SAFETY TIPS FOR COOKING IN THE HOME

It doesn't matter what time of year it is, it's always the right time for food safety! It seems like it is so easy today to contract a bacteria from food of any kind. By following some of these simple rules, you'll keep you and your family safe from the worst kinds of food bacteria such as salmonella, botulism and E-Coli

Using Eggs in Recipes:
Harmful bacteria can be found in eggs nowadays, so make sure that if using eggs in a recipe, they are well cooked. DO NOT use raw eggs or egg whites in an uncooked food!!  Using raw egg in eggnog, Caesar salad dressing, home made ice cream, puddings, candies or any other uncooked food can cause sever cases of bacterial food poisoning!

Use Food Safe Cooking Utensils:
There have been some ingenious ways to bake and cook food that have come up over the years. Some of them are so not safe!! Looking back, we can probably remember our mothers or grandmothers baking bread in coffee cans or clay flower pots. While it may have been safe at the time, although not likely, it certainly isn't safe now!

1. Never use paper bags to bake food in! They can contain toxic elements from paper production, inks and chemicals used to recycle paper. They can give off toxic fumes and the chemicals can get into the food.

2. Never use pottery purchased at craft shows, bazaars or swap meets. You have no idea what kind of glaze has been used on them and they may contain lead!! Only purchase glazed pottery that is labeled for food use.

3. Never use clay flower pots for baking!! They are not manufactured for baking and can contain lead and other toxins that transfer to food and cause toxic fumes.

4. Coffee cans and other types of cans may not be made of lead lined tin anymore but some still use lead to seal the can folds. Also, they are not designed to withstand oven heat and may be painted or sealed with material that emits toxic fumes.

5. Always cleanse off surfaces that you are working on while cooking with anti-bacterial, food safe cleaner. If you cut a chicken up on a cutting board, make sure and sterilize it before you cut veggies on it. Putting a plastic cutting board in the dishwasher and going through the heat dry cycle will kill the bacteria.

Using Cooking Oils & Other Home-made Products:
While a pretty bottle of homemade flavored cooking oil may seem like a nice gift, it could end up causing the whole family to become ill! When you combine herbs, vegetables, fruits or garlic to vegetable oil, this can cause the growth of botulism bacteria. Only use commercially prepared cooking oils. Always refrigerate any mixed salad dressings and sauces made with fresh garlic, herbs and oil. Don't bother buying any flavored oils purchased at craft fairs. They may look pretty and if that's all they'll be used for, a decoration, that's fine. If you receive any as gifts, keep them as a decoration and never use them! Most purchased in mass retailers around the holidays will often be labeled "For Decorative Use Only". It's there for a reason!

Always Cook At Proper Temperatures:
1. Avoid any silly ways of cooking or baking food. We've all heard the story about baking a fish in the dishwasher. Not only does it not work but that's not where you want your food to be cooked! Even though a dishwasher is relatively clean inside, you can still pick up bacteria. Never cook anything on the engine of a car!! We have seen camping books that suggest this but there are so many chemicals in there that food could come in contact with, just don't do it!

2. Cooking over a campfire or grill is fine as long as you have a meat thermometer and can check the temp of cooked meat. Undercooking meat can cause many forms of toxic bacteria to stay in the food which would normally be killed at a higher temperature.

3. Be careful when marinating meat, fish or poultry. Never leave at room temp to marinate, always put it in the refrigerator. If you use left over marinade as a sauce, make sure to boil it for a few minutes before serving to kill any bacteria that the meat may have contaminated it with.

4. It's a good idea to rinse off fresh fruit and vegetables before using. Rinse under cold water and run your clean hands over it as you rinse. Fruits and veggies can pick up many kinds of bacteria between farm and store. If using any type of sprouts in food, never use them raw. They can carry harmful bacteria even if they have been organically grown. It's best to flash boil them or stir fry them before using.

By using common sense and some healthy habits, you can save yourself and your family from having to deal with the agonies of food poisoning. It only takes a couple minutes to properly wash hands and food before use, to clean your cooking and preparing surfaces between foods and to teach these things to your kids. Every summer we hear more tales in the news of contaminated veggies, meat or other food products that came off the fame that way. It's up to you to use good judgment and keep food poisoning and bacteria out of your family's food.