Kitchen Safety & Sanitation
good habits = good food = healthy life
First Aid (falls, choking, cuts, burns, poisoning)
- Preventing Falls- Falls are a common cause of household injuries. Prevent falls by removing hazards that could cause slips and trips. Keep floor clear of clutter and wear snug shoes without trailing shoelaces.
- Handling Sharp Edges- Sharp edges in the kitchen can cause serious cuts. Handle and wash knives, graters, and other sharp-edged tools carefully. Store knives in a divided drawer, knife block, or knife rack so that you can pick them up by the handle, not the blade. Always use a cutting board when cutting. Graters, peelers, chopping tools, mixers and can lids also have sharp lids and require caution. If a sharp-edged tool starts to fall, resist the impulse to catch it and let it fall.
- Preventing Fires & Burns- There are many sources of heat and flame in the kitchen, including the stove top, the range, microwave and toaster. Help prevent fires and burns by keeping the kitchen clean and being smart about what you are doing and the sources that you are using. Always use cookware that is in good condition.
- Preventing Food Poisoning- Keep yourself and kitchen clean. Do not cross-contaminate. Cook food thoroughly. And refrigerate food promptly.
- Choking- You can prevent choking by cutting your food into reasonably small pieces for easy and safe eating. If somebody is choking, you can help prevent it by performing CPR or the Heimlich maneuver.
Foodborne Illnesses
- Thawing Food--Bacteria can multiply when food is thawing, so you should never defrost frozen food at room temperature. Instead, put the food into a container in the refrigerator, put the food in a plastic bag and submerge it in a bowl of cold water, or use the defrost option on your microwave.
Cross-contamination
Thawing Food
Personal Hygeine
Personal Hygiene/Hand washing & Food Preparation/Storage
Making sure that your food is cooked thoroughly, properly and stored correctly is also another very important aspect of being in the kitchen. When cooking and storing food, pay close attention to the food's temperature. Leave certain foods at room temperature for short periods of time. Pay close attention to the the internal temperature. The Internal temperature is important because it's the middle of the food. A safe internal temperature for meat and poultry would be between 160 degrees Fahrenheit and 170 degrees Fahrenheit. When cooking and storing food, pay close attention to the food temperature danger zone chart. The temperature danger zone for most foods is from 40 degrees Fahrenheit, to 140 degrees Fahrenheit (room temperature). Most foods should not exceed more than two hours at room temperature.