Food Safety!
Dont want to poison yourself!
Use a refrigerator thermometer to keep your food stored at a safe temperature
Cold temperatures slow the growth of bacteria. Ensuring that your refrigerator temperature stays at 40 degrees F or colder is one of the most effective ways to reduce your risk of food-borne illness. Refrigerating your food can help keep your food safe from unwanted bacteria.
Defrost food in the refrigerator
Always defrost frozen foods in your refrigerator, microwave or in cold water, never on the counter. Perishable foods should never be thawed on the counter for longer than 2 hours because, while the center of the food may remain frozen, the other surface may enter the Danger Zone, the range of temperatures between 20 degrees and 140 degrees, in which bacteria multiply rapidly. If you're short on time, use the microwave-or you can that meat and poultry in airtight packaging in the cold water. Change the water every half hours(so it stays cold) and use the thawed food immediately.
Always use separate cutting boards for specific foods
Always use separate cutting boards for raw meant/poultry/fish and produce/cooked foods. Bacteria from uncooked meat, poultry, and fish can contaminate cooked foods and fresh produce. An important way to reduce this fish is to use separate cutting boards for raw meat/poultry/fish and produce/cooked foods.
Always cook meat to proper temperatures
Always cook meat to proper temperatures, using a calibrated instant-read thermometer to make sure. One effective way to prevent illness is to use a food thermometer to check the internal temperature of meat, poultry and egg dishes. The USDA recommended safe minimum internal temperatures are as follows: beef, veal and lamb (steaks and roasts), fish, 145 Degrees Fahrenheit
Avoid unpasteurized milk
Raw milk is milk from cows, sheep or goats that has not been pasteurized (heated to a very high temperature for a specific length of time) to kill harmful bacteria that may be present. These bacteria-which include salmonella, E. coli and listeria-can cause serious illness and sometimes even death. The bacteria in raw milk can be especially dangerous to pregnant woman, children, the elderly and people with wakened immune systems. Raw-milk cheeses aged 60 days or longer are OK, since the salt and acidity of the cheese making process make for a hostile environment to pathogens.
Never eat "runny" eggs or foods
Never eat "runny" eggs or foods, such as cookie dough, that contain raw eggs. Even eggs that have clean, intact shells may be contaminated with salmonella, so its important to cook eggs thoroughly until both the yolk and the white are firm. Casseroles and other dishes containing eggs should be cooked to 160 degrees Fahrenheit.
Always wash your hands
Always wash your hands in warm soapy water for at least 20 seconds before handling food and after touching raw meat, poultry or eggs. You can pick up a lot of bacteria out in the world, so its unimportant to always wash your hands before you eat or prepare food.
Always heat leftover foods to 165 degrees Fahrenheit
The USDA recommends heating all cooked leftovers to 165 degrees in order to kill all potentially dangerous bacteria.
Basic Food Safety: Chapter 1 "The Importance of Food Safety" (English)