Being in the kitchen, any housewife from time to time performs a number of specific actions: washing food, chopping, cooking, etc. But. habits of doing this and not otherwise can play a cruel joke. We have collected 8 mistakes that we all make from time to time in the kitchen.
1. Dirty hands
One of the benefits of the pandemic is that people have begun to pay more attention to hygiene issues. However, before the outbreak of the virus, each of us from time to time forgot to wash our hands before starting cooking. When you work with food, wash your hands as often as possible to avoid transferring germs from different surfaces to the food.
2. Tasting suspicious food
The habit of tasting spoiled food from their own fridge is typical for women. Men are more squeamish and more likely to throw out a suspicious product. The fact is that harmful bacteria appear in "cheating" products, which at first do not give themselves away, but can cause serious damage to health. Therefore, milk, sour cream and other expired dairy products should not be tasted. The same goes for ready-made meals that have been in the refrigerator for a long time.
3. Defrost meat at room temperature
If you are used to leaving meat overnight, defrosting at room temperature, be prepared for the fact that one "fine" day you will get poisoned or get an upset stomach. The thing is that products such as meat and fish cannot be kept at temperatures above five degrees for a long time. In such conditions, bacteria and microorganisms begin to multiply rapidly. Therefore, if you are health conscious, transfer the meat from the freezer to the refrigerator or defrost it quickly in the microwave.
4. Tasting raw dough
Under no circumstances should you eat raw eggs, as they can be a source of salmonellosis. As you know, this disease in some forms can be very dangerous for humans. For the same reason, don't try raw dough. And it's not just the eggs, which are present in many baking recipes, but the flour itself. E. coli has been found in this indispensable baking product.
5. Marinate meat and fish at room temperature
Do not marinate meat and fish at room temperature for the same reasons as defrosting meat outside the refrigerator. Only in the case of using the marinade will bacteria multiply even more rapidly, which means that the chances of earning poisoning will increase significantly. To avoid trouble, simply put the pickled food in the refrigerator.
6. Store dirty eggs
As you know, raw eggs can be a source of infection. More precisely, not the eggs themselves, but bird droppings on their shells. It is for this reason that eggs need to be kept separate from other foods. Before purchasing, be sure to open the tray and carefully inspect its contents. Do not take packages with cracked specimens, as bacteria enter through the cracks.
7. Use one cutting board
Of course, cutting all products on one board is convenient and practical. However, this is wrong, and in some cases even dangerous. According to the latest sanitary and epidemiological requirements, the kitchens of cafes and restaurants must have at least 12 boards. You can get by with less at home. For hygienic reasons, we recommend using 3 cutting boards. One is for meat and fish, the second is for vegetables and fruits, and the third is for bread.
8. Wait until it cools completely
In order to put freshly prepared food in the refrigerator, you do not need to wait for it to cool completely. By the way, you can not wait for this if we are talking about hot days or if the pan is near the stove. Fresh food can just go bad. But, even if there are no visible signs of food spoilage, after 2-3 hours in a warm dish, bacteria will begin to appear at room temperature. In short, a maximum of two hours after the end of cooking, the dish must be refrigerated.
Errors can also include a huge number of unnecessary gadgets. There is little sense from them, but they take up a lot of space. Read more about this in the material. 12 cute but useless kitchen gadgets that housewives rarely use.