Preparing Food that is Safe
Having friends or family over for a meal you have prepared can be a special experience. Sharing good food and good conversation is what good dinner parties are all about. To make sure your next dinner party is a success it can be well worth taking the time to make sure that what you are preparing is safe and won’t lead to anyone feeling unwell, and also to make sure that all of the effort that goes into making the meal isn’t wasted and the food being inedible.
Anyone who has ever prepared food for a dinner party or even for one or two guests will know the importance of preparation. When preparing food, food safety is just as important and apparent as when the cooker and grill are on. Clean hands, boards and knives are essential, as is using food that has not gone bad, or is “on the turn”. Extra care should also be taken to ensure that any raw meats or fish are kept well away from any foods are ready and aren’t due to be cooked.
Most people are aware of the dangers of raw meat and raw fish. Both contain harmful bacteria that can lead to illness, which is why when preparing such ingredients it is very important to ensure that they are kept separate from other ingredients – especially any that have already been cooked or are ready to eat. To help prevent any spread of bacteria keep washing your hands and use a separate board and knife for all meat preparation. Even when it comes to storing such foodstuffs be vigilant and store them away from other foods.
What about the actual cooking? The one big safety concern when it comes to cooking foods is that they won’t be cooked enough. Some foods can be eaten rare (and tend to taste better that way) such as beef and lamb, as long as they a single piece of meat and not a rolled joint. Poultry and pork however, always need to be cooked through due to the fact that these meats can have bacteria all the way through them, not just on the outside. To check that meat has been properly cooked you can cut into them to check that there is no pink meat inside or if cooking a chicken or bird pierce with a clean knife until the juices run out clear.
With Christmas just around the corner the top food tip for this time of year has to concern leftovers. Turkey sandwiches, turkey soup and anything else that can have turkey in are normally eaten for at least one week after the big day. If you like leftovers, cool it as quick as possible and store it in the fridge and don’t keep them any longer than two days, otherwise it may not be safe to eat and could ruin the whole festive period.
Shieldyourself are food safety training experts and consultants and work with comapnies throughout the UK.