Hands Up: Do Your Kitchen Habits Pass the Food Safety Test?
For the good of everyone in your home and your own peace of mind, follow these tips for a thoroughly food-safe kitchen
Around 4.1 million Australians are struck down with foodborne illness every year. These incidents range from a vague passing malaise and grumbly tummy to serious, even life-threatening, long-term conditions. Despite Australia’s stringent food-safety testing regulations, some of these events stem from commercial food outlets, but poor food handling practices in home kitchens can take a portion of the blame. Banish bugs and rest easy that the food from your kitchen will be memorable – for all the right reasons – with these simple tips. Do you pass the test?
Do you refrigerate eggs?
The controversy rages, even on Houzz polls. I’ll hand this one to the Australian Egg Corporation, which commissioned a study from the University of Adelaide to assess salmonella risk in the egg industry.
Briefly, refrigeration reduces risk, but other factors come into play. Condensation on eggs caused by temperature fluctuations can increase it. The study noted, “As eggs age, the membrane weakens, allowing bacteria to migrate between albumen and yolk, which may lead to growth of bacteria.” But, it goes on, “at ambient room temperatures, increases in cell counts are not observed until the eggs are stored for periods in excess of three weeks.”
The controversy rages, even on Houzz polls. I’ll hand this one to the Australian Egg Corporation, which commissioned a study from the University of Adelaide to assess salmonella risk in the egg industry.
Briefly, refrigeration reduces risk, but other factors come into play. Condensation on eggs caused by temperature fluctuations can increase it. The study noted, “As eggs age, the membrane weakens, allowing bacteria to migrate between albumen and yolk, which may lead to growth of bacteria.” But, it goes on, “at ambient room temperatures, increases in cell counts are not observed until the eggs are stored for periods in excess of three weeks.”
Follow these recommendations:
- Never use cracked eggs.
- Keep eggs at a constant temperature, not yo-yoing from the fridge to the bench and back.
- While well-cooked eggs are not a risk, refrigerate foods containing uncooked egg, such as mayonnaise.
- Wash home-grown eggs and wash hands after handling them.
Do you wash fruit and vegetables?
It’s tempting to skip this step if produce looks clean. Even if you grow your own and practice organic gardening, washing vegetables and fruit before preparing and eating is recommended to remove insects, bacteria, fungi and microbes.
Much commercial produce has already had a long trip to get to you, increasing the chance of microbial growth, so buy only as much as you need and use it as soon as possible. Some packaged produce, such as bagged salad leaves, comes pre-washed.
Read tips on growing your own food
It’s tempting to skip this step if produce looks clean. Even if you grow your own and practice organic gardening, washing vegetables and fruit before preparing and eating is recommended to remove insects, bacteria, fungi and microbes.
Much commercial produce has already had a long trip to get to you, increasing the chance of microbial growth, so buy only as much as you need and use it as soon as possible. Some packaged produce, such as bagged salad leaves, comes pre-washed.
Read tips on growing your own food
Cold running tap water is sufficient and maybe a soft scrubbing brush used exclusively for food. Wash just before preparation, as storing damp produce could increase bacterial growth. Even if you are peeling say, potatoes or pumpkin, wash the skin first to prevent transferring dirt to hands and preparation surfaces.
Tip: It’s okay to wash mushrooms, but don’t soak them. Commercially raised mushrooms are grown in a compost medium that has been heat-treated to kill bacteria. Brush bits off with a soft kitchen brush or rinse quickly and dry gently.
Tip: It’s okay to wash mushrooms, but don’t soak them. Commercially raised mushrooms are grown in a compost medium that has been heat-treated to kill bacteria. Brush bits off with a soft kitchen brush or rinse quickly and dry gently.
How do you treat chicken?
Poor chooks. They give us all those eggs, then we ruin their reputation as a food. While it’s true they can turn around and bite you, bacteria-wise, there are a few tips for ensuring the risks are (sorry) paltry.
Poor chooks. They give us all those eggs, then we ruin their reputation as a food. While it’s true they can turn around and bite you, bacteria-wise, there are a few tips for ensuring the risks are (sorry) paltry.
- Don’t wash chicken. The Australian Food Safety Council warns it may spread salmonella and campylobacter germs onto sinks, surfaces and hands via splashing water droplets, and says it’s no longer necessary.
- Reheat cooked chicken to piping hot.
- Thaw frozen chicken slowly in the fridge, not out on a bench.
- Cook whole chickens to 75°C on a meat thermometer – there should be some clear juice but no pink bits.
Do you own a meat thermometer?
‘Cooked’ can mean anything from baked to a crisp to practically still mooing when it comes to red meat and fish, and recipe instructions are notoriously imprecise. Spend a few dollars on a food thermometer and reassure yourself meats are adequately cooked. This NSW Department of Primary Industries Food Authority table shows safe temperatures for meat and fish.
Tip: There are two types of food thermometer, in-oven and instant read. Insert an in-oven thermometer into the thickest part of the meat, not touching bone, before placing in the oven. Check during cooking. Do the same with an instant read thermometer after removing meat from the oven. Leave it in the meat for around 20 seconds for accuracy.
‘Cooked’ can mean anything from baked to a crisp to practically still mooing when it comes to red meat and fish, and recipe instructions are notoriously imprecise. Spend a few dollars on a food thermometer and reassure yourself meats are adequately cooked. This NSW Department of Primary Industries Food Authority table shows safe temperatures for meat and fish.
Tip: There are two types of food thermometer, in-oven and instant read. Insert an in-oven thermometer into the thickest part of the meat, not touching bone, before placing in the oven. Check during cooking. Do the same with an instant read thermometer after removing meat from the oven. Leave it in the meat for around 20 seconds for accuracy.
Many people love their steaks lightly singed and oozing juice. Beef can be safely seared on the outside, which kills any bacteria there, and pink and juicy inside, but don’t leave rare or medium-rare steaks and roasts hanging around at room temperature. The ‘danger zone’ is between 5°C and 60°C, so if cooked meat has been un-refrigerated for 1-2 hours, maybe at a barbecue or on a buffet, it’s not safe to eat.
Minced and stir-fry sliced meats have a larger surface area that has been exposed to the air and must be cooked through.
Hosting the ultimate barbecue all year round
Minced and stir-fry sliced meats have a larger surface area that has been exposed to the air and must be cooked through.
Hosting the ultimate barbecue all year round
How many chopping boards do you use?
Cross-contamination is most likely to occur at the chopping board. The golden rule is to have one for each food category – raw meat, seafood, vegetables and cooked food. Label boards on an edge or the underside with a letter in permanent marker, or colour code.
Tip: Check out this nifty idea from cutting-edge kitchenware company Joseph Joseph: a neat envelope that stores four colour-coded cutting boards, each with an index label showing meat, fish, vegetables and cooked food.
Cross-contamination is most likely to occur at the chopping board. The golden rule is to have one for each food category – raw meat, seafood, vegetables and cooked food. Label boards on an edge or the underside with a letter in permanent marker, or colour code.
Tip: Check out this nifty idea from cutting-edge kitchenware company Joseph Joseph: a neat envelope that stores four colour-coded cutting boards, each with an index label showing meat, fish, vegetables and cooked food.
It doesn’t matter if you use wood, plastic or bamboo boards, as long as you wash them promptly and thoroughly after use.
Wood: CSIRO tests have shown a reduction in bacteria after several uses, compared to plastic. Choose a fine-grained hardwood with small pores, such as acacia, teak or maple, to reduce absorption and deep scoring with sharp knives. Wood self-heals to a certain extent and outlasts plastic. Protect with a food-safe mineral oil, available from cooking equipment shops, not with a vegetable-based oil which goes rancid.
Plastic: Softer plastics can be easily scored and food residue trapped in deep cuts. Advantages are they are cheaper, available in colour-coded sets and are dishwasher safe.
Wood: CSIRO tests have shown a reduction in bacteria after several uses, compared to plastic. Choose a fine-grained hardwood with small pores, such as acacia, teak or maple, to reduce absorption and deep scoring with sharp knives. Wood self-heals to a certain extent and outlasts plastic. Protect with a food-safe mineral oil, available from cooking equipment shops, not with a vegetable-based oil which goes rancid.
Plastic: Softer plastics can be easily scored and food residue trapped in deep cuts. Advantages are they are cheaper, available in colour-coded sets and are dishwasher safe.
Do you wash knives between tasks?
This is essential if swapping between chopping raw meat and seafood and cooked meats and vegies. Use hot water, dry thoroughly and don’t forget the handles. A cracked wooden or plastic handle harbours bacteria from hands and food. Ditch the knife, or if you are sentimentally attached to a beautiful blade, contact the manufacturer or an artisan knife specialist as they may be able to replace the handle.
Razor-sharp knife know-how
This is essential if swapping between chopping raw meat and seafood and cooked meats and vegies. Use hot water, dry thoroughly and don’t forget the handles. A cracked wooden or plastic handle harbours bacteria from hands and food. Ditch the knife, or if you are sentimentally attached to a beautiful blade, contact the manufacturer or an artisan knife specialist as they may be able to replace the handle.
Razor-sharp knife know-how
When and how do you wash your hands?
Just remember before, during and after.
Just remember before, during and after.
- Before preparing and serving food,
- During cooking, when moving from one type of food to another,
- After handling cleaning products and rubbish, using the phone, touching a pet, wiping a runny nose or going to the loo.
How often do you wash kitchen cloths?
As someone who uses tea towels for everything from drying dishes and hands to removing hot dishes from the oven, I change mine every day. This may seem excessive, but consider what absorbs into cloth if you do lots of cooking. Damp sponges, brushes and scourers can also breed millions of nasties in just a few hours, so disinfect them regularly and change them at least weekly.
Tip: Wash tea towels and other kitchen cloths separately to other laundry on the hottest machine cycle to remove oily food residue.
As someone who uses tea towels for everything from drying dishes and hands to removing hot dishes from the oven, I change mine every day. This may seem excessive, but consider what absorbs into cloth if you do lots of cooking. Damp sponges, brushes and scourers can also breed millions of nasties in just a few hours, so disinfect them regularly and change them at least weekly.
Tip: Wash tea towels and other kitchen cloths separately to other laundry on the hottest machine cycle to remove oily food residue.
What do ‘use by’ and ‘best before’ labels mean?
Food Standards Australia/New Zealand specifies that food with a ‘use by’ date is unsafe to eat after that date and can’t be sold. ‘Best before’ indicates some quality may be lost after that date, but foods are still safe to consume for a short time.
Tip: These dates are only relevant if consumers conform with the storage conditions on the labelling.
Food Standards Australia/New Zealand specifies that food with a ‘use by’ date is unsafe to eat after that date and can’t be sold. ‘Best before’ indicates some quality may be lost after that date, but foods are still safe to consume for a short time.
Tip: These dates are only relevant if consumers conform with the storage conditions on the labelling.
There are exceptions. Bread must have a ‘baked on’ date if shelf life is less than a week. Some long-life products, particularly canned goods, may last for two years or longer and don’t require labelling as they are likely to be consumed well before they spoil.
Are you oil savvy?
Oils have the potential to cause illness if mishandled. The two worst things you can do with oil are to overheat it and to reuse it. Both these practices may result in the release of harmful compounds and the destruction of nutritional value. If ‘smoke point’ is reached when heating oil (i.e. a blue haze, an unpleasant smell and the smoke alarm goes ballistic), allow oil to cool and discard. Don’t reheat oil more than once. Dispose of it by pouring into a jar with a secure lid – never pour down the sink. Check if you have a local recycling centre that accepts used oil.
Tip: Save that gorgeous green-gold extra-virgin olive oil for salads and flavouring. It has a low ‘smoke point’ of 160°C, while refined olive oils and peanut oil smoke at over 200°C.
Oils have the potential to cause illness if mishandled. The two worst things you can do with oil are to overheat it and to reuse it. Both these practices may result in the release of harmful compounds and the destruction of nutritional value. If ‘smoke point’ is reached when heating oil (i.e. a blue haze, an unpleasant smell and the smoke alarm goes ballistic), allow oil to cool and discard. Don’t reheat oil more than once. Dispose of it by pouring into a jar with a secure lid – never pour down the sink. Check if you have a local recycling centre that accepts used oil.
Tip: Save that gorgeous green-gold extra-virgin olive oil for salads and flavouring. It has a low ‘smoke point’ of 160°C, while refined olive oils and peanut oil smoke at over 200°C.
Is your kitchen fire-safe?
Speaking of oil, it’s estimated that four out of five winter house fires start in the kitchen (SA Metropolitan Fire Service). Remove the risk by not leaving cooking food unattended, turn off heat under oils and fats when you leave the kitchen, and keep naked gas flames from reaching up around the base of shallow pans containing oil. Clean ovens regularly to remove grease build-up and spilt food.
Tip: Store a fire blanket for electrical and fat fires and a Standards Australia-rated extinguisher near, but not in, the kitchen, as in the heat of the moment, they may be inaccessible.
Speaking of oil, it’s estimated that four out of five winter house fires start in the kitchen (SA Metropolitan Fire Service). Remove the risk by not leaving cooking food unattended, turn off heat under oils and fats when you leave the kitchen, and keep naked gas flames from reaching up around the base of shallow pans containing oil. Clean ovens regularly to remove grease build-up and spilt food.
Tip: Store a fire blanket for electrical and fat fires and a Standards Australia-rated extinguisher near, but not in, the kitchen, as in the heat of the moment, they may be inaccessible.
Does your pet have the run of the kitchen?
I know, I know – we love them to bits, but sorry Fido, Fluffy, Lassie and Spot – the kitchen’s no place for a dog. Or cat or budgie or any of our animal pals. They are a trip hazard and could transfer unwelcome bacteria onto the floor or worse still, the bench. Indulge their big pleading eyes outside the food zone.
Tip: Keep pet meat in a separate sealed container in the fridge, not in the compartment used for your own fresh meat.
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I know, I know – we love them to bits, but sorry Fido, Fluffy, Lassie and Spot – the kitchen’s no place for a dog. Or cat or budgie or any of our animal pals. They are a trip hazard and could transfer unwelcome bacteria onto the floor or worse still, the bench. Indulge their big pleading eyes outside the food zone.
Tip: Keep pet meat in a separate sealed container in the fridge, not in the compartment used for your own fresh meat.
Read more stories about pets
Tell us
Can you add some food safety tips to these? Share them in the Comments section.
More
Browse more stories about keeping your home healthy
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Australian Standards recommend a fresh food section to be around 3°C. A range from 0°C to 4°C is considered safe. Freezers should be at -18°C. Many fridges have compartments at different temperatures for different foodstuffs. If you find food is spoiling quickly, check each section with a fridge/freezer thermometer.
Tip: In summer, turn the thermostat down a degree to compensate for more warm air entering.