Surprisingly, kitchens and not bathrooms are the dirtiest part of the house. With consumables prepped and cooked in the space, the kitchen should always be spick and span. In this article, we will list down several things you should take note of to ensure that your kitchen stays sanitary.
1. Avoid Washing Raw Meat
You should not wash or rinse poultry, beef, pork, lamb or any other raw meat. You may think that washing the raw meat will rinse germs off the meat, clean it, and make it safer for consumption. However, rinsing meat or poultry will cause a higher chance of cross-contamination and food-borne illnesses. The washed off bacteria will contaminate the sink and the countertop through the water droplets. Making your kitchen dirty, although not visibly.
Rather than rinsing or washing the meat and poultry, it is better to pat them dry using a kitchen towel.
2. Different Cutting Boards For Different Uses
After cutting raw meat or poultry, ensure that you are not using the same cutting board to cut other food products. Having different cutting boards will help prevent cross-contamination as raw meat juices should not be mixed with cooked or ready-to-eat food such as fruits, salads or bread. It would be best to have at least 2 different cutting boards, one for meat and poultry and another for fresh produce. Purchase colour coded cutting boards to remember each cutting boards’ usage easily.
Keep in mind to change your cutting board when it has scratches, and deep cracks as bacteria that live there will not be washed away even if you scrub the cutting board.
3. Organise Your Refrigerator
Almost every kitchen has a refrigerator. With it being a place where most of our food are stored, refrigerators should be kept clean. To organise your refrigerator, divide the compartments into cooked food, dairy, and raw meat and poultry.
Cooked food should be placed in the top most shelf, dairy in the shelf below it, and raw meat and poultry at the most bottom shelf. It is best to put a tray under the raw meats and poultry to prevent leaking raw juices. Vegetables and fruits should be placed inside the drawer.
4. Change Your Sponge Regularly
Kitchen sponges are the ideal breeding place for bacteria. With the sponge cleaning grime and never really drying properly, bacteria is bound to be found in them. Although there are ways to clean the sponges, such as by microwaving or boiling it, the methods are not effective in killing the bacteria completely and will not eliminate 100% of the bacteria in the sponge. It would be best and safer to change your kitchen sponge every week.
If you find the tips useful, share the article with your family and friends!
---
From cleaning tools, laundry items to kitchen accessories, Leifheit has got all you need to make life at home easier.