Millions of people around the world get foodborne illnesses every year. This is also known as food poisoning. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), every year one in six Americans gets sick from eating food that has been tainted. Foodborne illnesses can come from many places but keeping your home clean and germ free is one of the best ways to lower your risk of getting them. A clean kitchen is important for both making food and keeping dangerous germs like bacteria, viruses, and parasites from spreading. Here are some ways that keeping the kitchen clean can help lower the risk of getting sick from food.
Why clean kitchens are important for food safety
Pathogens can easily grow in the kitchen if https://floridakitchenpros.com/ are not used. The kitchen is where food is prepared. Harmful bacteria like Salmonella, E. coli, Listeria and Norovirus often spread through dirty surfaces, tools, and food. Pathogens like these can cause anything from mild stomach pain to serious sickness and even death. Keeping your kitchen clean stops the spread of these harmful germs and makes sure that food stays safe to eat.
How Clean Hands Play a Part in Food Safety
Regularly and fully washing your hands is one of the best ways to avoid getting sick from food. When people work in the kitchen, their hands often come into touch with surfaces, raw food and tools which is how germs are spread. Before and after handling food, especially raw meat, eggs and fish the CDC says to wash your hands with soap and warm water for at least 20 seconds. Another important thing to do is wash your hands after using the bathroom, touching trash or cleaning products.
Keeping your hands clean can make it much less likely that you'll spread dangerous germs from one place to another. This will help keep the food you're preparing clean.
Why it's Important to Clean Surfaces and Tools
If you don't clean your countertops, cutting boards, knives and other cooking tools properly, dangerous germs can easily grow on them. When germs from raw foods especially meats get on other foods or surfaces this is called cross-contamination. This can make people sick.
Clean and cleanse objects and tools every time you use them to stop germs from spreading. Say you used a cutting board to cut up live chicken. After that, wash it with hot clean water and sanitize it before using it to prepare veggies or ready-to-eat foods. You can also lower the risk of cross-contamination by cutting raw meat and veggies on different cutting boards.
Knives, tongs, spatulas and other cooking tools should be cleaned every time they are used. A cleaning cleaner should be used to wipe down many cooking surfaces like stovetops and tables to get rid of any germs or bacteria that are still there. Dish towels and brushes should be thrown away often because germs can grow on them if they are damp or dirty for a long time.
How to Keep Things Safe and Clean
Appliances like fridges, microwaves, blenders and dishwashers are very important for keeping food safe, but they need to be cleaned often to work right. To stop the growth of bad germs. For example a fridge should be kept at or below 40ÁF (4ÁC). If you spill food, especially raw meat or cheese you should clean it up right away so that it does not get on other foods.
In the same way food spills or splatters can get into microwaves which are often used to warm up leftovers. Harmful germs won't be able to spread if the inside of the microwave is cleaned regularly with a damp cloth. Dishwashers are made to clean dishes, but they also need to be cleaned often so that food bits or mold don't build up and make the dishes they wash less clean.
How to Store Food Right
Cleaning the kitchen is more than just cleaning the surfaces; it also means putting food away in the right way. It is important to store food in the right way because many germs that are spread through food grow quickly at temperatures between 40ÁF and 140ÁF. Raw meat, poultry and fish should be kept on the bottom shelves of the fridge so that they do not drip on other foods and make them sick.
Also things that go bad quickly, like eggs, dairy products and ready to eat foods should be kept in cases that do not let air in. To stop germs from growing leftovers should be cooled quickly and put in the fridge in containers that can not be opened. Always follow the "first in, first out" rule to make sure that older items are used up before younger ones. This keeps you from having a lot of outdated foods that could be harmful to eat.
The Last Word on How Clean and Safe Food Is in the Kitchen
One of the most important things you can do to keep your kitchen safe and stop dangerous illnesses is to keep it clean. By doing simple things like washing your hands often, wiping down surfaces, storing food properly and keeping your kitchen tools clean, you can greatly lower the chance of getting sick and keep your family safe from dangerous germs.
Remember that getting sick from food can have serious effects. The good news is that you can make a big difference in keeping your meals safe and fun by keeping the kitchen clean and practicing good hygiene. Not only are clean kitchens better for your health they are also safer places for you and your family to make and eat meals
