Kitchen Sanitation

With the extensive amount of time that's sure to be spent in the kitchen over the next couple of days I think it is worthwhile to discuss kitchen sanitation. This is not only a preventative measure for food-borne illness, but just an overall good idea. I got these tips from the January-February 2010 issue of Cooks Illustrated. These tips can be adapted for the commercial kitchen or to your kitchen at home. They are universal concepts.

Depending on different factors like moisture, temperature, surface porosity and the particular strain of bacteria, microbes can live as long as 60 hours on your sink or cutting board. For that reason alone sanitation is crucial. One of the most important steps is hand washing. Washing your hands for 20 seconds with hot soapy water is the number one recommendation from the FDA to stop the spread of food borne pathogens.

There are several questions regarding cutting boards and the sanitation of cutting boards. Cooks Illustrated sent a stack of cutting boards to a lab, where they were colonized with salmonella, and then washed hot soapy water or sprayed with a bleach solution or undiluted vinegar. According to the lab results all the above mentioned methods were effective in reducing bacteria to less than 10 CFUs (colony forming units). Also, on the topic of cutting boards, a question about which is more sanitary, wood or plastic, was brought up. Bamboo boards actually have antibacterial properties, but all of the materials that were tested came back clean.

The kitchen sink is one of the dirtiest parts of your kitchen. The sink is crawling with even more bacteria than your garbage bin (the drain alone harbors roughly 18,000 bacteria per square inch). When sanitizing your sink, although hot soapy water is effective, using a solution of 1 tablespoon of bleach per quart of water will provide added insurance. Pay special attention to the faucet handles when cleaning the sink as well, as this can reintroduce bacteria to your hands after you've washed them.

Don't forget to clean your sponges. The moist environment of a sponge is the next worst offender after the kitchen sink. If you cannot use a kitchen towel or paper towel to wipe up messes, make sure to disinfect your sponge. According to the article in Cooks Illustrated, of all the methods they tried for sanitizing a well used sponge, boiling or microwaving were the most effective.

If possible, avoid rinsing raw poultry and meat. It is far more likely to spread contaminants around the sink than to send them down the drain. If it is necessary to rinse raw meat first make sure to thoroughly clean the sink and surrounding areas after. When dealing with raw meat, the prevention of cross-contamination is very important. Following the general rule of keeping raw foods and cooked foods separate will help to prevent cross-contamination. Make sure you are not using the same utensils (including thermometers) for raw and cooked foods. For any utensil that absolutely must come in contact with raw and cooked foods, like your scale, make sure to cover it with plastic wrap or foil. This will put up a barrier to prevent contamination.

Never recycle your marinades. They are contaminated with raw meat juice and therefore unsafe for consumption. If you want to use marinade as a sauce for the cooked meat, make a little extra and set it aside at the beginning.

Most bacteria thrive between 40 and 140 degrees Fahrenheit. This is referred to as "the food danger zone." Within this danger zone bacteria can double about every 20 minutes quickly reaching harmful levels. As a general rule, food should not stay in this zone for more than two hours or one hour if the room temperature is above 90 degrees Fahrenheit. Defrosting should always be done in the refrigerator, not at room temperature on the counter where bacteria can grow. Place the defrosting food on a plate or in a bowl while defrosting to prevent any liquid it releases from coming in contact with other food. Reheating food should be done quickly. Food should be brought up through the danger zone as quickly as possible.

There are many different things we can do to make our kitchen a little less conducive to bacterial growth. Mostly common sense will help prevent food-borne illness in your own home. It's a little more difficult in a commercial setting but in that case there are measure in place to ensure safety. Hopefully everyone will have a Merry Christmas and enjoy all the great food the holiday season has to offer.

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