How to Safely Prepare Food | Sanitizing

When preparing food, cleaning and sanitizing are important steps not to forget. Bacteria you can’t see can make you sick and spread to other foods and surfaces. There are lots of homemade and commercial products you can use! It’s important to remember some cleaners and sanitizers require food surfaces to be rinsed after so make sure to follow manufacturer instructions.

Steps for safely preparing food at home:

Wash hands with warm water for at least 20 seconds

Disinfect all work surfaces with food-safe disinfectant (follow the manufacturer’s instructions on the label. Some commercial sanitizers require food surfaces to be rinsed after using.)

Keep meats and vegetables separate

Wash hands after handling raw meat

Clean all surfaces and utensils with soap and warm water

Disinfect all work surfaces

How to Safely Thaw Food

Cooking at home has become the new norm for most of us. With so many choices on thawing meat, you may be wondering which way is the safest. Thawing meat the right way will leave your meat ready to cook and safe to eat. This quick video shows you how and includes a simple chart of safe internal temperatures for different types of meat. Enjoy our series of Kitchen Basics to keep you safer at home in the kitchen while cooking meals you love.

For refrigerated thawing, place meat on plate or tray and put in fridge for 12 hours or overnight
To use cool water to thaw, place frozen meat in bowl and fill with cool water; reduce water to trickle to circulate and thaw meat quicker (often in as little as 15 minutes)
Cook immediately
Make sure to cook all meat to safe internal temperatures