On an episode of the reality TV show “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy,” there is a scene in the kitchen where a guy is making pasta for a dinner party. When the pasta is ready, he sticks his hand in the pot, grabs the pasta and puts it on a serving platter–to the quintet’s horror.
Glad you weren’t invited to that dinner?
While you are probably more aware of cleanliness procedures in the kitchen than that poor cook, you may not be aware of just how many food-borne illnesses are waiting to be, well, born. According to the Food and Drug Administration, 76 million cases of food-borne illness occur in the United States every year. Blame can reside partially with food providers, such as restaurants and manufacturers. But the above example shows that at-home kitchen handling can also spread unwanted bacteria.
What evil lurks
You can, at least, prevent some of these from entering your homemade cuisine.
The main causes of food-borne illnesses are bacteria, viruses and parasites. The names read like villains from the Sci Fi Channel and include such parasites as Giardia lamblia, Cyclospora cayetanensis and Cryptosporidium parvum. You may be more familiar with bacteria such as Escherichia coli O157:H7 (a.k.a. E. coli) and Salmonella enteritidis (a salmonella outbreak at a Vernon Hills Chili’s restaurant last summer sickened 168, health officials said). But viruses can also be spread through food. That was the case last fall in Pennsylvania when three people died and more than 600 people were infected with hepatitis A. The source? Green onions.
In the Pennsylvania outbreak, the green onions originated in Mexico where contaminated water and/or infected workers passed the disease to the vegetable. Green onions and leafy veggies are especially susceptible because people don’t always wash them thoroughly, according to Dr. Vincent Young, a faculty member of the National Food Safety & Toxicology Center at Michigan State University.
“Bacteria can easily hide in the recesses of the leaves,” Young said. “Heating and washing are the best ways to rid bacteria and other microbes from foods.”
Unwanted organisms can thrive in a wide range of foods (organic or not), such as dairy products, chocolate, seafood and even water. Unpasteurized fruit and vegetable juices and ciders; raw or undercooked eggs or foods containing undercooked eggs are especially prone to bacteria growth, according to the FDA. How do you know if you’ve consumed contaminated foods? The most common symptoms are diarrhea, cramping, and vomiting. If the condition hasn’t resolved itself within 48 hours, is accompanied by high fever (above 101 degrees), or you have abdominal pain, you should see a doctor.
If by this time, you’re wishing for super sanitized space-age food packets–don’t be. At-home cooks can do a lot to reduce the chances of food-borne illnesses. It starts with your trip to the grocery store.
Shop smart
Adhere to expiration dates on labels and don’t buy canned goods that are dented, have loose lids or, when applicable, a center “button” that has popped up. If the cans or jars are sticky or leaking, alert the store.
Pasteurized milk, cheese, ciders and juices are the best choices, especially for those with immune-compromised health issues. When foods are pasteurized, they are heated to 160-degrees and held long enough to kill bacteria.
Open egg cartons to be sure the eggs are clean and not cracked. In the frozen food section, avoid those items with ice crystals: That’s a sign that the item may have been thawed and refrozen. Thawing creates an opportunity for bacteria to grow. And once present, some bacteria can actually survive freezing. That’s why it’s recommended that you thaw meats in the refrigerator as opposed to a room-temperature countertop, where bacteria can initially start growing.
When buying fresh fish, take a look at the counter to make sure the cooked items, such as shrimp, are not on the same bed of ice as raw fish. That’s a contamination situation waiting to happen because the juice from the raw can seep into the skin of the precooked shrimp. By the way, fresh fish shouldn’t smell fishy and whole fish should have clear, bright eyes.
Once you bring the items home, take care to store them properly.
Storage know-how
The temperature in your refrigerator should be 40 degrees Fahrenheit and the freezer 0 degrees. Check product labels for how to store items. Mayonnaise and ketchup need to be refrigerated after opening, as do many other canned goods. If the label says to store the product in a cool, dry place, follow the directions. However, under the kitchen sink is not such a place. You don’t want to store potatoes or onions where leaks can create dampness.
It’s OK to leave fish and meat in store-bought packaging for a day or two. If you’re using some and refrigerating the rest, place the remainder tightly wrapped or in a sealed container. A vacuum sealer is a handy kitchen gadget to have around as it extracts air and keeps food fresher longer. Foods headed for the freezer should also be tightly wrapped.
Prep tips
Be aware of any potential for cross contamination. For example, you’ve just cut up a piece of meat and some of the juices remain on the cutting board and on the knife. You rinse them quickly, then proceed to slice tomatoes, which will be eaten raw in that beautiful, healthful salad you’ve just prepared. Unless you’ve thoroughly washed off your board and knife with warm, soapy water, liquid from the raw meat can remain and be transferred to the tomatoes–you’ve now created a perfectly ripe environment for salmonella to grow.
An easy way to avoid cross-contamination is to have separate cutting boards (nonporous surfaces are best) exclusively for chopping raw meats. It isn’t just meat that can cross contaminate. Unwashed produce straight from the market may have been rinsed or handled in less than sanitary conditions (as was the case with the green onions). Wash produce before slicing and certainly before eating. Use a vegetable brush, carefully separating the leaves of lettuce, celery and other tight-leafed produce. If you’re eating the skin of fruits (and you should–they contain much of the nutrients), scrub them down too. You can also blanch veggies such as broccoli to get rid of bacteria.
In general, keep all your surfaces and utensils squeaky clean. Ditto for that kitchen towel, as dampness is bacteria’s best friend. The FDA suggests washing countertops and boards with a solution of 1 teaspoon of chlorine bleach to 1 quart of water. Keep a spray bottle with the solution handy, coat the surface and rinse it completely. While water will do the trick as well, Young said that most people are much more thorough in their rinsing when they use a soapy product.
Also keep hot foods hot and cold foods cold. Meats should be heated at least to 165 degrees. Get an instant-read thermometer.
To store leftovers, cool them quickly, wrap them tightly and get them into the fridge as soon as possible. When microwaving leftovers (or other foods), heat the item enough so the center gets hot too. That’s why package instructions recommend that you wait a few minutes after microwaving–it allows the heat to seep all the way through.
And if anything looks or smells suspect, just toss it.
