamination either, and that different raw meats are stored separately in different containers. For cooked meats, they should never be mixed with raw meats and they both should be stored correctly in their own separate containers.

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