Kitchen and lifestyle safety measures
It doesn’t really matter how perfect your meals are if these dishes make you sick, cause injury or accident while preparing them. A clean and safe kitchen is therefore of great importance. But how do you create such a safe working environment? If you don’t know where to start, these tips may help you create the safest kitchen possible.
Your Kitchen Flooring
Your kitchen flooring is important. You don’t want a slippery floor while working around your kitchen. While tiles are great for kitchen floors, make sure y0ur choice of tiles is non-slippery. Alternatively, you can choose heavy duty composite mats. Although these materials were intended for heavy duty equipment, it can be the perfect choice for your new kitchen as they are durable and non-slippery. A plus factor is that you can easily clean these types of flooring materials.
First step: start with a clean slate
- Make soapy water: The first rule in a safe kitchen is: wash your hands. Hands are a breeding ground for bacteria. Wash your hands with soap and warm water for at least 20 seconds before cooking food and after handling meat, eggs, or poultry.
- Clean countertops and countertops: Wet, sticky countertops are easily filled with bacteria. If you spill something, clean the worktop immediately with a dish cloth and warm soapy water. Make sure you change dishcloths on time and wash them in the washing machine at 60°C after each use.
- Also think about that washing-up sponge in the sink: it’s a great place for bacteria – it can contain up to 360 different species at the same time. Fortunately, you can kill 99.9% of those bacteria by running the sponge in the microwave for a minute. Replace your old sponge with a new one regularly.
- Don’t forget the fridge either: the dirtiest area of your kitchen isn’t the stove or worktop. It’s just the vegetable drawer of the fridge. It is often dirtier than you think! A study has shown that there is salmonella in 36% of all vegetable drawers (and meat product drawers). Keep these bacteria away by cleaning your fridge with warm, soapy water at least once a month (or whenever you notice a leak).
Second step: preparing food safely
- Invest in two cutting board, if you can afford heavy duty composite mats board ,try it: one for fresh fruits and vegetables and the other for raw meat, chicken, fish and seafood to prevent the bacteria in the proteins from contaminating your fruits and vegetables.
- Rinse all fruits and vegetables in a colander so they don’t come in contact with the bacteria that may be hanging out in your sink. And what about chicken? Contrary to popular belief, never rinse raw chicken or poultry as this can easily spread salmonella on other surfaces such as kitchen utensils, countertops and cutting boards.
- Defrost food properly: Grandma might just thaw her meat openly on the counter, but that doesn’t mean you should do the same. Why not? Because bacteria multiply insanely fast in meat, chicken and fish that are thawed outside the refrigerator. It is therefore safer to thaw it in a covered dish on the lowest shelf in the refrigerator.
- Make sure your food is cooked: it’s tempting to judge by eye whether a piece of chicken breast or hamburger is done. But undercooked poultry or meat can contain a lot of bacteria. Try not to guess and make sure the meat has reached the correct temperature by always measuring it with a food thermometer first.
- Let leftovers cool quickly in the fridge. So don’t let them cool on the counter before you put them in the fridge, because you create a wonderful breeding ground for bacteria. Immediately after the meal, put leftovers in containers and put them in the refrigerator so that they can cool further (and more safely).
Third step: prevent accidents
- Mark out a safe work area: stoves and hobs account for 60% of all domestic fires that start in the kitchen. Keep children at a safe distance by marking a child-free zone approximately one meter from the cooker or hob.
- Unplug: Avoid accidentally turning on a blender, coffee maker or other kitchen appliance by always unplugging appliances when not in use.
- Avoid spilling: turn pots and pans handles backwards so they are not accidentally knocked over or knocked over. Always have some kitchen paper or a dishcloth close at hand so that you can clean up immediately if necessary.
- Also don’t forget your knives: with a dull knife you cut yourself rather than your food. Invest in a good knife sharpener and a knife block where you can safely store the knives.
- What you can’t live without: a brush and can to sweep up glass and pottery shards. And buy a sturdy stool. It’s safer to stand on a stool than on a chair (or the countertop) to get that pretty bowl off the top shelf of the kitchen cabinet.
- Be prepared: should an accident happen, make sure you have a fire extinguisher and a first aid kit close at hand to prevent worse.
Last and foremost, Enjoy your healthy diet and new lifestyle.
