Food Safety

How clean is your kitchen?
We spend ALOT of time each day in the kitchen and the kitchen is the busiest germ factory in the house! But you can fight back-here's how:

Countertops:
If you're baking a cake, spill some of the batter with raw egg in it, and don't get it all wiped up, you'l have a "bacterial breeding ground". If you later make a sandwich in the same spot, you could have trouble.
The fix: use a disinfecting wipe or spray after any food prep to kill lingering bacteria. To truly banish the "yucky" stuff-use a product that says it kills 99.9% of germs and bacteria.

Faucet Filter:
If you brush the dirty dishrag against the faucet as you're rinsing it out, bacteria can grow. Lime-scale residue can also build up if you have hard water.
The fix: take out the filter and soak it in white vinegar overnight once a week.

The Cutting Board:
This kitchen staple is used for everything from chopping onions to slicing roast beef.
The fix: Wash the cutting board with hot soapy water and rinse well. Spray board with mixture of 1 teaspoon bleach to 16 oz. of water that you keep in clearly labeled spray bottle. Then rinse the board with hot water or toss it in the dishwasher on high.
The best boards are glass or plastic because they are non-porous and most resistant to germs. Remember to toss your board if it worn, or has lots of knife-cut indentations as they can trap bacteria.

The Dish Towel:
If you rinse pieces of chicken and wipe your hands on the towl before continuing to cook, you could be inviting "salmonella" into your kitchen!
The fix: during food prep with raw meat, use paper towels (not cloth) and then toss them. And wash your hands immediately with soap and water.