Between 40° and 140☏ is considered by the CDC to be the “danger zone,” because that’s the range of temperatures at which bacteria most easily grow. If you need to thaw something for dinner, put it in the fridge instead of leaving it out on the kitchen counter, where it can quickly become too warm. Cut that time in half during the summer, when food warms up faster. And refrigerate any perishable food, including groceries and leftovers, within two hours. Make sure your fridge is cold enough-set it between 32° and 40☏. Spritz and wipe down the sink and countertop with a diluted-bleach solution (one tablespoon bleach to one gallon of water). Wash prep and cooking surfaces after preparing food. Use one cutting board for raw meats and another for vegetables, and clean the boards with hot, soapy water or pop them into the dishwasher. Meats, fish and eggs should never be washed, because bacteria could splash onto nearby surfaces. Rinse all produce under running water before slicing or peeling (and don’t use soaps or special cleaners), since germs can spread from the outside to the inside with the blade of your knife. Wash your hands for at least 20 seconds (about the length of time it takes to sing the “Happy Birthday” song twice). It’s one of the most important things you can do to prevent food poisoning, according to the CDC. You know to wash your hands after using the bathroom and before eating, but experts say you should also do it between each step of the cooking process (for example, after you handle raw meat, plus before and after peeling vegetables). “And they aren’t always things that we can see,” she adds.īut whether we’re hosting a backyard party or cooking dinner in the kitchen, following a few simple food-safety rules can help prevent food poisoning, says Behm. The most common offenders are the highly infectious norovirus and salmonella (found in raw chicken, meat and eggs), but there are more than 250 types of germs that could make you sick, says Brittany Behm, spokesperson for the CDC. But in rare cases, the problem can be life-threatening. Most of the symptoms are fairly mild (nausea, vomiting and stomach cramps) and pass within a few days. Every year, more than one out of every seven Americans-48 million-gets sick after eating contaminated food, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).
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January 2023
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