exacts a large toll on health, and one that we need to be constantly vigilant about, and not just those of us with a weakness for 2-week-old hummus because "food poisoning" affects thousands and thousands of North Americans every year, yet most of those cases could have easily been prevented with a bit of common sense.
.....So what can you do to protect yourself, and equally important, your loved ones against a food-related illness, short of not eating?
.....Well, when you think about the varied foods we eat and the many ways we prepare those foods, there are clearly more food safety rules than there are Americans who voted for Ralph Nader, so all I can offer are a few simple guidelines that stand out for me, which starts with making sure to use lots and lots of water (and some soap) when handling food: when storing it, preparing it, cooking it, and eating it.
.....Thus, you should always wash fruits and veggies, even (perhaps especially) pre-cut produce because after all, pre-cutting means those veggies have been handled in some way (I even rinse many cuts of meat in cold water, but that's just me).
.....You should always make sure to thoroughly wash surfaces that have been in contact with food, especially any surface that's been in contact with meat or meat "juice."
.....In fact, in our house, in which we have only one gentle meat-eater and one fascist vegetarian, we never cut or slice meat on surfaces on which we also cut veggies and fruits.
.....And be sure to wash all utensils carefully, especially ones used to cut meat.
.....And wash your hands often, too, when handling food, when preparing food, when cooking, and certainly before eating.
.....Then there's the thorny matter of defrosting food. Clearly, the easiest rule is simply not to defrost anything on the counter, especially when the weather is warmer than average.
.....This applies especially to fish and meat, of course.
.....In fact, another good meat-related food rule corollary is that you should never leave meat on the counter for any length of time no matter what con |
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