How Healthy Is Your Kitchen?
By Janet Peterson
Wanting a mid-afternoon snack, a woman got a bag of tortilla chips from her pantry, then reached into her fridge for a partially-filled bottle of salsa. She couldn’t remember how long ago that salsa had been opened. She wondered a little about eating it, but it smelled okay, so she went ahead and enjoyed her snack. Unfortunately, that salsa had been sitting in her refrigerator for way too long, and she ended up in the hospital with gastrointestinal problems.
Some members of my family had a reunion at a cousin’s mountain cabin a few summers ago. Lunch was potluck, and we enjoyed visiting with cousins we hadn’t seen for a number of years. However, the fun of the reunion was marred by food poisoning. Over the next few days, various family members, including myself, became quite ill. We couldn’t pinpoint the culprit food, but we knew that at least one food item was tainted either from its source or from preparation methods.
Practicing food-safety habits in your kitchen is just as vital as preparing healthy and delicious foods. Restaurants and cafes are regularly inspected by a local health department. Would your kitchen pass such an inspection?
Cleanliness is the key to food safety, as is regular policing of the foods you eat and store. The time and effort you put into keeping your culinary environment clean will pay off by preventing you, your family, and others from suffering from food-borne illnesses.
Guidelines to Kitchen Cleanliness
1. Wash your hands before and after food preparation with hot, soapy water. Also wash them after you’ve handled raw meat, poultry, or fish.
2. Clean countertops and work surfaces before and after food preparation. Use disinfectants to sanitize them.
3. Keep your utensils and work surfaces clean as you prepare food. Wipe up spills when they happen. Don’t allow water to stand as it facilitates spreading of bacteria.
4. Avoid cross-contamination by using designated cutting boards for meats and vegetables or fruit. Use hot, soapy water for washing by hand or put boards in the dishwasher, making sure the water is hot and that the sanitation cycle is on.
5. Avoid sponges, which easily harbor bacteria. If used, microwave wet sponges for a minute on high.
6. Consider using paper towels for kitchen clean-up.
7. Change dishcloths and towels daily and wash them in hot water.
8. Use a different platter, bowl, or utensil for serving a food item than was used during its preparation.
9. Regularly clean and sanitize your refrigerator, especially the compartment for meats.
10. Empty your trash can or bin daily so that food wastes don’t have opportunity to develop bacteria. Use plastic liners so that food doesn’t cling to the can itself.
11. Wash food prep items as well as serving and eating dishes soon after the meal. Don’t allow dishes to pile up in the sink or on countertops for long periods.
12. Sweep and mop kitchen and dining area floors regularly.
13. Keep animals away from your food prep areas.
Guidelines for Policing Your Foods
1. Mark bottles and jars when you open them. The expiration dates printed on them are for shelf life, not open storage. Throw away items that are questionable. The USDA’s website, www.foodsafety.gov/keep/charts, gives refrigerator and freezer storage times for numerous foods. A USDA app, Foodkeeper, gives storage information for more than 400 foods. Consider buying small bottles or jars of condiments, salad dressings, or items you infrequently use. A giant bottle stayed safe when you had a houseful of children and used it quickly, but it may not when you are empty nesters.
2. When you clean your refrigerator, evaluate what you return to its shelves. Make this a regular habit.
3. Be watchful with leftovers. Only reheat leftovers once. If you still have leftovers, dispose of them.
4. Leftovers that you won’t use quickly should be put in the freezer. Cooked meat or meat casseroles stay fresh up to two days in the fridge, while chicken stays good up to four days.
5. Check that your refrigerator is set at 40 degrees F and your freezer at 0 degrees F so that your food is stored safely.
6. Refrigerate or freeze food items properly after returning from grocery shopping. This is especially needful for meats.
7. Cook foods thoroughly and at the proper temperatures. Again, the USDA provides appropriate temperatures for various foods. Use a food thermometer to ensure correctness.
8. Don’t let cooked foods sit out; refrigerate promptly or dispose of properly.
9. Rinse raw produce under running water. However, do not wash bagged greens again; doing so presents a risk of cross-contamination from your hands.
10. When transporting food for a picnic or outing or to take to someone, make sure that cold foods stay cold and hot foods stay hot.
The food supply in the United States is the safest in the world. Still, much of our food is imported, and there also have been problems develop in American food processing plants. Whenever there are outbreaks of salmonella, e. coli, or listeria, for example, they garner public attention, and the government and companies make every effort, including recalls or plant closures, to eliminate contamination.
Food safety and home cleanliness are a personal requirements for good health. Because of bodily changes due to aging, seniors can be more susceptible to food-borne illnesses. (There are more than 200 or more food-related illnesses.) Since prevention is always better than cure, evaluate your food-safety and kitchen-cleanliness habits and make a concerted effort to keep you and yours healthy with the food that comes from your kitchen.