Eating clean is essential, and there’s absolutely no doubt in this fact, but at the same time, keeping the food clean and making it safe for your family is also important. In order to keep the food safe and to reduce the contaminants in it, there are several healthy food handling practices one can opt for.
In fact, if you are someone who is a lot more conscious about what he and his family eat, then you should definitely think about taking up a food hygiene course. Other than this, there are a total 4 different principles that you need to follow if you want to reduce the risk of any foodborne illness. Those four principles are, Clean, Cook, Separate, and Chill. Following these four things can always keep you away from diseases like diarrhea, food poisoning, and even vomiting, etc.
Here are some tips that can help you in keeping your food away from contaminants and germs;
1- Wash Your Hands
Cleanliness starts from you, so the very first thing you are supposed to do is to wash your hands with soap and dry them before you touch any vegetable, any fruit or any food item. This is the most important of all steps because think about it? If your hands aren’t clean and if they have germs on them, how can you expect to make your food safe and clean?
2- Sanitizing The Surfaces
Sanitizing the surfaces you have to put the food on is also as important as washing your hands first. Use hot water, mix a little soap in it, and then take a sponge to clean the shelves and cutting boards, etc. This process can help kill all the germs, and that’s when it will be safe for you to put the food on without worrying about germs, bacteria, and contaminants, etc.
3- Separate The Food When Shopping
People usually make this mistake that they mix everything when they are grocery shopping. The wiser thing to do is to always separate everything. For example, you are supposed to keep the raw seafood, the meat, and the poultry in different plastic bags. Then comes all the fruit and the vegetables, well, you should keep them in separate bags too.
4- Cook Food At Safe Temperatures
Overcooking or undercooking your meals will clearly bring unhealthy results. The best thing to do is to check the internal temperature of the meal you cook so that you know you are cooking at the right heat. Also, for quality and safety, let your meat rest for at least 3 minutes before you eat it or carve it.
5- Keep The Appliances Clean
Last but not the least, keep all your cooking appliances clean. Because just like your hands and the surface where you put food, your appliances can also transfer the germs and the contaminants. Wash them properly, sanitize them, and then dry them before you put food inside to cook.
Conclusion
These are some of the best things you can do to keep your food safe. Consider these tips and follow them everyday, every time you buy something or cook something for your family. Not only this, but you should also take measures to educate others on food safety because food safety is just as important as eating clean is. With all these tips, we assure you that you won’t ever have to worry about anyone in your family getting sick with foodborne illness. These tips are from the pros, and they always work so follow them and let us know what you think about it!