Food Safety Tips Prevent Illness In Your Kitchen No Swine Flu Here!

With the Swine Flu running around the world it does bring attention to how we handle cleanliness. I have decided along time ago to make an effort to protect my family from the flu and food borne illnesses. My guess is that it came to me the day my first child was born.

For years I have used bleach to keep the restaurant sanitized as well as my home. Needless to say I have lost count of how many articles of clothing I have ruined due to the bleach spattering out of control while trying to clean.

It is very important to make sure you keep your cutting boards clean and sanitized! I watched a show the other day and was horrified on how new and old cutting boards grew bacteria from chicken even after they were washed. The boards were rubbed with raw chicken, let set a few minutes, then washed with hot water and soap. After that samples were taken with a swab for several days after. Even on the new board there was significant bacteria growth! The older wood cutting boards did show less bacteria growth due to the wood soaking in the moisture and bacteria away from the surface. That creeped me out knowing that the inside of the board was filled with who knows what!

To keep your cutting boards and work areas safe here are a few tips to protect you and your family from unwanted bacteria.

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  Wash all cutting boards with hot water, soap and then sanitize.
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  If wood boards have deep knife cuts replace or sand down the surface.
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  Do use separate boards for raw meats and vegetables.
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  You can put most plastic boards in the dishwasher, but they still need sanitizing.

Sanitizing:

You can sanitize kitchen utensils and cutting boards with bleach diluted with water or white vinegar and water. I keep vinegar and water in a plastic spray bottle on the counter next to the sink at all times. I prefer the vinegar over the bleach (it doesn't ruin clothing, wash rags, towels etc.).

For every one cup of water I add 2 tablespoons White Vinegar. This is also environmentally safe! Safe to use around children and pets!

You can take your cleaned boards, spray them down with sanitizer and let them sit for a while, then rinse.

Happy Cooking :)