On many occasions, before we start cooking, we worry about having everything ready and at hand. The recipe that we are going to cook; the knives, spoons, forks and other things we need; We take out the pots, pans and plates that we know we are going to use; We dress up with our favorite apron and even listen to our favorite music to accompany us throughout the stew.
And do we worry about the most important thing when preparing our dishes? Do not be surprised if we do not take into account the necessary measures to handle food: it is a very common mistake and one that many of us make when we go to cook.
One of the main issues is hygiene when handling food. I would venture to say that it is something that must be extremely important and fundamental. We must not forget that if we do not take this issue into account, we can cause infections and diseases in our guests, transmitted by the food that we have cooked and that we have not treated and handled properly. In this way we will prevent our food from transmitting diseases such as salmonella, intestinal amoebiasis, lumbricoides ascariasis, botulism, hepatitis or the most common of all: gastroenteritis.
If you have serious doubts about how to handle food, there are online courses in which you can learn to handle food, in addition to the possibility of getting a free food handling card , you just have to pass a food handler exam
Before causing someone to contract a disease or infection from the dish that we have cooked and regret the problems that we can cause, it is best to know what the common mistakes we make are and how to avoid them. Health experts offer 10 tips to avoid food contamination:
- Never cook food at a temperature below 70º Celsius and defrost it in advance and at room temperature.
- Prevent contact between cooked and raw foods, in this way we will avoid cross contamination that may arise. If we are going to keep them in the refrigerator, they must be properly protected.
- Consume cooked food as soon as possible.
- Keep all the utensils, utensils and surfaces that we are going to use in the kitchen scrupulously clean.
- Use drinking water when we are preparing and cooking food and when we are going to clean surfaces and utensils.
- Exercise strict personal hygiene at all times : wash your hands well, be careful with cuts or wounds, keep your kitchen clothing clean (apron, gloves, hat …)
- Do not smoke or eat while we cook.
- Do not cough or spit on food or food.
- Avoid the presence of insects or animals such as rodents that can transmit infections.
- Keep garbage cans closed and always wash our hands after using them.
It may seem like too many indications and tips, but it is essential to follow them all to the letter to prevent our friends and family from contracting unwanted diseases and infections that can cause us serious health problems.
All of us who have an addiction to cooking should never forget that we are dealing with foods that other people are going to consume and that we cannot run the risk of them suffering from a serious health problem that, in the worst cases, is very difficult to solve and correct, for this very reason food handling should be the most important factor when we start cooking.
