When it comes to staying healthy, you know the basics of washing your hands and covering your mouth when you cough or sneeze. While everyone knows the common ways of staying healthy, some may not know the proper ways of staying healthy in other aspects. One area where people have a lot of questions is about food safety. Knowing food safety rules is another way to keep you and your family healthy. By following these food safety tips, you know you prevent any food mishaps as you eat meals at home.
Clean Fridges Regularly
Your fridge holds many types of foods. Those foods may accidentally spill on the shelves in your fridge. To stay on top of any potential microbial spread, clean your fridge on a regular basis. Most experts recommend cleaning your fridge once a week. Cleaning your fridge gives you the chance to clean up any spills that contain bacteria. Also, it gives you the chance to make sure you aren’t holding on to anything expired, which could also get you sick.
Wash Your Hands to Start
Before you start cooking, it’s best to wash your hands. First off, it’s good sense to wash your hands on a regular basis. Secondly, it helps prevent the spread of germs from you to the people you’re cooking for, especially if the foods don’t get cooked. You’ll want to wash your hands frequently while cooking, especially if you spill something to prevent the spread of microbes.
Know Proper Internal Temperatures
Different types of meats have different temperature requirements. It’s important to follow those temperature requirements to make sure all the harmful bacteria is killed during the cooking process. In order to know the correct cooking temperatures, the USDA released a blog post about proper cooking temperatures to help consumers. Always check the internal temperature of meat with a meat thermometer.
Know How Long to Keep Food
Just like different kinds of meats have different internal temperatures they need cooked to, they also last different lengths. But it’s not just meats that have a time limit on them. Fruits and vegetables also need to be consumed in a timely manner to avoid spoilage. The USDA has a chart that details how long to keep certain foods before throwing them out.
Refrigerate Foods Promptly
You never want to leave certain types of foods out for extended periods of time. With meat, the more it stays out without heating methods (like staying in a chafing dish or in a slow cooker), the more likely harmful bacteria has grown. Once you’ve finished eating, refrigerate all foods to make sure they’re safe to consume in the future. Remember to properly reheat leftovers to avoid getting sick.
When it comes to food safety, you can never be too safe. At Extreme Microbial Technologies, we understand that need to stay safe. That’s why our equipment can help reduce the likelihood of getting ford-borne illnesses, like E. coli or listeria. If you want to know how our equipment can help your home or business stay safe from food-borne illnesses, contact Extreme Microbial Technologies now.