Cooking: Hygiene
Before cooking, go through this checklist:
Wash your hands with warm, soapy water for 20 seconds
Wash all items you are going to use to prepare food and cook with
Wipe down any surfaces food touches before and after preparation and cooking
As you are preparing food, make sure you always separate raw foods from one another, as bacteria can easily cross-contaminate. Bacteria in raw foods can only be removed by cooking the food. Try and use designated boards / plates for raw meats compared to other foods. Always keep raw meats, seafood and eggs apart from all other food.
Fruit and vegetables are the 2 types of food you should always rinse with cold water to remove any pesticides/weedkillers, before eating raw.
If something becomes contaminated it means it will be dirty, infected, unclean or polluted.
Allergenic Foods
Some foods such as nuts, shellfish, milk or gluten are classified as allergenic. If eaten by some people they can cause an anaphylactic shock. An anaphylactic shock is a severe and potentially life-threatening reaction to an allergy. Symptoms may include swollen hands, feet or eyelids, trouble with breathing and/or collapse and unconsciousness.