Adopt these 5 important food-safety practices

Most of the foods we eat contain tiny amounts of bacteria and viruses, and if food is poorly handled or improperly cooked, these germs can make you sick. We'll give you 5 food-safety tips that will help you cook without worry.

• Keep raw meat, poultry, seafood, and their juices away from ready-to-eat foods.
• Don't reuse knives, utensils, cutting boards, or other kitchen equipment that's been exposed to raw meats before washing it thoroughly.
• Serve all food on a clean plate, platter, or cutting board.
• When grocery shoppping, pack meat into separate bags at the checkout and use spill-free containers or sealable plastic bags to store meats and seafood at home.

• Germs can grow quickly on fish, chicken, turkey, and other meats left at room temperature, even while marinating or defrosting.
• Keep marinating foods in the refrigerator.
• Don't use your marinade during cooking or on cooked food unless you've brought it to a full boil first to kill any bacteria. Make sure to toss any leftovers afterwards.
• Don't defrost meat on the counter. Instead, keep it in the fridge, in a bowl of cold water, or use the microwave.

• Scrub your hands vigorously with soap and water for 10 to 15 seconds immediately before handling food. Dry with a clean paper towel or kitchen towel.
• You should also wash your hands after handling raw foods and again before eating.
• Surveys show that 25 percent of cooks don't wash their hands after handling raw meat and fish, and 66 percent don't wash up after handling raw eggs.

• Research reveals that colour isn't a good indicator that meat or poultry is fully cooked. For example, ground beef may look fully browned when the internal temperature is just 54°C (130°F), which is far from the 71°C (160°F) needed to kill disease-causing bacteria.
• To add to the confusion, some lean ground beef and some poultry may look pink even after it's reached a safe temperature.
• To get it right, use a food thermometer. You can also buy disposable "pop-up" thermometers to use in roasts or poultry, but experts suggest double-checking internal temperature with a conventional food thermometer for extra safety.
• When using a food thermometer, wash the probe end in warm sudsy water and dry with a paper towel after use.

• Researchers say that 1 in 3 refrigerators are set too warm to keep foods cold and safe.
• Be sure yours is set at 4°C (40°F) or lower and the freezer at -18°C (0°F). To make sure that your fridge is cold enough, buy a refrigerator thermometer.
• Don't overload your fridge; air needs to circulate in order to chill food quickly.
• To ensure cleanliness, store meats on the bottom shelf so that juices can't drip onto other foods.
• Clean up food spills promptly with a solution of baking soda and water. If meat juices leak, use a weak solution of one teaspoon bleach in one litre (one quart) of warm water to kill any germs, then wipe with baking soda and water to remove the bleach.

Staying food-safe isn't hard: it just requires small, consistent efforts. Use this guide to learn the proper culinary precautions you should take, and then be diligent. After all, no one wants to get sick.

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