Having a healthy kitchen begins with washing hands

Helen Smith

special to the Gateway

Having and keeping a healthy kitchen is vital to you and your family’s daily health. Listed here are a few things to do to help assure that this is achieved:

After shopping and before putting away the groceries, wash your hands so you are not transferring any germs to the food items. All wet produce should be wrapped in clean, dry paper towels and then placed into a clean, dry plastic bag.

Squeeze out the air and seal it with a twisty before storing in the refrigerator. That will prevent the item from turning black and deteriorating from the misting that happens in the produce section.

Wash your hands again after unloading the groceries.

Do not wash produce until it’s ready to use to help give it a longer shelf life. When ready to use, wash your hands and use a drop of dye-free and scent-free dish soap, work up a slight lather, and gently but firmly wash all fruit and vegetables, including mushrooms, then rinse thoroughly and lightly pat dry.

This method will help remove pesticides and germs from having been handled by various hands.

Be sure to scrub the exterior of all fruits, even though they will be peeled, as many people have handled them. When you peel them, your hands can carry the germs to the interior of the fruits. That especially includes bananas, melons, oranges and other skinned fruit.

Scrub all potatoes thoroughly with a stiff brush before peeling or cooking.

Each time you stop prepping food, no matter what the reason, wash your hands before resuming the task to avoid germ contamination to the food you are preparing.

Be sure children have thoroughly washed their hands before eating anything, or before they help prepare a recipe.

Keep the door handles of the refrigerator washed daily; wash door handles of kitchen cabinets; clean counters frequently and scour sinks daily, especially after food preparation; and clean the kitchen phone daily.

When cutting up any raw meat or fish, use three paper towels stacked together on the counter and place a sheet of wax paper on top. Cut the poultry, meat or fish and place them on a clean plate.

Wrap up the paper and towels before discarding them, and wash your hands, knife and counter thoroughly using hot, soapy water. Then dry them.

After handling raw items and placing them into a cooking utensil, be sure to wash your hands thoroughly. Not being this cautious transfers germs to whatever you touch after handling raw meat or fish.

Buy and keep a refrigerator thermometer in your refrigerator at all times. Place the thermometer in the back of the refrigerator to check to see that it reads at least 32 degrees. Then move it to the front to see if it reads no more than 35 degrees.

This is for the top two or three shelves, because keeping food very cold prevents food from poisoning and gives the products a longer shelf life.

After using any product, such as jelly, mustard or mayonnaise, wipe the lip of the jar and the lid inside and out to help prevent mold from forming.

Wash all lids of jars and cans with soap and water before opening to prevent germs from contaminating the contents.

Wash milk carton lids before opening.

Washing your hands frequently is the best thing you can do before cooking or eating to help prevent illness and the spread of germs.

Reach Healthy Cook Helen Smith at thecook@thehealthycook.com.