Tips for The Kitchen
Tips from Crave
Every month, Crave shares with us some of the insights of what made it so successful. From recipes, to cooking techniques, to kitchen know-how. This month Crave reveals key information about kitchen hygiene that is essential for anyone who loves the kitchen as much as they do!
The basics of prepping & cooking a delicious dish not only lies in the enjoyment of making it, but in the ingredients used, how to use them with minimal waste, as well as managing your way around in the kitchen. Food hygiene and storage can be very tricky especially when dealing with raw produce such as meat, poultry or fish, eggs, fresh vegetables or pastries with fat content in them. All you need are simple guidelines to follow in the kitchen, and we’ve rounded up some nice ones here for you.
General Cleanliness & Safety
• Wear closed shoes in the kitchen, a clean apron; have your hair tied back and have a kitchen towel at hand.
• When chopping vegetables or meat, create a ‘claw’ using your fists where your fingers are not in direct contact with the knife.
• When washing dishes, wash messy ones first then cleaner ones last so you don’t waste a lot of water or change dishwater often.
• Use separate boards for meat/chicken/fish/veggies, so you don’t spread unwanted bacteria from raw food handling, around.
Meat & Poultry Handling
• Always make sure they’re cold to the touch when buying them, as this shows that they’ve been stored & handled right.
• Avoid re-freezing thawed meat/chicken/fish as it takes away from its freshness and is likely to have higher levels of food-poisoning bacteria.
• Use your cold compartment in the fridge to thaw freezed goods.
Vegetables & Fresh Greens
• Never place vegetables and fruits on the same shelf as they can go bad easily.
• Water & vinegar are natural disinfectants, so soak them well in a sink full of that combination before using or storing them.
• If your vegetables are about to go bad, minimize waste by preserving them into pickles, sauce or savory jams.
Waste & Storage
• To minimize waste & mess around the kitchen, use a ‘waste bowl’ for all the waste from food you are cleaning – making it easy to dispose off when you are done.
• If your food is hot wait until it has cooled down before placing it in the fridge, to minimize water from steam from ruining it.
• When handling jarred or canned goods, store properly as per handling instructions or add oil on top to stop air from entering surface easily, helping bacteria survive.
