

The Danger Zone is that classic 1996 adventure-thriller movie starring Robert Downey Jr.If you can’t, wash cutting boards with hot, soapy water after using them on raw meats and before using them to cut fruits and vegetables! What is the Danger Zone? And what does it have to do with Thanksgiving dinner? If you can, use separate cutting boards for meats and produce. Not socially-distant away (you don’t need 6 feet), but still, apart. When preparing food, you need to keep raw meats and their juices away from fruits and vegetables and all ready-to-eat foods. That is, the transfer of harmful bacteria from one food, particularly raw meats, poultry and shellfish to other foods. (If you said D, again - get out of the kitchen.) Cross-contamination is one of the most common causes of food-borne illness, according to the USDA. It’s called “marinade.”Īnswer: The correct answer is C. coli and salmonella that can contaminate fruits and vegetables - and make people sick. Because raw meats, meat products and blood can carry bacteria like E.Face it, meats and fruits and vegetables just don’t like each other.Or veggies can make your meat taste weird. Meat can make your veggies taste weird.Why should you keep raw meats and meat products separated from fruits and vegetables when cutting them up or preparing them? You could end up eating residues from those cleaners if they’re absorbed by fruits and vegetables. But don’t wash them with detergents or soap, even dishwashing soap. Rinsing with cold water cleans off dirt and other contaminants. You should rinse fruits and vegetables with cold water to remove lingering dirt that can carry bacteria.Īnswer: Absolutely D. Nah, the supermarket washes them, right?.Should you rinse off fruits and vegetables? Here are just a few other things you should wash your hands after doing: coughing, blowing your nose, using the restroom handling money, eating, drinking, smoking and handling or preparing raw food. coli to salmonella and staphylococcus aureus, as well as viruses, can be removed from people’s hands through proper handwashing. And this year, with COVID? It’s important even if you’re not cooking! So wash your hands. Handwashing is always a key part of safe cooking. (Get out of the kitchen if you answered A) You should wash your hands and cutting boards before and after everything in B, C and D. Everything except answer A, but mainly, “OFTEN.”Īnswer: Definitely E.If you sneeze, blow your nose or have to run to the restroom.After you pet the dog, the cat, the gerbil or pick up the kids.A few germs will toughen up your immune system! You don’t have to wash your hands and cutting boards.The refrigerator’s easier! How often should you wash your hands and cutting boards when preparing food? But - and this is important - the water must be cold, under 40 degrees, and should be changed every 30 minutes to keep it cold. Note: The United States Department of Agriculture says that you can also thaw meats in cold water. Because bacteria can grow exponentially at room temperatures. Using the refrigerator to thaw slowly and evenly is the best, safest way to defrost any meat. (If it’s a big turkey, for at least 24 hours for every five pounds in weight.)Īnswer: D, of course. Meats, poultry and fish should be defrosted in the refrigerator. Let it sit in a pot of water until it gets ( wait for it…) mushy-soft!.Run hot water over it until it gets mushy-soft.

Put it out on the counter, don’t let anyone touch it and wait till the outside is mushy-soft.Here you go! What’s the best way to thaw frozen meat? (this year’s smaller turkey, Cornish game hen, whatever…) With that in mind, the County’s Department of Environmental Health is offering its annual (and fun) safe-Thanksgiving cooking quiz to help you prepare. coli, listeria and salmonella that can turn your meals into heaping plates of food-borne illness! Fewer people around our tables - ideally, just our immediate households.īut adjusting the holidays to fight COVID-19 doesn’t mean you can’t cook a Thanksgiving meal!Īnd if you’re the chef, remember - use safe-cooking rules like, “keep hot foods hot and cold foods cold, keep meats and veggies separated during food prep, and practice good hygiene.”īecause the last thing you want to do, after fighting COVID and staying safe, is to accidentally serve up helpings of bacteria like E. Zoom and virtual visits with extended family and friends. Thanksgiving is definitely going to look very different this year.
