We all understand the importance of kitchen hygiene, but not everyone knows that this term encompasses. Proper kitchen hygiene is more than clean dishes and towels – it’s the easiest way to lower the risk of contracting a food-borne disease. Find out what is kitchen hygiene and how to maintain it.
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1. What is hygiene and why is it important?
Kitchen hygiene is a set of rules that concerns everything, from the correct storage to the processing of food products and from the cooking requirements to the personal hygiene of the cook. Contrary to a popular belief, kitchen hygiene is essential not only for professional kitchens, but also for family households.
Failing to respect the rules of personal hygiene in the kitchen results in all kinds of unwanted consequences, including food poisoning, the constant need to throw out spoiled food, germs populating the food products, and a variety of pests, from cockroaches to rats, terrorizing your kitchen and your whole house.
Most of the kitchen hygiene rules you’ll learn today aren’t too complicated; in fact, they are the product of common sense and are normally taught at a young age by parents or school. In case you need to refresh your memory, here are 5 rules for safety and hygiene in the kitchen.
2. 5 ways of maintaining kitchen hygiene
Check out these 5 rules and follow them in your kitchen:
1. Store foods correctly
One of the most dangerous things in a modern kitchen is cross-contamination, when germs from one food products end up on another food product. To avoid this, make sure to store the products right: use tightly sealed containers to separate foods from one another and raw products from cooked meals.
2. Wash your hands
Washing your hands is an important rule for all aspects of life, but it’s especially crucial in a kitchen. Wash your hands with soap after handling raw foods like meat and eggs, after throwing the leftovers in a bin, after going to the toilet, and after touching your pets while cooking a meal.
3. Use cutting boards properly
Surprisingly to many, cutting boards are among the filthiest areas in a kitchen. In order not to get poisoned due to a contaminated cutting board, clean the boards after each use with soapy water and pat them dry. It is also advised to get different cutting boards for raw meat and for other products like greens and bread.
4. Clean your kitchen
You may already clean your kitchen once a week, but in order to keep it hygienic, you need to introduce a cleaning schedule. Clean the surfaces after each use and wash each kitchen appliance at least once a month to avoid the growth of bacteria.
5. Refrigerate your foods
In order to stay fresh and clean for a long time, food products and ready meals need to be stored in a refrigerator. Carefully study the storage periods for each product you frequently buy, wash your fridge regularly, and don’t overcrowd it with products – leave some room for air circulation and better cooling.
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