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Hygiene

Key points to Remember to avoid food spoilage, the Delhi Belly and keeping a clean bug free kitchen.

• Store raw foods and fish at the bottom of the fridge.
• Keep dairy produce at the top of a fridge.
• Thaw meat and fish out thoroughly before cooking.
• Reheat food only once.
• Freeze food only once.
• Keep food refrigerated between 1-5c
• Freezers must be below –18c, set at around –23c.
• Cover all foods when being stored, in cupboards, fridges and freezers.
• Bacteria in food have no smell, no taste and seem normal, food spoilage has but both are harmful.
• Bacteria duplicates if left at ambient temperatures every 10-20minutes, thousands can be on a pinhead.
• Temperatures between 5c and 63c are ideal temperatures to breed bacteria- so chill or cook but don’t leave out.
• Don’t put hot food in the fridge.
• Cooked food should be left out to cool for no more than 1 1/2 hours. (Covered especially in summer)
• Wash your hands thoroughly before and after handling food, going to the toilet, touching hair, blowing nose and scratching etc.
• We all carry Staphylococcus so watch personal hygiene.
• Don’t prepare food after a bout of sickness and diarrhoea.
• Cover up cuts and abrasions.
• Serve food above 63c.
• Cook food/ reheat food up to 75c to kill of any food poisoning bacteria.
• Keep bins covered and away from food prep areas, empty out regularly.
• Salmonella is found in poultry, eggs and milk etc so watch the chicken on the B.B.Q - cook till the juices run out clean or probe to 75c.
• A sneeze spreads 20x20ft, that’s the whole of a room.
  Disinfect (Washing liquid etc) all surfaces, chopping boards, knives etc after use.
• If preparing raw food, wash down thoroughly to avoid cross contamination, don’t put ready to eat food anywhere near raw food. You can carry bacteria from raw food on your hands and clothes if touched- so keep washed and work clean.