Hello again! In last week’s article, I talked about the most basic rules to not kill yourself because of basic food safety. Now, we’re going to elaborate on more food safety rules.
1. If you cook with eggs, wash EVERYTHING.
I can’t stress this enough as well. If a dish or cup or fork touched egg, wash it in hot water. Eggs that come from the stores can be perfect carriers for salmonella and other diseases. Not to mention that once the liquid from inside the egg dries, it’s one real mother to wash off.
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2. Read all labels carefully!
One of my good friends recently found this out the hard way because she did not refrigerate her apple jelly after opening and mold grew on the top. Albeit, the directions to refrigerate were hard to find in her case, but they were there. As I said in the last section, the manufacturers are almost always right.
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3. Not all things have to be refrigerated.
Many varieties of ketchup, apples, bananas, and tomatoes can be kept in the caobinets and not the fridge. However, when in doubt, go with the label directions or call the corporate number to ask. They won’t bite.
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4. When you need to defrost something, don’t leave it on the counter.
As compelling an idea as this may be, unless you have experience with meat and can control your air temperature just right, defrost it in the fridge. If the meat gets too hot, it will be a fester ground for bacteria and will go bad. This is the safest method.
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5. Use by dates and sell by dates are different.
The use by date is usually a great indicator of when you should not eat the food. However, when the sell by date is listed, it is not the end all be all for your food. This is a guideline for the store. So when you are appraising food that only has a sell by date listed, it is best to go off visual signs of decay and the smell. Your senses are invaluable.
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6. If the microwave gets dirty, clean it.
If the microwave is dirty, then you need to clean it ASAP. Depending on what had been splattered around, it could cause problems in the future. Like burning. And horrible smells. And just chaos. It’s not good to leave them alone.
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