Making Food Preparation Less Risky

If you do not have guidelines for handling food posted in the kitchen of your church, these are basic and may be helpful. Have you met my Auntie Louise?

Cleanliness is next to Godliness! Everything that touches food should be clean. Listed below are steps to help prevent food-borne illness by safely handling food in homes or other settings (like church kitchens).

• Always wash hands with hot, soapy water. If your hands have any kind of skin abrasion or infection, always use clean disposable gloves. Wash hands (gloved or not) with hot, soapy water.
• Thoroughly wash with hot, soapy water all surfaces that come in contact with raw meat, poultry, fish, and eggs before moving on to the next step in food preparation. Consider using paper towels to clean kitchen surfaces. If you use dishcloths, wash them often in the hot cycle of your washing machine. Keep other surfaces, such as faucets and counter tops, clean by washing with hot, soapy water.
• To keep cutting boards clean, wash them in hot, soapy water after each use; then rinse and air or pat dry with fresh paper towels. Cutting boards can be sanitized with a solution of one teaspoon liquid chlorine bleach per quart of water. Flood the surface with the bleach solution and allow it to stand for several minutes; then rinse and air or pat dry with fresh paper towels.
• Non-porous acrylic, plastic, glass, and solid wood boards can be washed in a dishwasher (laminated boards may crack and split). Even plastic boards wear out over time. Once cutting boards become excessively worn or develop hard-to-clean grooves, replace them.
• Don't use the same platter and utensils that held the raw product to serve the cooked product. Any bacteria present in the raw meat or juices can contaminate the safely cooked product. Serve cooked products on clean plates, using clean utensils and clean hands.
• When using a food thermometer, it is important to wash the probe after each use with hot, soapy water before reinserting it into a food.
• Keep your refrigerator clean by wiping up spills immediately. Clean surfaces thoroughly with hot, soapy water and rinse. Once a week, make it a habit to throw out perishable foods that should no longer be eaten.
• Keep household cleaners, and other chemicals away from food and surfaces used for food.
• When picnicking or cooking outdoors, take plenty of clean utensils. Pack clean, dry, and wet and soapy cloths for cleaning surfaces and hands. Bacteria are everywhere.
• Temperature matters too!
  • Bacteria multiply rapidly between 40°F and 140°F. To keep food out of this "danger zone." Keep cold food cold and hot food hot.
  • Store food in the refrigerator (40°F or below) or freezer (0°F or below).
  • When reheating cooked food, reheat to 165°F.
  • Cook food to 160°F (145°F for roasts, steaks, and chops of beef, veal, and lamb).
  • Maintain hot cooked food at 140°F or above

Don't take pot luck with the safety of your “pot luck”

Many of us have very happy memories of church potlucks and the wonderful “comfort food” brought and served by some of the best cooks in the land. However, we do want to be certain that the casseroles, soups and salads do not have the unintended bonus of drumming up business for the hospital visitation committee. The rules below, of which we are all aware, help reduce the risk of food-borne illness.

• Plan ahead. Make sure the location has everything you need including cleaning products. Be sure you have enough oven, stovetop, refrigerator, freezer and work space.
• Store and prepare food safely. Refrigerate or freeze perishable food within two hours of shopping or preparing. Find separate preparation areas in the work space for raw and cooked food. Never place cooked food back on the same plate or cutting board that held raw food. Wash hands, cutting boards, dishes, utensils, and work surfaces frequently with hot, soapy water.
• Cook food to safe internal temperatures. It's the only way to tell if harmful bacteria are destroyed! Use a food thermometer to check the internal temperature of meat, poultry, casseroles, and other food. Check temperature in several places to be sure food is safely cooked. Never partially cook food for finishing later because you increase the risk of bacterial growth.
• Transport food safely. Keep hot food HOT. Keep cold food COLD, at or below 40°F with ice packs or the like. There are some nifty new covered dish transporters and coolers that can also be hotters (but not at the same time). Keep hot food at or above 140°F.
• Need to reheat? Food must be hot and steamy for serving. Just "warmed up" is not good enough. Use the stove, oven, or microwave to reheat food to 165°F. Bring sauces, soups, and gravies to a boil.
• Keep food out of the "danger zone" (40-140°F). Keep hot food hot at or above 140°F. Place cooked food in chafing dishes, preheated steam tables, warming trays or slow cookers. Keep cold food cold at or below 40°F. Place food in containers on ice.
• When in doubt, throw it out! Discard food left out at room temperature for more than 2 hours. Place leftovers in shallow containers. Refrigerate or freeze immediately. This is often very difficult for folks who grew up in the depression era and those reared by them.

For additional food safety information about meat, poultry, or egg products, call the toll-free USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline at (888) MPHotline or (888) 674-6854; for Deaf or HOH (TTY) call (800) 256-7072. The hotline is staffed by food safety experts weekdays from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Eastern time. Food safety recordings can be heard 24 hours a day using a touch-tone phone.

Cooking for Groups: A Volunteer's Guide to Food Safety is a very helpful resource from the Food Safety and Inspection Service, United States Department of Agriculture, Washington, D.C. 20250-3700.