We as a whole need to keep our families protected and solid. Be that as it may, some of the time a straightforward error by they way we handle and get ready food can prompt major affliction. For certain microorganisms like Salmonella, simply a modest quantity in half-cooked food is to the point of causing food contamination. What's more, simply a small taste of food with botulism poison can cause loss of motion and even passing.
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10 Dangerous Food Safety Mistakes |
You can safeguard your family by staying away from these slip-ups.
Mistake #1: Washing meat, chicken, or turkey
Why It’s a Mistake: Washing raw meat, chicken, turkey, or eggs can spread germs to your sink, countertops, and other surfaces in your kitchen. Those germs can get on other foods, like salads or fruit, and make you sick.
Solution: Don’t wash meat, chicken, turkey, or eggs. Cooking them thoroughly will kill harmful germs.
Mistake #2: Eating raw batter or dough, including cookie dough, and other foods with uncooked eggs or uncooked flour
Why It’s a Mistake: Uncooked flour and eggs may contain E. coli, Salmonella, or other harmful bacteria.
Solution: Cook or bake flour and eggs thoroughly. Don’t eat foods that contain raw or undercooked eggs, such as runny eggs, homemade mayonnaise, hollandaise sauce, and eggnog. Don’t eat raw (uncooked) dough or batter that contains contains flour or eggs. Keep raw dough away from children, including play dough. Wash hands, work surfaces, and utensils thoroughly after contact with flour, raw eggs, and raw dough.
Mistake #3: Thawing or marinating food on the counter
Why It’s a Mistake: Harmful germs can multiply very quickly at room temperature.
- In the refrigerator,
- In cold water, or
- In the microwave.
Always marinate food in the refrigerator no matter what kind of marinade you’re using.
Mistake #4: Not cooking meat, chicken, turkey, seafood, or eggs thoroughly
Why It’s a Mistake: Undercooked foods may have germs that can make you sick.
Solution: Use a food thermometer to make sure you cook food to a safe internal temperature.
Mistake #5: Peeling fruits and vegetables without washing them first
Why It’s a Mistake: Fruits and vegetables may have germs on their peeling or skin. It’s easy to transfer those germs to the inside of fruits and vegetables when you cut or peel them.
Solution: Wash all fruits and vegetables under running water even if you’re going to peel them. Use a clean vegetable brush to scrub firm fruits and vegetables like melons, avocados, and cucumbers. Washing fruits and vegetables with soap, detergent, or commercial produce wash is not recommended. Do not use bleach solutions or other disinfecting products on fruits and vegetables.
Mistake #6: Not washing your hands
Why It’s a Mistake: Germs on your hands can get on food and make it unsafe.
Solution: Wash hands the right way—for 20 seconds with soap and running water. Wash hands before, during, and after preparing food; before eating; and after using the toilet or changing a child’s diaper.
Mistake #7: Eating risky foods if you are more likely to get food poisoning
Why It’s a Mistake: Anyone can get food poisoning. But some people are more likely to get sick and to have a more serious illness. This includes:
- Adults aged 65 and older
- Children younger than 5 years
- People who have health problems or who take medicines that lower the body’s ability to fight germs and sickness (weakened immune systems)
- Pregnant women
Solution: People who are more likely to get food poisoning should not eat:
- Undercooked or raw animal products (such as meat, chicken, turkey, eggs, or seafood)
- Raw or lightly cooked sprouts
- Unpasteurized (raw) milk and juices
- Soft cheese (such as queso fresco), unless it is labeled as made with pasteurized milk
Mistake #8: Putting cooked meat back on a plate that held raw meat
Why It’s a Mistake: Germs from the raw meat can spread to the cooked meat.
Solution: Always use separate plates for raw meat and cooked meat. The same rule applies to chicken, turkey, and seafood.
Mistake #9: Tasting or smelling food to see if it’s still good
Why It’s a Mistake: You can’t taste, smell, or see the germs that cause food poisoning. Tasting only a tiny amount can make you very sick.
Mistake #10: Leaving food out too long before putting it in the fridge
Why It’s a Mistake: Harmful germs can grow in perishable foods (including meat, chicken, turkey, seafood, eggs, cut fruit, cooked rice, and leftovers) if you leave them out of the refrigerator 2 hours or longer.
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