Care must be taken when handling foods in the
home. Always follow the basic rules of food
hygiene to prevent bacterial and microbial growth
and cross contamination when preparing,
reheating, cooking, cooling, defrosting and freezing
foods.
1. Always ensure food you purchase is of good
quality and in prime condition. Shop at a
reliable source and buy the 'freshest' looking
package - avoid shop worn labels or produce
covered in dust.
2. Avoid buying chilled or frozen products if you
cannot store them straight away. The use of an
insulated container when shopping is advisable.
3. Buy and consume foods prior to the 'Sell by' or
'Best Before' date.
4. When you arrive home, place perishable foods
in the refrigerator or freezer immediately.
Ensure they are well covered to prevent them
drying out and to prevent any possible cross
contamination with bacteria from raw to cooked
foods.
5. Follow the cooking instructions on packets of
prepacked and cooked chilled foods, but be
prepared to adjust cooking times and
temperatures to suit your particular oven. For
example, the Fan Oven generally requires
20-25°C lower temperature than conventional
ovens.
6. Always ensure that cooked chilled foods are
thoroughly reheated until they are piping hot
throughout.
7. It is preferable to defrost frozen foods slowly in
the refrigerator. Alternatively, a microwave
cooker or the Defrost function on your oven
may be used.
8. Always cook defrosted foods immediately after
thawing. Thawed food should never be
refrozen.
9. Joints of meat and poultry should be thoroughly
defrosted before cooking.
10. Cook meat thoroughly - use a meat
thermometer if preferred, which penetrates the
joint to check that the centre temperature has
reached the required temperature (see table
below).
MEAT
TEMPERATURES
Beef
Rare - 60°C
Medium - 70°C
Well Done - 80°C
Pork
Well Done - 80°C
Lamb
Medium - 70°C
Well Done - 80°C
11. If not eaten straight away after cooking, food
should be cooled as quickly as possible (within
one hour) and then refrigerated or frozen as
required. Do not put hot food into a refrigerator
or freezer.
12. In the kitchen keep worktops, chopping boards
and utensils clean with hot soapy water
between preparation stages. Ideally, keep one
chopping board for raw meat and another for
other foods. Keep your dish cloths and tea
towels clean.
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HELPFUL HINTS WHEN BUYING AND PREPARING FOOD
