Tip of the Week

Chill

Refrigeration slows down but does not stop bacterial growth. Food can still go "bad" in the refrigerator.

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Past Tips

Chill

Always marinate food, covered, in the refrigerator. Keeping food cold (at or below 4°C/40°F) slows down bacterial growth which helps reduce the risk of foodborne illness.

 

It’s not safe to defrost at room temperature. The best way to defrost food is to thaw it in a covered container on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator.

 

It’s important to refrigerate or freeze perishables, prepared foods and leftovers within two hours or less. Keeping food cold (at or below 4°C/40°F) slows down bacterial growth.

 

The best way to cool leftovers, such as chili or soup, is to divide the leftovers into shallow containers for quicker cooling.

 

The best way to keep food in the refrigerator cold is not to fill it up. By leaving some room, the cold air can circulate around the food and keep it cold.

 

When travelling with food on a hot day keep food in the refrigerator or freezer until ready to leave.

 

When travelling with food on a hot day use ice or frozen gel packs in the cooler where the food will be placed.

 

When travelling with food on a hot day place the ice-filled cooler in the car with you and not in the hot trunk?

 

As an added precaution, you could put a refrigerator thermometer in with the food to check that the temperature is cold enough (at or below 4°C/40°F).

 

When shopping at the grocery store, you should pick up the perishables (refrigerated and frozen items) last.

 

The best way to store eggs is to place them in the main part of the refrigerator where it’s coldest. Do not place eggs on the refrigerator door.

 

The best ways to store your perishable lunch is in the refrigerator or in an insulated lunch bag with a frozen gel pack. Keeping food cold slows down bacterial growth.

 

Partially thawed meat and seafood can be refrozen, but only if the food still contains ice crystals and feels refrigerator-cold should be re-frozen.

 

 

Clean

To help reduce the risk of foodborne illness, wash hands before and after handling raw meat and seafood, after using the washroom, after changing diapers and after touching pets.

 

To wash your hands properly, you must wash them for at least 20 seconds using soap and warm water and by rubbing your hands together.

 

After blowing your nose, coughing or sneezing, always wash your hands with soap and warm water for at least 20 seconds before preparing food or handling utensils.

 

A good way to make sure that you wash your hands for at least 20 seconds is to sing the Happy Birthday song twice while washing your hands.

 

You can’t tell if a food is contaminated with harmful organisms by looking at it, smelling it or tasting it. When in doubt - throw it out!

 

You can’t see, smell or taste harmful organisms that may make you sick. When in doubt - throw it out!

 

After you use tongs to handle raw food, you need to wash tongs and all utensils after each use to prevent transferring harmful organisms from raw food to cooked food.

 

If you touch raw meat or seafood, you should wash your hands with soap and warm water for at least 20 seconds, while rubbing them together.

 

Raw meat and seafood shouldn’t be washed before cooking since this could spread harmful organisms to kitchen surfaces and to other foods (cross contamination).

 

Before you open canned food, you should wash the lid of the can before you open it to prevent dust, dirt or harmful organisms from getting into the can.

 

Don’t forget to properly wash can openers after each use to keep them clean since this can cross contaminate the next can you open.

 

To prevent cross contamination, it’s very important to properly clean and sanitize cutting boards used for raw meat and seafood before you use them for other purposes.

 

Wash the cutting board thoroughly with soap and hot water, then sanitize with a mild bleach mixture (5 mL/1 tsp bleach to 750 mL/3 cups water) or a commercial kitchen cleaner.

 

You can also use the dishwasher to wash cutting boards. Set the cycle for a full wash. Your dishwasher should wash at a hot enough temperature to kill harmful organisms.

 

Wash fresh fruits and vegetables with clean running water to remove any surface dirt, sand and harmful organisms.

 

Fruits and vegetables that have firm, rough surfaces such as melons or potatoes, should be washed and scrubbed using a clean produce scrub brush before preparing or eating them.

 

When washing fruits and vegetables, cut away any damaged or bruised areas since harmful organisms can grow there.

 

Detergents are not intended for use on foods as they can be absorbed by produce or leave a surface residue. Use only clean running water and a produce scrub brush, if necessary.

 

If you are on a picnic, hiking or camping, bring clean water with you. It’s ideal if you can bring the fruits and vegetables already washed.

 

Always wash fruits and vegetables that have rind that you can peel, such as squash, melons, pineapple and oranges, before peeling even though you don’t eat the rind.

 

 

Cook

Hot food should be kept hot at a minimum of 60°C (140°F) to prevent the growth of harmful organisms. Use a digital food thermometer to check the temperature.

 

Cold food should be kept cold by keeping it at or below 4°C (40°F). Use digital food thermometers and refrigerator thermometers to check the temperature.

 

Keep perishable food out of the danger zone by keeping it at or below 4°C (40°F) or by keeping it at or above 60°C (140°F) to slow the growth of harmful organisms.

 

The best way to tell if a hamburger is cooked is to use a digital food thermometer. For a burger, insert the thermometer sideways into each patty. It is done at 71°C (160°F)!

 

Cooking food to safe internal temperatures destroys harmful organisms that may be present, and helps prevent foodborne illness.

 

Hamburgers and all food made with ground beef like meatloaf, lasagna and meatballs should be cooked to a minimum internal temperature of 71°C (160°F).

 

It is unsafe to eat your hamburgers rare. All foods made with ground beef need to be cooked to a minimum internal temperature of 71°C (160°F) to prevent foodborne illness.

 

The best way to tell if your food is cooked properly is to use a digital food thermometer to check the temperature.

 

Food is cooked safely when it reaches an internal temperature high enough to kill harmful organisms that cause foodborne illness.

 

To check the temperature of a food, you need to insert a digital food thermometer into the thickest part of the food, away from fat, bone or gristle.

 

Leftovers such as soup, stew, sauce, gravy and chili should be heated to a full rolling boil. Once the leftovers have boiled, cool it until it’s comfortable for you to eat.

 

It is safe to eat steaks rare since harmful organisms that may be on the raw steak exist only on the surface and are killed by the temperatures reached during cooking.

 

 

General

Older adults may be at a greater risk of getting foodborne illness. So, when preparing food for older people be sure to follow safe food handling practices.

 

 

Separate

Make sure to keep raw food separate from cooked and ready-to-eat food (e.g. bread, washed vegetables).

 

When shopping, put raw meat and seafood in separate plastic bags and place them away from other items in your grocery cart.

 

To avoid cross contamination, defrost raw foods in covered containers on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator so they can’t touch or drip onto other food.

 

Do not use raw meat marinade on your cooked food unless it’s boiled for 1 minute while stirring. Eating raw meat marinade can cause foodborne illness.

 

To prevent foodborne illness, don't use the same plate (or utensils) for raw and cooked meat. Harmful organisms that may be in raw meat can contaminate safely cooked food.