HEALTH & DIET CENTERS

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Focus on Food Safety

6 Tips for a Healthy Kitchen

Each year, 76 million Americans contract a foodborne illness. Here are a few simple precautions that will decrease the likelihood that you’ll be one of them.

• Make sure your refrigerator temperature stays below 40°F (use a refrigerator thermometer to check).
• Don't allow foods to sit at room temperature for more than four hours, or more than one hour in hot weather.
• Thaw frozen foods in the refrigerator, in the microwave or in a cold-water bath (change the water every 30 minutes). Thawing frozen foods on the kitchen counter is not a safe method.
• Wash your hands frequently and be sure to change kitchen towels and sponges often.
• Keep raw meats away from other foods and use two different cutting boards when you’re chopping vegetables and meats (to avoid transferring bacteria from raw meat to produce).
• Keep cutting boards clean by washing with hot, soapy water, and then sanitize by putting through the dishwasher or rinsing in a solution of 1 teaspoon chlorine bleach to 1 quart water.

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