Food Safety Tips (in your kitchen)

Remember these 4 basic rules: (Clean, Separate, Cook and Chill)

Food Danger Zone is 40F-140F in between those numbers are when bacteria multiply rapidly on food.

Keep Cold foods cold and hot foods hot

Clean: wash hands and surfaces often

• Wash your hands for 20 seconds with soap and water before preparing a meal, make sure to scrub under your nails and dry hands with a paper towel.
• Wash all fruits and vegetables before peeling or chopping. Use a scrub brush on firm skin vegetables and fruits.
• Clean your kitchen counters before preparing meals on demand clean your cutting boards between each item prepared on them. (With Soap and Hot water)

Separate: To prevent cross-contamination (How Bacteria is spread)

• Separate raw meat, fish and poultry in your refrigerator by placing it on the bottom shelf on a plate or tray so juices do not drip onto other food. Keep eggs in carton.

• Use one cutting board for raw meat, poultry and seafood and a separate one for fresh produce.
• Do not ever place cooked food onto a cutting board/plate that had raw meat, poultry, seafood or eggs on it or use the same knife.

Cook: Cook to proper temperatures- Use a food thermometer to make sure food is cooked and reaches temperatures hot enough to kill bacteria

• All Poultry, including ground: 165F
• Ground beef, pork, lamb and veal: 160F

• Beef, pork lamb, roasts and steaks: 145F (let rest 3 minutes before serving)
• Fish: 145F
• Leftovers: 165F

Chill: Refrigerate foods quickly because it slows the growth of bacteria. Never leave perishables out for longer than 2 hours. Keep your refrigerator at or below 40F or below and freezer at 0F or below.

• Refrigerate or freeze meat, poultry, fish, eggs and other perishables as soon as you get home from the grocery store.

• Never defrost foods at room temperature. There are three safe ways to defrost food 1) Defrost in the refrigerator (this requires longer thawing time)2) defrost by placing package in cold water (change water every 30 minutes and make sure package is sealed or air tight) and cook immediately. 3)In the microwave (Cook immediately after)
• It is safe to cook food frozen but, will take longer cooking times.
• Always place food marinating in the refrigerator.

For more information look at this helpful website:www.fda.gov

Last updated July 13, 2021