Do you do your best to avoid food-safety hazards in the kitchen? Do you check expiry dates on packages, avoid controversial additives, use separate cutting boards for raw meat and for vegetables and always wash your hands before handling food?
If you're nodding your head in agreement, you may be among a minority of Canadians.
According to a recent survey conducted by the Canadian Partnership for Consumer Food Safety Education, only 50 per cent of Canadians follow safe cleaning practices in the kitchen, and most don't cook their burgers properly.
Misconceptions about food and cookware safety abound. You may be surprised to learn that some of the very things you do to keep your kitchen safe may be putting your health at risk. Have you been misled by any of the following myths?
Myth: It's safest to rinse chicken and meat before cooking it.
Washing raw meat or poultry before cooking is not recommended. In fact, you may actually increase your risk of food poisoning if you do.
Rinsing meat or chicken can result in the scattering of bacteria to the countertop and other, ready-to-eat foods. Bacteria that may be present on the surface of raw meat or poultry will be destroyed by cooking to proper temperatures.
On the other hand, fresh vegetables and fruit should always be washed before using, especially if they are to be eaten raw.
Wash produce under cool, running water. Before cutting, scrub fruits and vegetables that have firm surfaces or rinds such as carrots, oranges, melons and potatoes.
Even if you don't intend to eat the rind, it's necessary to wash it because bacteria on the outer surface can be transferred to the inner flesh when the food is cut or peeled.
Myth : Raw cookie dough is safe to eat.
If you add eggs to your cookie recipe, you run the risk of salmonella food poisoning if you sample raw dough. That's because Salmonella enteritidis can grow inside unbroken eggs.
Although the risk is small, it's safest to taste your cookies after they're baked. Cooking eggs, or products that contain eggs, to a temperature of at least 71 C (160 F) kills the bacteria; refrigeration does not.
Myth: It's best to cool leftovers on the counter before storing.
When you refrigerate leftovers, they should be cool enough to prevent the growth of harmful bacteria. But allowing hot food to sit at room temperature creates a breeding ground for germs. Disease-causing bacteria flourish in the danger zone, a temperature range of 4 C (40 F) to 60 C (140 F).
Refrigerate or freeze leftovers within two hours. To ensure safe, rapid cooling, put containers of hot food into cold water or ice baths to drop their temperature. Or divide hot food into smaller, shallow pans. And don't overstuff the fridge. Cold air needs to circulate above and beneath food to keep it properly chilled.
Myth : The five-second rule.
We've all heard someone say it: as long as you scoop the fallen food off the floor within five seconds, it's safe to eat. According to a study conducted at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, if your floors aren't clean you may be eating more bacteria than you think.
In the experiment, when cookies and gummy bears were placed on dry floor tiles with measured amounts of E. coli, a large number of germs were transferred to the food within five seconds. (The study didn't involve damp floors or carpets.) Depending on where you drop your food, think twice before applying the five-second rule.
Myth: As long as the burger is brown inside, it's safe to eat.
The reality is you can't judge a burger by its colour – beef patties may be brown in the centre before reaching a safe temperature, or can stay pink even after reaching the right temperature.
