Kitchen Hygiene: Kids,Pets,Pests and Barbies

Children
Kids can have a great time in the kitchen, but their understanding of hygiene is rarely the same as that of an adult. Make sure they fully understand utensils that are used for raw ingredients must not be used for cooked, what happens to food dropped on the floor and when hands need to be washed.

The conversation will probably go something like this:

“Ya put sump’n in da dishwasher, ya washes ya hands. Right?”

“Oh Mo-om!”

“Ya put sump’n in da waste bin. Ya washes ya hands. Kapeesh?”

“Oh Mo-om!”

“Ya pat da dawg, ya washes ya hands. Okay?”

Oh Mo-om! Do I have to?”

“You betcha sweet Noo Joisy……..”

And so on.

Pets
I love them as much as you do, but neither they nor their feeding bowls belong in the kitchen. Whether we like it or not they carry bugs that can be harmful to humans if they get on our food. Make the kitchen an exclusion zone if you can, though how you do that with a cat beats me.

Make sure also that they have their own feeding bowls, preferably in stainless steel, and that these are washed after every meal. Pets get sick too. Don’t leave pet food lying around. It’s a great source of contamination and a breeding ground for bugs.

It also attracts…….

Pests
All insects transmit diseases just because they live in places where diseases are to be found. They have dirty feet. When they walk on your carefully polished surfaces, or take a short cut through the sugar bowl, they leave these traces behind.

They don’t mean to do it. It’s not a conspiracy (or maybe it is????). That’s just how things are in the insect world. Get over it, but don’t take it lightly.

One way or another you need to ban insects too, including those hunting spiders that are actually on your side and scare the heck out of you when you see one. The problem is, you don’t know where she’s been. Anyway, do you really want to live in the same house as a female who just killed and ate her husband?

Arachnids and other insects you prefer not to kill can be safely removed by placing a glass over them and sliding a piece of stiff paper under the glass. Then drop them over the fence and let your neighbors enjoy their company for a while.

DO NOT use insect surface sprays in the kitchen when there is food about. In fact, to be on the safe side, don’t use them at all. One effective and cheap insect trap is an empty, but still greasy, spread container. Put a little red wine in the bottom of it and leave it near the stove or fridge overnight. In the morning you’ll see what secret guests you have and can take action accordingly.

Of course, you may also find the cat staggering about with a glazed look in its eyes.

Barbecues
In both Australia and the USA barbecues are practically a way of life. We even have them built into our back yards. And generally we know how to use them. The tips are passed down from father to son.

But if you are relatively new to this type of cooking, please bear in mind it’s not just a question of buying the latest Weber and away you go. You need to learn how to use it properly and, above all, safely.

Here’s just a few ‘beat the bugs’ tips to be going on with:

• Always make sure the barbecue is at cooking heat before adding food.
• Charcoal fires should be completely gray – no black anywhere
• Cook items such as chicken legs and sausages thoroughly on medium heat
• Cut into chicken joints before serving – no pink anywhere!
• Do the same with sausages and hamburgers
• Keep meat in the fridge until you are ready to cook it
• Keep salads in the fridge and serve only when the meat is ready
• Do not put cooked meat on plates that previously held raw
• Do not put raw steak and raw chicken in the same dish
• Do not add uncooked marinade to cooked meat
• Always clean the barbecue while it’s still warm

If you’re taking your portable barbie to the beach or somewhere similar, one excellent idea is to pre-cook chicken and sausages in the microwave or oven before you go, and then finish them off on site for that authentic barbecue taste.

And of course, all other hygiene precautions we have previously discussed still apply. In particular, throw out leftover chicken joints that have been hanging about unrefrigerated for a while. And treat ANY cooked food that has been left outside for two hours or more as contaminated and unfit to eat.