Kitchen Safety and Sanitation Keep it Clean Prevent

Kitchen Safety and Sanitation Keep it Clean

Prevent electrical shocks • Avoid worn cords • Don’t overload outlets • Dry hands before touching anything electrical

Prevent electrical shocks • Disconnect appliances by pulling on plugs, not cords • Unplug toaster before dislodging food

Prevent burns and fires • Handles to center of range • Use potholders • Lift lids away from you

Prevent burns and fires • Don’t reach over open flames or steaming pans • Never leave cooking food unattended • Don’t put icy or wet food into hot fat

PREVENTING FALLS • Wipe up spills immediately • Use a step stool • Rugs should have non-skid backing

Preventing cuts • Wash knives individually • Dry knives by running towel along back of blade • Keep knives sharp

Preventing cuts • Use a SECURE cutting board • Cut away from yourself • Use the CLAW when appropriate.

Preventing cuts • Place can lids in cans before disposing

Preventing cuts • Sweep broken glass onto paper or cardboard • Use a damp paper towel to wipe up slivers

Preventing cuts • Keep fingers away from food processor and blender blades

Preventing cuts • Do not put your hand in a food waste disposer

Prevent poisonings • Keep medicines, cleaning supplies, and household chemicals away from food and food storage areas. flour SUG AR

Let’s Review…. Ways to prevent burns and fires. • Use dry pot holders when handling hot items. • Do not leave pot holders near a hot burner. • Turn handles of pans so they don’t stick out over the edge of the range or over other burners. • Always lift the lids of saucepans away from you so the steam will not burn you. • Do not reach across hot burners or lit gas burners. • Keep a fire extinguisher in or near the kitchen and know how to use it! • If you have a grease fire, immediately put the lid on the pan. If this doesn’t work, smother the fire with salt, baking soda, sand or a fire extinguisher. • When you have finished cooking, make sure all oven and range buttons or dials are turned off.

Let’s Review…. How to avoid falls. • Wipe up spills immediately. • Pick up toys and other objects from the middle of the floor or from any traffic area. • Use a sturdy step stool or ladder to reach high places. • Be sure all floor mats and rugs have nonskid backs. • Keep pets out of the kitchen while you’re cooking.

Let’s Review…. How to prevent cuts. • Always pick up a knife by its handle. • Always slice, chop, cut or dice foods on a cutting board. • Wash sharp knives separately. Do not simply drop knives into the dishwater. • Always cut food with the blade of the knife down and slanting away from you. • Never put your fingers near the moving parts of an electric mixer, food processor, blender or garbage disposal. • Be careful when you discard broken glass. Do not pick up pieces with your bare hands. Sweep the larger pieces into a dustpan. Use a wet paper towel to pick up smaller pieces.

Now for SANITATION How much do you already know about staying sanitary in the kitchen? Let’s test your knowledge. Read the story “SCHOOL DANCE DISASTER” DISASTER on the next slides. Every time you come to an underlined phrase you will need to make a decision. Is this situation SANITARY or UNSANITARY? UNSANITARY Once you have decided on your answer, click on the link to see if you are correct.

SCHOOL DANCE DISASTER Justin, a 12 year old middle school student, volunteered to help prepare food for the big 8 th grade dance. He had just moved to this area, but never had a food class before. All the guys in his neighborhood were busy cooking because they learned so much from their foods teacher in school and Justin wanted to be part of the fun. The first item to prepare was egg salad sandwiches. As Justin put the eggs in the water to boil, he filled the pot a little too full and it spilled by the time all the eggs were put in it. He grabbed the towel he used for drying dishes and immediately wiped up the spill on the floor. While the eggs were cooling, Justin began the chicken salad. The chicken had thawed on the counter since last night, so it was ready to be boiled. He thought it smelled odd, but decided to use it anyway since he didn’t have time to wait for more chicken to thaw. The boiling water would certainly kill any germs, he thought. Justin was dressed in a long baggy shirt. As he tried to fix his sleeves one more time, his cat, GUnit, jumped onto the counter looking for attention. The family adores G-Unit and always lets him sit wherever he wants. Justin went back to cooking while G-Unit kept his eye on the chicken salad. Finally he finished and packed it into a box sitting on the table along with some sandwiches which were already packed.

The last item to be made was the fruit salad. Justin grabbed some cans of peaches, fruit cocktail and pineapple chunks. One can was dented but Justin thought it was fine. The can wasn’t leaking so it must be OK to use. He added the other fresh fruit and stirred it with a wooden spoon. It looked so good he just had to taste it, and he licked the wooden spoon. Justin thought he should add some cinnamon, so he sprinkled it on the salad and stirred it again with the same wooden spoon. Now all the food was ready and it was time to change closes and get his mother to take him to the dance. At the dance Justin was happy to see all the food he prepared disappeared quickly. Everyone had a great time, but as people started leaving they were getting stomach cramps…. . After completing the story, click HERE to continue learning about Sanitation.

OH NO! Justin should NEVER use the dish towel to wipe up the floor!! If he forgets to put it into the laundry right away, he could spread germs from the dirty floor to clean dishes! A better and more sanitary solution would be to use a mop to clean up the spill on the floor. Click HERE to return to the story.

OH NO! Allowing meat to thaw on the counter can allow bacteria to grow and multiply in your food. A better and more sanitary solution would be to thaw meat, fish and poultry in the refrigerator. Keep HOT foods HOT and COLD foods COLD! COLD Click HERE to return to the story.

OH NO! JUSTIN!!! Believe your nose! Food that smells spoiled is probably not safe to use! Although boiling water might indeed kill any germs, no amount of boiling can return SPOILED food to a condition that is safe to eat. Click HERE to return to the story.

OH NO! JUSTIN!!! Keep pets off kitchen counters and tables. They can spread germs…. even G-Unit! Click HERE to return to the story.

OH NO! Botulism can grow in cans that are dented or bulging. NEVER use foods from dented cans. Click HERE to return to the story.

OH NO! Justin’s mouth can be a home to millions of bacteria. Never lick a spoon or taste from a spoon and then put that spoon back into the food. Use a clean spoon for every taste. Never put a spoon that’s been in your mouth back into the food you are cooking! Click HERE to return to the story.

CLEAN: Wash hands and surfaces often. SEPARATE: Don’t cross contaminate COOK: To proper temperatures CHILL: Refrigerate promptly.

SUMMARY: Basic rules of kitchen sanitation include practicing good personal hygiene, keeping the kitchen sanitary and preparing and storing food properly. By following the guidelines we have just learned, you can feel more confident that the food prepared in your kitchen is safe to eat. Safety is an important part of our everyday lives. By taking the necessary precautions, you can reduce or eliminate burns, fires, falls, cuts, electrical shocks, and poisonings in your kitchen. Put safety first! IT IS BETTER TO BE SAFE THAN SORRY!