The Twelve Food Safety Top Tips of Christmas
Here we look at a combination of our top Food Safety tips from the year to help keep you kitchen clean, safe and hygience over the festive period!
Always wash your hands
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Wash your hands thoroughly, using soap and hot water, before handling food. You should also wash your hand after handling raw foods (including meat, fish, eggs and vegetables), after touching bins, going to the toilet, blowing your nose, or touching pets.
Wash worktops
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Wash worktops before and after preparing food, particularly, especially after they've been touched by raw meat.
Wash dishcloths and tea towels
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Keep dishcloths and tea towels clean and let them dry before you use them again. Dirty and damp cloths are the perfect breeding grounds for bacteria.
Washing Fruit and Veg
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Wash fruit and vegetables under cold running water before you eat them. This helps to remove visible dirt and germs that may be on the surface. Find out more about washing fruit and veg at our dedicated article here.
Cooking
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Cooking food at the correct temperature will ensure that any harmful bacteria are killed. Check that food is piping hot throughout before you eat it. Take a look at our free Safe Cooking Temperatures chart here.
Cleaning up
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Wash all worktops and chopping boards before and after cooking, they are often the main source of cross-contamination.
Fridge storage
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When preparing food, make sure it is kept out of the fridge for the shortest time possible.
Storing meat
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Raw meat and poultry should be stored in clean sealable containers at the bottom of the fridge. This prevents them from dripping onto other food.
Freezing and defrosting
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Only freeze meat/fish before their use-by date
Love leftovers
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If you have cooked food that you're not going to eat straight away, cool it as quickly as possible and store it in the fridge or freezer.
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Use leftovers within two days and reheat till steaming hot.
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Do not reheat leftovers more than once
Everyone at Esky wishes you a happy and safe Christmas!
