Chop the boneless chicken (the little ones don't like bones) on the cutting board and toss it in the red pan while sprinkling some spices. While it is done, we will prepare a salad as a centerpiece. We take out the tomatoes, lettuce, and start cutting ...
Oh oh. Has anyone seen the error? We have used the knife and the cutting board with which we have cut the chicken. A mistake that, with the rush of the kitchen, we can commit on occasion without being aware of the risks it poses cross contamination, especially for children and the elderly. But do not worry, because after reading this you will be experts.
What is cross contamination?
Cross contamination is a process that leads us to put some substances in contact with others , and usually refers to substances that are potentially harmful in contact with food. For example, when filleting a salmon to cook and then using that same knife to cut the bread, we make part of that raw fish become part of the bread (which we do not cook).
And the problem with that fish or raw meat is that it can contain dangerous bacteria for our health. Although bacteria are everywhere and we are always in contact with them, some could cause diseases, such as certain bacteria in the E.coli family, present in chicken meat, which die at about 73 degrees Celsius.
Given that the oil in the pan usually rises above 130 degrees, cooking these harmful bacteria are eliminated. But this will not occur in foods that we do not overheat, such as lettuce from a salad. And if we use the same utensils to cut meat as to cut tomatoes, we are putting our health at risk.
The importance of protocol in the kitchen
To the complexity of the day to day at work and the daily struggle for the children to go to bed comes a new adventure for the kitchens: the juggling in the kitchen. And it is that in many occasions we prepare between two and four meals at the same time, with all the fires heating and passing the same kitchen cutlery from one to another.
"I prepare the stew for today while I put it on the fire, and I use the cutting board that I have set aside to chop the fish that I will freeze for tomorrow. I give it a water and I start to fillet a meat that I will make to the pan and I keep for tomorrow's meal ... oh, if I have to take the peas out of the freezer! "
Does it sound to you? This, which for those who have not rolled up their sleeves in the kitchen is a mess, is also for those who have been in charge of the house fires for a long time. And it can be dangerous for our health if we do not take into account the basic rules that the WHO dictated in its manual Five keys to food safety:
Key 1. Maintain cleanliness
Before handling food, all types of food are recommended clean and disinfect. Both hands and countertop and kitchen utensils to use. To clean it may be enough to pass a cloth with soap, but if we use any product that eliminates bacteria, such as Star 2in1 with bleach and detergent, we make sure to disinfect.
The countertops, hands, and even the cutlery you took yesterday from the dishwasher, may have harmful bacteria, fungi and viruses. That is, germs. Washing your hands well and disinfecting everything before cooking will only take a couple of minutes, and leave us alone.
Key 2. Separate raw foods from cooked foods
As mentioned before, raw foods can contaminate the kitchen and utensils of bacteria such as E.coli. Ideally, cooking potentially dangerous foods (such as meat and fish) should be cooked in the end, but if this is not possible, they can always be kept apart from each other and use different cutting tools.
But usually in houses we only have a cutting board and a countertop! If we have no choice but to prepare everything close or use the same space, it will be enough with clean and disinfect (key 1) utensils after handling uncooked meat and fish. WHO recommends detergent and a disinfectant solution, such as bleach.
Key 3. Cook completely
This is: frying, baking, boiling and cooking food above 70 degrees to avoid problems. Keeping it for a while or when it reaches 80 degrees we will have destroyed practically all the harmful bacteria that could be in red meat and poultry, fish, eggs ...
For this, WHO recommends make use of a kitchen thermometer , a very useful and quite affordable tool. Climbing 70 degrees is an alternative mode of disinfection, so water is boiled to avoid diarrhea and stomach problems.
Key 4. Keep food at safe temperatures
For example, it is not advisable to leave cooked food for more than two hours at room temperature. Not even on that countertop on which you have disinfected. The problem is that between 5 ° C and 60 ° C bacteria reproduce very quickly , and organic matter is for them the ideal place to do it.
It is recommended to eat food after cooking or store it in the refrigerator. A refrigerator that we must keep clean, since although very slowly, bacteria could reproduce at temperatures below 5 ° C. It is important to do not less than two general cleanings a year, and clean the shelves every so often in case something has been spilled.
Key 5. Use water and safe raw materials
Untreated water from lakes and canals may contain bacteria that cause diarrhea or fevers, as can rainwater stored in poorly cleaned deposits. And the same goes for food that is not fresh or of doubtful origins.
Outdoor defrosted meats or expired foods can be a source of infection. And even the unwashed fruit and vegetables, something we can solve by dipping it in a bowl of water with a few drops of pure bleach, such as the Rabbit bleach that is suitable for the disinfection of fruits and vegetables.
But usually in houses we only have a cutting board and a countertop! If we have no choice but to prepare everything nearby or use the same space, it will be enough to clean and disinfect the utensils after handling meat and fish without cooking. WHO recommends detergent and a disinfectant solution, such as Star 2in1 bleach.
Images | Uncooked chicken, Vegetables, Cooking, Frying pan, Fridge
