Whisked Off

Welcome to the danger zone September 8, 2009

The kitchen is a dangerous place, and I’m not talking about knives. I came home today, emptied the fridge, wiped it down, and threw away the sponge. I now know just enough about microbiological contamination,  chemical hazards, and pests to be dangerous to myself, and certainly to my leftovers. It’s scary how easy it is to have a fridge full of bacteria. Ick.

Yes, school today was all about food safety and hygiene. Since you know me you won’t be surprised that I took 19 pages of single-spaced notes, and that I experienced mild symptoms of E. Coli, Salmonella, Staphylococcus Aureus, Clostoridium Perfringes and Bacillus Cereus as each was described. Actually, it was good to have the notes because the day ended with a 30 question EXAM.

Not sure I passed the test, but here are a few salient morsels:

• Always defrost on the lowest shelf to reduce the risk of drippings into other items.
• Buy eggs (in UK) that have a lion stamp and date. These are from chickens that have been vaccinated against salmonella.
• The number one cause of food poisoning is eating foods that have been prepared too far in advance. Cook and serve immediately.
• Foods at high risk for bacteria growth are: cooked meats,dairy, shellfish, and surprisingly (to me) cooked rice.
• Keep the freezer at -18°C minimum; the refrigerator should be between 1-4°C. Keep things warming in an oven at 62°C or higher. Use Google to convert to °F.
• Cool food thoroughly before putting it into the fridge. Hot food in the fridge not only raises the temperature, it creates condensation which can lead to mold (mould).
• My favorite is that in professional kitchens, Band-Aids are blue (or other bright colors) so that it’s pretty obvious when one falls into the stew…

I wonder how many domestic kitchens would be shut down if the inspectors came by.