RECIPES >

• FOOD SAFETY •

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Seven of the most dreaded words in everyone's vocabulary: "It must have been
something I ate." No one wants to experience the feelings that go with those
words - and we certainly don't want to be responsible for inflicting that feeling
on our families or guests. Good news! There are simple
guidelines that, when followed, will help ensure the
cleanliness of your kitchen and the safety of your foods.
Familiarize yourself with these food safety tips and
follow them faithfully so you and your guests can
fully enjoy your meals.

"DID YOU KNOW?" GOURMET FACTS

FOOD SPOILAGE GUIDELINES
GENERAL  KITCHEN  SAFETY TIPS
FOOD HANDLING GUIDELINES
PERSONAL HYGIENE
TEMPERATURE CONTROL

CROSS - CONTAMINATION
CLEANING & SANITIZING

FOOD SPOILAGE GUIDELINES

•	Leftovers may be kept a maximum of 3 days, if refrigerated.
•	Eggs will last 30 days in a properly chilled refrigerator.
•	Frozen food maintained at 0º F will remain in good quality for up to 1 year.
•	Food left out at temperatures between 41 and 140º F for more than 4 hours is not safe to eat.

GENERAL  KITCHEN  SAFETY TIPS

•	Keep a fire extinguisher in an easily accessible location in the event of a fire. Never use water to extinguish a grease fire - it will only feed the flames.
•	Be sure a working fire alarm is located in or near your kitchen. Check the fire alarm's batteries the first of each month.

FOOD HANDLING GUIDELINES
The four main factors to ensuring the safety of your food are:

•	Good Personal Hygiene
•	Temperature Control
•	Avoiding Cross-Contamination
•	Thorough Cleaning and Sanitizing

PERSONAL HYGIENE
Poor personal hygiene is one of the most common ways that food-borne illnesses are spread. The most frequent culprit: poor hand-washing habits. Your mom was right - hands are the vehicle by which germs and other contaminants travel from one surface to another.

It is especially important to wash your hands when the following activities occur:

•	After using the restroom
•	After handling raw meats
•	After cleaning up (mopping, handling trash, sweeping, etc.)
•	After smoking
•	After sneezing or blowing or wiping your nose
•	After touching your hair or face
•	Before putting on disposable gloves
•	Before eating

TEMPERATURE CONTROL
Maintaining the proper temperature keeps food safe longer. Germs (also called bacteria) can grow quickly between the temperatures of 41º F and 140º F. This temperature range is referred to as the Temperature Danger Zone.

The good news is that there are ways to keep your foods out of the Temperature Danger Zone!

•	Purchase a stemmed thermometer (0 - 220º F) from your grocery store to measure the exact temperature in your refrigerator. First, the thermometer must be calibrated. To calibrate the thermometer, fill a cup with water and plenty of ice. Place the thermometer in the cup. If the temperature reads 32º F, the thermometer is calibrated. If it does not, adjust the nut at the top of the stem (while still in the ice water) until the thermometer reads 32º F.
•	Place the thermometer in the refrigerator and adjust the refrigerator to a temperature of 34 - 38º F to maximize the shelf life, freshness, and safety of your foods. Bacteria will not grow at these low temperatures so your food will stay fresher longer.
•	Adjust the freezer temperature to 0º F.
•	When cooling down leftovers, chill the product rapidly to 41º F or below (within 4 hours). For example, you may need to place liquids into more than one shallow container or cut up larger pieces of meat into smaller ones.

Never thaw products at room temperature!
The exterior portion of the product can reach the Temperature Danger Zone even though the center is still frozen. The safest way to thaw is to plan ahead and thaw products in the refrigerator.

Use a food thermometer to check the temperatures of your foods to ensure that they have been cooked properly to eliminate harmful microorganisms. Your foods should reach the following safe cooking temperatures (internal temperature):

•	Chili, Stew, Soup, leftovers 165º F
•	Poultry, chicken, turkey, etc 165º F
•	Stuffed food, ground poultry 165º F
•	Ground beef, ground pork 155º F
•	Beef (steaks, roasts) medium 145º F
•	Pork (chops, roasts) medium 145º F
•	Most other foods 145º F

CROSS - CONTAMINATION
Cross-contamination is the transfer of harmful microorganisms from one item to another by means of a food contact surface. Cross-contamination most often occurs via your hands, cutting boards, or knives or utensils. However, you can easily avoid cross-contamination by following a few tips:

•	Store raw separate from ready-to-eat foods.
•	Always store cooked foods above raw foods in your refrigerator.
•	Clean hands, surfaces, and utensils between use on raw and ready-to-eat foods. For example, clean your cutting board after cutting chicken before you cut a head of lettuce on the same board.

CLEANING & SANITIZING
A good clean kitchen is always a great beginning to keeping your food safe, and a sanitized kitchen is even better. The following cleaning tips will help remove visible soil:

•	Thoroughly and frequently clean utensils and the cooking or preparation surfaces that have come in contact with food.
•	Store food and cookware in a place where it is protected from pests, chemicals, and other types of contamination. Never keep food or cookware in the cabinet below the kitchen sink.
•	Use a clean cloth to clean the kitchen. A cloth that has been damp for a long period of time can contain bacteria, therefore you would be spreading them around when "cleaning".
•	When cleaning, use hot water and a good cleaner.

By sanitizing your kitchen, you take additional precautions after cleaning and rinsing to eliminate germs or bacteria (you know, the invisible critters). Sanitizing occurs when you use a chemical addition that specifically eliminates germs and bacteria. Today, you may choose from the many of anti-bacterial sanitizing products on the market.