28/09/2016
It is a sad but true fact that many people do not know very much about basic food preparation. Even having been through your initial training, you will eventually come across a situation that has you rolling your eyes in horror at the state of the fridge or deep freeze when you arrive. Not everyone is aware of basic food preparation rules. There are some points which we should all adhere to when it comes to food preparation.
Wash your hands! I don’t think this can be stressed enough. When we walk into the kitchen the first thing we should be doing is washing our hands. This is the easiest way to stop the spread of germs.
Use separate chopping boards. Allocate on for raw meat and keep it for that alone. Make sure you pass this on to the incoming carer so she is aware of which chopping board to use for raw and ready to eat foods.
Cook foods to the correct temperatures. The following list of meat must be cooked thoroughly;
To check these are done, you should cut right into the middle and see that the juices run clear. The meat should be steaming hot and no longer pink.
When you have cooked food that you don’t intend to eat right away, cool at room temperature (covered) for no longer than 90 minutes and then keep in the fridge. Never put hot food into the fridge. It will not cool evenly and this can cause food poisoning.
Wash fruit and vegetables under running water as this removes the most dirt. Peeling is also a way to remove germs.
Clean your working surfaces before and after handling food. Surfaces are a good source of cross contamination.
Wash kitchen cloths and tea towels often. Replace sponges often as they are a breeding place for germs. On arrival at a new placement, wash them all as you don’t know when they were last washed.
Never re-freeze raw food. This is a great way for bacteria to spread. Freezing only slows down bacteria production and so re-freezing just ensures that you freeze a lot more bacteria which, when you defrost the meat, just continue to multiply.
Thawing, cooking and then refreezing is fine. The cooking effectively kills the bacteria.
Use bags that are designed to be used in a freezer. Not all plastic bags are designed to work in the freezer. You should make sure that the bag is sealed. Never be tempted to throw in a half used bag of food which is open. Freezer burn not only looks horrible but it leaves the food with an unpleasant taste.
Freeze small portions, especially if there are only two of you. Don’t be left with a huge portion of defrosted mince that goes to waste because your client only eats a little. Freeze in small portions and if you ned more, take out two bags.
Here’s a short list of things that freeze really well. You should keep some in the freezer as they are always useful when people come and you need to feed them.
