The Importance of Food Safety and Sanitation

Tips to stay safe in the kitchen:

1) When using a knife, always use a clean cutting board. While using a knife in the kitchen, always tuck your fingers beneath your knuckles so that if the knife should slip, your fingers won´t be in the line of danger.

2) While using oils in the kitchen, make sure not to overheat them or leave them unnattended on the stove. This could result in a grease fire. If a fire from oil should occur, all you have to do is remain calm. Carefully smother the fire by putting the lid of the pan on and, when safe to do so, turn the burner off.

3) When washing your knives, do not place them into soapy water or water that is otherwise anything but transparent. You don't want to find yourself fishing around blindly for a knife and then get cut. Your best bet is to just set them aside to wash safely after all of the other dishes have been washed.

Tips for keeping the kitchen clean:

1) Whenever you want to set up a place to sanitize your kitchen or a bin to wash dishes in, you always want to make sure you've got that water temperature up to at least 100 degrees F. This will help prevent any bacteria that might otherwise stick around. It helps to have two bins of water, one should have a tablespoon of bleach in it in order to properly soak dishes and rid of bacteria once they've been washed in the first bin. The first bin should include about the same amount of water, (100 degrees F) and should contain some dish soap as well. Use separate rags with these as well as a separate cloth for drying your dishes afterwards.

2) While working in the kitchen, it is always always always best to have your hair back for girls. This is done to prevent any loose hairs from contaminating the food. Another thing tying hair back is good for is to prevent you from getting your hair caught in anything and keeping it away from any dangerous situations like fires or electric mixers.

3) Always cook your meats to at least 165 degrees F. This will eliminate the chances of there being any bacteria left on the raw meats provided that you properly sanitize your materials and wash your hands (10-20s) frequently. If you adjust your clothes or your hair or pick up something off of the floor, the best thing is to wash your hands afterwards to avoid contamination of the food. Though a tedious task, it's really important that you do this.