Food Safety for Individuals and Families

Clean

• Always wash your hands, utensils and cooking surfaces with soap and hot water:
  • Before you handle food
  • Repeatedly while you prepare it
  • Again when you have finished
• Sanitize countertops, cutting boards and utensils with a mild bleach and water solution after washing and rinsing.
• Wash all produce under cool running water before eating or cooking.

Separate

• Keep certain foods, like meats and their juices, separated from other foods during storage and preparation.
• Use separate cutting boards for raw meats and vegetables. Always keep food covered.
• Store ready-to-eat foods above raw foods in your refrigerator to prevent cross-contamination.
• To avoid cross-contamination, store, handle, and prepare raw and cooked foods separately. Remember: Separate, don't cross-contaminate!

Cook

• Prepare foods quickly, cook them thoroughly and serve them immediately.
• Don't let foods linger at temperatures where bacteria can grow. The danger zone is between 4°C (39°F) and 60°C (140°F).
• Use a probe thermometer to check the internal temperature of food. Test the food at its thickest point. If you hit a bone, then you will get an incorrect reading.
  • Whole poultry (chicken and turkey) 82°C / 180°F
  • Poultry pieces, ground poultry 74°C / 165°F
  • Ground meat (beef, pork, lamb) 71°C / 160°F
  • Pork and pork products 71°C / 160°F
  • Fish 70°C / 158°F
• To ensure that your analogue thermometer is accurately calibrated, test it using one of two methods:
  • Ice point method
    • Fill a container with crushed ice.
    • Add clean tap water until the container is full and stir well.
    • Insert the stem of your thermometer into the ice water to read the temperature.
    • If your thermometer does not get a reading of 0°C (32°F), adjust the calibration nut under the head of the thermometer.
    • Hold the head firmly in one hand while turning the calibration nut with a wrench or pliers until the indicator reads 0°C (32°F).
  • Boiling point method
    • Bring water to a full boil and stir to make sure the temperature is even throughout.
    • Insert the stem of the thermometer into the boiling water until the indicator stabilizes.
    • Adjust the calibration nut to read 100°C (212°F).
    • Take altitude into account, as the boiling point of water drops about 1°F for every 550 feet above sea level.

Chill

Refrigerate or freeze perishables, prepared food and leftovers within two hours. To quickly and safely cook food:

• Divide large portions into smaller pieces. This will increase the surface area that is being cooled and reduce the amount of cooling time required.
• Use shallow pans for quick cooling
• Add ice cubes to the food, or cool by putting the container in an ice bath.
• Never leave hazardous food (e.g., poultry, meat, dairy) at room temperature or in the temperature "danger zone."
• Always keep cold foods at or below 4°C (39°F). Frozen foods must be stored at -18°C (0°F) or colder.