Year: 2021

A cutting board is one of the key tools to food preparation. However, these boards need to be properly cleaned and maintained to prevent any food-borne illnesses. You should be cleaning your cutting board after every use even if it was used to slice a fruit. Skipping out on the cleaning can leave yeast and mold spores and bacteria that will continue to grow. It should also be disinfected at least monthly and after every use with raw meats, poultry and fish. Here’s how to keep your cutting board clean. Rinse Often. After every use, rinse off the board under warm water. Use a sponge to remove any bits left behind. Try rinsing your board as soon as you can to prevent any staining. Mix a Solution. Add a few drops of dishwashing liquid to warm water and wipe down both sides with a sponge. Don’t allow the wood board to soak in the solution. Never place the board in a dishwasher as the high heat and extended exposure to water will cause the wood to split. Scrub Stains. If you notice any discoloration, sprinkle baking soda and use a dishwashing brush or half a lemon to scrub the area. The acid will boost the cleaning power and lighten any stains. Rinse the board with warm water to remove any residue and dry with a soft cloth or paper towel. Disinfect. After you have rinsed the cutting board, spray it with distilled white vinegar. The acid in the vinegar acts as a disinfectant for daily use. You can also use a 3% solution of hydrogen peroxide. Whenever you work with raw meat, you should disinfect the board with a chlorine bleach and water solution. Mix one teaspoon of bleach in one quart of water and spread the solution on one side of the board. Let it sit for five minutes, then rinse with hot water and repeat on the other side. Dry and Condition. Place the board in a drainer to air-dry completely. Never store a wooden board that is still wet. You can touch up the wood with food-grade, highly refined mineral oil. Apply a generous amount and spread evenly with a paper towel. Let it soak for a few hours or overnight. Repeat on the other side and let dry. Source: the Spruce

Cooking at home requires a basic understanding of food safety. Ensuring food is safe and fresh can protect you from illness or contamination. Here’s what you can do to make your food safe. At the core of all food safety is the idea of “the danger zone”. This temperature range is where microbes like to grow, especially on food. These microbes such as molds and bacterias will make you sick if ingested. This range is between 40°F and 140°F. Placing food in environments where they are either colder than 40°F or hotter than 140°F is ideal. Always keep your fridge colder than 40°F or cook your meats at least 140°F. If you are unable to keep your food in this range for more than two hours, it’s advised to toss it out. Defrosting Food One easy way to ensure food is safely thawed is by moving it from the freezer to the fridge. However, this takes a while and if you’re short on time there are other methods to thaw food quickly. Put your food in a bowl of cold water. As long as it’s in a leak-proof container, this method will generally thaw meat in about 30 minutes to an hour. Just be sure to swap out the water every half hour. The larger the foods the longer it will take to thaw this way. You can also cook some meat directly from frozen. Chicken breast and frozen fish filets will only need a longer cook time. It’s important to note only some meats work with this method so it’s best to do some research beforehand. Cooking Food As previously mentioned, when cooking you’ll want to surpass the danger zone of meat to ensure bacteria is safely destroyed. While this list doesn’t encompass every type of meat, here are some general guidelines. These are all internal temperatures, so it’s a good idea to invest in an instant-read thermometer. 145°F for fish and whole cuts of beef, pork, veal or lamb. 160°F for ground meat including beef, lamb and park 165°F for any kind of poultry including chicken, turkey and duck 165°F is also the temperature any leftovers should be heated to If you need to cool down hot food quickly, a cold-water bath is your friend. Place your food in sealed, airtight containers and place in cold or ice water. This should cool it in a few minutes. You should never place hot food directly into your fridge as this may warm up everything else around it, thus spoiling other foods. Source: The Kitchn