How to Cook Safely: 10 Mistakes You Should not Make
You sure know Lisa Casali. This Italian is the author of the Ecocucina blog and a book full of #zerowaste recipes suitable to be cooked in the dishwasher. Despite having been following her for a long time, I had never considered experimenting with her culinary technique, since I was missing the indispensable element: the dishwasher.
However, upon moving house, I came across this fabulous appliance in the kitchen, so I thought it was the perfect time to try. I started looking for recipes like crazy, but between stew and stew, I found some criticism of this cooking method: not only because of the danger of contamination with detergent it presents – something that seems insignificant if you use airtight containers – but because of the risk ofmicrobiological contamination (fungi, bacteria, viruses, parasites), by not reaching a sufficient cooking temperature.
Go ahead, the presence of bacteria and fungi in food is normal and, within certain limits, harmless . Do not panic! The problem appears if these limits are exceeded , as a result of improper hygiene, conservation or cooking. For this reason, and without wishing to question the possible advantages and disadvantages of this culinary technique (which I plan to try), I began to learn about how to cook safely .
From the result of my search, I leave you this list with some tips to avoid some common mistakes and thus avoid the unwanted growth of pathogenic organisms. Take note because you may be failing at something!
1. Forget about macerating oil with garlic or any fresh plant : its water content and room temperature can promote the proliferation of the bacterium Clostridium botulinum , responsible for botulism. I do not stop looking at websites and blogs with recipes of this type without having any idea of the risk that this can entail. I told you about this at the end of this article .
2 . Keep animals and cleaning products away from food storage and preparation areas.
3. Nothing is defrosting on the hob . Bacteria reproduce rapidly at room temperature. The right thing to do is to do it in the microwave, on the stove or in the fridge . If you are going to marinate something you should also use the cold of this last appliance.
4. It is ESSENTIAL that you wash fruits and vegetables with water, regardless of whether you are going to consume them with or without peel .
5. Never clean meat or seafood . Rinsing these foods can increase the chances of food poisoning if their juices, and the bacteria they may contain, splash onto the sink or counter.
6. Avoid contact between raw and cooked foods . Once you cook the meat, fish or seafood, do not put them back in the container where they were raw to avoid contamination with their juices.
7. Crack the eggs in a different place in the container where you are going to beat them . In this way, if the shell were contaminated, you would prevent it from passing into the edible part of the egg.
8. Do not eat or taste doughs that contain raw egg . This food can be a source of Salmonella , so it is necessary to cook it properly.
9. Cook food to a suitable temperature . It is usually the only way to kill some pathogens. I leave this table Gui to . Note that it measures the internal temperature of food in Fahrenheit . In summary, most pathogenic organisms die at temperatures between 60 ° C and 75 ° C, so it is recommended that cooked foods exceed 70-75 ° C , even in its innermost areas.
10. Do not dry freshly washed utensils or food with the cloth you normally use to clean your hands in the kitchen. Use a specific cloth, blotting paper or let them air dry.
Needless to say, it is essential to wash your hands before handling food. Ah! and no cooking with gloves, you will lose your sensitivity and you will notice less dirt. Any more advice you want to share?
References
To learn more about food safety you can find much more information here:
- Food Safety.org
- European Food Information Council (EUFIC)
- Food Safety and Inspection Service. USDA
- OCU
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