Cross Contamination

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Cross Contamination

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Flu Season

Aside from preventing foodborne illnesses, hand washing is also an important step in preventing the spread of flu. Here's a link to a brief video from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on how to properly wash your hands.

http://www.cdc.gov/CDCTV/handstogether/

What does bacteria need to grow?

We have the most control over

Time and Temperature...

Shell Egg Safety Tips

How can you tell whether or not a shell egg is good before cracking it open? Fill a small bowl with water. Put the egg in the water. If it sinks, it's a good egg. If it floats, it's bad.

Most shell eggs are good for about 30 days beyond the expiration date on the carton.

If you are preparing a food item that calls for raw eggs that will not be cooked (Caesar dressing, for example), it is recommended that you use a pasteurized liquid egg product to ensure food safety. Uncooked shell eggs can transfer Salmonella bacteria to your food and cause Salmonellosis (a nasty foodborne illness for which the symptoms include: diarrhea, abdominal cramps, vomiting and fever.)

Leftovers

Did you know... if your refrigeration air temperature is 39 degrees F. or lower, you can safely store leftovers for up to seven days? The 39 degree air temperature creates a 41 degree food temperature.

Here's an idea to keep track of the leftovers in your refrigerator: Have a magnetic note pad on the refrigerator. As you add a leftover, write it on the pad with its "use by date". For example, today is October 15th and I'm storing leftover meatloaf in the refrigerator. On the note pad, I'll write: Meatloaf by 10/22. As I add more leftovers, I'll add them to the list. As leftovers get consumed, they get crossed off of the list.

Sometimes, when I've accumulated a variety of leftovers, I'll create a restaurant style menu and present it to the family. Each person gets to choose a menu item. See an example to the right.

First and foremost - WASH YOUR HANDS!

Hand washing, let's make that PROPER hand washing, has long been determined to be the single most important factor in decreasing the spread of foodborne illnesses. With the added worry of H1N1 flu, hand washing has indeed taken center stage. Proper hand washing is achieved by these simple steps:

1. Wet hands and arms with running water as hot as you can stand (at least 100 degrees F.)
2. Apply soap - enough to build up a good lather.
3. Scrub your hands and arms with vigor for about 10 - 15 seconds. Don't forget under your fingernails and in-between fingers.
4. Thoroughly rinse your hands and arms.
5. Dry your hands and arms. preferably with a paper towel. Use the paper towel to turn off the water and open the door (if applicable).

The entire process should take 20 - 30 seconds - about the time it takes to sing Happy Birthday to yourself TWICE.

The trick is to also get kids to do this. What success have you had with this?