Eating healthy food is much more than simply what you consume. It’s also about ensuring the food you take in is safe and clean. Likewise, it should be prepared hygienically and stored correctly before cooking.
Food poisoning is widespread, with its prevailing cause being improper food storage and handling. Food contaminated with bacteria can still look normal, so it’s difficult to tell what you can and can’t eat once the food has been prepared. The best you can do is to ensure that food safety has never been compromised at every step of the meal-prepping process.
These food storage tips must be applied to avoid the onset of food-borne illnesses due to improper food handling.
Refrigerate Perishable Food Immediately
Some food spoils faster than others, such as cheese, milk, coconut milk, and other dairy products. Raw food like sushi belongs to this category as well. Even if you still intend to eat that food within the day, it’s best to keep it refrigerated.
Harmful bacteria can proliferate faster at temperatures ranging from 40 degrees to 140 degrees Fahrenheit. If you live in a tropical climate, refrigerating food immediately after eating is a must. It would be better to put it inside your refrigerators and fridges to ensure safety. However, for bigger applications, freezer chests are a good idea in commercial kitchens.
Proper Storage
Storing dry goods is less complicated than perishables and dairy products, given that you don’t have to worry too much about spoilage and expiration dates. However, this doesn’t mean you can relax and take it easy with storing dry goods, as certain storage rules still have to be followed.
Here are a few of the most crucial guidelines to remember:
- Keep the area dry and cool to avoid the swelling and spoilage of canned goods. Generally, a suitable temperature would be anywhere between 50 degrees and 60 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Clean the storage room or pantry regularly to avoid inviting rodents and other pests.
- Keep food items off the floor.
- Practice proper stock rotation, like the first-in, first-out method, so the older stock gets used up before it goes bad.
Keep Your Hands And Surfaces Clean
Suppose you practice proper food storage. However, that effort would still be futile if you have a dirty kitchen. Bacteria can thrive for days on surfaces, and proper handwashing is the only way to fight against such. Washing your hands before handling food and cleaning your surfaces regularly can minimize the risks of food contamination. It also needs to understand the importance of water quality in your kitchen.
Along these lines, here are a few tips that’ll come in handy:
- Rinse fresh fruits and vegetables before cutting or slicing in clean, running water.
- Wash your hands for at least 20 seconds before prepping meals, cooking, or doing anything in the kitchen.
- Always wash your hands after touching and working with any uncooked food, like meat and chicken.
- After cooking, wash your utensils, countertops, and chopping board with hot, soapy water.
Put Food In Containers
Food left in the open is a very tempting treat for pests. Moreover, exposing your food openly speeds up its spoilage, even with sealed windows and doors. Airborne pathogens are a significant source of food contamination. After your food has cooled from cooking, transfer it to containers for storage.
The same practice should also be applied to food kept in a refrigerator. As much as possible, you’ll want to have airtight containers to ensure air doesn’t go through the container, spoiling food in the process.
To further preserve the freshness of dry goods like coffee, it’s important to store them in airtight containers specifically designed for this purpose. For instance, using coffee canisters is a great way to seal in the aroma and protect the beans or grounds from moisture, which can compromise their quality. By using these, you can keep your coffee beans or grounds fresher for longer, ensuring the best flavor in every cup.
Maintain a Pest-Free Pantry
Ensuring the safety of your food doesn’t stop at proper storage; it also involves protecting it from unwanted pests. Invest in airtight containers for pantry staples like flour, rice, and cereals to prevent infestations of insects or rodents. Regularly clean and inspect your pantry, discarding any expired items to eliminate potential hiding spots for pests. Additionally, consider placing bay leaves or whole cloves in your pantry—they act as natural repellents for many common pantry pests. For an added layer of protection, enlist the expertise of professionals like Aptive Pest Control. Such specialized services can assess your home, identify potential pest threats, and implement targeted measures to keep your kitchen pest-free. If you notice any signs of pests, address the issue promptly to avoid contamination and preserve the integrity of your stored food. By incorporating these measures, you not only maintain food safety but also create an environment hostile to pests, safeguarding your kitchen essentials.
Avoid Food Contamination
Even as early as when you’re doing grocery, proper food safety and storage can already come into the picture. Big grocery carts are handy, even if you’re not necessarily going to fill them up. Instead, the big grocery cart can help you separate raw, uncooked meat from the other food items in your cart.
Ideally, you’ll want to pick up meat last—right before you hit the counter. However, if such isn’t possible, organize your cart so the liquid from frozen meat won’t drip on your vegetables and other food items.
That said, there are other ways of separating food to ensure safety. Here are some of them:
- Be sure to wash grocery bags after every use.
- Use separate utensils for uncooked and cooked food.
- Use separate cutting boards for uncooked meat and raw vegetables.
Final Thoughts
Food-borne illnesses aren’t uncommon, but they can be avoided. Whether preparing food at home or in a professional kitchen, it’s essential not to compromise food safety. The severity of food illnesses may sometimes result in death.
Hence, it’s a must to prioritize food safety and storage. You may already know a few basics, but they’re still worth revisiting. It would help to update your knowledge with new information, such as what you’ve just learned.
