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Eight tips for keeping food safe

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Eating smart is all about making sure the foods you prepare and eat are free of contaminates. All foods can become contaminated with bacteria through contact with unclean surfaces, unwashed hands, improper food preparation or improper storage. Follow the eight helpful hints listed below and you’ll be on your way to safe eating.

Eight tips to prevent food-borne illness

1. Wash hands with soap and warm water for 15 seconds.

2. Wash fresh fruits and vegetables thoroughly.

3. Use separate cooking boards and platters for raw and cooked meats/poultry.

4. Cook meats to temperature of 160 degrees.

5. Cook poultry to a temperature of 180 degrees for the thigh and 170 degrees for the breast.

6. Do not partially cook meats or poultry ahead of time.

7. Refrigerate leftovers immediately.

8. Sanitize cooking surfaces with 1-tablespoon of bleach per gallon of water.

1. Wash your hands
Hand washing is the single most effective way to prevent food-borne illnesses. To effectively kill bacteria, wash your hands with soap for 15 seconds and rinse thoroughly with warm water.

2. Wash fruits and vegetables
Wash fresh fruits and vegetables thoroughly in cold water as soon as you get home from the grocery store. Washing rinses off potentially harmful micro-organisms, and is recommended even if you peel or cook the fruits and vegetables prior to cooking or serving.

3. Prepare foods carefully
Never use the same cutting board, platters, knives or other utensils for raw foods as you use for cooked foods. Also don’t allow raw juice from meat or poultry to drip onto other foods. Both can lead to cross contamination. If you are packing foods to take on a picnic or to someone’s home, be sure to keep cold foods cold and hot foods hot during transportation.

4, 5 & 6 Cook meat, poultry and eggs thoroughly
Meats and poultry are very susceptible to contamination by bacteria such as E. coli bacteria, which produces a deadly toxin. Chicken and turkey also can be contaminated with bacteria called campylobacter or salmonella.

Always cook hamburger to a temperature of 160 degrees. Cook poultry to a temperature of 180 degrees for the thigh and 170 degrees for the breast. Any pink left inside meats and poultry is an indicator that it must be cooked longer. Use a meat thermometer to verify temperature.  

Partial cooking ahead of time may save you preparation time later but it allows bacteria to grow, survive and multiply. Be careful when reheating foods, since bacteria such as staphylococci and E. coli can produce heat- resistant toxins that will survive even after the bacteria have been destroyed.

It is particularly important to serve poultry hot and refrigerate any leftovers immediately, since salmonella thrives in warm temperatures. Salmonella poisoning can occur from eating eggs which are not cooked thoroughly. Keep eggs refrigerated and throw out cracked or dirty ones. Always eat eggs immediately after cooking them. The only time you can safely eat raw eggs is if they are pasteurized.

7 & 8 Clean up after cooking
After cooking, all surfaces should be sanitized with a solution of 1-tablespoon of household bleach to one gallon of water. Always wash hands, surfaces, appliances, utensils and any other items with hot, soapy water.

Bacteria begin to grow in foods kept at room temperature for more than 2 hours, so discard anything that was left sitting out. As they say, when in doubt, throw it out. 
By following these simple steps and using a little caution, you’ll help keep your family free of bacteria and resulting food-borne illnesses.

To find out more about keeping your children safe and healthy, visit Texas Children's Tips for Parents series on Food and Nutrition.