University of Nebraska Cooperative Extension in Lancaster County
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Helping you prepare healthy foods in a hurry

Alice Henneman, MS, Registered Dietitian and Extension Educator
University of Nebraska Cooperative Extension in Lancaster County

The Food Safety Savvy Kitchen

You have a headache. You're vomiting. You have diarrhea, and feel nauseated. Your doctor says it's likely you have a food-borne illness.

You start retracing in your mind all the places you've eaten recently. There was the new restaurant in town. There was the takeout food from the supermarket deli. You ate from a food stand at the athletic event last night. You ate at home.

Your home. Your kitchen. What happens in the home kitchen could be the cause of a food-borne illness or the last line of defense in preventing it.

To be food safety savvy in your kitchen, check out the following:

  • A quick food quiz on handling food at home.

  • Internet resources for information and materials on handling food safely at home.

"Handling Food Safely At Home" Quiz

Here's a short quiz to test and/or reinforce your food safety savvy.

DIRECTIONS: Answer YES or NO to the following questions, then check the correct answers that follow.

  1. Is it safe to leave foods such as meat, poultry, fish, eggs and dairy foods at room temperature for longer than TWO hours?

  2. To prevent cross-contamination, should you wash cutting boards with hot soapy water followed by hot rinse water between cutting raw meat, poultry or seafood and cutting other foods?

  3. Should you thaw meat, poultry and seafood on the kitchen counter?

  4. Should you divide large amounts of leftovers into small, shallow containers for quick cooling in the refrigerator?

  5. Can you always tell by the color of cooked meat and poultry whether it's safe to eat?

  6. Does handwashing help prevent food-borne illness?

Answers To Questions:

  1. NO. Protein foods -- such as meat, poultry, fish, eggs and dairy foods -- should not be at room temperature for more than TWO hours. Just ONE bacterium can grow to over 2 million bacteria in seven hours!

  2. YES. After cutting meat, poultry or seafood, wash the cutting board with hot soapy water followed by hot rinse water before cutting other foods. Or, buy several cutting boards to use for different foods and then wash them all in the dishwasher and dry on heat-dry rather than air-dry.

  3. NO. Do not thaw meat, poultry or seafood on the kitchen counter. Thaw them overnight in the refrigerator. Place package on a plate on a lower refrigerator shelf. This stops any juices from dripping on other foods and spreading bacteria. If you thaw food in the microwave, cook it right away. Unlike food thawed in a refrigerator, microwave-thawed foods reach temperatures that encourage bacterial growth.

  4. YES. Put leftovers in shallow pans so they cool faster. Limit depth of food to about TWO inches, especially for thicker foods such as stews, hot puddings and layers of meat slices. For greatest safety and quality, eat leftovers in one or two days. Freeze foods for longer storage.

    Put leftovers in the refrigerator or freezer promptly after eating. If food is left at room temperature for over TWO hours, bacteria can grow to harmful levels and the food may no longer be safe. Loosely cover leftovers to allow heat to escape and to protect from accidental contamination during cooling. If you stir refrigerated food to help it cool, use a clean spoon each time. Cover tightly when cooled.

    Your refrigerator should be set at no higher than 40 F and your freezer no higher than 0 F.

  5. NO. Using a food thermometer helps assure meat and poultry are cooked long enough to be safe and helps avoid overcooking that can cause dryness and loss of flavor.

  6. YES. Handwashing is considered the single most effective way to help prevent the spread of diseases and can definitely help protect against food-borne illness. Wash your hands with warm soapy water for about 20 seconds before and after handling food and after playing with pets, using the bathroom and changing diapers.

Resources/Internet Sites Related To Food Safety In The Home

Each of these resources (listed in alphabetical order) gives you informatin about handling food safely at home.

  1. Cooperative Extension local offices

    County and area Cooperative Extension office staff are available to provide answers to consumer food safety questions. Extension offices are located throughout the United States.

  2. Fight BAC!(TM) Partnership for Food Safety Education
    www.fightbac.org

  3. Food and Drug Administration Center for Food Safety and Applied Nurtrition:
    Consumer Advice
    http://vm.cfsan.fda.gov/~lrd/advice.html

  4. FDA Food Information Line (toll-free)
    1 (888) SAFEFOOD (723-3366)

  5. Food Marketing Association's Foodkeeper www.fmi.org/consumer/foodkeeper/search.htm

    Search online for storage times for specific foods.

  6. Gateway to Government Food Safety Information
    www.FoodSafety.gov

  7. Home Food Safety - It's in Your Hands
    www.homefoodsafety.org

    Be sure to visit the "Interactive Kitchen." Also, follow the "In the News" link, then go to "Press Releases" and read the Oct. 19, 1999 release on "Is it 'The Flu' or Something You Ate" for a discussion of some of the major differences between these types of illnesses.

  8. Iowa State University Extension Food Safety Project --
    The Consumer Control Point Kitchen     www.extension.iastate.edu/foodsafety/ccp/ccpkitchen.html

  9. The Thermy Campaign
    www.fsis.usda.gov/thermy

    In Spring 2000, the United States Department of Agriculture launched a new food safety education campaign to promote the use of food thermometers. The campaign theme is: "It's Safe to Bite When the Temperature is Right!" Check this site for more about the Thermy (TM) campaign and several fact sheets that tell how to use thermometers properly. Also, view pictures and a comparison of the various types of food thermometers.

  10. USDA Complete Guide to Home Canning
    www.foodsafety.ufl.edu/cmenu/can/canhome.htm

    View or print the latest copy of the "USDA Complete Guide to Home Canning" from this Web site. Note: You need to know the altitude where you live to determine the correct processing time and pounds of pressure for canning. In the United States you can check with your local Cooperative Extension Office for the altitude in your region.

  11. USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service

    Consumer Education and Information
    www.fsis.usda.gov/oa/consedu.htm

    Food Safety Publications
    www.fsis.usda.gov/oa/pubs/consumerpubs.htm

  12. USDA/FDA Foodborne Illness Education Information Center
    www.nalusda.gov/fnic/foodborne/foodborn.htm

  13. USDA/FSIS Meat and Poultry Hotline (toll-free)
    1 (800) 535-4555
    In Washington, DC: (202) 720-3333
    TTY: 1 (800) 256-7072
    E-mail: mphotline.fsis@usda.gov

  14. Other: Past Food Reflections/FoodTalk/Cook It Quick Articles

    30 Seconds to Food Safety
    lancaster.unl.edu/food/ftjun99.htm

    Cook Once, Eat Twice
    lancaster.unl.edu/food/ftapr99.htm

    When Is Food Done?
    lancaster.unl.edu/food/ftsept99.htm

    Don't Mess With Food Safety Myths
    lancaster.unl.edu/food/ftfeb98.htm

    Seven Habits for Highly Effective Home Food Safety
    lancaster.unl.edu/food/ftsep97.htm

    Forgotten in the Fridge
    lancaster.unl.edu/food/ftapr98.htm

    Giving Recipes a Food Safety Update
    lancaster.unl.edu/food/ftfeb99.htm

    It's a Numbers Game!
    lancaster.unl.edu/food/ftjun98.htm

    It's a Grab and Go World!
    lancaster.unl.edu/food/ftsep98.htm

Acknowledgements:

A special "thank you" to Mindy Brashears, Ph.D., Food Safety Extension Specialist, University of Nebraska Department of Food Science and Technology, for reviewing the food safety quiz.

 

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Developed By:

Alice C. Henneman, MS, RD
Extension Educator
University of Nebraska
Cooperative Extension in Lancaster County

Fax: (402) 441-7148
Phone: (402) 441-7180
E-Mail: ahenneman1@unl.edu
Web site: lancaster.unl.edu/food

Use Of These Materials:

You may reproduce these materials for educational purposes but not for sales purposes. You're also welcome to link to "Cook It Quick" from your website. Please credit: COOK IT QUICK!, University of Nebraska Cooperative Extension (lancaster.unl.edu/food/ciq.htm)

Use of commercial and trade names does not imply approval or constitute endorsement by the University of Nebraska Cooperative Extension. Nor is criticism implied of products not mentioned.

For more information about preparing healthy meals, contact your local University of Nebraska Cooperative Extension Office; for the location of the office nearest you, click here. For a listing of Cooperative Extension Offices throughout the United States, click here.

Address: 444 Cherrycreek Road, Lincoln, NE 68528-1507, Phone: 402-441-7180

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