Feature Articles
Kitchen Crazies Lead to Risky Business
Karma Metzgar, C.F.C.S. Former Northwest Regional Nutrition Specialist, Nodaway County Extension Center, University of Missouri Extension
“Surely! That’s done!” “Here honey, eat this.” “It’s on the table waiting!”
Hurried or rushed cooks-even impatient cooks can create
a crazy kitchen and be welcoming uninvited guests! The
guests are not checking for dust bunnies behind the door
or going to write messages in the dust-they are guests
of your stomach-and they are unwelcome!
The uninvited guests I’m referring to are those
associated with food borne illness-flu like symptoms can
begin within a few hours or a few days and last a few
hours or several days. Food borne illness symptoms
include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, or fever. The
illness doesn't always happen immediately so it’s often
not associated with the foods we’ve eaten.
Most food borne illness outbreaks are caused by improper
cooking, cooling, reheating, hot holding methods and
lack of hand washing? So caution lights are phrases
like: “Surely! That’s done!” “Here honey, eat this.”
“It’s on the table waiting!” Let’s peek in on these
likely situations and see what’s happening.
“Sure! That’s done!” You think you’ve thoroughly
cooked your food, but guess what. It might not be true.
For instance, most people figure their hamburgers are
done when they turn brown in the middle. New studies
show that one out of every four burgers turns brown
before it’s done. Why is that important? Undercooked
hamburgers have been linked to serious illness from E.
coli. 0157:H7. Cure: Use a thermometer.
“Here honey, eat this.” When you open a package
of raw chicken, and then grab a cracker to give to your
fussy toddler, you might also be passing along dangerous
bacteria. Salmonella can be present on the raw chicken.
When you touch it and then touch something else-even
your child’s baby bottle-you risk spreading food borne
bacteria. Cure: Wash your hands with soap and water
after handing raw meats and before touching anything!
“It’s on the table waiting!” Not everyone makes
it to the table at the same time so you leave a plate
for the tardy family member. Do you really know when
they arrived home to eat? Or, you leave a hot pot with
planned overs on the stove to cool while you run kids to
the pool, take someone to the field, or run a quick
errand. The only problem is this: At room temperature,
bacteria in food can double every 20 minutes. So, when
you get back, your pot looks, smells and feels fine.
However, germs are good at being invisible-until they
are beating around in your stomach! Cure: Refrigerate in
shallow containers before leaving the house.
Foods held in the “danger zone” from 40 to 140 degrees
for more than two hours when reheating, cooling or
serving process means lots of germs. And germs can make
one sick!
Parents (caregivers and friends) despite their best
intentions may not be handling food safely, according to
consumer research. Studies confirm that one-third of all
food borne illnesses in this county occur in children
under 10 years old. In fact, children under 1 are the
age group most likely to get sick from Salmonella.
Recently I visited with a local cancer support group
about nutrition-and the topic of food safety surfaced.
We discussed carried in dishes, reheating of foods, how
long foods are left out of the refrigerator, storing
leftovers, the length of time to eat, etc. It was a good
discussion and particularly important for folks whose
immune system is already compromised. Good rules for all
to remember are those in the Fight Bac! Campaign. Keep
hands, surfaces and foods clean; Chill or refrigerate
promptly; Cook to the proper temperature; and, Keep
foods separate and don’t cross-contaminate. For more
food safety information, go to:
http://www.fightbac.org.
Last Updated 10/25/2007
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