Food Safety and Sanitation - Part 1
There are several food-safety challenges in both the restaurant and the home kitchen. So often we do things that our parents or grandparents did, but that does not make it right. For example, thawing that 20-pound Thanksgiving turkey overnight on the counter. That certainly is a no.
In this offering, I will go over foodborne illness, its causes, and forms of contamination. Proper cooking temperatures, and how to store food once it is cooked, and the especially important topic of cleaning and sanitizing, including the correct steps for handwashing.
Let us start with the definition of foodborne illness. It is a disease transmitted through food. Several factors can cause foodborne illness. Contamination results from unsafe food. Contaminants are grouped into three categories. Chemical, Physical, and Biological. An example of a chemical contaminant would be spraying a cleaner right next to food that needs to be cooked or is ready to eat. Physical contamination could include metal shavings from a can opener, fingernails, class, or dirt, just to name a few. Biological contaminants are responsible for most foodborne illnesses. This would include viruses, parasites, fungi, and bacteria.
Time and temperature are other factors that can make food unsafe. Remember that 20-pound Thanksgiving Turkey that grandma and your mom left out on the counter? Once it begins to thaw at unsafe temperatures, pathogens can survive and grow. No amount of cooking can get rid of them once they start to develop. There is such a thing as the temperature danger zone. It is here where all the shenanigans begin. Temperature abuse occurs when food is held between 41° F and 135°F for any length of time. Bacteria grow even more rapidly between 70°F and 125°F.
Cross-contamination occurs when pathogens are transferred from one surface or food to another. This can occur by placing contaminated food into other ingredients that do not require additional cooking. Ready-to-eat food may come into contact with contaminated surfaces, or if fluids drip onto cooked or ready-to-eat food. This is the reason uncooked meat should be placed at the bottom of your refrigerator.
Poor personal hygiene is another factor contributing to food contamination. This can be done by not washing hands properly, or sneezing or coughing on food while it is being prepared. It can be as simple as touching a wound, then touching food.
I want to cover the five steps to proper handwashing. It is important to know that only rinsing your hands off with water is not enough. It is not enough to prevent yourself or loved ones from getting sick. First, you want to wet your hands and arms. Second, apply enough soap to build up a lather. Third, scrub your hands and arms vigorously for 10 to 15 seconds. Fourth, thoroughly rinse your hands and arms with warm running water. Fifth, dry your hands and arms with a single-use paper towel, not your apron or T-shirt. I find it best to use a paper towel instead of a cloth towel since a cloth towel might have been used to wipe up a spill. The entire process should take at least 20 seconds. You should always wash your hands before starting a new task or after handling raw eggs or meat.
Too often, even when all the proper precautions have been taken, a person fails to clean and sanitize correctly, and your family can still become ill. Do not use the same knife and cutting board to cut your tomatoes after cutting your raw chicken. To prevent cross-contamination. Cut your vegetables first, then wash, clean, and sanitize your cutting board and knife.
Now let’s talk about cooking temperatures. Here are the most important minimum internal cooking temperatures. Poultry – including whole or ground chicken, turkey, or duck, 165°F. This temperature is for stuffed meats and stuffing made with fish, meat, or poultry. Ground meat – including beef, pork, or other meat should be cooked to an internal temperature of 155°F. This temperature also includes ground seafood. Seafood – whole, not ground, including fish, shellfish, and crustaceans, should be cooked to 145°F. Steaks/chops of pork, beef, veal, and lamb should also be cooked to the same temperature of 145°F. Pork, beef, veal, and lamb are all cooked to the same temperature of 145°F. Vegetables, grains, fruits, rice, and pasta should be cooked to at least 135°F.
Now that the food has been cooked, you need to know how to properly cool it down for storage. First, you have two hours to get the food from 135°F to 70°F. Remember the temperature danger zone? Then, you must cool it from 70°F to 41°F during the next four hours. If you have just finished cooking that large pot of gumbo or red beans, I suggest transferring it to smaller containers or into an ice water bath to cool it more quickly. One trick I like to do is take a clean 2-liter bottle, fill it with water, and freeze it. Then, it is ready to stir my big pot of food to cool it off faster.
If using a microwave, meat, eggs, poultry, and seafood must be cooked to 165°F. Remember to rotate or stir it halfway through cooking so the food cooks evenly.
I hope that you were able to learn a little more about food safety and sanitation.
Learning one bite at a time,
Chef Meaux
Maureen A. Little, CCC, CCE www.certifiedfoodsafe.com email: mamned1217@gmail.com