Guest Author - Sherry Van Der Elst

Recent news over outbreaks of food poisoning has many people talking about safe food handling. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, food-borne diseases cause approximately 76 million illnesses, 325,000 hospitalizations, and 5,000 deaths in the U.S. each year. Some 85% of cases reported could be avoided with a little knowledge and application of food safety habits.

Learning to follow proper food safety and sanitation procedures is an integral part of a professional chef’s training. For the home chef, understanding food safety practices is as critical as understanding basic cooking principles.

Food safety requires constant vigilance and commitment. But by following these tips, the risks can be greatly reduced in your own kitchen:


• Wash hands often in warm, soapy water throughout meal preparation and especially after handling raw meat and eggs, for at least 20 seconds. It’s estimated that proper and frequent hand washing could eliminate nearly half of all cases of food-borne illnesses.

• Use two cutting boards—-preferably color-coded--to reduce the risk of cross-contamination. Use one strictly for raw meats, poultry and seafood and another for ready-to-eat foods such as fruits and vegetables.

• Wash all cutting boards in hot, soapy water after each use, then sanitize the board with a chlorine bleach solution, and finally rinse again with hot water. Making your own home sanitizer is inexpensive and easy: Dilute a capful of bleach in a one-quart spray bottle filled with water (be sure to mark “sanitizer” on the bottle in either indelible marker or nail polish).

• Use the bleach solution to sanitize sink, drain, disposal and microwave as well.

• Meat, fish and poultry should always be defrosted in the refrigerator or microwave. If you are defrosting in the refrigerator, always place raw meat on the bottom shelf to prevent raw juices from dripping onto other foods. Never defrost foods at room temperature or in warm water.

• Make sure your refrigerator is set at 40F or below to slow the growth of bacteria and prevent food-borne illnesses.

• Leftovers should never be kept out of the refrigerator for more than two hours—-and no more than an hour in hot weather (80F or warmer).

• Never save or reuse marinade from raw meat, seafood or poultry.

• Sponges may be the worst culprits for spreading germs if not maintained properly. Wash dishtowels and sponges often in the hot cycle of your washing machine. Disinfect sponges and scrubbing brushes by spraying with chlorine solution after each use. Replace sponges frequently. Personally, I don’t believe zapping sponges in the microwave is the best way to sterilize them and I don’t recommend it. But if you do use this method, make sure the sponge is damp to prevent it from bursting into flames.

• Use separate cloths, sponges and towels for wiping dishes, wiping countertops and tables and wiping hands to avoid cross-contamination.

• Wash all raw fruits and vegetables, including "pre-washed" bagged salads and vegetables. Always scrub melons, squash and citrus fruits with a brush under running hot water. Even if you don’t eat the outer rinds, bacteria on the outer surface can be easily transferred to the edible inner flesh when the product is cut or peeled.