Cooking and preparing food can be one of the most exciting and pleasurable activities. Putting something together for friends or family to enjoy as part of a special occasion (or not) can be a good experience as can of course, the actual eating! However, the majority of chef’s and dining party hosts will want to make it an enjoyable experience for everyone and at the core of this is not only the taste of the food, but also ensuring that the food is safe and won’t lead to any upset stomachs or illness.
Anyone who has ever prepared food for a dinner party or even for one or two guests will know the importance of preparation. When preparing food, food safety is just as important and apparent as when the cooker and grill are on. Clean hands, boards and knives are essential, as is using food that has not gone bad, or is “on the turn”. Extra care should also be taken to ensure that any raw meats or fish are kept well away from any foods are ready and aren’t due to be cooked.
Raw meat and fish are the things that strike fear into chefs and diners alike. These are two top tips to help avoid any potential problems that are also easy to remember: keep washing your hands, every time you touch raw meats or anything the meat may have come into contact with and if you are going to keep any raw meat or fish in the fridge keep it on the bottom shelf on its own. This will mean it won’t get moved around and potentially come into contact with any other food in there.
What about the actual cooking? The one big safety concern when it comes to cooking foods is that they won’t be cooked enough. Some foods can be eaten rare (and tend to taste better that way) such as beef and lamb, as long as they a single piece of meat and not a rolled joint. Poultry and pork however, always need to be cooked through due to the fact that these meats can have bacteria all the way through them, not just on the outside. To check that meat has been properly cooked you can cut into them to check that there is no pink meat inside or if cooking a chicken or bird pierce with a clean knife until the juices run out clear.
With Christmas just around the corner the top food tip for this time of year has to concern leftovers. Turkey sandwiches, turkey soup and anything else that can have turkey in are normally eaten for at least one week after the big day. If you like leftovers, cool it as quick as possible and store it in the fridge and don’t keep them any longer than two days, otherwise it may not be safe to eat and could ruin the whole festive period.
For more information on food safety and food safety training check out Shieldyourself.