How to Ensure Your Food Is Safe to Eat

Few things are more satisfying than whipping up a homerun meal in the comfort of your own kitchen. Whether you're getting set up for a big party or planning a meal for the family, cooking is fun and rewarding. But with great food also comes great responsibility! After all, you want to be sure your grub is both tasty and safe!

Food isn't just delicious to us, it's also scrumptious to a bunch of bacteria, pests, and parasites that can make us sick. It's up to every good cook to keep safety in mind for the sake of the folks enjoying their victuals! Follow these five food safety tips to help ensure a healthy and safe eating experience!

1. Wash (Almost) Everything — A Lot!

Keeping things clean is a must in the kitchen! Bacteria thrive everywhere, so good cleaning habits are key.

First off, wash your hands often: before you start cooking, after handling meats, and even if you scratch your nose! Then, make sure you wash your fruits and veggies thoroughly. But do NOT wash meat! Despite what some people say, washing chicken doesn't clean it; it only spreads bacteria (as we'll explore below). Finally, clean kitchen surfaces, utensils, and cutting boards after each use. Cleanliness is next to godliness and even more so when cooking.

2. Kill Cross Contamination

Different types of foods are better at spreading germs than others. Your washed tomatoes may be bacteria-free, but your chicken is hosting a whole party! The trick is to keep certain types of food separate. Assign different cutting boards and prep plates for raw produce, meat, poultry, seafood, and eggs. Raw meats can contaminate ingredients you won't be cooking. Cubing up an oven roast? Wash off that knife before chopping those onions! Pro tip: Use a plastic cutting board for raw meat. Wooden cutting boards can absorb the bacteria even if you do wash it immediately after use.

3. Running Hot and Cold

Heat is a major weapon in the battle against bacteria, so use meat thermometers as often as possible. For most meats, an internal temperature of 165 F is optimal; while you can cook certain meats, like beef and pork, to lower temperatures for a richer and juicier taste, it comes with a tradeoff of risk. Never cook chicken to less than 165 F.

Once the meat is out of the oven, keep it over 140 F. Once it drops past that temperature, there is a risk of bacteria growing once again. When preserving food in the fridge and freezer, be sure you're out of the danger zone — between 40 F and 145 F — by ensuring your fridge is set below 40 F, and your freezer below zero.

4. Proper Storage

It's the end of the meal, everybody is full, and you're ready for a nice nap. But not so fast! While the temptation to leave food out for a couple of hours, or even overnight, may be overwhelming, make sure you're storing everything properly. After four hours, any animal product, cooked veggies, or sliced fruit and greens will start to go bad. Take the time to put it all away in the fridge or freezer!

5. Risky Business

Not all foods are created equal! Some popular treats are more susceptible to bacteria than others, so it's important to handle them with extra care. Cooked grains like pasta and rice can absorb bacteria like a sponge. Foods containing eggs and dairy are especially prone to contamination if not properly handled. Even fresh fruits should be thoroughly washed before eating!

While we would never want to discourage you from a nice cooking adventure, we can all benefit from a good reminder to practice basic food safety. Just keep some of what we've talked about in mind, and you'll be ready to rock your kitchen safely!

References: StateFoodSafety | Delishably | Household Management 101 | Food Safety