Dying from Cookie Dough? Commonsense Food Safety
Keep Food Poisoning Away by Following a Few Basic Rules
Sep 4, 2009
With all sorts of warning labels, vicious bugs with complex Latin names, and food poisoning horror stories regularly hitting the news (see, for example, This Woman Might Die From Eating Cookie Dough, Washington Post, (Sept.1, 2009)), it can be hard to understand what causes food poisoning. And most importantly, it can be confusing to identify the necessary rules a home cook should use to prevent food related illnesses.
The following is a list of commonsense techniques that will work well for most people, along with further references to use when cooking for anyone in a High Risk Group.
Life Begins at 40
There are two key numbers associated with food safety: 40 degrees and 140 degrees. Between these two temperatures is the danger zone at which bacterial multiply happily - hence, "life begins at 40." Food should remain at this temperature for a maximum of two hours before cooking and, again, a maximum of two hours after being cooked.
To insure the least hospitable environment for bacteria, here are five best practices:
- One of the best investments any cook can make is to buy an excellent food thermometer, like the Thermapen shown in the photo. Use a thermometer frequently to monitor food temperature before, during, and after cooking.
- Any perishable food should be stored immediately in the refrigerator and freezer, both of which should be regularly checked for proper temperature. The refrigerator's temperature should stay at 40 degrees or below; the freezer should be 0 degrees or lower. Any refrigerator/freezer thermometer, which can cost as little as $5, will show the appropriate ranges marked in red, and should be kept constantly in the unit.
- Do not thaw food on the kitchen counter -- thaw in the refrigerator, microwave, or in the sink surrounded by cold water.
- Cook food, especially protein, to the proper temperature. Memorize the safe temperature for the few foods that cause the most problems in the home kitchen -- poultry and eggs, ground beef, pork, and fish. To disarm any bugs, cook poultry to 165 degrees in its thickest part, any ground beef dish to 155 degrees, pork to 150 degrees, and fish to 140 degrees. Eggs should be cooked until the yolk starts to firm.
- Don't leave any food at room temperature longer than two hours. Get the food out of the temperature danger zone by chilling or freezing. However, try to get the food as cool as possible before putting it in the refrigerator -- the refrigerator can't do a good job of chilling really hot food. So if the food is still really hot, stir it until cooled down or put the food container into an ice bath.
Hot Water is the Key to Cleanliness
During food preparation, it's not hard to keep things clean. First, foremost, and always, the single best practice to follow is to use the hottest bearable water when washing hands and equipment.
Many cooks, especially when cutting raw meat and poultry, garlic, and hot peppers, also use the latex gloves found in drug stores, (the ones with talcum powder come off easily). And here's a hint for bread bakers -- putting on gloves before kneading dough makes it easy to deal with an interruption like the phone ringing without getting raw dough over everything.
Preventing Cross-Contamination
Cutting boards are a primary source of cross-contamination; here are some tips to keep them safe:
- Buy two boards, making sure at least one is plastic and can fit in the dishwasher for sanitizing (if a dishwasher is available). Wooden boards should not go in the dishwasher.
- Use a permanent ink pen to mark one board as reserved to handle protein.
- Mark one side of the protein board to use only for poultry; mark the other side to use for other meat and fish.
- To sanitize wooden boards, or plastic ones if a dishwasher isn't available, wash with soap and water followed by a rinse made from a mixture of 1 1/2 teaspoons of either bleach or white vinegar per pint of water.
Also, wash any utensils or other food preparation tools (including hands) between uses. For example, wash the platter used to carry raw meat out to a grill before using it to carry the cooked meat back in.
Cooking Safely for a High Risk Group
Extra food safety precautions need to be taken if cooking for anyone in a High Risk Group, defined as the elderly, infants, toddlers, and anyone with a chronic immune deficiency disease. The Food and Drug Administration has excellent advice at their site for each of these special groups at http://www.foodsafety.gov/~fsg/fsgadvic.html.
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