Proper hygiene is important when cooking. Cooking with dirty hands and untidy kitchen appliances can make foodborne diseases spread easily and also cause food poisoning. However, some people are still not taking this matter seriously.
Remember, cross-contamination can lead to food poisoning and can cause bacteria to spread from one food to another. There is a need for people to know how diseases spread as it could help to know how to prevent that from happening.
Oftentimes food poisoning occurs when one contaminated or raw food is placed near other types of foods. Preparing food with unwashed hands can also transfer bacteria to the food indirectly. The best way to prevent cross-contamination is to have separate chopping boards for raw and cooked foods.
Most people make a mistake of not checking their refrigerators for too long. This could be an avenue for bacterial infections. Therefore, ensure to check your refrigerators regularly to ensure temperatures are working rightly.
Another mistake most people make is to think that proper hygiene is only important in the food industry. Well, it is good to ensure proper hygiene in the food industry and in domestic settings as well.
Before we get into the importance of hygiene in cooking for a healthy life, here are some few tips shared by www.village-bakery.com to help you prepare food safely.
- Keep cleansing agent and towels for handwashing near you always.
- The apron can hide bacteria so you should always have several to change whenever one gets dirty. Remember dirty aprons can cause cross-contamination of bacteria so keep it clean always.
- Ensure you do not have an infection when cooking or cover any wound that you might have with a waterproof plaster
- Ensure to wash your hands before and after cooking, before and after handling kitchen appliances and after toilet use
- Ensure to remove jewelry, rings, watches, and other cooking accessories. Bacteria can hide inside watches, jewelry, and rings.
- Always put away utensils that you use to taste food.
- Clean your cooking place as you cook to prevent contamination and accidents
- Get separate chopping boards for raw and cooked food and wash them after every use.
- Ensure you use products that have not expired
- Throw away food that has fallen to the floor. The floor harbors incalculable bacteria which are brought by the shoes we wear.
To stay safe from illnesses and prevent food poisoning that could be caused by food contamination, you should observe proper kitchen and cooking hygiene always.
Besides, maintaining proper kitchen hygiene can prevent pest infestations that are caused by moisture or food particles falling to the floor. When cooking, you should always keep the cooking place clean, wash your hands before and after cooking and understand the causes of food contamination. This way you will prevent any dangers that could be posed by bacteria to your health.
Remember when we talk about cooking hygiene, it’s not just about cleaning the worktops, your hands and the kitchen utensils but everything that you use before and after cooking should be cleaned.
How to Maintain Hygiene in Kitchen?
Keeping a clean kitchen is essential to prevent foodborne diseases. Although most people think that cleaning the hands is a sure way to guarantee safety when cooking, that’s not enough: the kitchen rags can also harbor germs and bacteria.
Here are some few tips to maintain hygiene in the kitchen
Keep the Kitchen Rags Cleaned Always
Rags are important in the kitchen. But when they get dirty, they can become breeding grounds for bacteria and germs. Once you use the rags to clean the kitchen tops, you spread bacteria and germs to other areas of the kitchen. This way, they end up getting into the food you cook. So, using the rags without cleaning them properly exposes you to harmful bacteria and germs.
Wash Your Fruits and Vegetables Thoroughly Before Cooking and Eating
In this case, you may consider buying a vegetable and fruit purifier so as to keep your fruits and vegetables clean. But that’s not a must since you can clean them in salt water for some minutes before you start chopping them. The reason to use salt water is to remove harmful insecticides that may have stuck on from veggies and fruits.
Final Thoughts
Following the advice we have provided in this article will keep your kitchen clean and prevent you from getting exposed to foodborne diseases. Ensure to observe all the tips we have explained above during and after cooking to stay safe from harmful germs and bacteria.